Latest news with #Rainiers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert gets big injury update as return draws near
The post Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert gets big injury update as return draws near appeared first on ClutchPoints. Injured Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert is about to take his next step toward a Major League return. Advertisement The right-handed starter will make his second rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday night, Seattle manager Dan Wilson announced on Tuesday. The plan was always for Gilbert to get at least two rehab starts before the Mariners activated him, Daniel Kramer noted. Gilbert has been on the Injured List since April 26 with a right elbow flexor strain. He made his first rehab start on May 29, also for the Rainiers, allowing two hits, two walks and a hit batsman over 1.2 innings. He also struck out three and threw 45 pitches. 'I felt fine, my arm feels pretty good, solid,' Gilbert said after the game. 'It kind of feels like Spring Training a little bit. We talked about it. The stuff feels fine. A couple of close misses, and just need to be in the zone a lot more. Just like spring, it takes a couple to get synced up. It's kind of how it feels. But the arm felt good.' Gilbert's fastball hit 96.8 mph that night, according to Kramer, who also noted that the righty threw only five first-pitch strikes to 10 batters. Advertisement If all goes well on Wednesday, he could be activated and available to pitch next week when the Mariners face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before his injury, Gilbert was off to a sparkling start to 2025 with the Mariners. In six starts, he had a 2.37 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 30.1 innings and a 0.791 WHIP. When he returns, he will join a Mariners team that currently sits in first place in the AL West at 32-26. Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo have combined to form a formidable front-end of the rotation, while Logan Evans was excellent in six big league starts before returning to the Minor Leagues. The Mariners will have a decision to make when they ultimately activate Gilbert. Emerson Hancock (5.64 ERA) may be the odd man out at that point.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Cole Young called up to the Mariners, gets walk-off RBI in MLB debut
Former WPIAL star baseball player Cole Young has made it to the big leagues and had a shining moment in his MLB debut over the weekend. Cole Young, a former standout at North Allegheny High School was called up the MLB by the Seattle Mariners, who drafted Young with the 21st overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Ranked as the No. 43 prospect in all of Major League Baseball, Young was batting .277 with 57 hits and five home runs in 206 at bats for the Tacoma Rainiers. Young, a second baseman and shortstop, was called up to the big leagues and the moment of his being told about the promotion was captured by the Mariners' social media team. Getting pulled from a game... to find out you're headed to the Show. The moment a dream comes true for Cole Young. #TridentsUp — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 1, 2025 "I meant to tell you this earlier, but I'm really proud of what you've done and how far you've come," Rainiers manager John Russell said. "Just take that to Seattle tomorrow, okay?" The big moments weren't over yet for Young, however. On Saturday, Young walked off the Twins with a dribbler up the first base line to bring home Miles Mastrubuoni. Cole Young walks it off in his MLB debut! #TridentsUp — Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 1, 2025 According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Young is the second fastest WPIAL player to make it to the MLB when being drafted in the first round out of high school.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rainiers roll over Triple-A Round Rock for Opening Day win, Locklear eyes MLB return
Could Tyler Locklear's first swing of the season get any sweeter? Triple-A Tacoma's first baseman crushed the very first pitch he saw in 2025 — a sweeper on the lower outside corner that barely grazed the strike zone. A perfect pitch, by all standards. No problem for Locklear: Seattle's No. 11 prospect started the 2025 campaign with a bang, a two-run blast golfed into the left field bullpens at Cheney Stadium. Rainiers starter Logan Evans navigated six hits (one earned run) across 3 ⅔ frames, and Tacoma cruised over Triple-A Round Rock, 6-1, for an Opening Day win on Friday night. 'I'm just trying to be as consistent as I can be,' Locklear said, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, walk, and two RBI. 