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Fox News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman defends 'old-school' Padres-Dodgers rivalry after bench-clearing incident
Print Close By Ryan Canfield Published June 25, 2025 The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry when the dugouts cleared after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch last week. Padres manager Mike Shildt stormed out of the dugout and started yelling toward the Dodgers dugout, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to confront Shildt. The two managers were nose to nose for a moment before being separated. Baseball Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman participated in the rivalry as a member of the Padres for nearly 16 seasons. Hoffman works as a senior advisor to baseball operations with the Padres. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Hoffman, 57, talked to Fox News Digital about how the rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres has an "old-school feel." "(The benches clearing is) an extension to how heated this rivalry has become. It's really a measuring stick of where your team is at. It's passionate, guys care about winning games on both sides and sometimes these things happen," Hoffman told Fox News Digital. BENCHES CLEAR AS DODGERS-PADRES RIVALRY BOILS OVER IN HEATED SHOWDOWN AFTER FERNANDO TATIS JR. GETS DRILLED "It's a little bit of an old-school feel, and I know there are rules in place to try and curtail some things like this going on. But when you are playing high-level baseball, and you are trying to win ballgames, these things will happen and, honestly, I think it's good for the game." The Dodgers and Padres have matched up in the playoffs in three of the last five postseasons. The Dodgers swept the Padres 3-0 in the 2020 NLDS en route to a World Series title. In the 2022 NLDS, the Padres took down the Dodgers in four games to advance to the NLCS. In the 2024 NLDS, the Padres held a 2-1 series lead and pushed the Dodgers to the brink, but the Dodgers rallied to move on and win another World Series. The two teams have played seven regular-season games this season, and the Dodgers have won five. In those seven games, Tatis had been hit by a pitch three times. TREVOR HOFFMAN, RYAN KLESKO TO MANAGE TOP HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TALENT AT PERFECT GAME ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC Twice after Tatis was drilled, the Padres pitchers hit the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in presumed retaliation. "It's been a few too many times (Tatis had been hit), and when it's your star player, at some point in time, you protect," Hoffman said. "And there are other aspects to the game when you feel like someone is stealing signs in a place or someone goes hard into a base that you are going to police the game. But there are rules in place that try and prevent that sort of thing from happening." Hoffman said the bench-clearing incident between the two clubs can galvanize a team. "You don't want a guy in your own uniform to feel like you are getting taken advantage of, and you certainly feel as if you are getting attacked, and I'm sure that both sides did," Hoffman said. "You use it as fuel to kind of galvanize your side. Hopefully, that energy stays with both ball clubs and they continue to play good baseball." Hoffman said to be successful, a pitcher has to pitch inside, but you have to know how to do it. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "You have to pitch in to be successful in this game. It's just you have to learn how to pitch in. You can't let some things get away from you, especially up above the shoulders," Hoffman said. The Dodgers are 48-31 and lead the NL West by 3½ games over the second-place San Francisco Giants. The Padres are 42-26 and are 5½ games behind the Dodgers. The next time the two NL West rivals will face off is Aug. 15-17 in Los Angeles and Aug. 22-24 in San Diego. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Print Close URL
Fox News
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Trevor Hoffman, Ryan Klesko to manage top high school baseball talent at Perfect Game All-American Classic
Print Close By Ryan Canfield Published June 24, 2025 EXCLUSIVE: The Dick's Perfect Game All-American Classic will not just have star power on the field this year, but star power in the dugouts as well. Baseball Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman and former San Diego Padres All-Star Ryan Klesko will serve as managers for the game, Fox News Digital exclusively learned Tuesday. Perfect Game's All-American Classic features the top 60 high school baseball players across North America and provides them a platform to showcase their talents on a national stage. This year, the nation's top high school players will compete at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, on Aug. 17. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON The All-American Classic debuted in 2003, and since its inception, the game has seen some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball play in the event. Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt. Jr, Gerrit Cole and Francisco Lindor are among the star players who have played in the game over the years. Of the 1,126 players who have participated in the event over the last 22 years, 850 were drafted, and 293 players went in the first round. Hoffman, who has the second most saves in MLB history (601), has been involved with the event for over a decade and has served as the game's honorary chairman. The Padres great said he is excited to be in the dugout and interact with the nation's top high school players. "I think that's the biggest opportunity I have. It's one thing to walk around with a PG t-shirt or a polo and then kids try to figure out who you are. But you have a uniform on, you are in the dugout, and you are actually interacting with them. Whether it's in batting practice or during the game, it's just going to have a different feel," Hoffman told Fox News Digital. "When you're out with the kids and getting an opportunity to share your insights and giving them the opportunity to show their stuff, you are just right there. Easy opportunity to encourage and get to know them, so I'm really looking forward to the game and being around the kids." GIANTS PITCHER SEAN HJELLE SPEAKS OUT AFTER WIFE'S EXPLOSIVE ABUSE ALLEGATIONS Klesko said if he had not had events like the All-American Classic growing up, he might not have ever made it to the big leagues. "If we didn't have the help growing up and have events like this to be able to attend and showcase ourselves, fortunate (growing up) in California, and we had a little bit of that going on, not as much as it is now, but it wasn't for events like this and coaches helping us and getting some instruction, I know never would have made it," Klesko told Fox News Digital. The 16-year MLB veteran said he is "excited" to be part of the journey for the young athletes in this year's game. "A lot of these guys, like it's so overwhelming, and they got so much advice coming in from so many different areas," Klesko said. "I think for us, it's not necessarily telling them what to do, but just giving them advice kind of on what we've been through in the past and just to help them navigate. It's not about us, it's about their next steps and I think we're all excited to be part of that journey for these young athletes." DODGER STADIUM ROCKED BY ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS DURING ONGOING LOS ANGELES UNREST Hoffman and Klesko also each have coaching staffs littered with former MLB stars for the game. Their coaching staff is composed of Padres All-Stars Phil Nevin and Mark Loretta, World Series-winning manager Charlie Manuel, 20-game winner Scott Erickson, 1995 AL MVP Mo Vaughn, 7-time All-Star Alfonso Soriano, 3-time All-Star Tom "Flash" Gordon, World Series champion Jose Contreras, and MLB veterans Todd Coffey and Jason Phillips. Hoffman said for the coaches, they jumped at the opportunity to help the next generation of stars through the process. "I think it was an opportunity really that they wanted to be around the kids," Hoffman said. "It's about the kids, and it's about the kids and the game at all levels. So when you get an opportunity to talk to some people that have been through the process, like Ryan (Klesko) said, and to have great people that are mentoring kids in other places, what a great situation you are putting together." RAYS PITCHER HUNTER BIGGE RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER BEING STRUCK IN FACE BY 105 MPH FOUL BALL Daron Sutton, whose extensive MLB on-air experience has ranged from pregame and postgame host to play-by-play announcer since 1998, has announced the All-American Classic since 2009 and will be announcing it again this year. Sutton told Fox News Digital that while the event has evolved over the years, the event has always had elite talent. "I'd like to tell you the talent has evolved, but the talent's been there from the very beginning. My second game, a 16-year-old Bryce Harper played in it, so there was always talent. Right after that, (Francisco) Lindor and Javy Baez were in the game. There has always been elite talent." Sutton said his favorite part of the game are the "single moments" that occur. "All-star games are fun and unique because it's all about the individual. There are not strategic decisions being made, there is no intentional walks that are doled out, no pitch outs or anything, that's a different kind of broadcast," Sutton told Fox News Digital. "We're all baseball fans, we know what that is, so it's the single moment. An opportunity for an athlete to have a moment and then seeing them deliver." ASTROS PITCHER CONFRONTS ANGELS SHORTSTOP AFTER HITTING HIM WITH PITCH, SPARKING BENCH-CLEARING SCENE "Like any great Home Run Derby or All-Star game, it's that one unforgettable moment, we have dozens of them." For Brad Clement, Perfect Game's executive vice president and general manager, his favorite part of the event is the philanthropic aspect of it. "The