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USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
After blowout loss, USC baseball can look to world champion Dodgers for inspiration
After blowout loss, USC baseball can look to world champion Dodgers for inspiration On Sunday night, USC baseball was blown out 14-1 by Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament. With the loss, the Trojans blew an opportunity to clinch their first trip to the super regionals in 19 years. Instead, the two teams will play a winner-take-all game on Monday afternoon in order to decide who moves on. Obviously, losing a postseason game by 13 runs is demoralizing. However, the Trojans do not have time to wallow. They have to turn around and play a decisive game less than 24 hours later. For inspiration, Andy Stankiewicz's team can look just a few miles up the road at the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Last October, the Dodgers entered Game 5 of the NLCS with a chance to clinch to clinch a trip to the World Series with a win. Like the Trojans on Sunday, however, Los Angeles's potential clincher turned into a nightmare. The Dodgers were blown out 12-6 by the New York Mets in a game that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated. Two days later, the Dodgers had another chance to clinch the pennant. This time, they finished the job, handling New York 10-5 to win the National League and advance to the Fall Classic. In the World Series against the New York Yankees, the same scenario unfolded. With a chance to clinch the title in Game 4, the Dodgers were blown out 11-4. The following night, however, it was a different story, as LA pulled out a 7-6 instant classic victory to win the championship. On two separate occasions, the Dodgers had a chance to clinch a series, but instead suffered a blowout loss. Both times, they responded emphatically in the following game, getting the win they needed. On Monday, USC baseball will look to do the same. After being blown out in a potential clincher on Sunday, the Trojans will get another shot on Monday in a winner-take-all game. If they want to emerge victorious, the Trojans will need to put the struggles of the last game behind them and focus on the task at hand. Fortunately for the Trojans, there is a very clear blueprint on how to do so. To find it, they need only look to their baseball brethren in Los Angeles.
New York Post
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Mets' big bats bash pathetic Rockies to finish sweep
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free When presented with an ailing offense, nine out of 10 doctors recommend facing Rockies pitching. Sure enough, after sweeping a series against a team that has sunk to 9-50, the top of the Mets lineup has never looked healthier. Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto smoked shots that provided all of the Mets runs in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies on an unseasonably chilly Sunday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 43,224 at Citi Field. In wrapping up a strong nine-game homestand in which it won seven, Carlos Mendoza's group is a season-high 15 games over .500 (37-22). The Mets can look forward to another three games in Colorado next week, but they will have to stop at Dodger Stadium for a four-game set first. 3 Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hits a three-run home run in the fourth inning against the Rockies on June 1, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Their best bats will enter another NLCS rematch swinging well: Lindor, Soto and Alonso combined to pound the worst team in baseball to the tune of 13-for-35 with six home runs, two doubles and nine RBIs. Sunday it was Alonso who helped the club climb out of an early hole. After soft-tossing lefty Carson Palmquist frustrated the Mets one time through the order, the bottom of the fourth began with a Starling Marte walk and Soto getting plunked. 3 Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Rockies on June 1, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post Alonso then erased a one-run deficit by sending a towering, three-run shot over the bullpen in right-center, breaking a tie with Howard Johnson for fourth-most RBIs (632) in franchise history. Next up on the list is Mike Piazza's 655. The Rockies tied the game against Clay Holmes (a career-high seven innings in which he allowed three runs on three hits) in the fifth, when Tyler Freeman smacked a slider that didn't slide over the wall in right-center to make it 3-3. But a righty-hitting Lindor answered back in the bottom of the inning, lasering a homer to left for his third homer in three games. The Mets have won the past 26 games in which their de-facto captain has launched a homer. 3 Juan Soto celebrates his eighth-inning home run with his Mets teammates on June 1, 2025. Robert Sabo for NY Post Insurance arrived in the eighth, when Soto's back knee wound up on the dirt but he still had enough power to lift a Zach Agnos splitter over for the right-field wall. Reed Garrett and Edwin Díaz (13th save) struck out five over two scoreless innings in continuing to look like one of the best late-game combinations in the game.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Yankees-Dodgers rematch after 2024 World Series—How to watch for free