'I'm putting the work in and seeing what happens.' Rainiers shortstop Leo Rivas launched a three-run home run to right field in the fifth, part of a nine-batter frame, and third baseman Ben Williamson rifled an RBI single up the middle four batters later. Mariners No. 3 prospect Cole Young (1-for-4) and No. 4 prospect Harry Ford (1-for-3, BB) collected hits in their Triple-A debuts, and Tacoma's bullpen shut down the visiting Express — shifting Friday night's opener into cruise control. Express shortstop Jonathan Ornelas plated Round Rock's only run with an RBI single to center field in the fourth. 'At the end of (last) season, it's nice to get home and just relax a little bit, get away from it. But as the winter goes along, you start getting that itch to go back,' Rainiers manager John Russell said. 'Then you get to spring training, and it's hard to keep the thought of Opening Day out of your mind. It's something you look forward to. 'It's a holiday for us.' Tyler Locklear remembers the magic of his MLB debut — the impromptu flight to Kansas City, family members supporting from Kauffman Stadium's seats, and the first baseman's go-ahead, seventh-inning RBI double rifled to right center in an eventual Mariners win on June 9, 2024. Now, he's on a mission to find his way back. 'All of the work you put in to get to that day… it was really surreal,' Locklear told The News Tribune outside the Triple-A Tacoma clubhouse Friday afternoon. 'My family was able to get there. Having them in the stands… It was just a great day. 'Not everybody gets to (play in the big leagues). It's one of those things where you're just thankful you were able to get the call and go up there.' When the club optioned him back to the Rainiers after just 45 major-league plate appearances last July 30, Locklear crushed Triple-A pitchers in September (.302/.413/.413). He'll receive everyday reps in Tacoma again this spring, still on Seattle's 40-man roster with a chance to rejoin a relatively-thin Mariners infield. If those numbers continue, it's a matter of waiting for the phone to ring. 'Me and JR (manager John Russell) talked about it when I got here,' Locklear said. 'He was just like, 'Be where your feet are. Do what you can down here, and go take it up to (MLB) when the call comes.' 'He said to be ready for the phone call, and just keep going.' Locklear, 24, is Seattle's No. 11 prospect, per a right-handed slugger with raw power to all fields. The Mariners selected him 58th overall (second round) in the 2022 MLB Draft, a former VCU star with a .402 batting average as a junior. He's battled through obstacles before. With High-A Everett in 2023, a wayward pitch fractured Locklear's hand and sidelined him for more than two months. Last August, another pitch found his hand upon returning to Tacoma, and an 0-for-14 slump followed. 'It was the first time in my career I ever got hurt in the middle of the season,' Locklear said. 'It was something where… you have to learn about yourself a little bit. Just putting in the work every day to get back, and not taking any days off. Being really consistent, being smart about your work so you don't have any setbacks.' Then, a revelation. Locklear worked with Tacoma hitting coach Shawn O'Malley and opted for a lighter, shorter, 33-inch bat. It's when the September slugfest began, including an eight-game hitting streak as the Rainiers raced to the PCL West title. 'I guess it ended up working,' Locklear smiled. This year's Tacoma squad features another pair of Seattle's top prospects: INF Cole Young (No. 3), selected one round before Locklear in 2022, and C Harry Ford (No. 4). Both made their Triple-A debuts Friday night. 'We're young,' Locklear said. 'All of the guys in there seem to really like each other a lot. No matter what the age difference, you've got guys in there who're 21 and guys who are 28, 30. 'Just the camaraderie. Everybody's pulling for each other, giving each other insights whether you're young or old.' — The Rainiers tapped Rylee Pay to serve as the team's new play-by-play radio voice, becoming Triple-A baseball's first female lead broadcaster. Longtime Rainiers voice Mike Curto retired last November after 31 years on the air. '(Making history) has definitely never been the reason that I've gotten into this job,' Pay said last month. 'I've just always loved baseball. Growing up, I just really felt the magic of it. 'I've been a part of some other firsts before, and for me, it's never the reason that you do it. But it is so exciting knowing that once there is a first, it won't be the last.' — The Rainiers stole 286 bases last season, a new modern Pacific Coast League record previously held by the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes (281). Tacoma infielders Ryan Bliss (now with the Mariners) and Samad Taylor co-led the PCL with 50 stolen bases; OF Cade Marlowe added 43. 'We want them to be aggressive,' Russell said. 'It was our identity heading into (last) season. We wanted to put pressure on opposing teams, the pitcher, the defense. It played well, and we had the personnel to do it. 