‘Breathe. Smile. Relax’: How Framber Valdez learned to dominate on the mound
HOUSTON — The moment met Framber Valdez on the night of Oct. 20, in the fourth inning of the second game of the American League Championship Series, with the Houston Astros leading and the New York Yankees threatening as a result of Valdez’s own mistakes. Valdez had bobbled a slowly hit comebacker, then stumbled upon retrieving the baseball and thrown wildly to first base, placing two runners in scoring position and bringing the tying run to the batter’s box.
Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy looked on with heightened awareness. Murphy had coached Valdez through various junctures of his development, marveling at his command but noting the ways it wavered. In the early part of Valdez’s career, traffic would rattle him. Frustration would set in, focus would drift and starts would unravel. But Valdez had spent the last three years studying his own psychology and embracing meditation, an approach many — including him — have credited for his rise as one of the sport’s best, most consistent starting pitchers. In this moment, against the Yankees, awaited his biggest test to date.
“In that moment I thought to myself, ‘This is the true test of where he’s at,'” Murphy recalled. “This is where it can unravel.”
Alex Bregman walked over to the mound from third base; Martin Maldonado followed with a visit from behind home plate. Valdez accepted blame and kept three thoughts present.
Breathe. Smile. Relax.
Valdez retired 12 of the next 14 batters he faced, allowing those two baserunners to score but giving up nothing else in what would become a dazzling seven-inning victory. In the culmination of years of progress, he had met the kind of moment that so often ruined him and persevered.
His next start, in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, will bring another of those moments. This one comes 10 days after the first, with his team in crisis, having blown a five-run lead in an extra-inning Game 1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Astros, a 106-win juggernaut in the regular season that went unbeaten through the first two playoff rounds, can ill afford an 0-2 series deficit with three games following in Philadelphia. They need Valdez to pitch like an ace in his matchup against Zack Wheeler. They need him to keep meeting moments. He believes he can.
“I feel really proud in that what I’m doing now reflects the progress that I’ve made,” Valdez said in Spanish. “You see the difference in my starts, in the way I conduct myself.”
Valdez, 28, was a struggling long reliever through his first two seasons in 2018 and 2019. He issued 68 walks and hit eight batters in a stretch of 107⅔ innings, struggling to lock down a consistent role and often buckling at the first signs of trouble. Heading into the 2020 season, the Astros’ director of Latin American operations, Caridad Cabrera, insisted that Valdez work with the team’s psychologist, Dr. Andy Nunez.
Valdez was initially hesitant, assuming that psychologists worked only on mental health issues. “But I eventually learned that’s not the case,” he said. “They’re there to help your mindset, to help you focus, to help you stay in the right frame of mind.”
Nunez taught Valdez techniques for mediation and controlling his breathing in stressful situations. It took about five months for Nunez’s concepts to begin translating onto the field, Valdez said, and even then the progress was gradual. Lapses in focus weren’t completely eliminated, but they became shorter. He started to control his anger when softly hit balls turned into hits, started learning how to distance himself from factors outside of his control.
In 2020 and 2021, Valdez posted a 3.29 ERA in 205⅓ innings, establishing himself as a fixture in a talented Astros rotation. In 2022, he reached a new level. Valdez — a ground ball master armed with a hellacious curveball and a devastating sinker, a rare mix for a left-handed pitcher — went 17-6 with a 2.82 ERA in an American League-leading 201⅓ innings. He threw a shutout, pitched in the All-Star Game, set a major league record with 25 consecutive quality starts and placed himself in the discussion for a Cy Young Award that will likely be won by his teammate Justin Verlander.
“It seems as if we all want finished products before they’re even finished,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “It takes time. It takes trial and error. It takes success and it takes some failures to get to this point. The more success that you have, the more confidence you have. Right now Framber’s at a very high level of confidence.”
It’s a stark change from eight years ago, when Valdez’s confidence was at its lowest point. He was an unsigned Dominican pitcher who had recently turned 21 years old, ancient in an international market that often sees players agree to deals at 12 and 13. Six teams had previously committed to signing him but pulled out after concerns with his medicals.
Said Valdez: “I felt like nobody wanted me.”
The Astros proved him wrong.
