Sports
Baltimore Orioles Show Signs of Life After Shaky Start
In the series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, the Baltimore Orioles ran themselves out of at least one scoring opportunity, hit into two double plays, and had an outfielder throw to the wrong base for a third time already this season.
Such ragged play has made for an underwhelming early impression in the 2025 season, especially for a team favored in some places to win the AL East and expected by most to contend for a playoff spot. Before his team took the field Saturday afternoon, manager Brandon Hyde seemed confident that Baltimore’s play would improve, but he also conceded there’s a lot that needs work.
“We could play a lot better than we’re playing,” Hyde said. “We’ve had a few games where we swung the bat really well. I think our bullpen, for the most part, has pitched well. We just haven’t put — we haven’t put a couple games in a row together.”
His players took a step in that direction with an 8-1 thumping of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, breaking a three-game losing streak and bringing the Orioles’ record to 4-5 overall.
Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, a key free agent from Japan making his second major league start, pitched effectively into the sixth inning and picked up his first victory. Hyde said he appreciated Sugano getting 19 outs on 89 pitches — a longer effort than his first outing — which the Orioles needed to rest some relief pitchers.
Tyler O’Neill, Gary Sánchez and Jackson Holliday drove in two runs apiece, the bullpen allowed zero hits in 3 2/3 scoreless innings, and Baltimore made no significant mistakes on defense. It might have been the Orioles’ most complete game so far, with Gunnar Henderson’s 0-for-5 with four strikeouts being an exception.
Hyde said Sugano “looked way more comfortable” than in his first start a week ago Sunday at the Toronto Blue Jays, which was shortened because of cramps in both hands.
“He had really good command like he had in spring training,” Hyde said of Sugano, who allowed a solo home run to Bobby Witt Jr. with a six-run lead in the sixth for Kansas City’s lone run.
The Orioles came in 10th in runs scored per game, though Hyde said his offense had yet to find consistency in a full series. Hyde complimented his hitters for coming up big in moments against right-hander Michael Wacha and said a strong wind from center prevented multiple fly balls from going over the fence.
“I think we’re going to swing the bat this year,” Hyde said. “We’re dangerous up and down the order.”
The Orioles picked up the pace in other aspects. Hyde didn’t have any baserunning misadventures to lament or rationalize, and nobody threw to the wrong base — as happened Friday, when O’Neill gathered a two-out bloop single to right and mistakenly fired the ball to second base as Witt raced for home, scoring all the way from first. The result was a rare three-run single for Vinnie Pasquantino, who has been slowed by a strained hamstring.
“We’ve had a similar situation to that three times now,” Hyde said. “Tyler understands: That ball needs to go to the plate. He’s played well, just a couple of mistakes.”
Hyde praised O’Neill for working on scenarios like that during pregame drills Saturday.
“We’ve got to play better defensively for us to compete,” Hyde said.
The Orioles didn’t put themselves in a huge hole like the Atlanta Braves did at 0-7 and 1-8. Baltimore also hasn’t had its full lineup available yet, with Henderson only rejoining the squad in Kansas City after a muscle strain near his rib cage knocked him out toward the end of spring training. They also lost outfielder Colton Cowser four games into the season when a pitch fractured his thumb. The starting rotation hasn’t been at full strength either, notably with right-hander Grayson Rodríguez suffering elbow inflammation in late March.
Orioles players likely heard concerns about the club’s direction coming into the season. Baltimore won 91 games a year ago, falling to the Royals in the AL Wild Card Series. Two years ago, it won 101 games and took first in the AL East. Coming into 2025, the front office took some criticism for letting go ace right-hander Corbin Burnes, who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in free agency, without replacing him with a commensurate talent at the top of the rotation. They also let outfielder Anthony Santander walk in free agency to the Blue Jays — though, as Hyde has said, they seem to be deep on offense.
Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin, their best pitcher, acknowledged that storylines like these exist, but he hasn’t drawn any conclusions based on fewer than 10 games.
“It’s so early,” Eflin said. “I don’t really have an answer for you. It’s only — what — eight games in? It’s a long season, 162 games. It’s a little early to speculate or give an opinion based on how we’re playing currently.
“Team morale is great. We all have a bunch of energy that we’re showing every single day. We’re expecting to win, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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