'Any time you can put pressure on the opposing team on the bases, it's a plus.' — When John Russell dwells on the milestone, it makes him feel 'a little old' — but Tacoma's manager joined an exclusive club last Aug. 20, notching his 1,000th career managerial win. Rainiers first baseman Tyler Locklear sealed a 2-0 shutout over Triple-A Sacramento with an unassisted putout, and Samad Taylor unloaded a Gatorade bucket full of water onto the unsuspecting skipper at Cheney Stadium. 'I enjoy it. I love what I do,' Russell told The News Tribune on Friday. 'I equate it to a toolbox. Fortunately for me, I've been doing it a long time. I've got a lot of tools in the box and I try to use as many as I can. 'It's all about the players, especially at this level. It's making sure they're prepared if Seattle needs them, or if another major league club does… whatever it is.' Before joining the Rainiers in 2023, Russell directed MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates for three seasons (2008-10) and managed in 10 minor league seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies organizations dating back to 1995. In 2002, Russell guided the Edmonton Trappers (81-59) to a Pacific Coast League championship. Tacoma's Casey Lawrence takes the mound for Saturday night's middle game with Triple-A Round Rock, a 6:05 p.m. first pitch at Cheney Stadium.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tacoma Rainiers name Rylee Pay new radio broadcaster: ‘Such a great landing spot'
Rylee Pay gravitated to baseball from her earliest years watching America's Pastime with grandparents and family, and she hasn't left. A career path was born from the beginning: Pay studied sports journalism at UNLV, found a newfound love for play-by-play broadcasting in the Cape Cod Baseball League, and soon joined the radio booth for Double-A Portland, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. This year, she makes history in Tacoma. The Rainiers announced Pay as the team's new radio voice in a release Jan. 29, set to become Triple-A Baseball's first female lead broadcaster when Opening Day arrives on March 28. 'It's definitely never been the reason that I've gotten into this job,' Pay said. 'I've just always loved baseball. Growing up, I just really felt the magic of it. 'I've been a part of some other firsts before, and for me, it's never the reason that you do it. But it is so exciting knowing that once there is a first, it won't be the last.' Longtime Rainiers voice Mike Curto retired in November after 25 seasons in the Tacoma booth and 31 years in minor league broadcasting. Pay was eager to apply for the opening — for the opportunity, the market and the prestige of a Mariners farm system considered No. 1 in MLB. Two months and two interviews later, she received the congratulatory phone call and invitation to visit the stadium and city in late January. Team president Aaron Artman and the Rainiers selected Pay from a pool of more than 250 applicants, considering her the best fit for the club's culture and brand. It's something they weighed heavily in their search for Curto's successor. 'There's a legacy here in Tacoma that is unique,' Artman said, 'and I look forward to Rylee adding to that legacy on the airwaves when we kick off the season on March 28.' Pay studied an array of sports media at UNLV, ranging from public-address announcing to website building, and internship opportunities led her to the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Supervisors believed in her baseball eyes and offered Pay play-by-play duties. 'It was originally never anything that was on my radar,' Pay admitted. 'But I never say no to an opportunity even if it scares me just a little bit. So I said yes, and I was hooked with just the challenge of it. … It all took off from there, really.' On Aug. 26, 2024, Pay and Double-A Portland voice Emma Tiedemann became the first female duo to broadcast a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, a 7-3 win for the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Across all levels of professional baseball, Pay's historic hire in Tacoma might be the last box to check, she said. Last year, Athletics broadcaster Jenny Cavnar became the first woman to lead play-by-play calls at the major league level. 'It's pretty neat from a broadcast standpoint when you get to move up, as the players do, too, and make that next step,' Pay said. Her favorite broadcaster to listen to growing up? 'Vin Scully,' Pay replied, referring to the late legend and voice of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1950-2016. 'I think that he's just such an elite storyteller, and that goes without saying. He's just one of the best. 'To be able to entertain in that way… and in a way, bring in the personalities of the players and convey that to the fans. … And then also throwing in a little bit of humor and just being entertaining, because baseball obviously can be two and a half hours, three, so you never really know. You want to keep people entertained.'
