Baltimore (47-58) has gone 4-6 to open the second half and is now 8 1/2 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League. As a result, the front office’s fire sale has begun, as general manager Mike Elias has already traded relievers Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto.
Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, here’s the Orioles reset:
What was good?
Trading Tomoyuki Sugano makes a ton of sense. Whether a contending team wants him is the question.
Sugano was the Orioles’ best starting pitcher through his first 12 starts of his MLB career with a 3.04 ERA. But his ERA rose after each of his next seven starts as MLB hitters began to adjust to the 35-year-old’s pitch-to-contact repertoire. His 7.88 ERA severely diminished his trade value and potentially removed it entirely, especially considering the underlying metrics tell a concerning story for a pitcher who struggles to generate swings and misses.
However, Sugano’s outing Sunday against the Colorado Rockies was one of the best of his big league career, striking out an MLB-career-high eight batters across six innings of one-run ball while displaying a firmer-than-usual 94.5 mph fastball. He’s tossed a quality start in two of his past three outings after he also did so July 10 against the New York Mets.
“I’ve experienced good times and bad times, especially the past month,” Sugano said after Sunday’s win through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai. “June, I went through some struggles, but I can overcome that moving forward.”
Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sugano has spent the past few weeks working with Baltimore’s pitching coaches on adjustments that helped unlock some extra velocity and keep hitters off-balance. Does Mansolino think Sugano should be an attractive target for contending teams at the deadline?
“If they watch the last three starts, yeah, I’d take that,” Mansolino said. “I felt pretty good about it. If you watched that Mets start, I’d take him. In a heartbeat.”
Sugano is one of the most decorated pitchers in Japan history, but he wanted a new challenge and came over to MLB this offseason on a one-year, $13 million deal with the Orioles. Mansolino said Sugano has assimilated to a new country, a new league and a new clubhouse “very gracefully.”
“Players love him,” Mansolino said. “He is so well-liked in that room. The players mess around with him, he messes around with his teammates.”
What clubhouse will he be joking around in a week from now?
What wasn’t?
When Félix Bautista took the mound July 20 in Tampa, Florida, it was clear immediately that something was off.
The 6-foot-8 closer hasn’t fully regained the triple-digit velocity he consistently flashed before his elbow injury, but he’s been throwing high 90s mph for most of the past two months. But when he entered for the save versus the Rays, he was initially throwing 94 mph — a concerning number for someone who was averaging about 98 mph.
Bautista hasn’t pitched since. As he began to warm up Wednesday in Cleveland, Mansolino said the right-hander reported that “something didn’t feel right.” He was placed on the injured list the next day with shoulder discomfort, and the team has yet to provide additional details. This could be simply a minor injury and Bautista will be back shortly. But until that’s known, the concern level will always be high for a pitcher as important as Bautista.
What’s next?
The best team in baseball is coming to town.
Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in baseball. The red-hot Blue Jays (63-43) have won eight of their past 10 and 18 of their past 23 to decidedly move atop the AL East standings.
The O’s and Jays will play four games in three days with a doubleheader Tuesday because of a rainout in April. Zach Eflin will start Monday and Charlie Morton will take the ball for one of the games Tuesday in what could be both starters’ final outing in an Orioles uniform with the deadline looming.
On the farm
Samuel Basallo missed six games because of a minor oblique injury, but he proved he’s plenty healthy when he returned to the field Friday for Triple-A Norfolk.
Basallo went 5-for-5 on Friday with a homer and then hit a 107.8 mph single off the right field wall Sunday. The 20-year-old top prospect is hitting .280 with an impressive 1.009 OPS in Triple-A this season.
Mansolino said Saturday that the Orioles’ front office has a “plan in place” for the rest of Basallo’s campaign, which could include a promotion later this year. Only a select few in the organization are privy to those details, but the slugger’s performance is making it more difficult to envision this season ending without Basallo in the show.
Extra innings
• Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, starting only three of the Orioles’ first 15 games of the month. During that time, the top prospect has been working on his swing and making changes, Mansolino said. It appears Mayo has narrowed his batting stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. Other changes include slightly opening his stance and lowering his back elbow. He’s started four of the past six games, going 4-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, four walks and zero strikeouts. “He’s making a real adjustment,” Mansolino said. “When you see guys make changes … it gives the coaching room a lot of excitement and a lot of belief.”
As Coby Mayo has spent most of July on the bench, he's been working on his swing & making changes.
It appears Mayo has narrowed his stance, remaining taller throughout his swing. He's also slightly opened his stance & lowered his back elbow.
Left is from May 31. Right is today. pic.twitter.com/GI0Rwy8xWx
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) July 27, 2025
• After Gunnar Henderson made two web-gem defensive plays Sunday, his skipper praised the shortstop’s improvements defensively — no matter what the metrics say. Last year, Henderson made an AL-worst 25 errors, but advanced metrics defensive runs saved (5) and outs above average (0) were more favorable. This year, Henderson has drastically cut down on the errors, making only seven in 91 games, but his DRS and OAA (entering Sunday) are both at minus-4. “There’s no way anybody in the room thinks he played a better shortstop last year than he did this year,” Mansolino said. “Man, you’ve got to watch the game, too. … This is one of the better versions of Gunnar we’ve ever seen at shortstop.”
• The deadline for MLB teams to sign their draft picks is Monday at 5 p.m. The Orioles have signed 20 of their 24 draftees, including all of their picks in the first 10 rounds. Junior college right-handers Daniel Lopez (12th round) and Brayan Orrantia (14th round), high school outfielder William Johnson (18th round) and JUCO shortstop Jimmy Anderson (19th round) have yet to sign.