event itself is incredible, all of the different baseball activities, the swag they get. But almost to a player, the most impactful thing when we've been in San Diego has been seeing those kids that have dealt with or are dealing with pediatric cancer at the hospital because we do that visit. Really, that's what it's all about," Clement told Fox News Digital. "We're thrilled again to be (donors) of Rady's children's hospital, one of the elite hospitals in the world. Their outreach is incredible and this event itself has raised over a million dollars over the years. Now that includes the players and families who are encouraged to raise money through their resources in their communities and almost all do, and our partners. Overall, I know we're north of 1.5 million in the total philanthropic give for just this event in the various cities it's been in since its inception over 20 plus years ago." Hoffman echoed Clement and said his favorite part of the event is when the athletes go to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. CAL RALEIGH HITS MLB-HIGH 30TH HOME RUN, AS MARINERS LOSE 10-7 TO CUBS "The kids get a chance to go and visit Rady's children's hospital, see some of the kids who are younger and maybe a little less fortunate, and they are going through some hardships, and they get to really appreciate what their opportunities are. There is a charitable arm that they get to participate with and allow their hometown communities to support them and make a donation to Rady's, which is fantastic," Hoffman said. Perfect Game's All-American Classic is not just for the players to showcase their talent, but their families as well. Clement said that Perfect Game hosts a parent symposium to highlight what will be coming for their kids over the next year. "We think it's important off the field to share with them what the next year is going to be like, so we have a parents' symposium to help them learn what this is going to be like right now and for last year's (class) going into it because the high school season is over, and the draft is upon us. There are a lot of heady things that go into that, whether they go to college or sign a contract, whatever it is. So we try to help the parents out," Clement said. Klesko said he is most looking forward to helping not just kids, but their families through the process. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "I think just helping them go through the process. I know a lot of kids, a lot of families, it's just all new to them. There is so much stuff being thrown at them," Klesko said. "If Trevor and I and some of the other major leaguers can sort of help them navigate through the process of going pro, going to school, whether it would be nutrition or training. There are so many different questions out there that are going through these kids' minds." Hoffman said it's been "special" to see the event grow over the years. "(The kids') talents are off the charts, the competition is real, and it's just great to provide a platform that they can do those sort of things," Hoffman said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Print Close URL
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The last of his kind? As Kenley Jansen chases 500 saves, no closers threaten behind him
Baseball players are often superstitious when discussing things they hope to accomplish. Hit streaks, no-hitters, record chases — they can all be taboo to mention until the feat is accomplished. That is, unless you're Kenley Jansen, the four-time All-Star, World Series champion and potential Hall of Famer. Leaning back in his clubhouse chair before a game in San Diego earlier this month, Jansen spoke openly about what reaching 500 saves would mean to him. Advertisement 'It's going to take me all the way back to that first save, how special it is' the Los Angeles Angels closer said, reminiscing on a 1-0 win in 2010 against the Mets. As meaningful as that milestone may be to Jansen, it also matters to the entire baseball world — because it may never be seen again. The 37-year-old closer became a Major League reliever 15 years ago when saves were baseball's most revered bullpen metric, and the game's best closers had near-lifetime appointments to the job. Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman passed the torch, and now Jansen aspires to be the third closer to get to 500 saves — and potentially the last, as elite relievers are increasingly used in key situations beyond the ninth inning. 'I don't care what people say, especially with high leverage now (in the) sixth, seventh, eighth (innings),' Jansen said. 'The last three outs are still the toughest outs to get.' Many might agree, but the reality is that baseball doesn't dogmatically prioritize those last three outs the way it used to, and this season has been a tough reminder that even the most accomplished relievers can struggle to successfully close games for more than a decade. Guardians closer Emmanuel Clasé, MLB's best reliever over the past three seasons, has fallen significantly off his 2024 peak. Yankees reliever Devin Williams, a two-time Reliever of the Year, lost the closer job in April. All-Stars Alexis Díaz and David Bednar have been optioned to Triple A. Phillies closer Jordan Romano has an ERA over seven, Braves closer Raisel Iglesias has an ERA near six, and Cubs closer Ryan Pressley, Giants closer Ryan Walker, Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman and A's closer Mason Miller each have ERAs over 5.00. 'The turnover is a lot faster now than it's ever been,' said Miller, an All-Star last season as a rookie. 'I think I saw in 2023, probably the best three closers in the NL were Bednar, [Camilo] Doval and Alexis Díaz. And two years later, all three of them have spent time in Triple A for varying lengths of time. Advertisement 'I think that's an example of how quickly each year, that the crop of closers is evolving. I don't think any of their stuff has gone down. It's just a matter of how fast people are figuring things out.' Jansen has a 4.96 ERA. That's a run and a half worse than his 2024 ERA and nearly twice as high as his career mark, but Jansen is still pitching the ninth inning, and his 11 saves in 11 chances have pushed his career total to 458, the most of any active reliever and fourth most in baseball history. No other pitcher currently on a Major League roster is within 150 saves of the immortal No. 500. 'I think the tightrope act has just gotten tougher and tougher (with) the expectations of this role and the advent of the bullpens being so strong,' said Hoffman, a Hall of Fame closer himself. Jansen came into this season needing 31 saves to tie Lee Smith for third most all-time. A pitcher 37 or older collected at least 31 saves 22 times in the decade from 2005 to 2014. Eleven pitchers did it during that 10-year window, and two others did it in 2004. But it's happened only three times since 2015. Relievers simply don't accumulate saves the way they used to, and they rarely hold onto the job the way Jansen has done since 2012. 'I think I have a lot more left in my tank, and why not get that accomplishment?' Jansen said. 'I think it's a pretty awesome accomplishment. Only two guys have reached 500 before, so why not be the third one?' Jansen is a direct descendant of the elite closer generation, which rose to prominence in an era when the game's top relief pitchers specialized in saving games, one inning at a time, and often did that job for more than a decade. They evolved naturally from the multi-inning bullpen aces (Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter) to the true ninth-inning closers (Smith, Tom Henke, John Franco, Dennis Eckersley), so that, by the time Smith and Eckersley retired in the late 1990s, the archetype was set. The heyday of the closer was taking shape. Advertisement By 2005, Rivera, Hoffman, Billy Wagner, Joe Nathan, Tom Gordon, Jonathan Papelbon and Francisco Rodríguez were all active at the same time. That's seven of the top 13 relief pitchers of all-time — as measured by the rJAWS formula on Baseball Reference — pitching during the same season. And there were eight other relievers in 2005 (Troy Percival, Fernando Rodney, Huston Street, Francisco Cordero, Roberto Hernández, José Mesa, Todd Jones and 44-year-old Franco) who eventually would retire in the top 20 in career saves. There were enough active ninth-inning mainstays for half the teams in baseball to have one. That was the state of closers two decades ago. 'It's been a hard role. It's always been a finite (assignment),' Hoffman said. 'You can't put up with not doing your job, because it costs games. You have the win on the line, and it's pretty devastating to a team. Consistency is such a big deal in this role, and comfortability comes with that.' But as the generation of peak closers began to retire, the generation that followed was neither as large nor as prolific. As starter workload diminished, managers went to their bullpens earlier, and teams began to value non-closers. Elite arms were not automatically thrust into the ninth inning. Expectations also changed. Velocity spiked, injuries mounted and longevity became more fleeting. 'Closers then were used differently than they are now,' said Reds closer Emilio Pagán, who inherited the role after the former All-Star Díaz faltered this season. 'Now you can have a closer come in and throw in a non-save situation (more) than you would back then. The usage is a little bit different.' Hoffman and Wagner retired in 2010, the same year Jansen, Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel made their debuts. The torch was passed, but those three now stand as perhaps the last of the old guard. Jansen and Kimbrel are fourth and fifth in career saves, but Kimbrel is now in the minors. Chapman is 15th. Advertisement Next on the active saves list is Edwin Díaz, who's 31 years old, has been an All-Star twice, and is not even halfway to 500. He has only one season of more than 32 saves. (For comparison: Mesa, Nathan, John Wetteland and Robb Nen each had four seasons of at least 40 saves. Hoffman and Rivera had nine.) In this new era, Josh Hader — also 31 and this generation's pillar of bullpen consistency — has been an All-Star five times but has never saved more 36 games and has led the league in saves only once. Clase, 27, who averaged 44 saves the past three seasons, has been far less dominant this season. He's still saving games (10), but his unusually high hit rate and 4.50 ERA — already twice as many earned runs as he allowed all of last season — are evidence that bullpen dominance is difficult to maintain, even for the game's best relievers. 