May 2025

There were 2,285 posts published in May 2025 (this is page 1 of 229).

Brett Baty’s bases-clearing triple ‘sets the tone’ for Mets, Kodai Senga in win over Rockies

Brett Baty is starting to become a dangerous hitter in the Mets’ lineup, and Saturday was just another notch in the young infielder’s belt this season.

With the bases loaded and one out in the first inning, Baty — hitting in the No. 5 hole — stepped up to the plate. Pete Alonso came up empty with the bases loaded by striking out, and the Rockies were one pitch away from getting out of the early jam. But this is a different Baty, a more confident hitter.

After swinging through a fastball for a foul and taking a curveball for a ball, he stayed back on another Antonio Senzatela curve and lofted it to left-center field. Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle ran toward the wall but the ball kept traveling, and it ultimately hit the top of the padding and away from him.

Baty had cleared the bases with a triple to put the Mets ahead 3-1, en route to an eventual 8-2 win against Colorado.

“I thought I hit it pretty hard, but it looked like [Doyle] had a beat on it,” Baty said after the game. “I thought, at least I’ll get one run in. It ended up hitting the wall. It was huge.”

Baty said he was looking heater but wanted to just hit any ball hard that was over the plate, and he did. The ball went 398 feet, just a couple of feet from a grand slam. But more impressively, it was hit 104.1 mph off the bat.

“I like the aggressiveness,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Baty’s at-bat. “First pitch went out there and swung through a fastball and he kept attacking. Put a really good swing on it and went left-center. Starts with the aggressiveness in the strikezone and he continues to do that.”

With the Mets’ issues with runners in scoring position well-documented and the team trailing 1-0 before coming to the plate, Baty’s bases-clearing triple came at the best time for everyone, especially starter Kodai Senga.

Once Senga got the lead, the right-hander dominated, retiring 17 straight Rockies and pitching into the seventh inning. Baty, the catalyst for the Mets’ offense on Saturday, said he believes it helped Senga get into rhythm.

“Four runs in the first is always big and I think it gave Kodai the confidence to just go out there and pump strikes and let his stuff play,” he said.

Mendoza went a step further and called Baty’s hit a tone-setter.

“[Baty] came through right away with the bases loaded to set the tone with a bases-clearing triple there,” Mendoza said. “Not only offensively but defensively. Made a couple of plays, the line drive right at him, but the slow roller was really good the way he charged it, got rid of it.

“Pretty good play by Pete with the good footwork, with the stretch and the pick. But Brett, the defense, the at-bats, the conviction. Confident player. He’s hitting fifth today, first inning gets an opportunity and comes through.”

Baty’s second triple of the season rewarded his manager for moving him up in the lineup. And although it was his only hit on Saturday, it was obviously a big one, and another example of the young hitter’s maturation in the majors. His hit was his fifth RBI to put the Mets in the lead this season, tied for the fourth-most on the team. He recorded 16 RBI over 21 games in May.

In 16 starts since being recalled from Triple-A on May 5, Baty is slashing .304/.350/.625 with 10 runs, one double, one triple, five homers and a .975 OPS.

Mets ace Kodai Senga unmoved by NL-best ERA through May: ‘I don’t really think about my stats’

The Mets weren’t lucky enough to have a fully healthy and reliable Kodai Senga at their disposal last October, but enough of that old and tired news. What matters is they have a valuable version of him now, and his dominance on the mound deserves league-wide recognition.

Senga wrapped up his laudable May slate with yet another gem, completing 6.1 innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts in the Mets’ 8-2 beatdown of the lowly Rockies on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field. Check the leaderboard — he owns an NL-best 1.60 ERA through 11 starts.

While he added to his list of first-inning mistakes this season, allowing a home run to the game’s second batter, it didn’t take long for Senga to settle in and find a groove. He proceeded to retire 17 straight batters, and ultimately walked off the field to a standing ovation midway through the seventh.

“Ideally, I’d like to get through without giving up any runs,” Senga said after the win, via his interpreter. “I don’t really think about my stats. A lot more games left in the season. In terms of my innings, give it a few days and I’m no longer on the leaderboard anymore. We have a lot more left to do, and I want to finish my outings on a strong note, unlike today. So, we have a lot of work to do.”

With an average salary of $15 million, Senga isn’t being paid like one of MLB’s elite pitchers. But there’s no disputing the ace-level production the right-hander has offered. He matched his stellar April (1.26 ERA) by delivering an excellent May (1.89), and he’s now allowed three runs or fewer in 28 consecutive starts.

