Potential Yankees-David Bednar reunion's importance draws honest opinions appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees have several important decisions to make this offseason, but what they do with David Bednar is a major one. After bringing stability to the ninth inning, the closer has made a strong case for another season in the Bronx.
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2025 trade deadline, Bednar had to navigate early velocity concerns and criticism following blown saves before becoming a central figure in New York's bullpen.
Bednar converted 35 of 39 save opportunities in 2026, finishing with a 2.47 ERA and 76 strikeouts across 69.1 innings. He also delivered in the postseason, allowing no runs in three innings. His work helped settle a role that has often been a question mark for New York.
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#york #bronx

Cornish Pirates kept up their perfect home record as they beat Chinnor 48-24 in the Champ.
Pirates ran in seven tries as they recorded a third win from five games overall to move up to sixth place in the table.
Four tries came in the final 17 minutes of the second half as the hosts pulled away from their opponents after a "flat" 38-14 loss at Bedford last week.
"I'm really pleased," joint-head coach Gavin Cattle told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"That second half showed some maturity in terms of game control, obviously boxed quite high up the pitch, stayed in the battle despite a tricky wind and we played at the right time, we pulled the trigger at the right time.

#second #chinnor

Paul Skenes honored his girlfriend Olivia "Livvy" Dunne's birthday with some adorable photos!
On Thursday, October 1, the retired gymnast turned 24, and the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, also 24, posted an Instagram carousel filled with photos of them to mark the occasion.
The cover shot is a snap of the couple smiling on a rooftop. Skenes wore a striped **** on-down shirt, dark pants and sneakers, while Dunne donned a matching red top-and-skirt set with flip-flops.
Instagram / paulskenes
Next, the MLB star included a candid shot of him and the influencer, both dressed up for the New York Baseball Writers' Gala in January — with Skenes sporting a bow tie and **** on-down and Dunne wearing a strapless red dress — looking at each other.

#dunne

NIL pioneer and national champion gymnast turned social media influencer and actress Livvy Dunne is living her best life. To celebrate her 24th birthday, she jetted off to the Bahamas.
Dunne has been on a hot streak lately, with a summer tour to promote the upcoming Baywatch reboot on FOX, along with traveling across the country to show her support for boyfriend Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
For her birthday, the Pirates ace joined Livvy in the Bahamas to start another year around the sun.
After enjoying the beach getaway, Livvy took to social media to show off some candid photos from the villa, with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "Washed up at 24."
MORE: Livvy Dunne, Landry Kiffin share epic celebration after LSU blowout win

#livvy #Social #show

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs reinstated right-hander Edward Cabrera from the 15-day injured list before Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and placed righty Trent Thornton on the 15-day IL with a left ankle sprain.
Cabrera went on the injured list on Aug. 17 with a right middle finger blister — a condition that has vexed him — then made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Iowa.
The 28-year-old Cabrera, acquired from Miami in an offseason trade, is 5-5 with a 5.68 ERA in 76 innings over 15 games, all starts. Manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday's game against Pittsburgh that Cabrera would switch to the bullpen for now.
This was Cabrera's third stint on the IL this season and followed one for a left hamstring/adductor strain suffered on June 23 in New York. The righty was hurt against the Mets when he went into the splits while stretching for a throw as he covered first base, an injury that sidelined Cabrera for nearly two months.
Thornton is 5-5 with three saves and 3.35 ERA in 48 1/3 innings over 48 relief appearances.

