When 18-year-old Caroline Harvey showed up to the U.S. women’s national team selection camp in June, she was the youngest player there. And she had no idea what her next few months would look like.
If Harvey didn’t make the national hockey team, she was set to enroll for her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin the following week. She already had an English 100 class picked out.
And if she made the roster? Harvey would defer, joining her much older teammates for the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Calgary, a months-long residency program in Minnesota, and ultimately the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“It was a little nerve-racking,” Harvey said, “not knowing how things would play out.”
Harvey, a defenseman who grew up in Massachusetts, stood out during the tryouts. She was too good not to put on the roster.
“She’s so skilled,” veteran U.S. defenseman Megan Keller said. “I just enjoy watching her in practice. She’s so fun to watch, especially at her age, the things she can do with the puck, her skating ability. She’s a little Energizer bunny out there too.”
Harvey will join the Badgers next spring. By the time she gets there, she might be a household name.
U.S. women’s hockey sits atop the international throne right now. The team got over its Olympic hump by beating rival Canada in 2018 for its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years. Before they get the chance to defend in Beijing, the women will compete in the world championship, which begins Friday and runs through Aug. 31. The Americans have won the past five tournaments, and eight of the past nine.
But the stop-and-go nature of the pandemic has been challenging — a cruel gambit of cancellations, decreased ice time and decreased visibility. When the U.S. opens worlds with a game against Switzerland on Friday, it will have been 859 days since the team last played in a major international tournament.
In that time, there has been significant turnover on the roster. Captain Meghan Duggan, twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando (who scored the winning and tying goals in the 2018 Olympic gold-medal game) and 15-year veteran Kacey Bellamy all have hung up their skates in the past year.
“We’ve had a lot of veterans, and girls that have made this program what it is, retire,” Keller said. “Especially in these past two years with worlds being canceled twice, you have more new faces, new teammates and some new blood mixed in. It’s exciting to get this new group together finally. I think we have a really good mix.”
Enter Harvey, who ushers in a youth movement. She’s one of four Americans born in the 2000s playing at the world championship — joining forwards Britta Curl, Lacey Eden and Abbey Murphy — and one of seven rookies overall.
As Keller said, “One of the coolest things about being on the national team is being able to play with your role models,” and Harvey already is experiencing that. Growing up, Harvey said she always looked up to Bellamy.
“We were at a couple camps together before she retired; I got to learn a lot from her,” Harvey said. “It was cool to hear what she had to say, but also just see the way she handled herself. She was really fun to be around, but when it was time to be serious, when we were practicing, or even warming up, or cooling down, you could see how locked in she was. She was funny, and let that side of herself out when it was appropriate, but she changed and could be so locked in when she needed to be.”
Harvey will get to play with some players she looked up to — like Hilary Knight, who enrolled at Wisconsin 14 years before Harvey — but she’s trying to soak up as much wisdom from as many sources as she can.
For her five-day quarantine in Calgary, Harvey brought along the Lamoureux twins’ book, “Dare to Make History.”
She also has some experience with her new teammates, though not a typical relationship. One of the Americans’ alternate captains, Brianna Decker, was an assistant coach with the U-18 team Harvey played on. And Keller’s roommate at Boston College was one of Harvey’s coaches in club hockey, who revealed that Harvey is rarely called Caroline by anyone.
“When I was young, my sister couldn’t pronounce Caroline, so she called me KK instead,” Harvey said. “We were really young, but it stuck.”
Harvey hasn’t found it too hard to mesh with the senior team. She and Keller have been plotting a TikTok dance for their teammates. Harvey has similar interests as her older teammates, including Netflix shows such as “Outer Banks” and “All-American.” Music in the locker room is a different story.
“When the music gets going, we’re constantly asking, ‘OK, who knows this one,’ whether it’s a new one or old one,” Keller said.
Adds Harvey: “I know of the songs from my parents. They’re not my parents’ age, but I know some of the songs, just in a different way.”
For Harvey, it has been a transition to level up with the top competition.
“When you’re invited to a national team camp, it’s the best of the best,” she said. “It’s pretty intimidating to see who you are going up against. I was really nervous at first, I was just getting used to these girls, and the pace. It was definitely a scary thing at first to be the youngest and be here, but now I’m feeling comfortable around them.”
Harvey has been comfortable around the rink her entire life. Her dad used to take her to her older brother’s practices, and would turn the stroller around to let Harvey watch. By 3, she was on skates. Aside from a brief cameo at goalie, Harvey has played defense her entire life.
“I like being able to see the whole ice, and seeing plays develop,” she said. “I also like being offensive at times, and having that aspect to my game.”
Keller said besides Harvey’s skill, the best aspects of her game are her speed and offensive knack, “but she’s not afraid to be physical.”
Harvey is off to a good start. In the first exhibition against Russia this week, Harvey took a penalty. Shortly after, she collected a pass from Knight, took a shot, then scored on her own rebound to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. It fits into the advice she received from Decker: Play free. Don’t think too much. Let your instincts take over.
Harvey knew she wanted to play at this stage eventually. She never thought it would come this soon.
“I didn’t really think much of it a year ago,” she said. “Looking at it now, thinking about the position I’m in, it’s crazy how things happen sometimes.”
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.
Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.
“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.
“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”
Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.
“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”
The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.
The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.
There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.
The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.
Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.
Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.
Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.
Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.
“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”
Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.
Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.
Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.
Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.
“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”
Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.
Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.
The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.
Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.
“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”
Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.
“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.
The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.
“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”
For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.
That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.
The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.
“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”