• With Adley Rutschman and Keegan Akin expected to rejoin the Orioles on Monday, Ryan Mountcastle and Cade Povich might not be far behind. Mountcastle is crushing the ball on his minor league rehabilitation assignment, going 6-for-12 with four extra-base hits in three games last week for Norfolk. Povich, who tossed five innings of two-run ball Thursday, will start again for the Tides early this week, but the left-hander could be a top candidate to rejoin the rotation after the deadline.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>For a team expected to be a contender this season, much of the focus has been on which players the Orioles will be selling at the deadline. But with the Orioles already initiating two trades earlier this month (Bryan Baker and Gregory Soto), there’s even more focus on what types of prospects Baltimore could receive.
That’s difficult to determine, but recent history could provide some insight into what the Orioles should expect in return for their top trade chips. They have six players on expiring contracts who are most likely to be traded. While it’s almost impossible to find exact one-for-one comparisons, there are players with similar profiles or production levels that have been dealt at the deadline in recent years.
Here’s a look at trade comparisons since 2021 for each of those six Orioles players who could be dealt before Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline:
(Editor’s note: The following players were all sold while playing on expiring contracts, meaning they were set to become free agents in the upcoming offseason. All rankings are by MLB Pipeline.)
Ryan O’Hearn
2021: Royals trade OF Jorge Soler to Braves for RHP Kasey Kalich (No. 21 prospect)
Soler, who led the American League with 48 homers in 2019, struggled to begin the 2021 campaign but got hot in July, just in time to be traded. Kalich was in High-A at the time and is no longer in professional baseball.
2021: Nationals trade OF Kyle Schwarber to Red Sox for RHP Aldo Ramirez (No. 19)
Schwarber hit a whopping 16 home runs in June and had a .910 OPS in the first half — higher than O’Hearn’s .824 OPS — though Schwarber was on the injured list with a minor injury when he was traded. Ramirez, who was in Low-A when he was traded, is now pitching in Mexico.
2022: Yankees trade OF Joey Gallo to Dodgers for RHP Clayton Beeter (No. 15)
After a career year in 2021, Gallo’s first half with the Yankees in 2022 was disastrous. The Bronx Bombers cut bait on Gallo and received Beeter, a 23-year-old in Double-A. Beeter made his MLB debut in 2024 but is no longer ranked inside New York’s top 30 prospects list.
2022: Orioles trade 1B Trey Mancini in three-team deal with Rays and Astros for RHPs Seth Johnson (No. 6) and Chayce McDermott (No. 12)
Baltimore fans need little refresher on this trade. Mancini was an integral part of the rebuild-era Orioles, but he was controversially traded away at the 2022 deadline despite Baltimore being in playoff contention. Mancini struggled for the Astros down the stretch (but won a World Series), while Johnson (now with the Phillies) and McDermott (now the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect) appear to have questionable futures as relievers.
2023: Guardians trade 1B Josh Bell to Marlins for INF Kahlil Watson (No. 11)
Bell was a good player for years and a Silver Slugger the year before, but he posted just a .701 OPS for Cleveland in 2023. Watson, a former first-round pick, was in High-A at the time of the trade and is now in Triple-A at 22 years old.
2023: Nationals trade 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario to Cubs for INF Kevin Made (No. 14) and RHP DJ Herz (No. 16)
Candelario bounced back from a down 2022 season and posted an .823 OPS, similar to O’Hearn’s mark this season. Made has risen only one level in the two years since this trade, while Herz made his MLB debut in 2024 but is injured this season.
Takeaway: O’Hearn, the Orioles’ lone All-Star this season, will likely net the largest return of any player they trade at the deadline. While he’s slumped at the plate recently, his overall numbers, his consistent performance since 2023 and the recent history of trades for good-but-not-great sluggers all seem to point toward the Orioles receiving at least one, maybe two, prospects inside a contender’s top 30 list.
Zach Eflin
2023: Cardinals trade RHP Jack Flaherty to Orioles for INF César Prieto (No. 16), LHP Drew Rom (No. 18) and RHP Zack Showalter (not ranked)
Orioles fans also won’t need any reminders about this one — Mike Elias’ first deadline splash, and one that backfired. Flaherty struggled mightily with the Orioles and was moved to the bullpen after his solid first half with the Cardinals. Flaherty’s history presented intriguing upside for the Orioles, while Eflin, despite his poor numbers this season, also has history as a reliable starter on his side. Two years later, Prieto is still in Triple-A, Rom is injured and Showalter is a High-A reliever with command issues.
2024: Blue Jays trade RHP Yusei Kikuchi to Astros for RHP Jake Bloss (No. 9), Will Wagner (No. 13) and Joey Loperfido (NR)
Kikuchi posted a 4.75 ERA with the Blue Jays — not far off Eflin’s injury-impacted 5.78 ERA — and was coming off two successful seasons similar to Eflin’s 2023 and 2024 campaigns. However, Kikuchi was due for positive regression and was displaying better stuff than Eflin has for much of this season. Still, the Blue Jays received three MLB-ready prospects.
Takeaway: Eflin’s solid start Wednesday in his return from the IL was critical, and so will his outing Monday against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. If he can deliver another Eflin-esque performance, it might give a contender confidence to pay the required price to acquire the veteran right-hander. But if no team is willing to give Baltimore multiple top 30 prospects, it’s possible the front office elects to keep Eflin and ponder whether to extend him the qualifying offer, which he could accept to remain an Oriole in 2026 or decline and likely earn the organization an extra draft pick.
Cedric Mullins
N/A
Takeaway: There are no good comparisons for Mullins, at least not since 2021. It’s rare for center fielders to get traded at the deadline since most teams put a premium on the position. Corner outfielders, especially ones in platoons, are much more likely to be dealt. Kevin Kiermaier was traded from the Blue Jays to the Dodgers last year, but the elite defender had posted a paltry .546 OPS for Toronto. An everyday corner outfielder like Andrew Benintendi was traded from the Royals to the Yankees in 2022, earning Kansas City three pitching prospects, two of whom were ranked inside New York’s top 30. But Benintendi was an All-Star that season, while Mullins has slumped since his scorching-hot April and is no longer the defender he was a few years ago. Guessing what the return for Mullins will be is difficult given there are no comps. A player who was worth 15.6 wins above replacement by Baseball-Reference’s estimation from 2021 through 2024 is someone who should garner a large return. A center fielder with a .701 OPS this season might only net a low-level prospect. Perhaps the return for Mullins will fall somewhere in between those two.