#Chicago #thornton

OKEECHOBEE — Undermanned while facing a larger school, the St. Edward's High School football team had just enough gas left in the tank to cross the finish line.
The Pirates enjoyed a 30-6 advantage against Okeechobee with a little more than 10 minutes remaining before the host Brahmans made a charge, scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. However, the visitors were able to exhale as time expired following the home team's final trip into the end zone.
St. Edward's ended a three-game losing streak after outlasting Okeechobee 30-24 in an SSAA battle Friday night at Okeechobee High School.
"Our boys usually rise to the occasion, and they did tonight," Pirates head coach Rich Schofield said. "Hats off to Okeechobee. ... They pushed and pushed us right to the very end, but we were able to hold on. That really shows the growth we're looking for."
Watch the best high school football games in Florida

#high

The Mets are making a change in their bullpen ahead of their series in the Bronx, recalling Jack Weisenburger and sending Chris Devenski back to Triple-A Syracuse.
Weisenburger appeared in three games for the Mets in August, tossing four and a third innings, allowing one run on three hits, walking two and striking out four. In 18 games for Syracuse (13 starts), Weisenburger has a 6.68 ERA over 62 innings pitched, with 53 strikeouts to 34 walks and eight home runs allowed.
Devenski split time between the Mets and Pirates organizations this season, and in six appearances for the Mets was more or less fine until his last appearance against the Marlins, where he was responsible for five of the runs in the Mets' wild 15-14 dub on Wednesday. The 35 year old veteran has a 13.50 ERA for the Mets this season, and an 11.74 ERA across both clubs in the majors.
With a little more than a week left in the Triple-A season and Syracuse two and a half games out of a playoff spot, Devenski will have plenty of opportunity for some innings before, potentially, rejoining the Mets if the need arises.
The second half of the Subway Series with the Yankees starts tonight at 7:05pm on PIX11 with Nolan McLean facing off against Carlos Rodón.

#weisenburger #games #innings #season

This article originally appeared in PGHBaseballNOW.com.
The Pirates starting rotation has taken a major hit as Braxton Ashcraft has been placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm discomfort. The move is retroactive to Sep. 7.
Ashcraft has emerged as the team's top starting pitcher this season, his first full year in the big leagues. The 26-year-old is 14-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts. In 165.1 innings, he's allowed 67 earned runs on 145 hits with 35 walks and 173 strikeouts.
The right-hander ranks fourth in the National League in wins, fifth in WHIP (1.09), seventh in innings, ninth in strikeouts and 12th in ERA.
Click here to read more from PGHBaseballNOW.com.

#ashcraft

There is a solid list of two-start options for a second straight week, as there are three pitchers who can be started in most leagues and a couple others who will make sense for managers who have some room to risk their ratios.
On the hitting side, managers will struggle to find streamers during the next four days, as most teams play three games and there is a lack of obvious matchup advantages. The Pirates and Phillies may be the best source of help.
Jacob Lopez, Athletics, 42% (vs. TOR, vs. SEA): Lopez limits quality contact as well as any player in baseball, which has enabled him to log a 2.36 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in the second half. He has worked at his hitter-friendly home park in five of nine starts over that stretch, allowing no more than two runs in each of those outings. Lopez is a great bet to stay hot this week, when he faces the Blue Jays and Mariners, who rank 27th and 30th respectively in runs scored.
Andrew Painter, Phillies, 33% (vs. HOU, @ ATL): We may have finally found a sustainable version of Painter. The former top prospect with a reworked **** nal has logged a 3.12 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across his past seven starts and has tallied at least six strikeouts in five of those outings. The right-hander can provide a double-digit whiff total for those who are starting the fantasy playoffs, and his matchups are only slightly harder than average, as the Astros and Braves rank 10th and 12th respectively in OPS versus righties.
Hayden Wesneski, Astros, 33% (@ PHI, @ TB): Wesneski has fared well in seven starts since returning from May 2025 Tommy John surgery (3.18 ERA, 3.32 FIP, 1.06 WHIP), and he has looked especially good while allowing one run over 17 innings in his past three starts. The right-hander is set to face two above-average offenses next week (Phillies, Rays), which slots him behind Lopez among the recommended options. But at this time of year, managers may opt to go with someone who has been pitching well over someone who has questionable skills and favorable matchups.

