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The NBA season came to a close Sunday with the Oklahoma City Thunder winning Game 7 of the NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers. While the Thunder could end up being the next NBA dynasty, it goes to show that market size doesn’t make a difference as long as you have the right folks calling the shots. If there were a comparison, it would be like the Tampa Bay Rays squaring off against the Milwaukee Brewers. Both franchises build from within and look for diamonds in the rough to polish up and turn into contributors. Baseball now has the sports stage to itself for about another month.
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Today’s Headlines
Raleigh Drills 31st, Mariners Club Cubs
Cal Raleigh is doing a lot of unprecedented things this season. It is because the Seattle Mariners slugger is a switch-hitter and a catcher. A day after becoming just the 12th player in MLB history with 30 homers in his team’s first 75 games, Raleigh crushed his MLB-leading 31st of the season as the Mariners poured it on late to roll past the Chicago Cubs 14-6. While he had the day off from catching, serving as the designated hitter, Raleigh continued his assault on baseballs by crushing the first pitch he saw from right-hander Colin Rea for a 414-foot two-run shot in the top of the first inning. That was Raleigh’s fourth homer of the three-game series at Wrigley Field and the 21st while batting left-handed. Donovan Solano hit a pair of homers and drove in five, while Dominic Canzone also homered twice and had three RBIs for the Mariners. Seattle had a 5-4 lead after five innings, then scored two in the sixth, two in the seventh, and five in the eighth.
Ohtani, Muncy Fuel Dodgers
You don’t often see an MLB player rehab while playing in the majors. That is what the minor leagues are for. But Shohei Ohtani hasn’t been able to do that, considering he is the rarest of rare talents: a two-way player who is elite as a hitter and a pitcher. For just the second time in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform, Ohtani fulfilled both roles and did what he excels at in a 13-7 victory over the Washington Nationals. He homered and drove in five runs, while Max Muncy homered twice and had seven RBIs, including a go-ahead grand slam. But the focus was on Ohtani the pitcher. Ohtani was much crisper in this outing than in his pitching debut a week ago today. In a scheduled one-inning performance, he struck out two and didn’t allow a hit, the only baserunner reaching on an error. Of his 18 pitches, Ohtani threw 12 strikes. Oh, and he didn’t go into the dugout following his inning of pitching, as the video below shows what he goes through to transition to a leadoff hitter (including an ump check). After being shut out for five innings by right-hander Michael Soroka, the Dodgers broke loose in the sixth inning and took a 4-3 lead on Muncy’s slam. A seven-run seventh inning gave the Dodgers control, with Ohtani hitting a bases-loaded triple and Muncy adding a three-run shot. Ohtani capped his day with a two-run homer in the eighth, his 26th of the season.
A second. Should've been a 1-2-3 inning, but Mookie just wanted to get him used to more situations and get another strikeout, surely.
— Chad Moriyama (@chadmoriyama.bsky.social) 2025-06-22T20:20:03.637Z
MLB quick-change, courtesy of Shohei Ohtani.
— Mirjam Swanson (@mirjamswanson.bsky.social) 2025-06-22T20:36:19.444Z
Late Contribution: Padres Sub Iglesias Walks Off Royals
If there was a stat about impact by inning, San Diego Padres utilityman Jose Iglesias rated way above league average in the series finale against the Kansas City Royals. Iglesias, who had a two-run pinch-hit single in the seventh inning, hit a walk-off grounder in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 Padres win. Did we mention that Iglesias also had a clutch relay throw to nail a runner at the plate in the top of the ninth? Three innings, drove in all of his team’s runs, and had a key defensive play. With two outs and a runner on first in the top of the ninth and the game tied 2-2, the Royals’ Freddy Fermin hit a drive to right-center that center fielder Jackson Merrill cut off before it got to the wall. Merrill threw to Iglesias, the second baseman, who wheeled and threw home, where the Royals’ Drew Waters initially avoided the tag, but was out of position to reach home plate and was ruled out as he avoided the tag by Elias Díaz. In the bottom half, Luis Arraez had a leadoff single and Xander Bogaerts doubled with one out, but Arraez had to stop at third. That brought up Igleias, who hit a chopper several steps to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.’s left that he fielded and whirled around and threw home too late to get Arraez.