Charlie Morton
2021: Nationals trade LHP Jon Lester to Cardinals for OF Lane Thomas
In the last season of Lester’s illustrious career, he posted a 5.02 ERA — similar to Morton’s 5.48 mark this year — but was still valued at the deadline because of his track record. Thomas struggled early in his MLB career, but he was a valuable player for the Nationals for four years.
2021: Rays trade LHP Rich Hill to Mets for RHP Tommy Hunter and C Matt Dyer (NR)
At 41 years old (the same age as Morton this year), Hill pitched to a 3.87 ERA with the Rays. Hunter, a former Oriole, was injured at the time of the trade, while Dyer was 23 years old in Low-A. Dyer never made it to the major leagues.
Takeaway: Neither of these comparisons is great for Morton considering how well he’s pitched since mid-May. Morton was awful through the first six weeks of this season, but he’s pitched to a 3.81 ERA with a 24.5% strikeout rate over his past 10 starts. The question for contending teams is how fearful they are of his age and his start of the season and whether they pay more because of Morton’s superb postseason resume. Morton is likely worth a player or prospect of moderate value, but it’s unlikely the Orioles receive a haul.
Tomoyuki Sugano
2021: Angels trade LHP Andrew Heaney to the Yankees for RHP Janson Junk (No. 27) and Elvis Peguero (NR)
Heaney, like Sugano could be, was seen as rotation depth for contending teams, not as a way to improve a starting corps. Heaney posted a 5.27 ERA with the Angels but struck out far more batters (28.2%) than Sugano has this year (15.2%). Junk and Peguero both debuted for the Angels in 2021 but are now with different organizations.
2021: Pirates trade LHP Tyler Anderson to Mariners for C Carter Bins (NR) and RHP Joaquin Tejada (NR)
Anderson pitched to a 4.35 ERA with the Pirates and was traded for two fliers who’ve yet to reach the majors.
2024: Pirates trade LHP Martín Pérez to Padres for RHP Ronaldys Jiménez (NR)
Pérez, a veteran with a 5.20 ERA, only netted Pittsburgh an 18-year-old in rookie ball.
Takeaway: It’s difficult to imagine a team offering anything other than a low-level prospect for Sugano. The 35-year-old’s ERA has fallen to 4.38 after a hot start, and the underlying metrics look even worse because of his difficulties generating swing and miss. Perhaps the only way to get a better prospect would be to pay for some of the remaining approximately $4 million on Sugano’s contract. Or the Orioles could just look to offload Sugano in hopes of using that money elsewhere in the future.
Seranthony Domínguez
2021: Cubs trade RHP Ryan Tepera to White Sox for LHP Bailey Horn (No. 23)
Tepera was in the midst of a career year with a 2.91 ERA for the Cubs when they dealt him across town for a High-A pitching prospect.
2021: Rockies trade RHP Mychal Givens to Reds for RHP Case Williams (No. 20) and RHP Noah Davis (No. 26)
Givens, a former Oriole, was a frequent trade chip at the deadline. After posting a 2.73 ERA with Colorado, he was traded for a pair of pitching prospects. Davis has struggled during his brief time in the majors, while Williams, who was 19 at the time of the trade, is no longer in professional baseball.
2024: Mariners trade RHP Ryne Stanek to Mets for OF Rhylan Thomas (No. 30)
Stanek was Seattle’s setup man in 2024, posting a 4.38 ERA and saving seven games before his trade to the Mets. Thomas made his MLB debut with the Mariners this season and is hitting .308 in Triple-A.
Takeaway: Domínguez might be one of the more underrated players the Orioles are shopping at the deadline. His 3.24 ERA and 1.34 WHIP might suggest he’s a middle reliever, but since increasing his splitter usage, Domínguez has been one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the AL. Platoon-neutral relievers like Domínguez have transformed into often net significant value at the deadline. Last week, the Orioles traded Soto to the Mets for two pitching prospects, one of whom was ranked as New York’s No. 19 prospect. A similar (or better) return for Domínguez seems likely.
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>Even at the highest level, football is often not about subtlety.
Earlier this month, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was a guest on “The Sitdown w/ Malik Wright” podcast, and when the conversation turned to the toughest cornerbacks he has faced, the All-Pro rattled off a handful of names. None of them play in Baltimore.
Even a neophyte would not confuse the 2024 Ravens defense with the 2000 edition.
“I know when I first got here, obviously the Ravens defense, I felt like teams feared what we did,” Ravens veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “Now, we are trying to get that back. But I mean, I don’t think the Bengals fear our defense. I don’t think the Steelers fear our defense.
“So those expectations, when it’s in your own division, people kind of like, ‘Sweet, we play the Ravens.’”
That was especially true for Chase, who broke an NFL record that had stood since 1963 with a staggering 21 catches for 457 yards and five touchdowns in a pair of shootouts against Baltimore last season. The Ravens won both, but the performances were emblematic of a deep and concerning problem that had lingered from the summer through much of last season.
Though Baltimore’s defense featured a dramatic turnaround down the stretch, it still ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game (275.7). Many of those yards also came in chunks, especially early, with Baltimore allowing 58 passing plays of at least 20 yards, which was 18th-most in the league.
Whether that trend continues this season remains to be seen, but the early returns after the first week of training camp point toward a paradigm shift, if not a potential about-face.
