
MLB September predictions: Playoff races, MVP and Cy Young awards, and more surprises
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adminWelcome to September! We’re five months into Major League Baseball’s 2023 season, meaning it’s all coming down to the wire as the postseason quickly approaches.
Which of the current contenders will be headed to the playoffs come October? Which teams will have narrowly missed the cut? How will the division races shape up? Who will reach the Fall Classic? Who are the favorites to win the MVP and Cy Young awards? At the end of his historic season for the Los Angeles Angels, will Shohei Ohtani win his second MVP and finish with the most home runs in the majors? And what else may happen down the stretch?
To discuss what the final month of the regular season might bring, we asked a panel of 17 ESPN baseball experts some of the game’s biggest questions, covering September and beyond. We also asked a number of them to explain their answers — particularly those who went against the grain.
Below, you’ll find our picks for the postseason, major awards and more, including a few surprising answers and some bold predictions about what’s next.
Who will finish with the best record in baseball?
Atlanta Braves: 16
Baltimore Orioles: 1
You were the only voter to not pick the Braves. How do you think the Orioles will do it? It’s as much wishful thinking as anything, since this team has been so much fun all year, but unlike the Braves, the Orioles NEED these wins to secure their first American League East title since 2014. That year also happens to be the last time they entered September in first place, and they’ve already matched last year’s win total of 83. The Braves are absolutely a better baseball team, but with the way the schedule shakes out, we could be looking at some real Orioles magic at Camden Yards to close out 2023. — Clinton Yates
Who will be the No. 1 seed in the National League: the Braves or Dodgers?
Atlanta Braves: 17
Los Angeles Dodgers: 0
Not a single person picked the Dodgers. Why are the Braves the overwhelming favorite? The Braves are overwhelming favorites for the same reason Braves fans believe Ronald Acuna Jr. should be the overwhelming favorite for the NL MVP award: consistency. From the beginning of the season to now, they’ve been an exceptional baseball team, and as magnificent as the Dodgers’ 24-5 August may have been, the Braves went 21-8 and actually had a better run differential than Los Angeles. These are clearly the two best teams in the NL. They may well be the two best teams in baseball. But as much as the Dodgers have tried to take the mantle, the Braves have done nothing to give it up. — Jeff Passan
Will the New York Yankees finish with a losing record?
Yes: 16
No: 1
Everyone seems fairly certain the Yankees will finish under .500, but you think they’ll keep their 30-year streak of consecutive winning seasons alive. How come? Legendary manager Davey Johnson always advocated for having two to three rookies on every team because of the energy they bear, and in the Yankees’ case, you can immediately see this. The addition of Jasson Dominguez, Austin Wells and others gives them a fresh feel — and it’s not as if the Yankees are just a bad team. Aaron Judge might hit 40 homers in an injury-plagued season, Gerrit Cole is the Cy Young front-runner, and they have a strong bullpen. In 2016, they were a .500 team at the trade deadline — swapping Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller while turning to rookies like Judge and Gary Sanchez — and they finished well. I think they’ll do that this year. — Buster Olney
The 2023 AL and NL MVPs will be … ?
AL
Shohei Ohtani: 17
NL
Ronald Acuna Jr.: 9
Mookie Betts: 7
Freddie Freeman: 1
Ohtani was unanimous among our voters; what makes him a standout in the MVP race? The last thing Ohtani needed to win his second AL MVP was the sympathy vote, but here we are. The Angels’ bizarre season — just when you thought they couldn’t find a different way to disappoint and confound, they did — and Ohtani’s elbow injury have cast him in a Shakespearean light. He is by far the most valuable player in baseball, and along the way he has once and for all shredded the idea that a player’s worth is contingent on his team’s success. — Tim Keown
Why does Acuna deserve MVP? I’m a numbers guy, and while this MVP race has three amazing candidates, Acuna’s numbers are simply historic and impossible to overlook, and that’s beyond just being the first 30/60 player. He has started every single Braves game out of the leadoff spot, with these paces:
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147 runs: Other than Ted Williams in 1949 and Jeff Bagwell in 2000, this hasn’t been done since World War II.
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75 stolen bases: Other than Jose Reyes in 2007, this hasn’t been done since before the 1994 strike.
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219 hits: This hasn’t been done since Jose Altuve in 2014 and would be only the ninth instance this century.
Acuna is also pacing for 37 homers, and while we all talk about the Luis Arraez-Freddie Freeman prospective batting title race, Acuna is very much also in that mix. It’ll be tough for voters to ignore those statistical accomplishments. — Tristan Cockcroft
Acuna was the longtime favorite to win MVP. Why do you think Betts can overtake him? I’ll say this off the top: I wouldn’t have any qualms with anybody voting for Acuna. It’s that close. And I don’t think WAR should ever be the end-all, be-all, regardless of the version. But Betts’ 7.8 WAR at the start of September was a good bit higher than Acuna’s 6.7 WAR. Acuna has been dinged mostly by his defense, but few would make the case that he is actually a liability on defense. In fact, most would consider him a dynamic right fielder, regardless of what the metrics show.
Acuna gets the edge in baserunning, a product of him reaching the ridiculous 60-steal milestone before the end of August, but Betts has been a valuable baserunner in his own right. Offensively, of course, it’s really close too. But to me, Betts’ ability to also play both second base and shortstop — and play it well, I might add — gives him a slight edge in a head-to-head matchup that often makes it feel as if we’re splitting hairs. His versatility has also allowed the Dodgers to put together a much better lineup against right-handed pitching. — Alden Gonzalez
The Cy Youngs will go to … ?
AL
Gerrit Cole: 13
Kevin Gausman: 3
Luis Castillo: 1
NL
Spencer Strider: 6
Blake Snell: 5
Justin Steele: 4
Zac Gallen: 2
What makes you think Gausman can beat out Cole for the award? In a bit of a down AL Cy Young race, I have Gausman with a slight lead over Cole. Gausman leads the AL in strikeouts, has an identical walk rate to Cole and has made just two fewer starts. If the Jays can get into the playoffs with strong performances from Gausman while the Yankees fade into a tumultuous offseason, I think Gausman will win the award. — Kiley McDaniel
There doesn’t seem to be a clear consensus for an AL favorite, with Strider, Snell and Steele all vying for Cy Young. Make the case for Steele. Like MVP, there has to be an element of team value to the Cy Young award. That’s where Steele enters. The Cubs would be a second tier squad without him, and there’s no debating it. He’s the only pitcher on the Cubs who qualifies for the ERA title — injuries, ineffectiveness and youth have plagued the rest of the rotation — and he’s been that stalwart every playoff contender needs. The only time he failed to pitch at least five innings this season is around the time he went on the injured list back in early June. It was a short stint as he picked up where he left off, going 9-1 with a 2.72 ERA since that minor elbow ailment. Since June, the team has gone 13-1 with him on the mound.
As for league-wide numbers, Steele’s 2.69 ERA ranks second in the NL behind Snell, who’s on a losing team. Steele also ranks first in ERA+ and fewest home runs given up per nine innings pitched at a measly 0.7. He’s given up just 11 long balls all season. His first All-Star appearance should be followed by a Cy Young award. — Jesse Rogers
Why is Strider your pick for the NL? Wins and strikeouts aren’t everything, but when someone these days actually approaches 20 of the former and 300 of the latter — and for baseball’s best team — we notice. Strider won’t win the ERA title, but it’s not like anyone has a Bob Gibson-1968 ERA, either. I go with Strider. — Eric Karabell
The 2023 World Series matchup will be … ?
AL
Houston Astros: 8
Seattle Mariners: 3
Texas Rangers: 3
Minnesota Twins: 1
Toronto Blue Jays: 1
Tampa Bay Rays: 1
NL
Atlanta Braves: 12
Los Angeles Dodgers: 3
Philadelphia Phillies: 1
Milwaukee Brewers: 1
You have the Astros winning the division, but the Mariners making the World Series. Explain how Seattle gets there. This is all based on fatigue and history. Recent history shows that it’s hard to get to three straight World Series and even harder to repeat, but that doesn’t mean Houston will go down easily. The Astros have pushed hard of late to get into a position to win the AL West, but eventually those pitching injuries and mileage they’ve put on their bodies over the last few years will catch up to them.