It was 2015, late one spring afternoon. Former Astros scouting supervisor Roman Ocumarez and former area scout David Brito were doing routes on the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. They had already visited four facilities, and the sun was setting, but Brito said they needed to see about an older kid with an intriguing breaking ball. They arrived at a darkening field, set up an “L” screen behind the catcher and placed Valdez on the mound.
When the first curveball his hand, Ocumarez thought the baseball was headed for his face. He quickly ducked out the way and watched it cut back over the heart of home plate for a strike. Ocumarez, reached by phone, was asked if he has ever seen a curveball that sharp from a pitcher that raw.
“No señor,” he said, then kept going back to the phrase. “No señor, no señor, no señor.”
Ocumarez and Brito limited Valdez’s initial workout to only a dozen pitches, then had him do the same from their facility the following morning. Ocumarez committed to signing him. He had him wait three days to take his physical in hopes that any worrisome inflammation in his elbow would subside and the doctors would clear him.
“The physical came back normal,” Ocumarez said. “He was destined for us.”
The Astros find themselves in the World Series for the fourth time in a stretch of six years, a feat made even more impressive by the seemingly arbitrary outcomes that have become more prevalent in an era of expanded postseason fields. In the time since their first, scandal-riddled championship in 2017, the Astros have lost megastars such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa and George Springer and have found a way to remain dominant. The extension of their window is largely a testament to the development of players the industry tends to overlook, exemplified by Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy and Luis Garcia, key cogs within an elite pitching staff who were obtained on well-below-market deals.
Valdez is the best of them — and now he’ll face an even bigger test.
The lefty dominated the Boston Red Sox in his final ALCS start last October, but struggled mightily against the Atlanta Braves in his first World Series. He made two starts and gave up five runs through less than three innings in each of them, setting the stage for an upset.
He’s confident this time will be different.
“Now I understand that it’s the same game, the same hitters — I just have to study them and do what I do,” he said. “I also understand that things can go wrong. You can be the best ever and things are going to go wrong. I know how to handle that now.”
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has fired defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, he announced Monday.
The Tigers’ defense — particularly against the run — took a significant step back in the third season under Goodwin. Clemson allowed an average of 160.6 rushing yards per game — its worst performance since 2011. That includes 292 yards rushing allowed in a 38-24 loss to Texas in a College Football Playoff first-round game last month.
Goodwin was promoted from within in 2022 to replace Brent Venables, who left to become head coach at Oklahoma. In 2021, the last season under Venables, Clemson ranked No. 7 in the country in rush defense (96.3 yards per game) and No. 8 in total defense (310.2 yards per game).
Swinney said he met with Goodwin on Sunday night to inform him of the decision.
“Wes has been a part of our program for 13 of the past 16 years, and he played an instrumental part in all of our success,” Swinney said in a statement. “I love Wes and his family and wish him all the best as he continues his journey. I know he has a bright future ahead.”
Swinney said he hopes to have a new defensive coordinator in place by the end of the month “or sooner.”
“Our staff has been hard at work on our roster, and we look forward to solidifying our defensive coordinator position to help lead this extremely talented group as we pursue our goals for 2025,” Swinney said.
Clemson returns the bulk of its playoff team — including defensive starters T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, Wade Woodaz and Avieon Terrell. The offense looks ready to make another major leap with Cade Klubnik and receivers Bryant Wesco, Antonio Williams and T.J. Moore all returning — making it an absolute priority to get the defense fixed.
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
The Buffalo Sabres didn’t get that “New Year, New Me” memo. And that’s putting it nicely.
Buffalo spent much of 2024 struggling to gather any positive momentum — and its first outing of 2025 remained painfully on brand. The Sabres held three multi-goal leads over the host Colorado Avalanche last week, only to blow each one — including a 5-3 advantage that evaporated when the tying goal was scored with eight seconds left in regulation. Buffalo’s final fate felt determined well before Devon Toews called game with a breakaway goal in overtime to send the dejected Sabres on their way again.
For an encore, Buffalo turned in an inevitably listless performance against the Vegas Golden Knights two nights later. The promised refresh of a new year disappeared for the Sabres, along with another two points.
This isn’t how Buffalo’s season was supposed to go. It’s also not the first time in (very) recent years we’ve said that about the Sabres.