First, the Ravens made significant personnel changes. They waived obstreperous safety Eddie Jackson in November and released malcontent safety Marcus Williams after the season. They also added veteran cornerbacks Jaire Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, and Chidobe Awuzie in free agency to a group that already includes Humphrey, an All-Pro in the slot last season, and rising second-year corner Nate Wiggins.
And though they lost defensive back Ar’Darius Washington for most if not all of the season because of a torn Achilles he suffered during offseason workouts, rookie first-round safety Malaki Starks has already drawn high praise from teammates and coaches for his ability, football IQ and maturity.
“He’s miles ahead of where I was at that point in his NFL career,” Hamilton said. “He’s just so instinctual, and he has that little bit holding him back, just because he hasn’t been in [the NFL for] a long time. So, once that clicks, then he’ll be a great player.
“I think he knows the playbook more than I did. He’s confident out there. He’s talking, and he’s just so willing to learn and be a sponge, and it’s very admirable for somebody his age.”
Alexander, meanwhile, in addition to talent when healthy, has brought a “swag,” Humphrey said, to a defensive backfield that has largely been devoid of it since the days of Marcus Peters.
“I think confidence is the biggest key you can have at cornerback,” Humphrey said. “So, I think he’s a perfect fit for our secondary.”
Coach John Harbaugh also made changes to his staff, notably firing assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt as well as inside linebackers coach Mark DeLone, who lasted just one season. Harbaugh also did not bring back Dean Pees in a full-time role after he hired the former Ravens defensive coordinator as a senior adviser five games into last season.
Though they were part of the defensive turnaround later in the year, it was not difficult to read between the lines that the system was not being taught effectively, a point that crystallized in the form of communication issues that multiple players spoke about over the course of 2024. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr, in his first year calling plays at any level, also initially entrusted his assistants perhaps a little too much, further exacerbating the issues.
Replacing them are senior secondary coach Chuck Pagano and inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci.
Pagano, a longtime NFL assistant who was part of Harbaugh’s first staff in Baltimore and later the coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017, brings familiarity and experience. In 2011, his lone season as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, Baltimore ranked third in yards allowed per game (288.9) and points per game (16.6).
Santucci, 37, is making his NFL coaching debut this season, but was considered one of college football’s top defensive coordinators. He helped turn around a struggling Georgia Tech defense last year, and before that led Duke and Texas A&M to top 25 defenses in scoring.
In the weight room and on the field, the Ravens have also been intentional about their goals.
Reviving the breakfast club workouts that took root with former Ravens safety Eric Weddle, Humphrey and a handful of others on offense and defense gather each morning for workouts at the team’s facility at 6 a.m., even though practice doesn’t begin until the afternoon. If a player shows up at 6:01, he has to wait until later.
In a tweak to the team’s grading system of every player on each play of every practice, coaches have honed in on a handful or so of specifics on both sides of the ball and especially on defense, including pursuit to the ball, blowing up blocks and forcing turnovers.
After ranking 13th in turnover margin, which included forcing the seventh-fewest turnovers in the NFL last season with 17 — and none in two playoff games — the latter has been a particular point of emphasis and has borne fruit with a few interceptions and several impressive pass breakups so far this summer.
“We’re getting better at teaching it, teaching in the classroom, showing opportunities on film, showing how to get the football out and understanding how important it is,” Orr said. “When we take the ball away, we’ll win. When we don’t, we’ve got a good chance of winning, but why put ourselves in that position?”
The new faces, in addition to the returning ones, should help.
Alexander has 12 career interceptions over seven injury-interrupted seasons, which included a career-high five for the Green Bay Packers in 2022. Awuzie, meanwhile, has seven in eight seasons. Humphrey is coming off a career-high six to lead the Ravens last year. And Starks had six in three seasons for Georgia.
All of which has the Ravens positioned to be one of the best defenses in the league again after just two years ago becoming the first team to lead the NFL in takeaways, sacks and fewest points allowed per game in the same season.
“Based off what we’re seeing defensively, guys are really running to the ball like it means something,” Humphrey said. “I think if we can get nine guys doing that, I think we’ll be a good defense. But if we can get 11 guys doing that to where it could be a cliff behind you, you just turn around, and we all go into the cliff together. … I think that’s something that I’ve seen early on that I think if we can keep building on, that we’ll be a great defense.”
Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.
]]>Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown.
Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the ceremonies by an hour, but the moisture gave way to bright skies and warm temperatures. The sun seemed its brightest during Suzuki’s acceptance speech.
The outfielder was joined by pitcher CC Sabathia, also elected in his first year of eligibility, and closer Billy Wagner, who made it in his final try on the writers’ ballot. Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous selection and he took a jab at the unidentified sports writer who didn’t vote for him.
“Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are two achievements recognized by the writers. Well, all but one,” Suzuki said to roaring laughter.
“By the way, the offer for the writer to have dinner at my home has now expired,” he added, with emphasis on “expired” for good measure.
A pair of Era Committee selections rounded out the Class of 2025: Dave Parker, who earned the nickname Cobra during 20 big league seasons, and slugger Dick Allen. Parker died June 28, just a month before he was to be inducted.
An estimated 30,000 fans crowded onto the field adjacent to the Clark Sports Center, sun umbrellas and Japanese flags sprinkled around. Suzuki’s No. 51 was seemingly everywhere as fans, thousands of them Seattle Mariners boosters who made the trek from the Pacific Northwest, chanted “Ichiro” several times throughout the day. A sign that read “Thank You Ichiro! Forever a Legend” in English and Japanese summed up the admiration for Suzuki on his special day.
With 52 returning Hall of Famers on hand, Suzuki paid homage to his new baseball home in Cooperstown and his adoring fans by delivering his 18-minute speech in English. His humor, a surprise to many, delighted the crowd.
He threw shade at the Miami Marlins, the last stop of his professional career.
“Honestly, when you guys offered me a contract in 2015, I had never heard of your team,” Suzuki joked.