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free For the second week in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers will headline Apple TV+'s Friday Night Baseball. After defeating their 2024 NLCS opponents, the New York Mets, during last week's broadcast, they'll take on the New York Yankees tonight in a rematch of the 2024 World Series. The Yankees are entering tonight's game, the first in a three-game series against the Dodgers, on a five-game win streak. The Yankees aren't going into this series any differently, though, despite it being a highly anticipated matchup. 'I know everyone's pumped up,' Anthony Volpe said. 'I think there's a balance of, excited for it, but then it's just a series in June. We have a different team.' what to know about mets vs. dodgers Date and time: May 30, 10:10 p.m. ET May 30, 10:10 p.m. ET Venue: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, California) Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, California) Streaming: Apple TV+ Tonight's Friday Night Baseball is exclusive to Apple TV+, but fear not: It's easy and free to subscribe and tune in. What time is Yankees vs. Dodgers tonight? The Yankees and Dodgers play tonight, May 30, at 10:00 p.m. ET. What channel is the Yankees game on? The Yankees game tonight, May 30, will be exclusively on Apple TV+ and not on television. How to watch Yankees vs. Dodgers for free: Tonight's Yankees vs. Dodgers game is exclusively on Apple TV+, so you'll need a subscription to watch the game. Apple TV+ offers a seven-day free trial for users, so you'll be able to watch two weeks of doubleheaders before payment kicks in. Amazon Prime members can also subscribe to Apple TV+ directly through Prime Video. It costs the same $9.99/month price and also includes a seven-day free trial. Yankees vs. Dodgers starting pitchers Tony Gonsolin will be on the mound for the Dodgers today. This season, he is 2-1 with an ERA of 4.68 and 28 strikeouts. Max Fried gets the start for the Yankees; he is 7-0 this season with a 1.29 ERA and 67 strikeouts. Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post's streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she's also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Presenting the Mets' All-Quarter Century team, Queens' best of the 2000s
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming an MLB All-Quarter Century Team, selected by Jayson Stark. We invited readers to take our survey and make their picks for the best players at each position since 2000, with the results announced in an upcoming story. Some of our beat writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement The New York Mets entered the 2000s in a good place. They had just made the NLCS, losing in six games to a rival, and they were a favorite in the National League to win a pennant in 2000 (which they did). They entered 2025 in a good place. They had just made the NLCS, losing in six games to (perhaps an incipient) rival, and they are a favorite in the National League to win a pennant. Almost makes it seem that the intervening quarter-century was smooth, eh? The juxtaposition of 2025 to 2000 belies the occasional peaks and longer stretches in the valley that the franchise has experienced in that time. The Mets have endured the Bernie Madoff scandal and its consequent years of austerity, a pair of brutal late-season collapses, and a series of debilitating injuries to many of the players I'm about to single out for praise. But the team I'm about to build? It's pretty good. The left side of the infield has combined for more than 100 career wins above replacement (according to FanGraphs). The center fielder has the second-most WAR among all outfielders this century. The pitching staff, while shy on longevity, can be dominant. This is the Mets All-Quarter Century Team. Since it's been almost two decades since his last game with the Mets, you might have thought Piazza wasn't behind the plate enough this century to make this choice so easy. Well, he's caught 200 more games in the 2000s than any other Met, and Piazza isn't going to lose on production to anyone, Met or otherwise. From 2000 to 2005, Piazza hit .286/.368/.525 with 157 home runs. Honorable mention: Travis d'Arnaud Alonso has made this a simple decision, as well, putting up numbers on par with Carlos Delgado's best years for a lot longer in blue and orange. He's played almost twice as many games at first as any other Met, and he should set the franchise home run record later this season. Advertisement Honorable mentions: Delgado, Lucas Duda This is the first difficult selection, and I'm going with Murphy over Jeff McNeil's higher WAR with the Mets. And yes, it's because of about a 10-game stretch in October 2015. This is no slight to McNeil, who has made two All-Star teams and won a batting title with the Mets; he's been their best regular-season second baseman this century. But Murphy's postseason run in 2015 included homers in five straight games (many off the game's best pitchers that season). He provided all the Mets' offense in the deciding victory over the Dodgers in the NLDS — probably the best game the Mets played this century until last fall. And Murphy manned second base nearly as often as