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“The Greatest Show on Dirt” is a fantastic nickname for a fantastic tradition in Omaha, Nebraska. The Men’s College World Series started yesterday. No. 13 Coastal Carolina extended their winning streak to 24 with a 7-4 win in the opener against Arizona, a rematch of the 2016 finals. No. 8 Oregon State walked off Louisville 4-3 in the Bracket 1 night game. Bracket 2 starts today with No. 15 UCLA taking on tournament underdogs Murray State, and a top-10 matchup featuring No. 6 Arkansas and No. 3 LSU. If you’re a dynasty owner looking to scout prospects, a fan of bats that go ping, or into the rarity of double-elimination tournaments, this week is for you. We’ll know the two finalists by Thursday at the latest.
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Today’s Headlines
Red Sox, Giants Win Rivalry Games
This isn’t an officially sanctioned, corporate-sponsored Rivalry Weekend across Major League Baseball. When the Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers welcome the San Francisco Giants, it’s a rivalry weekend. The Sox and Yanks packed a lot of action in a 2-1 game. Garrett Crochet held the Yankees’ lineup scoreless for 8.1 innings until Aaron Judge tied the game with a drive over the Green Monster and out of Fenway. Carlos Narváez, who played six games in pinstripes last season, threw out auto runner Anthony Volpe by millimeters on a stolen base attempt at third base in the 10th. Then, the rookie catcher sent a long fly ball off the Monster for a walk-off single.
There was less drama in Los Angeles. Casey Schmitt hit a third-inning grand slam so well that he paused, looked at the Giants’ dugout, and tossed the bat away without watching the ball land in the left field bleachers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted 4.2 innings, Logan Webb cruised for seven, and the Giants won 6-2. San Francisco and Los Angeles are both 41-29, with the Dodgers holding a 12-run advantage in run differential at the top of the NL West.
Pirates Win (But Not Skenes)
Paul Skenes didn’t get the win, but the Pittsburgh Pirates pulled together a defensive gem to help their star pitcher in the Cy Young race. Isiah Kiner-Falefa discussed doing everything the defense can to help “get the ERA down, the WHIP, everything” if the offense can’t do enough to earn wins for their ace consistently. Skenes pitched five scoreless innings, giving up four hits, walking two, and striking out five. The offense did just enough to earn a 2-1 win. Kiner-Falefa knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th, and David Bednar earned his 10th save.
Ober’s Family Threatened
Minnesota Twins starter Bailey Ober did not have a good day at work on Thursday. Since his job overlaps with legalized gambling and social media, that bad day affected his family’s mental health and safety. This is not the first story about unhealthy and threatening fan-athlete interactions, and it won’t be the last. The league needs to get ahead of this, given the fact that they opened up gambling sponsorships and include live betting odds in the Big Inning broadcast of multiple games on MLB.tv.
Bailey Ober said his wife received a social media death threat during his start Thursday. “Kind of specific stuff about our kids and stuff like that. … He had a plan to do something. That’s when it gets a little scary.”More from Phil Miller: www.startribune.com/twins-player…
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T00:57:46.692Z
Miley Speaks on Accusations
Wade Miley briefly addressed his name being connected to a significant role in the story of Tyler Skaggs’s drug addiction and death. A day after a deposition including testimony indicating that Miley provided Skaggs with drugs when the two were teammates in Arizona, the Cincinnati Reds starter said, “I was never a witness to any of this. I was never accused of wrongdoing.” Miley indicated he wants to focus on his current team, not talk about what “someone might have said about me or whatnot.” Miley signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Reds on June 4, and he’s set to start on Sunday.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Standing Ovation
Trea Turner met with producer Kyle Thrash and fan/YouTuber Jon McCann to show off the pair’s Emmy for “The Turnaround.” The Netflix documentary details the standing ovations that helped change the trajectory of Turner’s 2023 season, his first with the Philadelphia Phillies. Turner signed an 11-year, $300 million contract to play in a city known for abrasive fans. He got a weekend of love in a series against the Kansas City Royals and went on to help the Phillies reach the NLCS.
Trea Turner is officially part of a sports Emmy for his role in the doc “The turnaround.”
It’s about how Jon McCann (middle), a Phillies fan, inspired a standing ovation for Trea Turner, helping the team and player turn around a challenging season.
Can catch it on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/PcUtmppaZi
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) June 13, 2025
Brotherly Love
Orlando Arcia reunited with his former teammates in Atlanta for the first time since signing with the Colorado Rockies. You know, just your standard handshakes, hugs, high fives, and face slaps. Arica went 1-for-5 in his return to Truist Park and watched his former team erupt for 11 runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth to win 12-4.
Orlando Arcia reunites with his old teammates.
— Baseball GIFs (@baseballgifs.bsky.social) 2025-06-13T23:17:30.452Z
Heroes Together Again
Jung Hoo Lee of the Giants and Hyeseong Kim of the Dodgers met for the first time as MLB opponents in Los Angeles. The two Korean internationals played seven seasons with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization. Now they’re on opposite sides of an NL West rivalry as close friends. Lee went 0-for-4 with a run, and Kim did not play in the series opener.
More Like Morton
A Charlie Morton sighting! His early work with the Baltimore Orioles is one reason the O’s have started so rough, but he struck out 10 in five innings, and the Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels 2-0.
Good Wood
It always seems like James Wood hits a homer in a Washington Nationals‘ loss on Friday nights. I want to wrap up with Wood’s 451-foot blast against the Miami Marlins (in an 11-9 loss) to give him credit for his ability to mash. And since Agustín Ramírez hit two homers in the win, here’s his credit for mashing, too.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ The Milwaukee Brewers traded right-hander Aaron Civale to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman Andrew Vaughn. Civale, a career starter with the Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, and Brewers, confirmed that he wanted to either continue to start for Milwaukee or join another team’s rotation.
⚾ The Houston Astros traded right-hander Forrest Whitley to the Rays for cash considerations.
⚾ The Arizona Diamondbacks will be without closer Justin Martinez until sometime next summer. The right-hander has a UCL sprain and could undergo Tommy John surgery or the internal brace procedure.
⚾ Right-hander Gunnar Hoglund will miss the rest of the season after hip surgery. He’s expected back with the Athletics for spring training.
Articles You Should Read
2025 MLB Draft Prospects to Know in the College World Series — Trevor Powers, Pitcher List
David Peterson’s Reign of Terror Continues Uninterrupted — Michael Baumann, FanGraphs
MLB’s baseball is behaving differently again, but no one seems to know why — Eno Sarris and Evan Drellich, The Athletic (subscription required)
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