He kidded that he showed up at spring training every year with his arm “already in shape” just to hear Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs scream, “`Holy smokes! Another laser-beam throw from Ichiro!’”
He even took a moment for some tongue-in-cheek modesty.
“People often measure me by my records. Three thousand hits. Ten Gold Gloves. Ten seasons of 200 hits.
“Not bad, huh?” Suzuki said to more laughs.
He thanked his late agent Tony Anastasio for “getting me to America and for teaching me to love wine.”
But he also took time to get to the root of what made him extraordinary.
“Baseball is much more than just hitting, throwing and running. Baseball taught me to make valued decisions about what is important. It helped shape my view of life and the world. … The older I got, I realized the only way I could get to play the game I loved to the age of 45 at the highest level was to dedicate myself to it completely,” he said. “When fans use their precious time to see you play, you have a responsibility to perform for them whether you are winning by 10 or losing by 10.
“Baseball taught me what it means to be a professional and I believe that is the main reason I am here today. I could not have achieved the numbers without paying attention to the small details every single day consistently for all 19 seasons.”
Now he’s reached the pinnacle, overcoming doubters, one of whom said to him: “`Don’t embarrass the nation.’” He’s made his homeland proud.
“Going into America’s Baseball Hall of Fame was never my goal. I didn’t even know there was one. I visited Cooperstown for the first time in 2001, but being here today sure feels like a fantastic dream.”
Sabathia thanked “the great players sitting behind me, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year award (in 2001).” He paid homage to Parker and spoke about Black culture in today’s game.
“It’s an extra honor to be a part of Dave’s Hall of Fame class. He was a father figure for a generation of Black stars. In the ’80s and early ‘90s when I first started watching baseball and Dave Parker was crushing homers, the number of Black players in the major leagues was at its highest, about 18%. Me and my friends played the game because we saw those guys on TV and there was always somebody who looked like me in a baseball uniform.
“Baseball has always been a great game for Black athletes, but baseball culture has not always been great to Black people. I hope we’re starting to turn that around. I don’t want to be the final member of the Black aces, a Black pitcher to win 20 games. And I don’t want to be the final Black pitcher giving a Hall of Fame speech.”
Wagner urged young players to treat obstacles not as “roadblocks, but stepping stones.”
“I wasn’t the biggest player. I wasn’t supposed to be here. There were only seven full-time relievers in the Hall of Fame. Now, there are eight because I refused to give up or give in,” he said.
Suzuki received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%) from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Sabathia was picked on 342 ballots (86.8%) and Wagner on 325 (82.5%), which was 29 votes more than the 296 needed for the required 75%.
After arriving in the majors in 2001, Suzuki joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami.
He is perhaps the best contact hitter ever, with 1,278 hits in Nippon Professional Baseball and 3,089 in MLB, including a season-record 262 in 2004. His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose’s major league record of 4,256.
Sabathia, second to Suzuki in 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees.
A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston and Atlanta.
Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend. Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for 35 seasons and received the Ford C. Frick Award. Boswell, a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post, was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.
]]>PARIS — The roads were dangerously slippery after heavy rain. A fourth Tour de France title was all but won anyway, so finishing safely in the pack would do fine for Tadej Pogačar. Especially considering the July 27 final stage had already been neutralized for safety reasons and he just had to complete the race.
Surely there was no need to launch a seemingly pointless attack and risk crashing?
But holding back or being cautious rarely appeals to Pogačar, the 26-year-old cycling star from Slovenia. He clinched his fourth Tour title in inimitably daring style on July 27 and further cemented his place among cycling’s greats.
Even though he really did not need to, and risked falling on oil slick-wet roads, Pogačar simply could not help himself. Against all logical opinion, he tried winning the 21st and final stage with trademark uphill attacks, only to fall short of the stage win itself.
“In the end I found myself in the front, even though I didn’t have the energy,” said Pogačar, who won the Tour last year and in 2020 and 2021.
“Just speechless to win the Tour de France, this one feels especially amazing,” Pogačar added. “Just super proud that I can wear this yellow jersey.”
Two-time Tour champion Jonas Vinegaard finished the overall race 4 minutes, 24 seconds behind Pogačar in second place and Florian Lipowitz was 11 minutes adrift in third.
Belgian rider Wout van Aert won the 21st and last stage, which broke with tradition and featured three climbs of Montmartre hill.
Because of heavy rain and the risk of crashes, organizers had earlier neutralized the times 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the end, effectively giving Pogačar the victory — providing he crossed the finish line.
He did the opposite of what almost every rider would do with victory a near certainty.
As the rain teemed down, he set a tremendous pace in the Montmartre climbs as fans cheered all along the cobbled Rue Lepic, with flags and fans hanging out of windows.
Only five riders were left with Pogačar on the third ascension of the 1.1-kilometer Montmartre hill.
After fending off American Matteo Jorgenson, he was caught cold near the top as Van Aert launched a stunning attack to drop — yes, drop! — Pogačar, the world’s best climber, on the steepest section.
“Hats off to Wout, he was incredibly strong,” Pogačar said.
Van Aert rolled back down for a prestigious stage win on the famed Champs-Élysées. Pogačar looked weary as he crossed the line in fourth place, 19 seconds behind.
‘Peace and some nice weather’
But then it was time to celebrate title No. 4. Although don’t expect Pogačar to make any headlines on that front.
“Everyone celebrates in their own way, I just want peace and some nice weather, not like here today,” Pogačar said. “Just to enjoy some quiet days at home.”
Only four riders have won the showcase race five times: Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Induráin and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
Pogačar won four stages this year to take his Tour tally to 21 and 30 at major races, including six at the Giro d’Italia and three at the Spanish Vuelta.
The UAE Team Emirates leader praised his teammates.
“I think the second week was the decisive moment,” Pogačar said. “We took more advantage.”
Lipowitz, meanwhile, secured his first career podium at a Grand Tour, the alternative name given to the three major races.
