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New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Cardinals win ninth straight game, Kyle Leahy emerges as a key weapon in the bullpen
PHILADELPHIA — As Kyle Leahy headed into the offseason last winter after his first taste of the big leagues, he took on a personal challenge. When he reported to camp this year, he wanted to be a reliever who was as multifaceted as possible. 'When I first came up to the big leagues, I saw how much matchups are important,' Leahy said. 'And I told myself that offseason that I want to be a guy that can get both sides out. I don't want to pigeonhole myself to being a righty specialist and only being able to come in a certain situation or a certain game. I try to be as versatile as I can, develop all the pitches and weapons to get lefties out as well as the righties.' Advertisement Fast forward to Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, and it sure looks like Leahy has figured that out. Leahy posted 2 1/3 innings of clutch relief, scattering two hits and striking out two as the St. Louis Cardinals clawed their way to a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, extending their winning streak to an MLB-best nine games. But it wasn't so much the line score that was impressive. It was how and who Leahy navigated through to keep the game in reach. The @Cardinals win their 9th straight thanks to homers from Iván Herrera and Masyn Winn. — MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2025 Starter Matthew Liberatore was effective through the first five innings and limited the Phillies to just one run. But he ran into trouble in the sixth, when Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos tagged him for a pair of singles to open up the bottom half of the frame. He induced a forceout from J.T. Realmuto, but Schwarber scored, tying the score at 2. After Alec Bohm singled to put runners on first and second with one out and Liberatore sitting at 80 pitches, manager Oli Marmol had a difficult decision to make. He could let his starter try to escape the jam. Or, he could turn to one of his most reliable relief weapons: Leahy. Philadelphia had five consecutive right-handers due up, and Marmol knew that swapping in Leahy would mean Phillies manager Rob Thomson would deploy his three lefties on the bench: Bryson Stott, Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh. But the thought process was that Leahy would be able to combat that lane. Coming into play Monday, left-handed batters were hitting just .077/.250/.192 against Leahy (though right-handers weren't doing much better, at .109/.146/.196). But there was a second lane Leahy would need to conquer as well: Schwarber and Bryce Harper once the Phillies lineup turned over. It was a big ask of Leahy. But again, he was up for the challenge. Advertisement 'This is what I wake up for,' Leahy said. 'Doesn't matter what situation I come in; the goal is to always put up a zero.' So he did. Marmol opted for Leahy, and Thomson turned his lefty bench bats loose. Leahy needed 11 pitches to retire Stott and Kepler — and kept the score tied. All signs pointed toward Leahy coming back out for the seventh. When he did, he was aided by an insurance run. Masyn Winn tagged Matt Strahm for a go-ahead solo shot in the top of the seventh, bringing the Cardinals to a 3-2 lead. Leahy responded by striking out Marsh on a curveball in the dirt, inducing a fly ball to center from Trea Turner, and punching out Harper with a perfectly placed slider to end the frame. At just 22 pitches, Marmol turned to Leahy once more. He'd be up for a third inning, which is somewhat of an unorthodox request, but Marmol thought Leahy was the best matchup for Schwarber. So out Leahy came, and he promptly induced a groundout to second base. He maneuvered one more groundout from Castellenos before two righties reached base against him. That's when Marmol turned to lefty JoJo Romero for the final out. Check out this disgusting two-pitch mix by Kyle Leahy to strike out Bryce Harper CH: 91.1 MPH, 1543 RPM, -1.4" IVB, 12.8" HBSL: 89.7 MPH, 2798 RPM, 5.8" IVB, -11.4" HB — Kareem (@KareemSSN) May 13, 2025 'He's been good all year,' Marmol said of Leahy. 'But to be able to do what he did today and go through both Harper and Schwarber and then get that righty lane and hand it over to JoJo? That was the game. '(The coaching staff) talked about it before the game. Both (Harper and Schwarber) have been better left-on-left, so we should just take our best arm against them. It helped that Leahy was pretty efficient, and it was great that there was a lefty lane created (before).' Advertisement Liberatore, who posted another strong outing (two earned runs, seven hits, one walk and four strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings) amid his own impressive start to the season, commended Leahy for his performance. 'It was the right move, bringing in Leahy,' Liberatore said. 'He's been absolutely nails for us, and he was again tonight. 'He'll tell you every day that he wants the ball, and he really, truly does. I really think that he could take the ball just about every day. He comes in attacking guys, throwing — what? — five to six pitches out of the bullpen, has a feel for all of them. It's special to watch what he's doing right now.' As the Cardinals continue to surge, they're encouraged by their bullpen continuing to take form. Leahy has been at the forefront of that development. Though his four-seam fastball and slider are his two most-used pitches, he has enough trust in his six-pitch arsenal to mix in his sweeper, changeup, curveball and sinker when needed. That has kept opposing hitters well off-balance and has led to his dominating both sides of the plate. In 19 games (24 2/3 innings) this season, Leahy has a 1.09 ERA and a o.650 WHIP. 'I believe in my teammates behind me with their defense, I believe in Pedro (Pagés) behind the plate, I believe in the information and everything the coaches are telling me, and I believe in myself,' Leahy said. 'The situation doesn't really change; the mindset doesn't really change. I just try to be the same guy every day.' The Cardinals, who now sit at a season-best four games over .500, are clicking on all sides of the ball. Their win Monday was arguably their most commanding yet. But what has really encouraged the organization during this exciting stretch is that a different player is fueling each win. Monday night was Leahy's turn, and similar to how he has navigated every other challenge so far, he aced it.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Highest-paid MLB relief pitchers and closers for 2025: Top salaries