'It's almost impossible,' Guardians manager Steven Vogt said. 'That just proves that the ones who have done it for a really long time, how good they are. You're not inventing new pitches. You're not fooling people in different ways. You're getting them out the same way you get them out every time. Maybe mixing up the sequencing a little bit, but major league hitters are really good.' Closers who maintain an elite level for even four or five seasons have become rare. Of the 11 closers who were All-Stars in 2021, only two are still closing games. Of the six who were NL All-Stars just two years ago, only Hader is still regularly pitching the ninth while three have been sent to the minor leagues. Jansen was an All-Star in 2023. He ranked 11th in Win Probability Added and had a strong 3.29 ERA with solid batted ball data in 2024. Little of that performance has carried over to this age-37 season which, again, is not unusual in today's game. 'It's what they put their bodies through,' Vogt said. 'You throw 70 to 80 times a year, it's gonna take a toll.' One veteran Major League executive, granted anonymity for his candor, offered four factors causing the generational change at closer: One, a better understanding of leverage has led teams to use elite relievers in non-save situations. Two, as the leverage logic has trickled into player development, elite relievers no longer reach the Major Leagues expecting (or demanding) to close. Three, the save statistic is no longer seen as the most important relief pitcher metric (though it still carries weight in arbitration). And four, potentially dominant closers are being stretched out as starters or multi-inning relievers. Advertisement 'That all said,' the executive said, 'the ninth inning and many save situations are still high-leverage, and there still is something to getting those last three outs, in my opinion! But ideally you have multiple pitchers who can do it effectively. And the biggest thing is pitching your best pitchers when it matters most.' What separates an elite closer from an elite closer who can sustain his performance over many years? 'A unicorn pitch,' said veteran catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who has been teammates with Jansen on three clubs, and struck out swinging against Jansen to end his 400th save in 2023.' I think if you look at the 1-2 saves leaders of all time, they both had a unicorn pitch.' With Rivera, it was his cutter. With Hoffman, it was a changeup. Rodríguez, too, had an elite changeup. Sutter pioneered the split-finger. Eckersley had his slider. Wagner and Chapman high-octane, left-handed fastballs. Jansen's go-to is his signature cutter. 'I think that pitch alone is going to get him to 500 saves,' d'Arnaud said. It may need to. In many ways 42 saves is nothing, at least relative to the 458 saves it took to reach this point. But Jansen is working against many factors. Age is one. He'll turn 38 at the end of the season. 'Father Time is real,' Hoffman said. 'You can't run away from it.' Another is opportunities. He recently went 23 days with just one save, simply because his struggling team couldn't get him a chance. Jansen's peripheral numbers also create some concern. While he is 11-for-11 on save chances this season, his average exit velocity allowed is 94.2 miles per hour, in the bottom one percent of all pitchers, and far worse than his career average of 86.6 mph. His strikeout rate is just 22.5 percent, compared to 33.2 percent for his career. The sample size is just 16 1/3 innings. But even if he's been relatively effective, he has not been dominant. And even if Jansen completed saves at the pace he has the last three seasons, he might not reach 500 until 2027 at the earliest. The 500 milestone is a goal, and a realistic one. But not a given. Hoffman looks at closers through their generations. He and Rivera were their own generation. Jansen, Kimbrel and Chapman came after. He name-dropped Miller, Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley and Hader as being part of the next wave. All are elite, hard throwers, whose pure stuff either matches or exceeds any of their Hall of Fame predecessors. Yet none are on anything resembling the trajectory to reach 500. Advertisement So that leaves Jansen as arguably the last, best hope to hit the milestone. 'Once we're done playing, we'll think about how beautiful it was,' Jansen said. 'But I'm not in that moment. I'm in that moment to grind. I'm hungry, I'm still hungry, and I want to accomplish more.' With contributions from The Athletic's Zack Meisel and C. Trent Rosecrans.