McNeil has, making his own All-Star team in 2014. Honorable mention: McNeil Here again, I'm bypassing the club's actual leader in WAR at the position (José Reyes, of course) for a different pick. Lindor's played more than 500 fewer games at short than Reyes (and 800 overall), but he's approaching the same overall value and emerged as a leader for this era of Mets baseball. Honorable mention: Reyes Does this require explanation? Wright is the best Mets player of this century and the last Met to be named team captain. He played five times more games at third than any other Met, such that there's not even a point in having an honorable mention here. (Sorry, Robin Ventura.) He also authored one of the finest individual seasons in team history in 2007, when he might have won MVP if not for the team collapsing around him. If you want to be super strict about positional alignment in the outfield, then this is a close race between Nimmo and Cliff Floyd. (Floyd played more games in left this century than Nimmo has so far.) But when you add up what Nimmo has done in all three outfield positions, he's head and shoulders above the other contenders here. Advertisement Nimmo has matured from an aw-shucks kid from Wyoming into a verifiable team leader, a guy who cried tears of joy on the field last season when the Mets clinched their first postseason series at Citi Field. By the end of his contract in 2030, he's poised to play 15 seasons in a Mets uniform — more than all but Ed Kranepool in franchise history. Honorable mention: Floyd Beltrán isn't just the center fielder for this team; he's the center fielder on the all-franchise team if we go back to 1962. Following a slow start to his Mets tenure in 2005, Beltrán was a force for the final six years of his contract. He made five All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves, placed in the top five for the MVP in 2006 and brought back Zack Wheeler in a deadline deal in 2011. Honorable mention: Nimmo Perhaps Conforto didn't live up to all the promise he showed as a sweet-swinging rookie comfortably performing in a pennant race and the postseason in 2015. Overall, though, he had a fine Mets career that included an All-Star team in 2017 and a 30-homer season in 2019. It's unfortunate that his two best years as a Met were both cut short: 2017 by a shoulder injury and 2020 by the pandemic. Honorable mention: Curtis Granderson Picking a DH doesn't feel right for a team that didn't have one for 21 seasons this century. But let's go with the best hitter not yet on the team, a guy whose acquisition provided as big an in-season spark as an offense has ever experienced. Céspedes did, after all, hit a game-winning homer in the first home game in which the Mets ever played a DH. As with some other greats in franchise history, the memories are better if we forget how it ended. OK, so before you furrow your brow, I'm going with guys who actually came off the bench for most of their Mets tenures. Advertisement Castro ranks fourth among Mets backstops in WAR this century despite never batting more than 240 times in a season with New York. He's getting pushed here now by Luis Torrens, although so is Francisco Alvarez, so Torrens might not be a 'backup' much longer. Had Castro's fly ball to the warning track in the first inning of the final game of the 2007 regular season traveled about six more feet, he'd have supplanted Piazza on this team. Flores is a Mets icon even though he qualified for the batting title only once in Queens, in 2015. A walk-off magician, he overcame the lack of a solid defensive position to be a consistent contributor. I remember writing about him weekly when part of my first job was covering the Appalachian League and he was a 17-year-old wunderkind in Kingsport; that was literally half a lifetime ago for him. Is Chavez's catch still the most memorable Mets play of this century? (Other contenders off the top of the noggin include Piazza's home run in the first game back after Sept. 11, Bartolo Colon's home run and Pete Alonso's season-saver last fall.) He had the best year of his career in 2006, hitting better than .300 with 22 doubles while filling in often for Floyd. Smith edges out Lenny Harris and Marlon Anderson for his pinch hitting prowess. That's right, I'm not even factoring in his absurd 2020 season — which in retrospect will go down as one of the great anomalies in club history. But when pinch hitting for the Mets, Smith posted a .902 OPS with some clutch homers, most notably his unbelievable shot to end the 2019 season. Honorable mentions: Harris, Anderson, Joe McEwing, Mike Baxter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Scott Hairston DeGrom is as easy a choice as any on the board — a legitimate contender to be on a team picked from the entire league. His run of success from the start of the 2018 season through his injury halfway through 2021 is on par with the greatest in the sport's history. (His ERA+ over that stretch is better than the best four-season stretches by Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux or Randy Johnson. Pedro Martínez does best deGrom with his run from 1997 through 2000.) Santana had just 3 1/2 healthy seasons as a Met, but he was among the game's aces throughout that stretch. He delivered a signature performance on the