The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.
I bet you haven’t ever seen this play before.
Plus: Ken has notes on the Nats and O’s, Rich Hill is back again and the Brewers are … the best team in baseball?! I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
Wait, What?: A play I’ve never seen before
Just how strange was the end of the Phillies-Red Sox game? It featured something we haven’t seen since 1971.
Here’s the situation: It’s 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning, with Brandon Marsh on second base. Red Sox pitcher Jordan Hicks walked Otto Kemp, then both runners advanced on a wild pitch, leading to an intentional walk to load the bases.
And then…
*To the tune of “That’s Amore”* “Whennnnn thaaaaa bat hits the mitt, it’s the same as a hit: in-ter-ference.”
Edmundo Sosa’s bat hit the glove of Carlos Narváez. That’s catcher’s interference. Free base. Run scored. It was, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the first walk-off catcher’s interference since Aug. 1, 1971, when Johnny Bench made the mistake against the Dodgers.
I did a little digging on that one … wanna learn some real baseball sicko information with me?
The Dodgers trailed by a run going into the 11th inning of that game, scoring the tying run when Bill Buckner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. After a forceout at home plate, the box score shows the pitcher (Joe Gibbon) balking with the bases loaded, but the runners did not advance. Then came the catcher’s interference, allowing the run to score.
Wait, what? Why didn’t the Dodgers score on the balk?
Here’s the answer, thanks to the folks at Baseball Toaster (h/t Retrosheet). The runner at third (Manny Mota) attempted to steal home on the play. Bench stepped in front of the plate, triggering Rule 7.07:
If, with a runner on third base and trying to score by means of a squeeze play or a steal, the catcher or any other fielder steps on, or in front of home base without possession of the ball, or touches the batter or his bat, the pitcher shall be charged with a balk, the batter shall be awarded first base on the interference and the ball is dead.
So both a balk and catcher’s interference were called! Mystery solved.
More Phillies: Did you know they have a pitcher named Max Lazar? Also, he’s gaining his manager’s trust.
More weirdness: A fan fell into the basket at Wrigley Field last night.
Ken Rosenthal’s Notebook: Nats’ deadline outlook and Rutschman’s future in Baltimore
From my most recent notes column:
Nats’ DeBartolo aiming to keep young players: Mike DeBartolo, the Nationals’ interim GM, told reporters Saturday that he is not looking to trade any of the team’s better young players — left fielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore, both of whom were first-time All-Stars, as well as shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder Dylan Crews.
Gore, with two additional years of club control remaining, is at the same level of service as Juan Soto when the Nationals sent him to the San Diego Padres at the 2022 deadline. But the Nationals are in a different place now than they were then. A more uncertain place, even though by now they should be coming out of their rebuild.
The firings of president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez on July 6 left the Nationals in need not just of a new, permanent top executive, but also an organizational direction. Ownership must decide whom to hire, what the future payrolls will be, how in general it wants to proceed.
DeBartolo obviously will need to listen if teams call on Gore. But barring a mammoth offer, trading the lefty in advance of such determinations would be ill-advised. As one rival executive put it, if the Nationals were going to entrust DeBartolo with such a move, they might as well make him permanent GM. The Nationals aren’t ready to do that just yet.
Aside from closer Kyle Finnegan, who had back-to-back nightmarish outings before rebounding Saturday, the Nats’ most attractive trade chip might be right-hander Michael Soroka. Rival clubs view Soroka’s 5.10 ERA as misleading. Entering Sunday, his 3.22 expected ERA was in the top 25 percent of the league, and his strikeout and walk rates were in the top 30 percent.
Rutschman’s future in Baltimore in question? The Orioles’ selections of two players listed as catchers with their first two draft picks did not reflect a lack of confidence in Adley Rutschman, according to a source briefed on the club’s thinking.
Still, Rutschman’s long-term future in Baltimore is not as certain as it once appeared. He is under club control for only two more seasons. The Orioles’ interest in signing him to an extension might be waning. Their top prospect, Samuel Basallo, also is a catcher.