The hockey world has been waiting on Buffalo to snap its 13-year playoff drought (longest among the four major sports leagues) with practically the same mindset that fans have for Alex Ovechkin‘s chase to overtake Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record — it’s got to happen eventually, right?
Ovi’s accomplishment is increasingly within reach. But Buffalo’s chances of being back in the postseason picture? Those odds seem only to worsen.
The Sabres are eighth in the Atlantic Division, with a 14-21-5 record. A cringeworthy 13-game winless streak made up a majority of the club’s December and, as noted, the Sabres have started slowly in January.
That’s not to say Buffalo hasn’t had its moments, with flashes of a team better than its woeful record. But sustaining success can be as great a challenge for the Sabres as creating it.
Which leads us to the big question: How can Buffalo salvage its season? The Sabres have burgeoning stars on their bench, exciting prospects ready to contribute soon, plus a veteran coach with a history of winning.
So what are the flaws being repeatedly exposed — and can the Sabres fix them without sliding back into another difficult rebuild?
IT’S NOT THE PALM TREES in Florida that attract NHL players. It’s the chance to win. And Buffalo hasn’t proven (yet) that it can offer that same chance.
Still, when Sabres GM Kevyn Adams met the media in early December, he lamented how Buffalo was “not a destination city right now,” with high taxes and a lack of tropical foliage not attracting free agents. Yet, is a lack of talent really at the core of Buffalo’s ills?
Tage Thompson is a point-per-game player. Alex Tuch has thrived since returning to Western New York as part of the Jack Eichel trade. JJ Peterka is growing into a better player each game. And Jason Zucker — a free agent signee last summer — is overachieving in one of his better seasons. The Sabres have a back end loaded with high draft picks, including captain Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Bowen Byram. And Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has exceeded expectations in net throughout Buffalo’s myriad struggles this season.
Ability? The Sabres arguably have enough of it to be a playoff contender — or at least to avoid becoming the league’s 29th-place team and Eastern Conference basement dweller.
Since the Sabres’ aforementioned pre-Christmas skid, there have been repeated calls for Adam’s firing, placing blame on Buffalo’s GM for poor roster construction. Adams didn’t make any major changes over the summer — save for signing Zucker — but that decision to stand pat could be coming from ownership.
When Adams maintained in his December news conference that he “believe[s] in the people in this room … I’m going to war with these guys,” it echoed a message from Sabres owner Terry Pegula to the team prior to its game Dec. 17 — the solution for Buffalo was already in the room.
The Sabres responded to that vote of confidence by losing 6-1 to the lottery-bound Montreal Canadiens. To this point, even the ugliest defeats haven’t cost Adams the gig he took over from Jason Botterill in 2020. Yet, Buffalo holds its lowest points percentage since Adams was hired, a fitting bookend to his tenure with the franchise if the team decides to move on.
But It’s not like Adams hasn’t tried to make Buffalo better. He has churned through three head coaches — most recently bringing back veteran Lindy Ruff — traded former captain Eichel for a solid return, and worked the phones to add impact players such as Byram.
The problem is that Adams’ moves aren’t moving the needle. Yes, Buffalo came close to reaching the playoffs with a late-season surge in 2022-23, but close isn’t good enough. Fresh eyes in management could end the Sabres’ spell of stagnation — or it could plummet them into a dreaded rebuilding mode.
What could be the difference there?
Trades. Immediate trades.
APPARENTLY, PEGULA’S PREVIOUS MESSAGE landed on deaf ears.
That doesn’t mean Buffalo’s higher-ups can’t send another to their group with a well-timed, well-executed trade (or two).
There are tiers of potential trade candidates for Buffalo. Pending unrestricted free agents such as Zucker, Nicolas Aube-Kubel or Jordan Greenway could be flipped for a new player. That’s the Sabres’ safe option, though.
If Buffalo is serious about turning things around quickly, then players such as Power, Dylan Cozens and even Byram start bubbling up. All three young skaters have ample runway into the perceived prime of their careers — something Buffalo wouldn’t want to trade away, but could potentially leverage for players better positioned to help the Sabres win now.