penultimate day of the 2008 season and, of course, the first no-hitter in club history. Advertisement While Leiter's most memorable start as a Met came in 1999, he was the ace of the 2000 pennant-winners and a stalwart at the top of the rotation through 2004. He did not post an ERA above 4.00 this century with the Mets. Dickey owns the fewest wins above replacement of this group, ranking way down at ninth for the club among starting pitchers. His 2012 Cy Young season, however, was an obvious bright spot, and his trade to Toronto helped spark the Mets' eventual pennant in 2015. For the last spot, I'm going with Harvey over Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard is actually second among Mets starters in WAR this century, behind only deGrom. However, it's hard to overstate how meaningful Harvey was to Mets fans at the time of his arrival in 2012 and breakout in 2013. And Harvey was right there with deGrom as the ace of the 2015 staff — a guy who deserved Game 1 starts in the postseason (and, as I duck, the ninth inning of Game 5). Honorable mention: Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Tom Glavine I contemplated going strictly by bullpen roles, but decided that byzantine arguments about who the best longman of the century for the Mets was — Darren Oliver over Trevor Williams, I think — is best left for the comments. Díaz's 2022 season is the best by a Mets reliever this century, and out of this group, he's still the guy getting the nod to close. No Met has thrown more innings out of the pen this century than Familia, whose struggles in the 2015 World Series and at the end of his Mets tenure have overshadowed how good and important he was last decade. Wagner and Benitez were excellent closers who did not do their best work in the postseason, unfortunately. Reed is the best set-up man the Mets have had this century, and Lugo was for a time as useful a reliever as any in the sport (even if the Mets often labored to maximize that usage). Parnell was a solid reliever for a lot of mediocre teams, and Feliciano — or 'Perpetual Pedro,' as Gary Cohen took to calling him — felt like he got a big out every day. He appeared in 344 games over a four-year stretch, or easily more than half of New York's games. Honorable mention: Aaron Heilman, Adam Ottavino, Francisco Rodriguez And because making a lineup is fun: SS Lindor CF Beltrán C Piazza 3B Wright RF Conforto DH Céspedes 1B Alonso 2B Murphy LF Nimmo (Top photo of Jacob deGrom: Brad Penner / USA Today)
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How do the Dodgers and Yankees stack up in their first matchup since the World Series?
It's not quite the sequel everyone is waiting for. That still could come in October. But it'll still be a marquee matchup when the New York Yankees visit the Los Angeles Dodgers for a rematch of the 2024 World Series starting Friday night. The retooled Yankees don't have Juan Soto, but Aaron Judge may be better than ever. The Dodgers are still riding Shohei Ohtani's powerful bat and a lineup that contains thump throughout. Advertisement And both teams are atop their respective divisions. How do they compare? Wells has been decent at the plate (98 OPS+ going into Wednesday) after a hot spring training, but he's also been steady defensively and Yankees pitchers rave about throwing to him. He's also got the team's first facial hair superstition since the beard policy changed, only shaving when the Yankees lose a series. They have won seven series in a row. Smith has been one of the best catchers in the sport to start the season, entering Wednesday leading the National League with 2.2 fWAR while also looking like the high-quality hitter he was in the first halves of 2023 and 2024. The decision to call up Dalton Rushing was in part out of a desire to keep Smith fresh for the biggest moments. Many weren't sure what to expect from Goldschmidt, who took a one-year, $12.5-million deal from the Yankees after a down 2024. He's been a revelation, pounding left-handed pitching and providing solid defense every day at age 37. He's replaced Anthony Rizzo as a big clubhouse presence, too. Freeman still isn't moving right after offseason surgery on the injured right ankle he played through all of last October, and yet he's putting up an MVP-caliber start. He's currently trailing only teammate Shohei Ohtani among the National League leaders in OPS and looking like, well, Freddie Freeman. The Yankees are still calibrating expectations for LeMahieu. At 36 years old, he's looked better than he has in recent seasons, but he's also finally been healthy. Soon, Jazz Chisholm Jr. (oblique strain) will return from the injured list, but it seems like he's going to shift to third base. Edman found a power stroke to start the season, but his value remains in his versatility. He's probably the Dodgers' best option at second base, and their best overall defensive alignment might be with Edman in center field and Andy Pages in one of the corners. The 2024 NLCS MVP isn't quite firing on all cylinders offensively of late but remains a productive contributor. Advertisement Volpe has been much better offensively this season, swinging with more authority and punishing more mistakes than he has in the past. The advanced stats say he's having a down season defensively, but