That’s where a new, emerging power will fill the void — and the Mariners are that team. They’re brimming with confidence after a post All-Star break surge. Combined with the experience gained making the playoffs last season, they’re poised to go further this time around. The key to it all comes on the mound. The Mariners feature three starters (Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert) in the top 10 in ERA in the AL. No other team can make that claim. Add their star players — like Julio Rodriguez — showing up in the second half in a dramatic way and Seattle’s OPS has jumped from 10th to second since the break. The ingredients are all there for a playoff run and an upset in the ALCS no matter who the M’s face. — Rogers
Most of our voters have the Braves making the World Series, but you chose the Phillies. Why? The Braves have the most clout. The Dodgers have the most star power. But the Phillies have the roster best equipped to win October baseball games with fewer deficiencies than either Atlanta or Los Angeles. Philadelphia sports a lineup that can generate runs with or without homering, a rotation that runs six reliable starters deep and a spitfire bullpen that is considerably deeper than it was a year ago. — Paul Hembekides
A Twins-Brewers World Series?! Explain yourself! I’m calling this the “Hot Chocolate” World Series and, yes, it is admittedly a very long shot. But given the unpredictable nature of this season in general, I’m going with an unlikely World Series matchup. (I’m also aware that the Twins have lost an unfathomable 18 consecutive postseason games going back to 2004. Using straight 50/50 odds for each game, the odds of the Twins losing 18 straight would be about 1 in 261,985. This just means: They. Are. Due.)
There are also analytic reasons to pick both teams: namely, starting pitching. The Twins’ starters are near the top of the majors in lowest OPS allowed and strikeout rate. Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez are an underrated 1-2 punch and Joe Ryan and Kenta Maeda are both averaging more than 10 K’s per nine. The Twins also have a potentially dominant closer in flamethrowing Jhoan Duran and his 103-mph fastball. They’ll need another reliever or two to step up, but it’s a group that could be on a roll in October — they just need to win that first game.
The Brewers are also capable of a surprise — even upsetting the Braves. Their rotation is top five in lowest OPS allowed — and, remember, that’s with Brandon Woodruff missing most of the season. But he’s back now, Freddy Peralta is one of the hottest starters in the majors (1.71 ERA over his past seven starts with a .451 OPS allowed) and Corbin Burnes can wipe out any lineup on any given night. And they have a better bullpen than the Twins, led by closer Devin Williams and now featuring rookie Abner Uribe, who has averaged 99.5 mph with his fastball. — David Schoenfield
Who will finish with the most home runs in the majors?
Shohei Ohtani: 8
Matt Olson: 7
Pete Alonso: 1
Kyle Schwarber: 1
What makes you believe Ohtani will hit the most homers? The essence of the question for me is really “who is the better home run hitter right now?” given that the margin between Ohtani and Olson is so narrow. To me, Ohtani is the second-best home run hitter in the majors behind Judge, who is too far back to catch the leaders. So if Ohtani plays out the season, I think he’ll win it and, besides, if he’s not pitching, he’ll be able to focus on that kind of individual feat. The big, blinking caveat to this is that he’s injured. I’m sticking with him if he plays to the end of the season, but if he needs Tommy John surgery, it’s really hard to imagine he’ll wait another month to get that behind him. — Brad Doolittle
Olson is neck-and-neck with Ohtani. Why do you think he pulls ahead? This is less a bet for Olson being a superior home run hitter than it is a bet against Ohtani’s health and the pragmatic challenges it raises. Ohtani has a tear in his right UCL. We do not know the severity. What we do know is that it could necessitate Tommy John surgery, and if that is the ultimate outcome, the sooner Ohtani undergoes it, the better. Delaying until the end of September not only could prevent him from hitting to start the 2024 season but keep him from pitching until after Opening Day in 2025. Maybe Ohtani’s desire to hit 50 home runs or make a run at the Triple Crown will keep him going until the end, in which case Olson’s road is rough. But he’s going to play every day, and until we know the same of Ohtani, we’ll go with the sure(r) thing. — Passan
Who will be the wild-card teams in the NL?