Buffalo needs secondary scoring help. Only four skaters — Thompson, Zucker, Tuch and Peterka — have double-digital goals this season, and only Thompson and Zucker have passed the 30-point mark. The Sabres are averaging over three goals per game (13th in the league), but a pitiful power play (17.4%, 25th overall) has been a detriment. Buffalo is also 26th in generating shots on net (averaging 27.1) and too often, its attack falls flat.
Addressing those issues could give the Sabres’ season a second life, and extend Adam’s stay with the organization. Pending positive results, of course.
It would also behoove the Sabres to start seeing more from some of their purported top-tier players such as Zach Benson (drafted 13th in 2023), Jack Quinn (selected eighth in 2020) and especially Cozens.
Buffalo could be criticized for putting too much pressure on such young players (Benson is 19, Quinn and Cozens are 23). But if the Sabres expect to salvage the second half of this season (and beyond), those core pieces can’t continue underperforming.
Quinn has 14 points in 33 games and is minus-14. Benson has just 13 points in 34 games. And Cozens — in the second season of a seven-year contract worth $7.1 million per year — has only eight goals and 20 points in 40 games. Would Buffalo regret giving up on Cozens at this stage when he hasn’t reached his potential? Or is that pliability what might make Cozens a desirable player elsewhere?
It’s a combination of things that should drive Buffalo’s decision-making. Dipping into the team’s prospect pool for trade options isn’t off the table, but might not support the Sabres’ long-term ambitions. Adams sending Casey Mittelstadt to Colorado for Byram last March was a solid move given how Byram has evolved on Buffalo’s blue line. Byram is also a pending restricted free agent, and the Sabres have been built to hold four left-shot defenders under age 25 on their top two pairings (meaning guys on their not-ideal “off” sides).
Then there’s a question regarding the source of the Sabres’ leadership. Dahlin, 24, is in his first season as the club’s captain, a position previously held by veteran Kyle Okposo. Adams traded Okposo to Florida ahead of last year’s deadline, and tried to shore up the Sabres with older acquisitions such as Zucker, Aube-Kubel, Ryan McLeod and Sam Lafferty. Outside of Zucker — who has been on Buffalo’s top line throughout the season — the Sabres haven’t gotten much from Aube-Kubel and Lafferty (a healthy scratch in that loss to Vegas) in fourth-line roles, and it has impacted the pressure placed on Buffalo’s younger options to bear the brunt of the team’s scoring needs.
All those factors — from age, to experience, to what’s required in the present and future — should be taken into consideration if trades become a reality.
And they have to be. Adams can’t be too attached to anyone in the Sabres’ system, whether he acquired them or not. Buffalo can’t afford to give up on this season either. Even if the postseason is out of reach, the Sabres must try to climb the standings and give themselves a greater chance of pulling in some veteran free agents this offseason — the ones not turned off by a dearth of palm trees.
PERSONNEL CHANGES REMAIN a hypothetical for Buffalo. There must be tangible differences in how the Sabres are playing on a regular basis.
The power play has been a sore spot despite Ruff reentering the fold. He and assistant Seth Appert were supposed to make those units momentum-drivers. Instead, Buffalo has just 19 goals with the extra man — tied for fifth fewest in the NHL — and that’s practically negating its decent scoring (fifth overall) at 5-on-5.
But even when the power play is clicking — as it was against Colorado with two goals — Buffalo’s inability to close out quality teams is limiting. There was a stretch at the end of December, when Buffalo won three straight while outscoring opponents 17-5, that showcased what the Sabres might be at their best.
But those victories came against the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, and those first two clubs are also far outside the playoff mix. A 60-minute effort isn’t something the Sabres deliver as readily when facing a higher-caliber foe.
1:34
Alex Tuch’s hat trick leads Sabres past Blackhawks
Alex Tuch delivers a stellar performance with a hat trick as the Sabres cruise to victory over the Blackhawks.
Ruff was supposed to cultivate a new identity for the Sabres. He should be bringing Adam’s preseason call for “raising the standard” to fruition. But the 64-year-old bench boss is at a repeated loss as to why his teachings aren’t taking hold.
“It’s on me to solve this,” Ruff said after Buffalo’s 5-3 loss to Toronto last month. “This is the toughest solve I’ve been around. It is on me to get these guys in the right place to win a hockey game. And nobody else. Just me.”