that doesn't pass the eye test. In Year 3, he may be starting to come into his own. The Dodgers feel that Betts is an above-average defensive shortstop at this point, which is a testament to the former MVP's work at the position. What he's attempting to do in his 30s is unprecedented. But whether it's due to bad habits he picked up after losing a ton of weight due to a March illness or the toll of the position, Betts is off to an underwhelming .750 OPS to start the season. Peraza is all-glove, no-bat, though the Yankees hope he'll turn into one and flash pull-side power. He's got a slick glove and one of the strongest infield arms in the game. Vivas provides contact ability and patient at-bats, though he's better suited defensively to second base. Muncy's defense has struggled. He hasn't hit for power. It's been a frustrating start, but the Dodgers have committed to giving Muncy plenty of leash to figure it out. Maybe a home run this week in Cleveland was a sign of something. Domínguez, a switch-hitter, has been excellent from the left side and terrible righty. He's still experiencing growing pains learning left field, but he's been steadier than he was in spring training. He's a threat on the bases, too. Conforto was acquired this winter to hit. He entered Wednesday with the second-lowest batting average (.172) in the majors. It's been an atrocious start, though the Dodgers likewise remain encouraged with what they've seen from Conforto of late. His home run on Tuesday was his first since April 5. Advertisement Bellinger has turned into excellent protection for Judge in May, showing power and contact ability. He's also been a good sport about playing any outfield position when asked. Grisham started hot but has cooled off significantly. He's a strong center fielder and proves the Yankees should have used him more last year. In early April, it seemed like center field was emerging as a real problem for the Dodgers. Pages was struggling with reads defensively, running into outs on the bases and generally not hitting well. Some conversations with Raúl Ibañez, Teoscar Hernández and the Dodgers' brass got him going and he's been one of the team's most productive players. Judge may be redefining greatness. It's almost more surprising when Judge doesn't hit a 450-foot homer or go 2-for-4. He's in the midst of yet another incredible season, and if he keeps it up, he'll win his third American League MVP. Something to watch this series: It'll be Judge's first time playing right field at Dodger Stadium since he ran into the wall and injured his toe in 2023. The Dodgers made re-signing Hernández a priority this winter and he's been their most productive signing to date, resuming his role as a prominent middle-of-the-order bat who looks like he's headed towards yet another All-Star appearance. He torched the Yankees a year ago in the regular season and collected the score-tying double in the fifth inning of the World Series-clinching Game 5. Rice's hot start has been one of the best non-Judge stories of the season. With Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) yet to make his 2025 debut, the 26-year-old lefty has raked and played a capable first base. He's been chasing pitches out of the zone lately, which has sapped some of his production. But he's a middle-of-the-order threat. The first player in the majors to 20 home runs this year is also ramping up for a return to the mound. And he has 11 stolen bases. Ohtani remains ridiculous, and any hopes of the Dodgers staying afloat amid this bout of injuries largely ride on his bat. How were the Yankees ever going to recover from losing Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery this spring? Max Fried has been the answer. The lefty has easily been one of the best pitchers in baseball, using his trademark deception and command. The Yankees will start him Friday. He'll be followed by rookie Will Warren, who's been a strikeout machine lately, and likely Carlos Rodón — if the Yankees don't turn to Ryan Yarbrough instead. Rodón (7-3, 2.60 ERA, 12 starts) is having an All-Star-type start. Advertisement Only two members of the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May) are still in it. Yamamoto is a Cy Young contender. May is finding his footing. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki are all dealing with shoulder trouble. They're relying far more on Tony Gonsolin, Landon Knack and now Clayton Kershaw more than expected and haven't taken down nearly enough innings. The Yankees thought Devin Williams would be closing games for them all season. He fizzled early, and Luke Weaver reassumed the role he thrived in late last year and in the playoffs. Williams still sees high-leverage work, though. The rest of the Yankees' bullpen has been good, especially behind big spots from Mark Leiter Jr. and the return of the hard-throwing Jonathan Loáisiga. No bullpen in baseball has thrown more innings this season than the Dodgers, and they're feeling it. Their five best right-handed relievers (Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol) are all on the IL. Their $72 million closer, Tanner Scott, has blown leads in three of his last five appearances. This is not what the Dodgers had envisioned. (Top photo of Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