Philadelphia Phillies: 17
Chicago Cubs: 16
San Francisco Giants: 8
Arizona Diamondbacks: 6
Cincinnati Reds: 2
Miami Marlins: 1
San Diego Padres: 1
The Phillies and Cubs were our most-picked teams. Why do they look like wild-card locks? In the Phillies’ case, it’s simple: They are loaded with accomplished veterans, and with Trea Turner and Bryce Harper heating up, they could be the biggest threat to the Braves’ NL preeminence. The Cubs seem to have two very solid traits — they generally catch the ball well, ranking in the top 10 in just about every advanced defensive metric, and they pitch effectively. And it’s always worth remembering that the wild-card races are never a battle of the best teams. The Cubs are a good team being chased by some slightly above average teams. They are hungry and won’t lose their edge. — Olney
Our voters were split between Arizona and San Francisco for the final spot, and you have both making it. What’s your reasoning? Just a hunch that the Giants and Diamondbacks will play a bit better than the Cubs in September. The Cubs will host these teams soon, and those series will be critical. It seems unlikely Marcus Stroman will be a factor. In addition, the Cubs have to close on the road with the Braves and Brewers. That may be a problem. — Karabell
How do you think the Reds secure a wild-card berth? The Reds play pressure baseball and they do so with sheer athleticism and spry youth. They remind me of the way the Guardians played during their playoff push in 2022 — with a certain innocence in being the youngest team and a mix of veteran confidence. In 2023, the numbers show that the Reds love to run: They’re first in MLB in stolen base attempts per game. Even when they get caught, they still force teams to be on their toes constantly. Pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, beware! Even the opposing team’s designated hitter is stressed out watching these guys constantly run. (This is also a skill that could help knock off the Brewers, who give up hardly any baserunners.)
Add to the mix that Hunter Greene is back, and before he went down, he was quietly starting to figure it out. In his last four starts before being placed on the IL in June, he allowed 13 hits and struck out 31 batters in 23⅓ innings for a 2.37 ERA. Love this team’s talent. So fun to watch. — Doug Glanville
Will the Orioles or Rays win the AL East?
Baltimore Orioles: 14
Tampa Bay Rays: 3
Why are the Orioles the favorite to win the division? The Rays are charging, and the team they are pursuing, Baltimore, lost dominant closer Felix Bautista, which is why the Orioles are going to hold on and win the AL East. They are young, hungry and well built, with the truest of grit. There’s no other explanation for how they can be where they are only two years after finishing 39 games out of fourth place. The Orioles are different. They don’t give a damn and were kicked around for so long that now, they just defy the odds. They will clinch the East at Oriole Park on the final day of the season against Boston. Gunnar Henderson will provide the walk-off. — Tim Kurkjian
Yet, you picked the Rays. What makes you think they can do it? It’s probably not cool to predict that anything negative might happen to the Orioles this season. They’re baseball’s darlings, but they’re going to find the final month of the season to be a grim slog to a wild-card spot. This is all new to the O’s, and the Rays have a stick-to-the-plan consistency that will win out in the end. It’s almost cultish how the Rays can ignore everything outside their own room and assemble a roster that conforms to the plan. Baltimore is putting together its own identity, one that should win multiple AL East titles, but that run starts next year. — Keown
Who will finish at the bottom of the NL East: the Mets or Nationals?
New York Mets: 12
Washington Nationals: 5
What makes you think Washington will fall back into the cellar? The Nats and Mets are in a virtual tie right now for last place in the NL East and I think the Nats will end up with that title. In short, Washington’s team right now is one of the worst in baseball — second worst, in fact, according to FanGraphs. When they’re starting in almost the same place, I’ll bet on the more talented Mets playing a bit better. — McDaniel
Who will win the AL West: the Astros, Rangers or Mariners?
Houston Astros: 10
Seattle Mariners: 4
Texas Rangers: 3
The Mariners currently sit atop the division, but you and our voters still think the Astros will take the title. How come? We sports journalists have short memories, but they aren’t that short. The Astros have been in the ALCS six straight seasons, which is a truly remarkable accomplishment. Obviously that streak will end eventually, perhaps even a few weeks from now. But at this point, it would be foolish to pick against them unless they have obviously deteriorated into a lesser team. Perhaps there were some early signs of fraying this season, but now Houston seems positioned just right and is even getting healthier the closer we get to October. The Astros have to give us a reason to pick against them — massive injuries, obvious widespread aging-out of core players, a division foe who has gotten too far ahead of them. None of those things are true right now. — Doolittle
Yet, you stuck with Seattle. Why? Because I’m a completely biased Seattle native who grew up going to games in the Kingdome? Or because they’ve been the hottest team in the AL? You choose! Technically, I’m predicting the Mariners, Astros, Rangers and Blue Jays all enter the final day of the season with the same record. I’m going with a Seattle win over Texas at home while the Astros and Blue Jays also win, eliminating the Rangers. Since Seattle has already clinched the season series over Houston, that gives the Mariners the AL West title. — Schoenfield
Before struggling in August, Texas spent most of the season leading the division. What makes you think they can still win it? The Rangers finished August with 10 losses in 13 games, but their inconsistencies actually date back even further than that. They went 40-38 from the start of June to the end of August, nowhere near as dominant as they were in April and May. Still, they still had a plus-42 run differential. And I still think they’re slightly more talented than the Astros and Mariners, the latter of which was a .500 team through its first 100 games. The Rangers’ lineup is deep and will be even deeper when Josh Jung returns. Their rotation is really good and will be even better when Nathan Eovaldi rejoins it. Their bullpen, well, it’s a problem. But nobody in the AL is perfect. The Rangers are the least imperfect. I have them winning the pennant. — Gonzalez
Make one bold prediction about the final stretch
In the American League …
Aaron Boone will be fired before the playoffs start. — Matt Marrone
The Mariners, Rangers, Astros and Blue Jays all enter the final day of the season with the same record — four teams for three spots. Seattle beats Texas and the Astros and Blue Jays both win, so the Rangers miss the playoffs (Mariners win the division since they won the season series over the Astros). — Schoenfield
The Rays lose their first playoff series after winning the AL East. — McDaniel
In the National League …
San Diego will finish with a winning record. — Hembekides
I’ll do you one better. The Padres will make the playoffs. — Gonzalez
The Phillies will be the wild-card entrant with the best chance to win the World Series. — Olney
The Reds and Marlins enter the final series of the season tied for the last wild-card spot in the NL. Miami sweeps the Pittsburgh Pirates while Cincinnati only wins two of three against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Marlins make the playoffs in a full 162-game season for the first time since 2003. — Liz Finny
There will be a three-way tie between the Giants, Reds and Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot in the NL. — Kurkjian
As for individual players …
Freddie Freeman wins the batting title in the NL. — Karabell
Not only will Freeman win the NL batting title, he’ll also break Joe Medwick’s NL doubles record (64). — Doolittle
Actually, Freeman is going to win the triple slash crown, leading in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. — Cockcroft
Edwin Diaz returns — and he runs onto the field while playing a trumpet! — Glanville
Pete Alonso will hit 50 home runs. — Rogers
Justin Steele will continue his unlikely journey from obscurity (0-6 with 5.59 ERA in Double-A in 2019) to stardom by leading the Cubs to a wild-card spot. — Keown
Oakland Athletics center fielder Esteury Ruiz will catch Acuna in stolen bases. — Yates
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Sports
Volpe toss hits Judge as sloppy Yanks fall again
Published
9 hours agoon
July 6, 2025By
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Jorge CastilloJul 5, 2025, 09:42 PM ET
Close- 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 — A blunder that typifies the current state of the New York Yankees, who find themselves in the midst of their second six-game losing streak in three weeks, happened in front of 41,401 fans at Citi Field on Saturday, and almost nobody noticed.
The Yankees were jogging off the field after securing the third out of the fourth inning of their 12-6 loss to the Mets when shortstop Anthony Volpe, as is standard for teams across baseball at the end of innings, threw the ball to right fielder Aaron Judge as he crossed into the infield from right field.
Only Judge wasn’t looking, and the ball nailed him in the head, knocking his sunglasses off and leaving a small cut near his right eye. The wound required a bandage to stop the bleeding, but Judge stayed in the game.
“Confusion,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I didn’t know what happened initially. [It just] felt like something happened. Of course I was a little concerned.”
Avoiding an injury to the best player in baseball was on the Yankees’ very short list of positives in another sloppy, draining defeat to their crosstown rivals. With the loss, the Yankees, who held a three-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East standings entering June 30, find themselves tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for second place three games behind the Blue Jays heading into Sunday’s Subway Series finale.
The nosedive has been fueled by messy defense and a depleted pitching staff that has encountered a wall.
“It’s been a terrible week,” said Boone, who before the game announced starter Clarke Schmidt will likely undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
For the second straight day, the Mets capitalized on mistakes and cracked timely home runs. After slugging three homers in Friday’s series opener, the Mets hit three more Saturday — a grand slam in the first inning from Brandon Nimmo to take a 4-0 lead and two home runs from Pete Alonso to widen the gap.
Nimmo’s blast — his second grand slam in four days — came after Yankees left fielder Jasson Dominguez misplayed a ball hit by the Mets’ leadoff hitter in the first inning. On Friday, he misread Nimmo’s line drive and watched it sail over his head for a double. On Saturday, he was slow to react to Starling Marte’s flyball in the left-center field gap and braked without catching or stopping it, allowing Marte to advance to second for a double. Yankees starter Carlos Rodon then walked two batters to load the bases for Nimmo, who yanked a mistake, a 1-2 slider over the wall.
“That slider probably needs to be down,” said Rodon, who allowed seven runs (six earned) over five innings. “A lot of misses today and they punished them.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s throwing woes at third base — a position the Yankees have asked him to play to accommodate DJ LeMahieu at second base — continued in the second inning when he fielded Tyrone Taylor’s groundball and sailed a toss over first baseman Cody Bellinger’s head. Taylor was given second base and scored moments later on Marte’s RBI single.
The Yankees were charged with their second error in the Mets’ four-run seventh inning when center fielder Trent Grisham charged Francisco Lindor’s single up the middle and had it bounce off the heel of his glove.
The mistake allowed a run to score from second base without a throw, extending the Mets lead back to three runs after the Yankees had chipped their deficit, and allowed a heads-up Lindor to advance to second base. Lindor later scored on Alonso’s second home run, a three-run blast off left-hander Jayvien Sandridge in the pitcher’s major league debut.
“Just got to play better,” Judge said. “That’s what it comes down to. It’s fundamentals. Making a routine play, routine. It’s just the little things. That’s what it kind of comes down to. But every good team goes through a couple bumps in the road.”
This six-game losing skid has looked very different from the Yankees’ first. That rough patch, consisting of losses to the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels, was propelled by offensive troubles. The Yankees scored six runs in the six games and gave up just 16. This time, run prevention is the issue; the Yankees have scored 34 runs and surrendered 54 in four games against the Blue Jays in Toronto and two in Queens.
“The offense is starting to swing the bat, put some runs on the board,” Boone said. “The pitching, which has kind of carried us a lot this season, has really, really struggled this week. We haven’t caught the ball as well as I think we should.
“So, look, when you live it and you’re going through it, it sucks, it hurts. But you got to be able to handle it. You got to be able to deal with it. You got to be able to weather it and come out of this and grow.”
Sports
Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies
Published
11 hours agoon
July 6, 2025By
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ESPN News Services
Jul 5, 2025, 05:48 PM ET
Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.
Jenks, 44, who had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, this year, spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and also played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. The reliever finished his major league career with a 16-20 record, 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.
“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”
After Jenks moved to Portugal last year, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. That eventually spread into blood clots in his lungs, prompting further testing. He was later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and began undergoing radiation.
In February, as Jenks was being treated for the illness, the White Sox posted “We stand with you, Bobby” on Instagram, adding in the post that the club was “thinking of Bobby as he is being treated.”
In 2005, as the White Sox ended an 88-year drought en route to the World Series title, Jenks appeared in six postseason games. Chicago went 11-1 in the playoffs, and he earned saves in series-clinching wins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Boston, and Game 4 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.
Bobby will forever hold a special place in all our hearts 🤍 pic.twitter.com/CLNi7g0Tzh
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 5, 2025
In 2006, Jenks saved 41 games, and the following year, he posted 40 saves. He also retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.
“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”
A native of Mission Hills, California, Jenks appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox and was originally drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.
Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario
Published
11 hours agoon
July 6, 2025By
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Jorge CastilloJul 5, 2025, 06:45 PM ET
Close- 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, digging for options to bolster their infield, have signed third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the affiliate announced Saturday.
Candelario, 31, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on June 23, halfway through a three-year, $45 million contract he signed before the start of last season. The decision was made after Candelario posted a .707 OPS in 2024 and batted .113 with a .410 OPS in 22 games for the Reds before going on the injured list in April with a back injury.
The performance was poor enough for Cincinnati to cut him in a move that Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall described as a sunk cost.
For the Yankees, signing Candelario is a low-cost flier on a player who recorded an .807 OPS just two seasons ago as they seek to find a third baseman to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, his natural position.
Candelario is the second veteran infielder the Yankees have signed to a minor league contract in the past three days; they agreed to terms with Nicky Lopez on Thursday.
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