#whip #starts

After a couple of crazy games — one loss and one win — the Rockies will look to take their final game against the St. Louis Cardinals in this afternoon's rubber match. If they win, they will tie the season series 3-3.
The Rockies have played 19 rubber matches so far this season and are 6-13, the second-worst rubber match winning percentage (.316) behind the Boston Red Sox (5-14, .263). Seven of their rubber match losses have come by two or fewer runs, and they are 3-5 in home rubber matches (3-8 on the road). Wednesday's rubber match against the Orioles marked the first time the Rockies have won three-straight rubber matches since winning five-straight May 7-June 25, 2023.
Tanner Gordon (1-4, 5.18 ERA) will take the mound for the Rockies. Gordon was on a roll in his last outing before being stymied by a one-hour and 38-minute rain delay. Gordon managed to toss five innings before the delay, only allowing three hits and one run with one walk and three strikeouts. But he only threw 60 pitches, so hopefully that means he'll be fresh this afternoon. He has faced the Cardinals twice (one start) and is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings.
Gordon will face Colorado Mesa product, and Boulder native, Kyle Leahy (10-4, 3.13 ERA). Leahy is in his fourth MLB season, but first where all of his appearances have been starts. He made 98 appearances from 2023-2025, but only one start — the Cardinals' final game against the Chicago Cubs last September where he pitched three perfect innings with a strikeout. In his last outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Leahy pitched three innings and allowed one run (a solo homer) on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. He has faced the Rockies six times in his career, and started against them this year on August 7th in St. Louis. He is 2-0 against them with a 4.05 ERA in 13.1 innings.
First Pitch: 1:10pm MT

#leahy

NEW YORK — The Mets are hoping to preserve Christian Scott in the long term and additional rest might just help him down the stretch.
On Sunday afternoon, Scott will make his first start in nine days as he takes the mound for the Mets against the Giants at 1:40 p.m. at Citi Field.
The Mets are exercising caution with Scott, who missed all of last season on the heels of Tommy John surgery in September 2024. Scott has thrown 94⅔ innings across 20 starts for the Mets, notching a 4-4 record with a 3.80 ERA and 113 strikeouts. The right-hander also threw 13⅔ innings in the minor leagues and missed two weeks in June with a right hip impingement.
Sunday will be the first test to prove how additional rest can suit Scott.
The Giants with have left-handed rookie Cesar Perdomo on the mound for Sunday's game. Perdomo made his major league debut on Sept. 1 against the Pirates, allowing one earned run at three hits and one walk with four strikeouts in four innings. He was 7-2 with a 5.10 ERA in nine games for Triple-A Sacramento before being called up.

#additional #first

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a terrible month in August. Their odds of making the playoffs on July 22 were about 50/50, coming in at 47.2%. A month later, on August 22, their playoff odds had fallen to just 2%. However, the Pirates are making one last push to put themselves back into playoff contention. At the time of this writing, they've won five of their last six series and have put themselves 4 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. It's still a long shot, but the Pirates' playoff hopes are not completely dead, even if they are on life support. If they want to keep them alive and make a late-season push for the last Wild Card spot, they need a few players to lock in.
Jared Jones was one of the many Pirates players who went into a massive slump in August. Going into the month, he owned a quality 3.81 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 1.02 WHIP over his first 11 starts and 52 innings coming off the injured list. In that time, he struck out 27.9% of batters, with just a 7.2% walk rate. Opposing hitters also batted below the Mendoza Line against him at .197.
Aug 4, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Then, in five starts during August, Jones allowed 17 earned runs over just 20 2/3 innings of work. His K% fell to 24%, and his walk rate rose to 11.5%. Sure, a .383 batting average on ***** in play didn't do him any favors, but opponents owned a 91.3 MPH exit velocity, 9.2% barrel rate, and 2.18 HR/9 ratio against him.
If his first start of September says anything, Jones is starting to lock back in again. He pitched six scoreless frames against the Los Angeles Angels. He allowed just three hits, with nine strikeouts, and just one walk allowed. While it was against a team with a combined OPS of .677, it is a step in the right direction for Jones. Returning to his July form, where he had a 2.00 ERA, 33.7% K%, and 6.1% BB%, would give the Pirates' rotation a much-needed boost of energy, giving them just enough to be playoff-ready.