Ramos Sparks Giants
It was the Rafael Devers series, but it was Heliot Ramos who stole the show in the finale of the three-game set between the San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox. Ramos drove in four runs, and three teammates homered as the Giants surged past the Red Sox 9-5. Casey Schmitt, Mike Yastrzemski, and Willy Adames hit home runs as the Giants took two of three in the series, in which the newest Giants acquisition, Devers, faced his former team just days after being traded. Ramos had a costly drop of a rather routine fly ball to left field. Instead of ending the top of the first scoreless, Ramos’s miscue allowed a run to score. He atoned for that error with a two-run single to give the Giants a 2-1 lead in the third inning. The Red Sox had a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh, when the Giants scored four times, capped by Ramos’s two-run double for an 8-5 cushion. Devers went 2-for-12 with a homer in the three games against his former team.
Brewers’ Offense Paves Way For Sweep
The Milwaukee Brewers erupted for 35 runs in a three-game road series against the Minnesota Twins. But it took a four-out save from right-handed closer Trevor Megill for the Crew to make sure none of those runs were wasted. Megill escaped a jam in the eighth, then another in the ninth as the Brewers came away with a 9-8 victory and a sweep of the Twins. Brice Turang hit a three-run homer and Rhys Hoskins also went deep, the only times this weekend the Brewers used the long ball. Caleb Durbin had three of the Brewers’ 17 hits, but it was Megill who saved the day. In the ninth and the Brewers clinging to a 9-8 advantage, Harrison Bader hit a one-out double, then Byron Buxton — who had already homered twice — was walked intentionally, putting the winning run on first. But Megill got Matt Wallner to pop up on a 2-0 pitch, then struck out Trevor Larnach on three pitches for his 17th save of the season. The Brewers won their fourth straight, pulling within 3.5 games of the NL Central-leading Cubs.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Thanks To Jac, No Jack For Jackson
Royals rookie right fielder Jac Caglianone isn’t exactly known for his defense and is playing a position that is pretty foreign to him. Yet he had a moment of flashing the leather against Jackson Merrill of the Padres.
Jac Caglianone robs Jackson Merrill of a HR, Merrill tips the cap
A Ball And A Beer
A Twins fan made a remarkable one-handed, barehanded catch of a Byron Buxton homer. Twins announcer and former MLB player Trevor Plouffe was so impressed, he sent the fan a beer.
LSU Wins College Title
For the second time in three years, LSU is your Men’s College World Series champion. The Tigers took care of business by sweeping the best-of-three championship series, beating Coastal Carolina 5-3.
Clear Your Calendars
It isn’t often that a simple social-media post makes news, but this one sure electrified folks. Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes vs. Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski, Wednesday, 2:10 p.m. ET.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is set to have an MRI on his left hand. Carroll missed his fourth straight game after being hit on the hand by a pitch Wednesday.
⚾ San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill was activated off the seven-day concussion list and started the series finale against the Kansas City Royals.
⚾ Struggling catcher Francisco Alvarez was sent to Triple-A by the New York Mets. Alvarez, 23, posted a slash line of .236/.319/.333 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 35 games this season. His offensive struggles seemingly leaked over to the defensive side, where he was also having issues.
⚾ A day after losing star catcher Adley Rutschman until at least the All-Star break due to an oblique injury, the Baltimore Orioles might need additional depth at the position as a result of Maverick Handley sustaining an undisclosed injury in a collision with Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees in a play at the plate. The Orioles also optioned right-handed reliever Yennier Cano to Triple-A.
⚾ Yankees left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough went on the 15-day IL with a strained right oblique.
⚾ Boston Red Sox right-handed starter Hunter Dobbins was placed on the 15-day IL with a strained right elbow. Right-hander Richard Fitts was recalled from Triple-A.
Articles You Should Read
Top Reds prospect Burns set to make MLB debut Tuesday — Mark Sheldon, MLB.com
Baseball is mostly mistakes. How else do we learn grace? — Josh Diamond, Los Angeles Times
Pirates’ Cruz gets lesson in respecting the game — John Perrotto, Pittsburgh Baseball Now
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