His performance, following his third-placed finish last month at the Critérium du Dauphiné, suggests the 24-year-old German rider could challenge in the near future.
Breaking with tradition
Traditionally, the last stage is largely processional with riders doing laps around Paris. The Tour broke with tradition after the success of the Paris Olympics road race, which also took in Montmartre, famous for its Sacré-Coeur basilica.
Five in a row
It was the fifth straight year where Pogačar and Vingegaard finished 1-2 at the Tour.
Vingegaard was second in 2021, before beating Pogačar the next two years with the Slovenian second. When Pogačar reclaimed his title last year, Vingegaard was runner-up.
“We’ve raised the level of each other much higher and we push each other to the limit,” Pogačar said. “I must say to him, big, big respect.”
Five major titles
Pogačar has also won the Giro d’Italia, doing so last year to become the first cyclist to secure the Giro and Tour double in the same season since the late Marco Pantani in 1998.
But Pogačar has not yet won the Spanish Vuelta, whereas Anquetil, Hinault and Merckx won all three major races.
A century of success
When Pogačar won the hilly fourth stage of this year’s race, it was the 100th professional victory of his stellar career, all events combined.
Pogačar is also the world road race champion.
His dominant victory at the Critérium continued his excellent form the spring classics.
After winning stage 4 of the Tour, Pogačar added three more stage wins, including an emphatic uphill time trial.
What’s left to win?
He would love to win the Paris-Roubaix classic and Milan San-Remo.
The 259.2-kilometer (161-mile) Roubaix race is called “The Hell of the North” because of its dangerous cobblestone sections.
Pogačar debut appearance at the one-day classic this year saw him seeking to become the first Tour champion to win it since Hinault in 1981. But powerful Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel won it for the third straight year.
Pogačar has also yet to win Milan-San Remo, with Van der Poel also beating him there this year.
Expect a fired-up Pogačar next year at Roubaix and Milan-San Remo.
But it’s unsure whether he’ll tackle the Vuelta.
]]>Shortly after, the 26-year-old from Australia launched a ball off his racket high above the flags outlining the top of the main stadium at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. His armband followed.
De Minaur, seeded seventh and ranked No. 13 in the world, outlasted Davidovich Fokina, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (3), to capture his 10th career Association of Tennis Professionals Tour title, first of 2025 and eighth on hard court.
“In that immediate moment, it’s just relief,” de Minaur said. “I have had some tough losses this year, 7-6 in the third, and kind of just felt like it was a huge weight off my back. And the way I played that tiebreak, I committed to my shots, I went after it. Yeah, it’s just a sense of relief, proud of the way I have been dealing with my emotions and feelings on and off the court. I have put in a lot of work on that. It’s amazing to see the rewards so soon. It means I’m definitely doing something right.”
Initially delayed 50 minutes because of thunderstorms, fans in the 7,500-seat main stadium were treated to a show as de Minaur rallied a 5-2 deficit in the third set to win. He held serve twice and held on to win a nine-minute game that featured six deuces and three match points for Davidovich Fokina. On one of those match points, de Minaur was particularly clutch. He got just enough on an outstretched defensive backhand lob that clipped the line. Two shots later, he sprinted forward for a cross-court backhand winner that electrified the crowd.
“There were some very tough moments out there,” de Minaur said. “But it was a weird feeling and sensation because I felt like I had already been in that position. I was thinking about 2018, semifinals match against [Andrey] Rublev on that same court where I fought some match points by being aggressive and committing to hitting the ball.”
While Davidovich Fokina, of Spain, continued to double over in the late stages of the match, de Minaur only elevated his play. Davidovich Fokina played a three-hour match on Friday night against Taylor Fritz, and the lingering effects were evident.
Seven years ago, de Minaur made one of his first ATP finals appearances in Washington at 19 years old and lost in straight sets to Alexander Zverev. Since then, he’s become one of the tour’s most consistent players and is orchestrating one of the strongest seasons of his career in 2025.
De Minaur entered Sunday with 34 ATP Tour wins on the season, third most behind Zverev and world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. De Minaur also is just one of four players to reach multiple ATP 500 finals this year, joining Alcaraz, Davidovich Fokina and 10th-ranked Rublev.
De Minaur, who will return to the top 10 with the victory, won’t have long to enjoy it. He heads to Toronto for another hard-court event, where he is the No. 9 seed in a stacked field.
De Minaur sat next to Davidovich Fokina after the match, attempting to console him and offer words of encouragement. De Minaur has undergone his share of tough defeats throughout his career and did his best to mitigate the sting of the loss. However, he knows words can only do so much and is aware of the jubilation of victory, but also the agony of defeat.
“Something I have learned over the past couple of years is that these moments are very hard to come by, and there’s a lot of effort and sacrifice that goes into it,” de Minaur said. “So, tonight, I’ll be enjoying a glass of wine with the team, acknowledging an incredible week. Then tomorrow I will be flying to Toronto and probably practicing in the afternoon and getting ready for another week because the tennis world doesn’t stop. And, yeah, there’s no rest for the wicked.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>The 22-year-old from Canada and 36th-ranked player on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour considered taking a break from the sport after a disappointing second-round exit at Wimbledon. When she pondered taking a break, she and her father turned to a couple of former coaches, including Francisco Sanchez, who helped rejuvenate her ahead of the Mubadala Citi DC Open.
Evaluating the choice to step away or not, what Fernandez couldn’t ignore was her immense love for the sport and for competition. Those factors motivated her to play in Washington, a choice that has proved to be the right one.
On Sunday afternoon, after a roughly 50-minute weather delay because of thunderstorms, Fernandez captured the DC Open singles title in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, over Anna Kalinskaya (ranked 48th), of Russia, for her first career WTA 500 title. It is Fernandez’s fourth championship of her career — all on the hard courts — and first since the Prudential Hong Kong Open in October 2023. She moves up to 24th in the WTA rankings with the win.