If the league isn’t ready to give Senga worthy praise, at least his rotation mates are. Upon entering the dugout in the seventh, he was swarmed by the Mets’ starting pitchers and Francisco Lindor. They huddled around Senga and jumped in celebration of his second-longest start of the season.

“The forkball, that was a pitch he had right away,” Mendoza said postgame. “They kept swinging at it and he kept going. And then he made the fastball look 98-99 mph when it was 95-96 with how much he was throwing [the fork]. The cutter was good, the sweeper, all of his pitches. He attacked, got ahead, got some chases. He was solid today.”

It’s still too early to declare which aces will start this summer’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, but the short list of candidates undoubtedly includes Senga. He’s held opposing hitters to a .203 average, which ranks seventh best in the NL. It’s also worth mentioning his career regular-season ERA now sits at 2.62.

Senga can only hope June treats him as well as springtime did — he’s lined up to face the vaunted Dodgers next week. Perhaps there’s some added motivation to step up in Los Angeles, as he allowed six runs across three uninspiring innings during two NLCS meetings at Chavez Ravine last fall.

Mets offense explodes, Kodai Senga dominates in 8-2 win over Rockies

The Mets‘ offense hit three home runs and Kodai Senga struck out seven, pitching into the seventh to beat the Rockies, 8-2, on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.

Every starter had at least one hit in the game while Mets pitchers allowed just three hits.

Here are the takeaways…

-It was an odd start for Senga. After striking out Jordan Beck on a pitch-clock violation to start the game, Ezequiel Tovar lofted a ghostfork over the left field wall to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. It’s just the third home run Senga has allowed this season, all coming in the first inning. It’s just the second homer allowed on the ghostfork in Senga’s career. Senga bounced back to strike out Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon to end the first.

-The Mets offense would get the run back, and then some. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo led off with back-to-back singles, and starter Antonio Senzatela walked Juan Soto to load the bases. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Brett Baty picked him up with a bases-clearing triple. Tyrone Taylor singled to put the Mets up 4-1.

The longball would be kind to the Mets in the fourth with Nimmo driving a two-run shot, and Soto followed with an opposite-field blast to put the Mets up 7-1. It’s the first time this season the Mets hit back-to-back homers. It’s Soto’s first home run since May 9. The 66 at-bats between homers was the second-longest drought of his career.

Jeff McNeil will get in on the fun in the eighth with a solo shot to push the Mets’ lead to 8-2.

-Senga would settle in, retiring 17 straight batters at one point. But he started to tire in the seventh, walking Tovar to lead off and pitching out of the stretch for the first time. Goodman hit a bullet to third, but Baty snagged it for the first out. McMahon walked and after a mound visit, Thairo Estrada hit a single through the left side to push across the Rockies’ second run.

Mendoza pulled his starter and brought in Jose Butto. Butto got the last two outs of the inning to put an end to the threat and Senga’s day.

The right-hander threw 92 pitches (55 strikes) across 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. Senga has now pitched 28 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer.

The combination of Butto and recently-recalled Chris Devenski combined to get the final eight outs, allowing just two walks and one hit.

-A day after Lindor hit two homers, he reached base four more times on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two walks. Soto had just the one hit, but reached base twice

Game MVP: Kodai Senga

While the offense had its best offensive day in a while, Senga continued his dominance in 2025.

Highlights

What’s next

The Mets complete their series with the Rockies on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes (5-3, 2.98 ERA) will take the mound and go up against LHP Carson Palmquist (0-3, 8.78 ERA).

USDA Sends Fire Resources to Assist Canada Wildfire Response

(Washington, D.C., May 31, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service is deploying resources to assist the wildfire response currently impacting Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta, Canada. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center raised the wildfire preparedness level to 5 on May 29, 2025, as the country is experiencing very high to extreme wildfire activity.

Astros find fracture in Yordan Alvarez’s right hand, delaying slugger’s return from IL

The Houston Astros hoped slugger Yordan Alvarez might be activated from the injured list this weekend. However, he’ll be sidelined for a longer period after imaging exams found a fracture in his right hand that was originally diagnosed as inflammation. 

Alvarez, 27, was placed on the IL on May 5 (retroactive to May 3) with right hand inflammation. That was believed to be a factor in a subpar season during which the three-time All-Star is batting only .210/.306/.340 with 3 home runs, 4 doubles and 18 RBI. Those numbers are far below his career .295/.387/.573 average with four consecutive seasons of 31 or more homers. 