The draft, at least, was a separate matter. While some picks get to the majors more quickly than in the past, most still take years to develop. So, teams generally focus on the best available players rather than target specific needs.
The Orioles’ top pick, Ike Irish at No. 19, is not purely a catcher. He played 41 games in right field and four in left at Auburn this season, and caught in only 12. The Orioles love his bat. They’ll figure out his position later.
The team’s second choice, Caden Bodine at No. 30, is strictly a catcher, but the Orioles simply saw him as good value. The Athletic’s Keith Law, in his final mock draft, projected Bodine going to the Tampa Bay Rays at No. 14. MLB.com had him going to the Diamondbacks at No. 18.
Them?: The Brewers are the best team in baseball?
I know; we’ve been writing about the Brewers an awful lot lately. But with their 6-0 win over the Mariners last night, a couple of milestones were crossed.
- Their 11-game win streak is the longest they’ve had since June 22 to July 3, 2021.
- Paired with a 12-4 Cubs loss to the Royals, the Brewers (60-40) are now alone in first place in the NL Central for the first time this season.
- This week’s Power Rankings will tell you that the Tigers are the new No. 1 team, but since Detroit also lost last night (3-0 to the Pirates), the Brewers now have the best record in all of baseball.
I’ve harped on how many players the Brewers have lost in the last half-decade, but I should be fair: It’s not like the players they have left are a bunch of anonymous nobodies.
Christian Yelich: NL MVP in 2018 (and second in 2019) before injuries walloped him, but his 223 home runs rank him 27th among active players (between Juan Soto and Rafael Devers). He’s thriving as their DH.
Jackson Chourio: No. 2 on Keith Law’s top 100 prospects list in 2024.
Brice Turang: I’ve been telling you about him since last May!
Rhys Hoskins: Former Phillies star with 186 career homers.
Freddy Peralta: Two-time All-Star, leading baseball with 12 wins.
Brandon Woodruff: Also a two-time All-Star who finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2021 and has been brilliant since returning from injury.
Yes, there are also lesser-known names — let’s talk about Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins soon. But it’s not like this roster is the Bad News Bears.
More underdogs: The Blue Jays cannot stop beating the New York Yankees.
Legends: Will Rich Hill tie an MLB record today?
Rich Hill is 45 years old.
He has pitched for the … *deep breath*
Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox (first time), Guardians (under their former name), Angels, Yankees, Red Sox (again), A’s, Dodgers, Twins, Rays, Mets, Red Sox (thrice), Pirates and Padres and Red Sox (just get married already).
That’s 13 big-league teams, one short of the record set by Edwin Jackson. But according to reports last night, it appears Hill will tie Jackson’s record very soon: Kansas City signed Hill to a minor-league deal in May, and he is expected to make his Royals debut as early as tonight.
As for what role Hill will play, we won’t know until the move is officially announced and Royals manager Matt Quatraro is able to speak to the media about it. The Royals currently have six pitchers — including Michael Lorenzen, Cole Ragans and Hunter Harvey — on the IL.
Handshakes and High Fives
Do we believe in the Mets’ youth? Tim Britton makes the case that we should.
Dennis Lin says the Padres’ deadline moves should keep 2026 in focus, too.
Spencer Jones’ name has been kicked around in a lot of trade rumors. Chris Kirschner spoke to the Yankees prospect, who says he wants to make his big-league debut in pinstripes.
Jim Bowden has a league-wide deadline rundown with what each team is looking to accomplish.
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s knee bruise is a reminder for the Cubs: depth is important.
On the pods: On “Rates & Barrels,” Eno is back to discuss a sneaky pitcher waiting in the wings for the Rangers, and the inconsistency of Jesús Luzardo. And on “The Roundtable,” they discuss that Acuña throw and whether the D-Backs should be buyers or sellers.
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Once again, the story behind the viral photo of Billye Aaron during the All-Star Game.
(Photo: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