That was the Sabres’ 10th loss amid the 13-game slide. Tuch called it “s—ty.” Byram spoke wistfully of a “magic potion” the Sabres could take to get out of their funk. Goaltender Devon Levi credited Ruff with giving Buffalo “a good speech” in the second period — “it touched me and I wanted to go out there and try to win the game” — but intentions couldn’t match actions.
And therein lies a key to the Sabres saving themselves. It’s their will, effort and mental toughness that can determine how the next few months play out. Because even if Adams shakes up the roster, it won’t have the same effect without a buy-in from the guys already on the team.
Adams thought firing former coach Don Granato and bringing back Ruff would show the Sabres their previous lack of success was unacceptable. The Sabres haven’t rallied. Whatever remedy Buffalo needs to succeed remains a mystery — and it can’t for much longer.
What the Sabres can do is stop wasting time. Buffalo has nothing to lose, and that mentality is a luxury when used properly. Why not take the big swing on a trade? Why not inject a little overconfidence into your team? The Sabres should be exhausting every option to figure out not necessarily how but why — from ownership to management to players — they’ve seemingly held themselves back.
A touch of soul-searching might not fix their fortunes this season. But it might start laying the groundwork for a team better equipped to thrive.
That’s where the Sabres might finally find success.
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Pete Thamel, Senior College Sports Insider
Former USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch and safety Zion Branch have committed to Georgia, the brothers told ESPN on Sunday.
The brothers are former top-100 recruits who loom as significant additions for the Bulldogs in 2025. They both have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Zachariah Branch is the No. 9 overall player and No. 4 wide receiver in ESPN’s transfer portal rankings. He earned first-team All-American honors in 2023 while emerging as one of the most electric players in college football.
“I chose Georgia because I felt like the culture was something special,” Zachariah Branch told ESPN. “They have a great coaching staff, the brotherhood within the program, their will to win, being prepared for the next level and being as successful as possible on and off the field was important to me.”
Zachariah Branch can boost a Georgia receiving room that was beset this season by off-field issues and inconsistent play. Georgia led the country with 36 wide receiver drops, per ESPN Research.
“I see their potential as a contender for the national championship and to defend their SEC title in 2025,” Zachariah Branch said.
He accounted for 1,863 all-purpose yards during his two seasons at USC, including two kicks returned for touchdowns in 2023. As a receiver he caught 78 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. He tied for the team lead in receptions this season with 47. He rushed for 87 yards and another touchdown during his two seasons in coach Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Zion Branch played in all 12 games for USC as a redshirt sophomore safety this season, recording 19 tackles, 3 pass breakups and 1 sack in a reserve role. He’s the older of the two brothers and dealt with season-ending injuries in both 2022 and 2023.
“I chose the University of Georgia because of its great coaching staff, their pedigree, and the history of the program,” Zion Branch told ESPN. “Georgia has consistently been one of the best programs in college football, and the culture of excellence they’ve built is something I want to be a part of. The coaches are not just about winning games; they’re about building character, fostering growth and pushing players to be their absolute best both on and off the field.”
The brothers joined the Trojans after starring at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. Zachariah was the No. 7 overall recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2023, and Zion was No. 76 in 2022.
The Georgia receiving room was full of steady players but with no true standout; nobody finished in the SEC’s top 10 for receiving yards. Senior Arian Smith, who accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl but still has a season of eligibility left, led the Bulldogs with 817 yards. Receiver/punt returner Anthony Evans III entered the transfer portal, and Dominic Lovett, who is out of eligibility, led the team with 59 catches.
Zachariah Branch offers rare dynamism and downfield speed that will make him a candidate to be Georgia’s top target in 2025. He scored just one touchdown for USC in 2024 after scoring five as a true freshman — two in the return game, two receiving and one rushing.
The brothers see themselves as contributors toward the program’s bigger goals.
“This team is poised to do something truly special — competing for championships and setting a standard of excellence that few can match,” Zion Branch said. “With the talent that’s already there and the elite-level recruits coming in, the future is incredibly bright. I have no doubt Georgia will not only win a lot of games but also continue to lead the nation in innovation and performance on the field.”
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