#month #first

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — DeJuan Williams scored on a 94-yard run in the first quarter, the first of six rushing touchdowns for Maryland in a 62-0 rout of Hampton on Saturday night.
Williams and Iverson Howard scored twice each for the Terrapins in their season opener, and Harry Dalton III and Jianni Davis had a touchdown apiece. Malik Washington and Cardell Williams each threw for a TD as well.
Maryland outgained the Pirates (1-1) 646-85 in Hampton's first-ever game against a Power Four team.
Williams' long run to open the scoring was the second-longest in Maryland history, topped only by a 98-yarder in 1978 by Steve Atkins against Clemson.
Williams also had an 8-yard scoring run and finished with 116 yards on three carries.

#park

PITTSBURGH — Saturday night's game against the Angels looked like one that would be a win for the Pirates.
The Pirates had their top starter on the mound in Braxton Ashcraft, who entered play with a team-high 14 wins including three in a row. Ashcraft was opposed by left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who was still in search of his first win of the season and entered play with a 5.65 ERA through nine starts in an injury-shortened season.
In addition to having Ashcraft on the mound, the Pirates entered having won seven of their last 10 games to get to within two games of a .500 record. The Angels, meanwhile, entered having lost 10 of their last 11 games to sink their season record to 53-88, the worst mark in baseball.
But then the game was actually played.
Ashcraft cruised through three innings but allowed a combined three runs between the fourth and fifth frames. Kikuchi blanked the Pirates across six innings as struggles against left-handed starting pitching continued. The final score read 6-1 Angels, who led wire-to-wire.

#games

College football's Week 1 has kicked off, and college football Saturdays are back in full swing. The Alabama Crimson Tide hosted the East Carolina Pirates to kick off their season at home.
Alabama, led by quarterback Keelon Russell, got off to a commanding 17-0 lead to start the second quarter. However, there was a concerning development observed early that has continued from last season: its star wide receiver has a case of the drops once again.
MORE: College GameDay crew makes early College Football Playoff National Championship picks
Alabama star wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams undoubtedly has the big-play ability to keep defensive coordinators up at night. However, through less than 16 minutes of game action, Coleman-Williams had two bad drops.
One came on a wide-open play downfield in the first quarter. The other came in the red zone on fourth-and-3 and would have resulted in a touchdown. East Carolina jumped offsides, though, so the drop ultimately did not matter.

#however #coleman #williams

FLATWOODS, Ky. — Coming into a big-time girls soccer matchup, the Wheelersburg Pirates' and Russell Red Devils' girls soccer programs already had high respect levels from their peers that were well-earned, and well-deserved.
But prior to this particular matchup, Russell, who was ranked 59th nationally among all girls soccer programs in the entire United States, had all the pub.
However, the Lady Devils, who entered the match with a 6-0 overall record, weren't the better team on Thursday evening.
Wheelersburg continued to show onlookers and observers why a potential program history making postseason run could certainly be in the cards, as the Lady Pirates knocked the Lady Devils off the perch of the unbeaten in an impressive 3-1 road win at the Russell Soccer Complex in Flatwoods, Ky.
The win elevated Jon Estep's girls team to a perfect 6-0 — and an unblemished 4-0 on the road to begin 2026.

#flatwoods #pirates

Pirates Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Cooper, Candelaria, Wilson Join Exclusive Club originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Three former Pirates players representing three different eras of Pittsburgh baseball were formally inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame on Thursday.
The Pirates' Class of 2026 features Wilbur Cooper, John Candelaria and Jack Wilson. Cooper was a starting pitcher for Pittsburgh in the early 1900s, and Candelaria was a starter for some of the best teams in franchise history in the 1970s. Wilson could be regularly seen at shortstop in the 2000s.
Our 2026 Hall of Fame Class gets their Gold Jackets. ✨ https://t.co/dMjjhVNek7pic...
Cooper, Candelaria and Wilson joined the likes of Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell in the team's Hall of Fame.

#cooper #candelaria #pittsburgh

Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages had surgery just over a week ago on his hand after getting hit by a 100 mph fastball, but he is already making notable progress in his recovery.
Pages suffered a fracture in his left hand, leaving him in a good amount of pain after the fact, and despite his effort to play through it, he was pulled from the August 22nd game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early and found to have a broken hand.
This season, Pages has been an All-Star and one of the better Dodgers players in a season where not many others have really gotten going.
With his elite glove work and improved contact hitting, Pages is a key cog in the Dodgers machine, and it seems like his return is a matter of time at this point.
Aug 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) is hit by a pitch in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

#hand #pittsburgh #pirates

Pittsburg football coach Charlie Ramirez couldn't have been more complimentary about the St. John Bosco-Bellflower juggernaut program his Pirates will host Friday in a showdown of state-ranked teams - Sports Illustrated has the Braves No. 2 and Pittsburg No. 9.
His judgment was largely based on a Week 4 2024 road trip the Pirates made to the four-time state and two-time national champion. He used terms like "first-rate" and "classy" when describing the treatment Bosco coach Jason Negro and director of football operations Jessie Christensen afforded the Pirates.
"We're going to make sure that we give them proper welcoming and acknowledgement for them making this journey up here," he said. "We're going to throw out our orange (team color) carpet and try to extend them all the same courtesy."
Right down to the scoreboard.
It's doubtful Pittsburg will be able to hand Bosco an identical - even similar - defeat as the Braves beat the Pirates 35-14 that season, but they'll surely give it the old college try.

#pirates #pittsburg #time

Kickoff is now only days away for the Alabama Crimson Tide's Week 1 home game against the East Carolina Pirates.
Played this Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama will be looking to begin the 2026 season with a victory after suffering a Week 1 defeat a year ago, but similar to last fall, it will not be an easy task. That is because East Carolina is a talented team, one that could potentially be among the best in the American Conference this year despite some roster turnover in the offseason.
Alabama still enters Saturday's matchup as a heavy favorite against the Pirates though, and are expected by many across the sport to cruise to a Week 1 win.
Here are three predictions surrounding the Crimson Tide's Week 1 showdown against the Pirates in Tuscaloosa.
While there are still some concerns about Alabama's running game entering the season, I'll say the Crimson Tide put some of those question marks to rest Saturday with a big showing on the ground, racking up 200+ yards overall as a team. A number of running backs will likely see significant action, but I'll go with true freshman Trae'shawn Brown to lead the Crimson Tide in yardage Saturday, a player who has continued to impress dating back to the spring.

#crimson #week #tuscaloosa

This one is going to be one of the more impossible opponent previews you'll see, as the ECU Pirates have nearly turned over their entire team after a nice 9-4 record last year under coach Blake Harrell. Guys like running back London Montgomery and safety Ja'Marley Riddle (two of their top players last year) have made the jump up to join the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs, and even starting QB Katin Houser transferred to Illinois. Ultimately, the Pirates lost 24 players to the transfer portal, and the best I can tell, wide receiver Brock Spalding and linebacker DJ Johnson Jr. are the only returning starters on the team.
Not only was there major roster turnover for the Pirates, but they also lost both of their coordinators. Offensive coordinator John David Baker, who's taken a promotion up to be the OC for Ole Miss, was replaced with North Texas OC Jordan Davis. Davis was the OC behind the Mean Green's nation-leading 44.8 points per game offense in 2026. It was an up tempo, air raid-like offense and there's a lot of reason for ECU fans to be excited – however, Davis comes with a big caveat: he was the OC in name only, as UNT's head coach Eric Morris was actually the playcaller.
Eric Morris runs many of the same concepts he learned from being a player. He has expanded the run game using a lot more gap runs. WSU and MSST under Leach used mostly inside and outside zones with some DART (backside tackle pulls and leads) to change things up.
How much will Davis's iteration of this offense at ECU look like the Morris offense at UNT? We'll just have to see, so this will be an experience for everyone.
Defensively, the Pirates lost DC Josh Aldredge to USF, and replaced him with Memphis's DC, Jordon Hankins. Memphis was decent on defense under Hankins the last couple of years, and generally ran a 3-high safety look

#offense #morris #eric #hankins

The San Francisco Giants notched a feel-good 5-4 win in extra-innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
The win ought to put a better taste in the team's mouth after Tuesday's loss in which they erased a five-run deficit in the eighth, but were walked off in the bottom of the ninth when Rafael Devers couldn't snag a tricky throw across the diamond from Osleivis Basabe.
Here are takeaways from the Giants' win:
Bryce Eldridge fastballs:
With his grandmother watching him play at the big league level for the first time - several days after his grandfather passed away - Eldridge delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI double smacked the other way in the 10th inning.

#eldridge #pirates #osleivis

This article originally appeared on PGHBaseballNOW.com.
The Pirates fought back in the late innings to force extras but fell 5-4 to the Giants in the 10th on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
Top 1st, 1-0 SFG: For the second straight game, Rafael Devers homered to center. His solo blast off Bubba Chandler gave the Giants (58-82) an early lead.
Bottom 4th, 1-1: The Pirates (68-72) tied the game when Landen Roupp issued a two-out walk to Esmerlyn Valdez with the bases loaded.
Top 5th, 3-1 SFG: The Giants loaded the bases after Oneil Cruz and Valdez watched a ball fall in shallow right-center. Bryce Eldridge followed with a sacrifice fly to center and Turner Hill delivered a two-out RBI single to right.

#Giants #game #wednesday

PITTSBURGH — The Pirates fought back in the late innings to force extras but fell 5-4 to the Giants in the 10th on Wednesday night at PNC Park.
Top 1st, 1-0 SFG: For the second straight game, Rafael Devers homered to center. His solo blast off Bubba Chandler gave the Giants (58-82) an early lead.
Bottom 4th, 1-1: The Pirates (68-72) tied the game when Landen Roupp issued a two-out walk to Esmerlyn Valdez with the bases loaded.
Top 5th, 3-1 SFG: The Giants loaded the bases after Oneil Cruz and Valdez watched a ball fall in shallow right-center. Bryce Eldridge followed with a sacrifice fly to center and Turner Hill delivered a two-out RBI single to right.
Bottom 7th, 3-2 SFG: The Pirates put two runners in scoring position with one out against Ryan Walker. After the Giants turned to Ryan Walker, Spencer Horwitz got his team within a run on an RBI groundout to short.

#Giants #bottom #game #bases

Oct. 16
Today in sports history
Today is Oct. 16. On this date in:
1897: Michigan defeated Ohio State 34-0 at Ann Arbor in the first football game between the future Big Ten rivals.
1909: The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 8-0 in Game 7 to win the World Series, with rookie Babe Adams earning his third victory of the Series and securing Pittsburgh's first championship.

#game #michigan #state

The Lady Pirates' soccer team got to play in front of the home crowd Monday and Greensburg made it well worth the price of admission.
Greensburg scored six goals in the first half and another three goals in the second half to knock off Knightstown 9-0.
Kadence Rich led the offense with five goals. Maria Scholle was right behind her teammate with four goals.
Scholle dished out three ******* ists in the contest. Rich added a pair of ******* ists. Mackenzie Schwering and Chloe Wentzel both had one ******* ist.
Greensburg's offensive pressure allotted the Lady Pirates with 41 shots on goal. Scholle and Rich both had 11 shots on goal. Kelsey Wentzel added eight followed by Emma Kennelly six, Alexis Weber two, Rachel Lipps one, Lilian Faris one and Chloe Wentzel one.

#goals #rich #wentzel #lady

LOS ANGELES — John Shoemaker is in his sixth straight year managing the Dodgers' Class-A affiliate and his first year in Ontario after the previous five campaigns with Rancho Cucamonga. He'll be at Dodger Stadium on Friday night as part of the annual celebration of longtime employees in the organization.
This is Shoemaker's 50th year with the Dodgers, first as a player from 1977-80 as he was selected in both the MLB Draft and NBA Draft, then as a coach every season since 1981. He was named the Dodgers captain of player development in 2015, and accordingly wears a C on the front of his jersey to this day.
There aren't many things Shoemaker hasn't done within the game of baseball, but come October he can check off another box. He will manage the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.
The AFL is the annual showcase of prospects throughout the game, with six Arizona teams comprised of prospects from five MLB teams each. Glendale, which plays its games at Camelback Ranch, the home of the Dodgers and White Sox, will consist of prospects of those two teams plus the Braves, Marlins, and Pirates.
Among the notes for Shoemaker in MLB's press release is that he's had 20 separate winning seasons as a minor league manager and his 1,984-1,863 lifetime record has him third among active minor league managers.

#Dodgers #prospects #glendale

After a lengthy offseason, the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to open the 2026 season this Saturday at home against the East Carolina Pirates in Tuscaloosa.
A game set to begin at 11 a.m. CT on ABC, Alabama enters Week 1 as a heavy favorite against East Carolina, and are a popular pick to win this game by multiple touchdowns.
As a result, the Crimson Tide will likely see a number of backups see action in this game Saturday, especially should Alabama build a sizable lead in the first half. This will likely come on both sides of the ball, and could include multiple new faces to the roster this season through their 2026 high school recruiting class, as well as the transfer portal.
A group of names that will be in focus Saturday afternoon, here are three storylines to monitor for the Crimson Tide during Alabama's Week 1 game against East Carolina.
After appearing in only two games last fall as a true freshman, Russell is set to start at quarterback for the first time Saturday against East Carolina after winning the job during the offseason. All eyes will be on Russell's performance in Week 1, as the sophomore is likely set for a big showing against a Pirates defense that was among the best in the American a year ago, allowing only 20.1 points per game.

#tide

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) -- The countdown to kickoff for the Alabama game continues to wind down, and Pirate starting quarterback Mitch Griffis is fired up and ready to go.
Griffis has plenty of experience under his belt with stops Wake Forest and Texas Tech, and at one point decided to give up on football. Now, he'll have one final fling this season.
Griffis said the journey has been a long one to get here, but that he's getting more comfortable by the day, especially since his first days on campus.
"Being out there and just getting reps of different guys who are new to the system," Griffis said. "I definitely think as a unit we've grown a ton, so the summer in camp was big for us."
The Pirates and Crimson Tide kickoff at noon on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

#alabama #mitch #wake #forest

With active rosters expanding from 26 to 28 players in September, the Pirates have recalled left-hander Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Indianapolis and selected catcher Christian Bethancourt ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Giants.
Eisert, who was acquired from the White Sox on July 10, has made 32 appearances between Chicago and Pittsburgh this season and is 2-2 with a 6.29 ERA. He's struck out 40 batters and walked 12 in 34.1 innings.
The Pirates acquired Bethancourt from the Yankees on Aug. 19 and had been on the taxi squad since the trade. In 67 games at Triple-A between the Yankees and Cubs organizations this season, the 34-year-old hit .270/.320/.491 with 14 homers and 45 RBI in 59 games.
Bethancourt last appeared in the big leagues in 2024. In parts of eight big-league seasons he owns a .229/.259/.362 batting line with 60 doubles, 35 home runs and 135 RBI in 427 games between six teams.
To clear a spot for Bethancourt on the 40-man roster, the Pirates transferred catcher/first baseman Endy Rodríguez to the 60-day injured list. Rodríguez underwent left hip labrum surgery on Aug. 26.

#bethancourt #eisert #triple