“For me at that time, I was, like, ‘No, I can’t stop,'” Fernandez said. “Yeah, it’s tough to lose and going through that little rut, but I just want to keep competing, keep playing, and put on a good show for the fans. You know, one of these days, results are going to come in.
“I kept believing in it. But to happen so quickly, it feels very, very good. I’m very happy that I decided, that we both decided to keep going in this crazy adventure and to never give up. I think getting this trophy means a lot to not only myself but to everyone in my team and family.”
The left-hander introduced herself to the tennis community on the big stage with a surprising run to the 2021 U.S. Open final as a 19-year-old. Fernandez has been searching for similar success at a Grand Slam tournament since.
Throughout those trials and tribulations, Jorge Fernandez reinforced two key principles: “hard work and fight.” Fernandez reminded herself of those tenets each changeover, written in Sharpie on her water bottle.
Those qualities are exactly what it took to raise the trophy in the nation’s capital. Fernandez spent 10 hours, 20 minutes on the court in her five matches, the longest of any singles competitor. She grinded out multiple wins in long matches, including a 3-hour, 12-minute marathon in the semifinals on Saturday.
The young Canadian defeated two of the top-four seeds — world No. 4 and top seed Jessica Pegula in the Round of 16 and 12th-ranked and third-seeded Elana Rybakina in the semifinals — en route to the biggest title of her nascent career. On Sunday, Fernandez was dominant, dispatching Kalinskaya in just 69 minutes. She was efficient with a 71.8% first-serve rate, an extension of her strong serving performance throughout the tournament.
Holding the tournament’s gold trophy with an ear-to-ear smile, Fernandez was showered with streams of red, white and blue confetti, hoping to maintain momentum the remainder of the hard-court season, which continues in Montreal in her native Canada.
“This tournament in Washington is going to give me a lot of confidence coming in,” Fernandez said. “But then I also know that a lot of players are going to be, like, ‘OK, we’re going to have to keep an eye on her now.’ So, they’ll probably bring their best tennis. For me, start from zero, work hard to fight and to not take things for granted, because it’s going to be a dog fight in Montreal.”
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Steinberg at jsteinberg@baltsun.com, 443-442-9445 and x.com/jacobstein23.
]]>The start of the Orioles’ game against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday afternoon has been delayed because of potential rain at Camden Yards. The delay marks the third straight Sunday on which the Orioles’ game has been hindered by rain.
The game, originally scheduled for 1:35 p.m., will only be delayed until 2 p.m., the Orioles announced shortly after the grounds crew put the tarp on the field. Weather forecasts show the potential for pockets of rain in Baltimore throughout the afternoon and evening.
With only a few days before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Orioles (46-58) are hosting the MLB-worst Rockies (27-77) at Camden Yards this weekend. The Rockies came back from down 4-0 to win the series opener Friday, while the Orioles won a laugher Saturday, 18-0, for the largest shutout victory in franchise history.
Baltimore has already begun selling off players on expiring contracts, and that’s expected to continue through Thursday. Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Charlie Morton are among the players most expected to be traded.
Tomoyuki Sugano is another Orioles trade piece, but he’s struggled recently after an excellent start to his rookie campaign. Sugano starts Sunday opposite Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber. Lefty hitters Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser and Ryan O’Hearn were all given days off against Gomber.
Here are Sunday’s lineups:
Orioles
- Jordan Westburg, 2B
- Ramón Laureano, RF
- Gunnar Henderson, SS
- Tyler O’Neill, DH
- Ramón Urías, 3B
- Cedric Mullins, CF
- Coby Mayo, 1B
- Dylan Carlson, LF
- Alex Jackson, C
Rockies
- Tyler Freeman, RF
- Mickey Moniak, CF
- Ezequiel Tovar, SS
- Jordan Beck, LF
- Thairo Estrada, 2B
- Yanquiel Fernández, DH
- Warming Bernabel, 1B
- Austin Nola, C
- Orlando Arcia, 3B
Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.
]]>Catcher Adley Rutschman and left-handed reliever Keegan Akin are on track to be reinstated from the injured list Monday ahead of the Orioles’ series against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, interim manager Tony Mansolino said Sunday morning.
Rutschman is in Baltimore on Sunday for the team’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies and will go through final testing to confirm he’s ready, Mansolino said. Akin is not in the building Sunday but “will most likely be active tomorrow,” the interim manager added.
“My guess is [Rutschman] will catch tomorrow if all checks out today,” Mansolino said. “If he comes in healthy, body feels good, good chance he will be squatting behind the dish tomorrow. [Akin] pitched yesterday, so we gotta check all the boxes and make sure he recovered.”
Additionally, right-handers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are getting one step closer to their returns. Bradish, who made his first rehabilitation start Thursday at High-A Aberdeen, will make an appearance at Double-A Chesapeake on Tuesday, Mansolino said. Wells will make his first rehabilitation start Wednesday, also for the Baysox.
Rutschman has been sidelined since June with a left oblique strain, his first time on the injured list in his career. He began his rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk last week, going 2-for-15 with a double and three walks in four games for the Tides. Akin pitched in three games during his assignment between the Florida Complex League and Norfolk and allowed one run across three innings.
Rutschman is one of three catchers on Baltimore’s injured list, along with Gary Sanchez (back) and Maverick Handley (wrist). Akin, who has not pitched for the Orioles since June 30 with shoulder inflammation, will provide Mansolino another left-handed option out of the bullpen, a role that became more of a necessity after the club traded Gregory Soto to the New York Mets on Friday.
On Thursday with High-A Aberdeen, Bradish threw 37 pitches across two innings in his first time on the mound since June 2024. IronBirds manager Ryan Goll called the start, which came 13 months post-Tommy John surgery, a “step in the right progression” and added that the right-hander was “back to his normal self.”