Josh Hader, a five-time All-Star and three-time Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award winner, came up just short of breaking the record for the largest contract for a relief pitcher. Instead, he will settle for being the highest-paid reliever in 2025. Advertisement Hader and the Houston Astros agreed to a $95 million deal over the winter. Edwin Diaz's $102 million deal with the New York Mets still stands as the biggest contract ever given to a reliever. Hader's deal will pay him $19 million this season. Diaz will earn $18.3 million in present-day value because of deferred payments. Hader's deal with Houston also includes a full no-trade clause with no money deferred and a $1 million bonus if he wins the Mariano Rivera Award as the AL's best relief pitcher. Who are the highest-paid MLB relief pitchers in 2025? (In present-day value calculated by MLB) Josh Hader, Astros: $19,000,000 Edwin Diaz, Mets: $18,331,014 Raisel Iglesias, Braves: $16,000,000 Ryan Pressly, Cubs: $14,100,000 Kirby Yates, Dodgers: $13,000,000 Tanner Scott, Dodgers: $ 12,141,009 Taylor Rogers, Reds: $12,000,000 Rafael Montero, Astros: $11,500,000 A.J. Minter, Mets: $11,000,000 Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox: $10,750,000 2025 MLB SALARIES: Database of every player who made the Opening Day roster Advertisement The figures, compiled by USA TODAY, are calculated by the MLB Labor Relations Department of the present-day value of contracts including deferrals and signing bonuses. The figures by MLB and distributed to all teams are intended to reflect the cash obligations in any given year. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Highest-paid MLB relief pitchers and closers for 2025: Top salaries
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rockies' bad season hits a new low with 21-0 loss to Padres
Normally a catcher, Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings, right, jokes with San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez, left, after getting him to fly out to end the top of the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Diego Padres' Elias Díaz reacts after striking out against Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings, who was called into duty as a relief pitcher, in the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Normally a catcher, Colorado Rockies' Jacob Stallings works as a relief pitcher against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Normally a catcher, Colorado Rockies' Jacob Stallings works as a relief pitcher against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Normally a catcher, Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings, right, jokes with San Diego Padres' Luis Arraez, left, after getting him to fly out to end the top of the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) San Diego Padres' Elias Díaz reacts after striking out against Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings, who was called into duty as a relief pitcher, in the ninth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Normally a catcher, Colorado Rockies' Jacob Stallings works as a relief pitcher against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies are reluctant to label themselves in a rebuilding era, but after Saturday night it might be more accurate to say they're imploding. Colorado hit rock bottom on a season that has gone south from the start, losing 21-0 to the San Diego Padres. It was the Rockies' eighth straight loss and they stand 6-33, the worst 39-game start since the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. Advertisement Things got so out of hand Saturday night that manager Bud Black used catcher Jacob Stallings for the final two innings – and he proved to be one of their most effective pitchers in the game. It was the second time in three days Black had a position player take the mound. Infielder Alan Trejo pitched an inning in the nightcap of a doubleheader loss to Detroit on Thursday. 'I hate it, I hate that big time,' Black said. 'It's been a function of where we've been the last four days with the doubleheader and a little bit from our starters. We've had a lot of relievers who pitched a lot lately and you've got to save some arms.' Saturday's loss was just shy of the largest run differential this season after Cincinnati beat Baltimore 24-2 on April 20. Advertisement Colorado has allowed the most runs in the majors (258) and has been outscored by 134 runs so far this season. The only team since 1900 with a worse run differential thru 39 games was the 2023 A's (-146). The Tigers and San Diego have contributed to that disparity by scoring double-digit runs in every game on this homestand and outscoring the Rockies 63-18. Colorado has given up six or more runs in their last seven games. 'We've been going through it as a team, and it's not any fun,' Stallings said. 'We've been talking about it as a group, trying to have more fun. Obviously, it's not easy when you're down that much.' The lack of defense — Colorado has committed 10 errors in the last five games — and offense is magnified when the offense is absent. Padres starter Stephen Kolek tossed a five-hit shutout in his second major league start at a notoriously tough venue for pitchers. Advertisement His team kept him on the bench for long stretches while putting up crooked numbers, so he had to go into the tunnel and toss warmup pitches. 'Whenever they were putting up five to eight runs an inning it tends to get kind of cold in the dugout, so you've got to warm yourself back up,' he said. San Diego catcher Elias Diaz, who played four-plus seasons for the Rockies before being dealt to the Padres last season, said his heart goes out to his former team. 'Oh yeah, 100%,' he said. 'I played here for like five years and there's a lot of emotion. But it's baseball; we've got a job to do.' ___ AP MLB:
