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Old enemies met once again this weekend. The Yankees, of course, played the Red Sox and garnered much of the attention. Partly for the rich history shared between the two, and partly because of the rout that occurred between them on Saturday. But that wasn’t the only rivalry that was renewed. The Mets traveled to Atlanta, the Phillies fought the Nationals, the A’s and Mariners matched up, and the Dodgers played the Padres for control of the NL West. It was a time for hate.
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Today’s Headlines
Boston Belts New York
What started as a sad, albeit acceptable 5-1 loss for the New York Yankees against the Boston Red Sox quickly became something much worse. It’s the bottom of the eighth. Red Sox starter Garrett Crochet has dominated, and now, with him gone, the Yankees have men on the corners with one out. If there were to be a rally, it’d start here. But it didn’t, with Giancarlo Stanton and Jazz Chisholm Jr. striking out. Boston cashed in where New York couldn’t, scoring seven runs in the ninth to render this into an embarrassing 12-1 loss. With it, New York is 69-60 and 1-8 against Boston on the season. They’ll aim to be 2-8 and avoid a series sweep tomorrow. Should they get swept, it would be Boston’s first sweep in the Bronx since July 1939.
Padres Put Them On Top
The San Diego Padres, and more specifically, starter Nestor Cortes, flirted with perfection. And though it wasn’t achieved, it was enough to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 on Saturday. Much of that credit goes to Cortes, who grounded L.A.’s high-flying offense, coughing up just one hit over six innings. Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon followed the lead, not allowing a hit. Other kudos go to Xander Bogaerts, whose two-run double in the eighth slammed the door shut. Thanks to the win, San Diego is now back atop the NL West, and that alone is worth the price of perfection.
New York’s New Groove
The New York Mets are in dire need of positive momentum. And after a 9-2 win against Atlanta that seals a series win, they might be on their way. Jeff McNeil led the initial charge, blasting a three-run no-doubter. Atlanta issued a rebuttal and stayed in the conversation until Pete Alonso all but ended the debate with a 343-foot dinger that made it 5-2. Mark Vientos immediately followed with a solo shot, and two batters later, Starling Marte did the same. Starter Clay Holmes kept the Mets afloat until then. The reliever-turned-starter shoved, allowing just three hits and two runs in six-and-a-third innings of work. If the Mets want to ward off the Cincinnati Reds in the wildcard race, this is as good a launching point as they’ll have.
Houston Holds On
There are good starts to a game, and then there are bad ones. Then there are allowing three home runs to six of the first batters you face and surrendering five runs in the process. That last one is exactly how Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer began his night. And though it might’ve sunk some teams, the Orioles answered. Baltimore rallied not once, but twice. Sadly, they did not a third time. A Christian Walker home run was the difference, handing Houston a 9-7 lead to help them squeak by with a 9-8 win. Sometimes it’s not how you end, it’s how you start.
Blue Jays Survive South Beach
To give a lot of context in a short time, the Toronto Blue Jays were up 4-3 against the Miami Marlins in the bottom of the ninth. Three outs later, the two were tied. Two innings later, they were still tied, now knotted 6-6, entering the top of the 12th. The story was a simple one. Toronto would score, Miami would even things, but never go ahead, allowing the cycle to repeat. That cycle went kaput thanks to Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette and reliever Brendon Little. Bichette lined the go-ahead single, and Little recorded a one-two-three 12th to silence the Fish for good and secure the 7-6 win.
Texas Clubs Cleveland
The Texas Rangers opted for a death-by-a-thousand-cuts approach in Saturday’s 10-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Rangers second baseman Cody Freeman started the scoring with a two-run dinger, the first home run of his career. An inning later, the Rangers racked up three runs. In the fourth and the fifth, they plated another pair, thanks to an Ezequiel Duran double and an Adolis García bomb. The rout was on from there. For Texas, it’s one step closer to .500 and maybe a wild card spot. For Cleveland, it’s a return to the former and a sliding away from the latter.
Wheeler Out for the Season
In news Philadelphia Phillies fans were dreading, star pitcher Zack Wheeler is officially out for the rest of the season. Wheeler, who was diagnosed with a blood clot in his throwing shoulder last week, is now expected to undergo thoracic outlet decompression surgery. Wheeler will need six to eight months to recover, according to the Phillies. It’s an almost unrecoverable loss for Philly. Wheeler is, in a word, impeccable. He is one of the best pitchers alive and a joy to watch at his best. Being deprived of him for any time is brutal, not just for Philly, but for baseball. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.
Phillies medical update on Zack Wheeler pic.twitter.com/JnnEAz4cMZ
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 23, 2025
Best Moments From Yesterday
Randy Readies His Lips
Though it may have been in vain, Randy Arozarena put a new twist on the bat flip.
Randy Arozarena gave his bat a kiss after tying the game with a solo shot. 😂
(Via: @MLB)
pic.twitter.com/5a1p3fMBRq— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 24, 2025
Marte Mails One
Thirty-six-year-old Starling Marte made a play in the outfield, and that’s not sarcasm.
WHAT A THROW BY STARLING MARTE 🤯 pic.twitter.com/UAOFzEo22M
— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2025
PCA All The Way
Pete Crow-Armstrong once again reminded us he’s an alien on Saturday.
PCA doing PCA things
(via @Cubs) pic.twitter.com/sEj8hIMXCm
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 24, 2025
Barger With a Beaut
How, in a little more detail, did the Blue Jays beat the Marlins? With plays like this from Addison Barger.
CLUTCH CATCH BY ADDISON BARGER! 😱 pic.twitter.com/CdxUi1M9ul
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 23, 2025
Family Reunion in Philly
Some things are better than any hit or pitch. This is one of them.
This Navy Officer coming home to surprise his family at the Phillies game has us in tears 🥹 pic.twitter.com/qcx7VxdTs9
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2025
RIP Roy
Atlanta paid tribute pre-game to former scouting director Roy Clark. Clark, who signed a host of Atlanta’s great homegrown talent, passed away yesterday.
The Atlanta Braves are deeply saddened by the death of longtime scout and baseball executive Roy Clark. pic.twitter.com/Rj0XOfINc7
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 23, 2025
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ The San Diego Padres are losing star outfielder Jackson Merrill. Merrill, who’s in the midst of a solid second season, will go to the 10-day IL to deal with a left ankle sprain.
⚾ It’s simple math for the Texas Rangers. Adolis García is in, being activated off the IL. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien is out. The second baseman will go on the 10-day IL with a left foot contusion. With the IL placement, Semien will play fewer than 159 games in a full season for the first time since 2017.
⚾ New York Mets pitcher Frankie Montas Jr. is going to the IL. The free-agent signee goes on the 15-day IL with a “significant” UCL-related injury in his right elbow. The ailment could explain Montas’ 2025 season, which includes a 6.28 ERA and 5.31 FIP in nine games. And worse, it could lead to Tommy John surgery. Regardless, New York will turn to reliever Huascar Brazobán, calling the right-hander up from Triple-A, to bridge the gap.
⚾ The Houston Astros are shipping out an aeronaut. The team DFA’d right-hander Shawn Dubin on Saturday and will call up righty AJ Blubaugh. Blubagh enjoyed a brief stint with the Astros this season and will try to better his numbers — a 4.00 ERA and 1.111 WHIP in two games — this time around.
⚾ The Seattle Mariners are swapping things around. The team DFA’d utility man Dylan Moore Saturday afternoon for outfielder Victor Robles. Robles, as one might remember, recently went viral for, well, unsportsmanlike conduct. And though that conduct netted him a 10-game suspension, Robles can still return to the Mariners and will do so.
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