“Positive, optimistic, felt great,” Mansolino said Friday. “For the ball to come out of his hand the way that it did after missing so much time, we’re real excited.”
Wells has not pitched since April 12, 2024, with an ulnar collateral ligament strain. Unlike Bradish, Wells did not undergo Tommy John surgery, and the club has previously said Wells is about one week behind Bradish in their recoveries. Wells most recently threw a live bullpen session in Sarasota, Florida, last Sunday.
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
]]>But that does not mean all is lost over the next two months. If more everyday veterans are to be dealt, the players who remain will be benefactors.
Such is the case for two of the biggest contributors to the Orioles’ 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday to take the three-game set. Coby Mayo’s role would expand if those in front of him are traded. And Tyler O’Neill, the club’s most expensive free agent signing who was injured for much of the first-half disaster, bears responsibility for why the team is in last place in the American League East and would surely love a chance to recover and for some of that weight to be lifted.
“There’ll be some adversity throughout the week, without a doubt,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said before Sunday’s game when asked what he thinks the next few days will bring. “I think as we lose players that we love and have helped us for a couple years win a lot of games, there’s going to be some tough hugs and some tough goodbyes.”
The ones giving those embraces will be tasked with providing reasons for optimism in the coming weeks for next season. That started Sunday with Mayo, who went 1-for-3 with a double in the second inning that put him and Cedric Mullins in scoring position. Dylan Carlson brought both of them home on a single to give the Orioles a lead they would not relinquish. In the third inning, O’Neill homered for the third consecutive game to raise his season on-base-plus-slugging percentage to .724 and make it 4-1. Tomoyuki Sugano’s six-inning, one-run, eight-strikeout outing did the rest.
Mayo is hitting .273 over his past 14 games, a stretch that’s occurred despite inconsistent playing time. The Orioles have made known they’d rather this than the alternative: playing every day in Triple-A. And Mayo is beginning to prove why.
“I’m just trying to stay on my backside a little bit longer,” he said. “Not try to jump so much at the ball sometimes. I think I get into trouble when I do that, and I think I’m seeing the ball a little bit better. Making better swing decisions. Just a little bit of that contributes a lot.”
O’Neill has taken a different path this season, but one that’s been just as mired in frustration. The outfielder has missed more games than he’s played in the first year of a deal that could keep him in Baltimore through 2027. It wasn’t the first impression he hoped to make.
Mansolino sees a lot of himself in O’Neill. The former minor leaguer, despite admitting he “wasn’t a very good one,” he joked, remembers stretches he went on akin to O’Neill’s. Only they lasted for much shorter lengths of time and were oftentimes cold streaks rather than hot ones.
“The few times I swung the bat good, I got hot, and it mattered,” Mansolino said. “Confidence is a thing. We are not robots. Human beings have confidence. It really changes the game in so many ways. As crazy as it sounds, a ball that you bloop in and you get a hit, you get a little confidence, and then you hit a ball hard, you get a little confidence, and then you feel completely differently. It’s a real thing.”
“We knew he could do it,” Gunnar Henderson added. “We knew it was only a matter of time. Just getting on the field and getting reps, and that was I feel like the biggest thing, was just getting out there.”
He’s doing his best to erase the poor introduction to Baltimore, even if the team is falling further out of the playoff race. O’Neill had a .868 OPS and six extra-base hits in 12 games in July before Sunday. His .535 slugging percentage this month entering the series finale leads the team as he looks to redefine his frustrating season.
After Sugano, Yennier Cano, Andrew Kittredge and Seranthony Domínguez were asked to go the final three innings without Félix Bautista and Gregory Soto, who completed the only save opportunity since Bautista landed on the injured list before being traded on Friday to the New York Mets. The trio tossed clean seventh, eighth and ninth frames, respectively, to seal Baltimore’s first series victory since the All-Star break.
It was no longer a save situation for Domínguez after Henderson scored from second base on a wild pitch in the eighth in a display of awareness and quickness perhaps only Henderson possesses. And in the top of the ninth, the shortstop fielded a weak grounder barehanded, turned and threw to first to help complete the win in another play that Henderson routinely makes look simple.
“Those are the types of players I want my kids to watch,” said Mansolino, who hits grounders to his two children on the Camden Yards infield before most games and joked Sunday morning he doesn’t want his boys to develop the bad, lackadaisical habits some major leaguers exhibit. “You don’t see people doing that.”
Postgame analysis
Sugano was masterful in his final start before the trade deadline. He surrendered a solo home run to Warming Bernabell in the second inning, then rebounded with four scoreless frames to lower his season ERA to 4.38. His eight strikeouts tied a season high from April 28.
The 35-year-old is one of several veteran pitchers whose contracts expire after this season and are attractive trade candidates. Charlie Morton’s recent turnaround is garnering attention. Zach Eflin is no stranger to being dealt this time of year. Domínguez, Kittredge and other relievers could be on the move.
If Sunday was Sugano’s final start in Baltimore, it offered a reminder of when he was one of the few bright spots on a floundering ballclub.
“It’s obviously my first time,” Sugano said through team interpreter Yuto Sakurai when asked about the approaching deadline. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I just look at it day by day and work on the things that are in front of me.”
By the numbers
Sunday was Mayo’s third consecutive game with an extra-base hit after homering Friday and doubling in his only at-bat in Saturday’s 18-0 beatdown. That’s the first such streak of the young infielder’s career. O’Neill hadn’t homered in three consecutive games since September 2021.
What they’re saying
Henderson and Mayo on Sugano’s outing:
“It was awesome. He was coming after guys and made pitches when he needed to. I was really happy for him.”
“I think he showed some of his best stuff today,” Mayo added.
On deck
The Orioles begin a four-game set with the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, who entered Sunday winners of eight of their past nine games, at Camden Yards on Monday. Eflin will face right-hander Chris Bassitt (3.88 ERA) in the series opener.
Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.
