{"id":705903,"date":"2026-06-15T18:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/705903\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T18:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T18:01:07","slug":"the-five-man-nl-cy-young-race-plus-another-day-another-wild-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/705903\/","title":{"rendered":"The five-man NL Cy Young race. Plus: Another day, another wild play"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

The NL Cy Young race was already tight before a new contender showed up. Plus: Vegasball is gonna be wild and there\u2019s another weird thing I\u2019ve never seen. Ken Rosenthal also asks: Would the Phillies have done this under their former manager? I\u2019m Levi Weaver \u2014 welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Ace Behavior: NL Cy Young debate heats up<\/p>\n

The NL Cy Young winner won\u2019t be announced for another five months, but the debates have already begun. After all, look at these lines:<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Allow me to present two conflicting arguments:<\/p>\n

No. 1: This is less competitive than last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This weekend\u2019s Phillies-Brewers matchup was framed (rightfully) as an opportunity to see Cristopher S\u00e1nchez and Jacob Misiorowski in the same series.<\/p>\n

But S\u00e1nchez allowed four runs in 5 2\/3 innings yesterday, while Misiorowski set a new record on Friday by striking out 15 hitters in a\u00a0Maddux<\/a>\u00a0(a complete-game shutout, throwing under 100 pitches). Misiorowski\u2019s\u00a0game score<\/a>\u00a0of 100 was the highest since Justin Verlander\u2019s no-hitter in 2019, and Misiorowski broke his own record for the\u00a0fastest pitch thrown by a starting pitcher<\/a>\u00a0since tracking began (2008), at 104.5 mph.<\/p>\n

(Side note for the curious: The two highest game scores of all time happened in the same game. In 1920, Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves (153) and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Robins (140) each pitched all 26 innings of the\u00a0longest game in MLB history<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

No. 2: This is actually\u00a0more\u00a0competitive than last week.<\/p>\n

This has officially gone from a four-man race to a quintet. After retiring the final 22 hitters he faced in his previous start, Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired the first 23 he faced on Saturday before Mookie Betts\u2019 error\u00a0ended a perfect game bid<\/a>\u00a0with two outs in the eighth inning.<\/p>\n

The no-hitter ended in the ninth when Tristan Peters homered to lead off the inning. However, Betts\u2019 error also cost Yamamoto a different slice of history: His 45 consecutive hitters retired was one short of the MLB record, set by the Giants\u2019 Yusmeiro Petit in 2014.<\/p>\n

More Ace behavior:\u00a0Given the injuries that have decimated their rotation, the Cubs are being cautious with\u00a0emergent ace Ben Brown<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: A good man fired<\/p>\n

In\u00a0today\u2019s column<\/a>, Ken asks what can\u2019t be answered. Let\u2019s hear it from him:\u00a0<\/p>\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 The lingering question, and one that will never be answered, is whether the Phillies would have rallied the way they did if Rob Thomson had remained their manager.<\/p>\n

Their play suggests president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was completely justified in replacing Thomson with Don Mattingly.\u00a0The Phillies, after starting 9-19 under Thomson, are 29-14 since the change, the second-best record in the majors during that time.<\/p>\n

Still, a new manager should not have been necessary to awaken a group of accomplished professionals collectively earning more than $300 million.\u00a0The players knew it then, and they know it now. They got a good man fired.<\/p>\n

Thomson, 62, had the highest winning percentage (.568) of any Phillies manager since 1900. If Dombrowski had given him more time, it\u2019s possible their record now would not look much different, if at all.<\/p>\n

The day he was dismissed, Thomson all but predicted the Phillies\u2019 turnaround, saying he thought the team would get hot. Seven weeks later, he continues to follow the Phillies closely, and harbors no bitterness about the way the team ignited.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watch every game that I can,\u201d Thomson said in a text message. \u201cWhen you have built relationships and been through the things that this group has been through, you don\u2019t stop cheering for them. At least I don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that in a lot of situations where managers get fired, most wish that they had a little more time but (there are) no lingering frustrations. You can call it whatever you want but the fact is that the team has been playing so much better since the change and they are back to who they are!!\u201d<\/p>\n

One look at the Phillies\u2019 schedule indicated they were in a good position to surge. At the time of the change, they were coming off 13 straight games against two hot clubs, the Cubs and Braves. They went 2-11 in that stretch, including a 10-game losing streak.<\/p>\n

Dombrowski acted at the perfect time, with his club about to begin 22 straight games against teams currently at .500 or below \u2014 and with star right-hander Zack Wheeler just having returned from thoracic outlet surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we\u2019d get to where we\u2019re at now no matter what, eventually,\u201d shortstop Trea Turner said.<\/p>\n

Catcher J.T. Realmuto, in a recent appearance on\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s \u201cStarkville\u201d podcast episode<\/a>, recalled that on the day Mattingly took over, he told the players, \u201cThis is on you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mattingly\u2019s meaning was clear. The players were to blame, not Thomson. Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber admitted as much to Thomson in the aftermath of the firing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feel responsible,\u201d Schwarber said. \u201cI told him I was sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ken\u2019s full column,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Viva: MLB in Las Vegas will be an adventure<\/p>\n

