Sports
Opening Day Overreactions: What We Learned from the First Games of 2025
Feb 24, 2025; Jupiter, Florida, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Journeyman outfielder Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes opened the 1994 season for the Chicago Cubs by hitting three homers off Dwight Gooden. He hit five homers in his final 94 games of the strike-shortened campaign.
Four years later, the New York Yankees began the season by being limited to five hits in a 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Angels. One hundred and twenty-five wins later, the Yankees were World Series champions and one of the greatest single-season teams of all time.
So Opening Day, as festive and eagerly awaited as it is, might not be a harbinger of things to come. But then again, some Opening Day results may be more revealing than others. Here are six thoughts from Thursday’s stateside openers, ranked in order from silliest to most serious.
1. Juan Soto stinks
The $765 million man ended the New York Mets’ 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros by striking out as the potential go-ahead run. A nation of Mets fans did their best Stewie Griffin imitation while counting the number of days until the end of the 2039 season. (Soto also singled and drew two walks, giving him a .600 on-base percentage that might not drop all that much over the next six months.)
2. The Chicago White Sox rule
Mar 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke (59) delivers against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images Sure, all they did was beat the forever down-bad Angels 8-1. But with the victory, the White Sox—who, as you may remember, set a modern record for losses by going 41-121 last season—are over .500 for the first time since March 30, 2023. Baby steps on the South Side.
3. Austin Wells is the greatest leadoff hitter of all time
Aug 30, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (28) hits a two run home run during the third inning against St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Erick Fedde (12) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Wells, the first Yankees catcher in the 123-year history of the franchise to bat leadoff in a game, became the first catcher to lead off an Opening Day game with a homer when he hit Freddy Peralta’s third pitch of the game into the ever-friendly right-field seats at Yankee Stadium. He now has more Opening Day leadoff homers than the late great Rickey Henderson. How great is baseball?
4. Emmanuel Clase might be cooked
Jun 25, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) celebrates with Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (23) after the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports Some of us are old enough to remember when iconic Yankees closer Mariano Rivera followed up his infamous back-to-back blown saves in the 2004 AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox by surrendering six runs as he blew consecutive save opportunities against the reigning World Series champion Red Sox to open the 2005 season. Rivera, 35 at the time, allowed 12 runs the rest of the season, which he ended with a career-best 1.38 ERA.
So the 27-year-old Clase—whose brilliant 2024 ended with a nightmarish postseason in which he posted a 9.00 ERA, blew a save chance in the ALCS and served up three homers in seven appearances—might be just fine despite blowing the save and allowing the tying run in the ninth inning of the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-4, 10-inning win over the Kansas City Royals. But Clase’s velocity was down this spring, and the last decade is littered with burnt-out closers who were once identified as the next Rivera.
5. The Toronto Blue Jays are in trouble
Mar 20, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) singles against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images After a last-place finish and a winter in which they made unsuccessful bids to sign Soto or extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., few teams needed a good Opening Day more than the Blue Jays—who became just the fourth team in the last 10 years to lose by 10 or more runs on Opening Day when they were torched 12-2 by the Baltimore Orioles.
The rough start by the usually reliable José Berríos was a reminder the Jays are counting on a rotation filled with pitchers on the wrong side of 30. With Guerrero and Bo Bichette in their walk years and the heat on the leadership triumvirate of president Mark Shapiro, general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider, it could get very late very fast in Toronto.
6. Baseball’s pitching problem is getting worse
Jul 4, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports The stateside Opening Day was another reminder teams are churning through pitchers at an unsustainable rate. Starters lasted an average of 5.27 innings and 86 pitches Thursday. Only nine hurlers threw at least 90 pitches, and none made it to the century mark. On Opening Day 2015, starters averaged 6.18 innings and 93 pitches per game, with 21 pitchers reaching 90 pitches and six getting to at least 100 pitches.
Asking starters to go as hard as they can for as long as they can and expecting relievers to do the same has only led to more injuries and a higher rate of turnover. But like Ned Flanders’ parents, baseball’s brilliant executives have tried nothing to fix the problem, and they’re all out of ideas, man.
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
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
