ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016. MIAMI — Trea Turner didn’t jog his way to first base. He hopped. Pranced. Flexed. Roared. With his team trailing by two in the eighth inning of its World Baseball Classic quarterfinal […]
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‘October in March’: How Team USA is handling the playoff-level pressure of the WBC
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. PHOENIX — Just over five months since he made his first MLB postseason appearance with the New York Mets, Pete Alonso was gearing up for another pressure-filled stretch of baseball — this time, for Team USA. “My first playoff experience was this past […]
Why this World Baseball Classic is historic — and complicated — for Cuba
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016. ONE OF THE most captivating players in the early part of this year’s World Baseball Classic has been Randy Arozarena, a man who famously saves his best for the time of year […]
Puerto Rico pens combined perfect game at WBC
ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” MIAMI — Four pitchers for Team Puerto Rico combined on a perfect game against Israel in the pool-play round of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, retiring all 24 hitters in a mercy-rule-shortened 10-0 victory. After […]
Arenado’s bat, glove spark U.S. in WBC opener
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. PHOENIX — Playing for Team USA again in the WBC was never a question for third baseman Nolan Arenado. After helping the U.S. win the tournament in 2017, he desperately wanted a chance to defend that title. He’s off to a good start. […]
Denver East, Rudy Carey make Colorado history with 6A title win
At first, D’Aundre Samuels thought it was over. It was the same ankle. The right one. The one he’d injured three or four times already at East, including earlier this season. “Always the same ankle,” Samuels recalled with a bittersweet smile after he’d helped to lead the Angels to the program’s 12th state basketball title […]
Sources: Carroll, D-backs agree to $111M deal
ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Outfielder Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on an eight-year, $111 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal confirmed to ESPN, tying one of the top prospects in baseball to the team through […]
Will crazy-spending Padres change Dick Monfort’s Rockies blueprint?
You might recall what Dick Monfort said in late January. When the Rockies owner was asked about the need to spend more money to compete in the National League West with teams like the crazy-spending Padres and the perennial powerhouse Dodgers, he said: “That puts a lot of pressure (on us). But it’s not just […]
Ohtani keeps raking as Japan wins again at WBC
TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani doubled and singled for his second straight two-hit game and Japan overcame an early three-run deficit to rout South Korea 13-4 Friday night for its second straight win at the World Baseball Classic. Ohtani was intentionally walked as Japan scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead, […]
Rockies’ Michael Toglia has potential, plenty to prove
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Spring training is all about potential. That’s especially true for the 2023 Rockies. And if there is a poster boy for possibility, it’s Michael Toglia. There is so much to like: his glovework and instincts at first base, the power, and the fact that he’s a switch-hitter. Plus, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Toglia […]