After Alvarez took batting practice against two minor league pitchers Friday, the Astros were encouraged enough to believe he might return to the lineup. 

“It went really well,” Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters. “He hit some balls out of the ballpark, he hit some balls the other way. He said he felt good, so we’ll see where this takes us. I think this is a step in the right direction.”

However, Alvarez said he still felt discomfort in the hand, so the Astros sent him for further imaging. The fracture was then discovered. Astros general manager Dana Brown said the fracture was “60 percent healed,” but Alvarez would be shut down from hitting as a result. 

Apparently, the fracture wasn’t originally visible through imaging exams because of the swelling in Alvarez’s hand. Only after the inflammation subsided could the break be seen. 

“Obviously I was very excited,” Alvarez said to reporters through an interpreter. “I thought that was going to be the avenue for my return. But I was uncomfortable and wasn’t feeling good. And that’s where we took the decision.”

The seven-year veteran added that trying to play through the injury may have caused further damage, including the fracture.

Alvarez’s diminished performance and subsequent absence has hurt the Astros’ production at designated hitter and left field, the two positions he typically plays. Houston has gotten a .239/.309/.383 average with seven home runs and 25 RBI from the DH spot and a .233/.293/.353 line with six homers and 23 RBI from left field. 

Without Alvarez, the Astros have gone 15-11 and managed to take first place in the American League West, holding a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners heading into Saturday’s MLB schedule. 

Knicks’ resilience and talent give NY a chance to come back vs. Pacers in Eastern Conference Finals

It’s no easy task to keep the faith after your team falls behind 3-1 in a series, but the Knicks fans doing so in the face of a dynamic Pacers team have good reason to eschew history. While no team has ever come back from losing the first two home games of a conference finals, and just one team has come back from a 3-1 deficit, this roster is uniquely suited to pull off a miracle.

For all the questions about its toughness and identity, one thing this Knicks team has proven itself time and again is resilient. They did it in the regular season, in the biggest moments of the 2025 NBA playoffs, and now have a chance to do it again. 

Many teams would buckle at a ground-moving trade like the one New York made the night before training camp, trading two starters from the previous year for Karl-Anthony Towns. He’d be a late show to camp due to the deal, while the returning Knicks still had to adjust to one new starter and the emotional aftershock from the trade. 

Despite this, an opening night whooping from the Boston Celtics and an up-and-down start to the year, the Knicks would bounce back with a massive December, losing just two games in the month en route to a 24-10 start to the season. They’d continue through the regular season with the most available rotation in the league, constantly playing through injuries and some of the highest minute and miles loads across the NBA. 

Then, as the season neared its end, Jalen Brunson, the team’s captain and MVP candidate, went down with an ankle injury. With a month to play until he’d return and playoff seeding on the line, the Knicks would once again respond, staying afloat with a 9-6 record over a West Coast swing.

The playoffs brought them little relief, as their first test was the physical and hungry Detroit Pistons. The up-and-coming squad pushed them in their first game at MSG, controlling the contest from the jump and going up double digits in the second half.

The Knicks responded with a massive 40-21 fourth quarter to defend home court, their first of many playoff comebacks this year. They would lose Game 2 at home, but come back with two gutsy road wins, both by single-possession margins, and eventually seal the series on the road in Game 6.

Then came the mighty Celtics, who, as the hoops media repeatedly reminded us all, went 4-0 against the Knicks in the regular season in dominant fashion. This didn’t dissuade the Knicks from competing, even as they fell behind by 20 in Game 1 on the road.

New York pushed its way back, forcing overtime and stealing home-court advantage there. Game 2 was almost a near-repeat, as once again they found themselves down 20, only to march back into striking distance down the stretch, where they’d pull off a historically massive upset in back-to-back road games. 

Even in their decisive Game 4 win to take a 3-1 lead in the series, the Knicks found themselves down double figures after the first quarter. At this point, it had almost become a meme for New York to play their best ball when all the odds were stacked against them. 

We’ve seen this carry over into this Pacers series. After losing both home games, the Knicks came back from 20 points yet again in Game 3 to keep their series alive. 

Down 3-1 and facing elimination, New York would not let itself go out on their home court on Thursday, crushing Indiana to force a Game 6 on Saturday night. One more win and they’ll find themselves in a one-game series, at Madison Square Garden, with all the momentum on their side.

So while many have written off this Knicks season given their predicament, the ones who have stayed positive may be onto something. Because this New York team is far tougher than meets the eye, and has proven that time and time again in getting here.

They may not be able to complete the comeback, but to count them out is going against everything they’ve been this season.