Last week, we\u00a0told you all about<\/a> the debut of the A\u2019s in Las Vegas \u2014 a 15-14 loss to the Brewers that involved 11 home runs (and 16 ABS challenges, for good measure).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how the rest of that six-game \u201chomestand\u201d went:<\/p>\n

Monday, June 8: Brewers 15, A\u2019s 14 (chaotic)
Tuesday, June 9: A\u2019s 7, Brewers 5 (normal)
Wednesday, June 10: A\u2019s 4, Brewers 3 (normal)
Friday, June 12: A\u2019s 6, Rockies 4 (normal)
Saturday, June 13: A\u2019s 7, Rockies 5 (normal)
Sunday, June 14:\u00a0Rockies 23, A\u2019s 9\u00a0(extremely not normal)<\/p>\n

But (aside from that Wednesday game) even the \u201cnormal\u201d games were fairly high-scoring. So I was curious:\u00a0Was that the highest-scoring six-game homestand in MLB history?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not even close.<\/p>\n

It took Jayson Stark about five minutes to inform me that,\u00a0while the combined 102 runs\u00a0did\u00a0crack the top 20,\u00a0it was nowhere near the record. Here are the top two:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a01890 Buffalo Bisons<\/a>\u00a0(141 runs):I\u2019m not sure if we should count a series from back when pitchers were 50 feet from the plate and bats were allowed to have a flat side, but the Bisons, facing the Cleveland Infants (not making that up<\/a>) and Chicago White Stockings at\u00a0Olympic Park II<\/a>, saw a record that does still (technically) stand.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a02000 Colorado Rockies<\/a>\u00a0(125 runs):\u00a0This one should maybe come with a caveat, too: This series happened two years before\u00a0the humidor was introduced<\/a>\u00a0at Coors Field. Nevertheless, the stats count, so the Mets and Expos helped set a modern-era record.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably no surprise that Coors Field features prominently elsewhere in that list. Aug. 1-6 of\u00a0last year\u00a0was the only other series in the top 9 that didn\u2019t take place in the 1800s, while five of the top 20 took place then as well.<\/p>\n

However \u2026<\/p>\n

Despite playing 33 years worth of home games at Coors Field, yesterday\u2019s 23-run outburst was, in fact, a record for the most runs the Rockies have ever scored in a game.<\/p>\n

I think baseball in Las Vegas is going to be something we\u2019ve never seen before.*<\/p>\n

*Aside from baseball in Denver.<\/p>\n

Never Seen This: Yaz hits pole on throw<\/p>\n

It always seems a little unlikely when a home run doinks off a foul pole for a home run. Even more so when a player pulls off a\u00a0proverbial moon landing<\/a>. But I\u2019ve never seen a player do what Mike Yastrzemski did yesterday:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yastrzemski\u2019s throw hit the pole that is holding up the protective netting and bounced into center field. (Sorry for the angle, it was even harder to see on the replay from the other side.)<\/p>\n

Baseball, man. It\u2019s been happening for a couple hundred years now, and you can still see something new almost every day.<\/p>\n

Handshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

Nepotism draft picks used to be the norm, back when there were a million rounds in the draft and before MLB slashed the minor leagues to the bone. But now? Well, they still happen. It\u2019s complicated,\u00a0Sam Blum reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Caballero versus the pitch clock: I think Caballero was right, and I\u2019m as confused as he is about why it\u00a0became an issue again<\/a>\u00a0on Sunday. While we\u2019re on Yankees drama: Do they\u00a0owe Aroldis Chapman an apology<\/a>, as the closer contends?<\/p>\n

Jerry Koosman won 222 games in the big leagues, but was always overshadowed on his own rookie card by Nolan Ryan. Brad Balukjian\u00a0caught up with the Miracle Met<\/a>, who is selling his 1969 World Series ring.<\/p>\n

Love him or hate him, Pete Crow-Armstrong is\u00a0solidifying himself as a bona fide star<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AL Central hamate epidemic:\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez (Cleveland)<\/a>\u00a0and Vinnie Pasquantino (Kansas City) are both hitting the IL after breaking the hand bone.<\/p>\n

Jen McCaffrey and Andrew Baggarly revisit the Rafael Devers trade a year later. The winner?\u00a0Uhh, nobody<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Astros ace Hunter Brown is set to return from the IL tomorrow against the Tigers. He\u2019ll be\u00a0opposed by a familiar face<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Man, if Spencer Strider never gets back to his 2023 form, I\u2019m going to be so sad. He\u2019s\u00a0back on the IL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As if enough hasn\u2019t broken the White Sox\u2019s way this year: Jacob Gonzalez appears\u00a0reborn from the bust heap<\/a>\u00a0and destined for stardom, says Keith Law.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last Windup:\u00a0The\u00a0Otto Lopez slide into third<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":705001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-705903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=705903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/705903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/705001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=705903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=705903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=705903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}