The ultimate guide to the weirdest moments, unforgettable plays and defining quotes of Rivalry Week
Editor’s note: A version of this story originally was published in 2021.
It’s finally here, the week that hate — the clean, old-fashioned kind, mind you — is in fashion.
If you’ve ever been accused of firing a contractor because he wore a rival’s shirt to your house, this is your time. Put the flag up outside your house. Get the group texts fired up. Add a little school spirit to your Zoom background for your next meeting.
It’s Rivalry Week!
To celebrate, our reporters recap the excessive celebrations, tree desecrations and trash-can-fueled altercations from some of college football’s greatest games. Turn the fight song up and get the memes loaded up in your camera roll. Here we go.
Jump to a rivalry:
Ole Miss-Miss. State |
Oregon-Oregon State | Ohio State-Michigan
Kentucky-Louisville | Texas A&M-LSU
Alabama-Auburn | Arizona-Arizona State
Virginia-Virginia Tech | Washington State-Washington
Kentucky-Louisville | Florida State-Florida
Georgia-Georgia Tech | Clemson-South Carolina
North Carolina-NC State
All times Eastern
Thursday
Better known as: Egg Bowl
This year’s game: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN & ESPN App
All-time record: Ole Miss 64-47-6 (according to Ole Miss); 66-46-6 (according to Miss. State)
Current streak: Mississippi State, 1
Wildest on-field moment: Where do you start? Most recently, there was Ole Miss wide receiver Elijah Moore dropping to all fours in the end zone, lifting his leg and pretending to urinate like a dog in the 2019 Egg Bowl. His actions drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Rebels missed the ensuing 35-yard extra point attempt and lost 21-20 to the Bulldogs. Three days later, Ole Miss fired coach Matt Luke, which precipitated the hiring of Lane Kiffin. Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead was probably under more pressure coming into that game. There was a feeling, fair or not, that he was an odd fit in Starkville after previous coaching stops at Penn State, Fordham and Connecticut, among other non-southern schools. Moorhead famously said that Thanksgiving night after the game, “This is my team, this is my school, this is my program. You’ll have to drag my Yankee ass out of here.” A little more than a month later, Moorhead was fired on Jan. 3, four days after Mississippi State lost to Louisville in the Music City Bowl. That’s despite going 2-0 against Ole Miss as Mississippi State’s coach. The ironic thing is that Moore’s stunt wasn’t original. DK Metcalf did it two years earlier in the end zone after catching a 63-yard touchdown pass in Ole Miss’ 31-28 win over Mississippi State. Three days later, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen bolted for the Florida head-coaching job.
Strangest off-field moment: Steve Robertson, a lifelong Mississippi State fan who has the school’s logo tattooed on his left hand, was researching former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze’s phone records on July 5, 2017, for a book Robertson was writing and found a call associated with advertisements for a female escort service.
Robertson, who had been covering Mississippi State sports since 2001, relayed his findings to attorney Thomas Mars, who was representing former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt in his lawsuit against Ole Miss. Mars alerted the Ole Miss general counsel in a July 13, 2017, email about the call, and a week later, Freeze was out as Ole Miss’ coach despite beating Alabama in back-to-back seasons, in 2014 and 2015, and guiding the Rebels to their first Sugar Bowl victory in 50 years to cap the 2015 season.
Robertson said he received multiple death threats and shared one with ESPN back in 2017 in which someone wrote on a message board that he “won’t be around much longer.” — Chris Low
Quote that defines the rivalry: C.R. “Dudy” Noble, the namesake for Mississippi State’s baseball field, played four sports at Mississippi State (then known as Mississippi A&M) then coached baseball, basketball and football at Ole Miss for parts of the 1917 to ’19 seasons, before returning to coach at Mississippi State, most notably baseball. He later became Mississippi State’s longtime athletic director.
Noble famously told a sports writer: “I already know what hell is like. I once coached at Ole Miss.”
A close second place in the quote department goes to former Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill. When Sherrill was hired in 1991, Ole Miss coach Billy Brewer called Sherrill a “habitual liar.” Sherrill countered by saying that Brewer “didn’t know what the word habitual meant.”
Friday
Better known as: The schools did away with Civil War moniker in 2019
This year’s game: Friday, 8:30 p.m., Fox
All-time record: Oregon, 67-49-10 (acc. to Oregon State); Oregon, 66-51-10 (acc. to Oregon)
Current streak: Oregon State, 1
Wildest on-field moment: It’s tough to beat the 1998 game. No. 15 Oregon was, of course, favored in the game, yet the nighttime setting in Corvallis made it ripe for an upset. The back-and-forth affair led to overtime, when a failed fourth-down try appeared to give Oregon State the victory. The fans rushed the field and surrounded the goalposts without noticing that there had been a flag thrown for pass interference. Security and team officials took more than 15 minutes to get all of the fans on the field back to their seats in order to continue the game. Oregon scored a touchdown to tie the game at 38 then added a field goal to start the second overtime.
The Beavers then handed the ball off to running back Ken Simonton, who had 157 yards on the ground and four touchdowns on the night, and he pranced into the end zone for a winning 16-yard touchdown run. The field was re-rushed, and the win not only gave the Beavers their first five-win season since 1971, it also set the stage for going 11-1 and winning the conference in the 2000 season.
Strangest off-field moment: This rivalry is no stranger to strange moments, but how about one that involved actual fire? In 2010, after the Ducks beat the Beavers in Corvallis to advance to the BCS title game, a group of Oregon fans were seen holding up an “I hate your Ducks” T-shirt that was on fire while they tried to light their celebratory cigars with it. The burning shirt soon ended up burning the turf and damaged the field. At the time, Oregon State’s assistant athletic director said the entire logo at midfield needed to be replaced, which would cost over $5,000. It was later determined that the damage was closer to $1,500.
Police found cigar wrappers on the field and eventually were able to catch the Oregon student via a photo in the Portland Tribune and a YouTube video in which the 20-year-old student was seen throwing the burning jersey onto the turf. Though he was not the one who lit the shirt on fire, he was charged with one felony and four misdemeanors. — Paolo Uggetti
Quote that defines the rivalry: At the risk of leaving out “No Natty for you” guy, this quote by running back Ryan Nall in advance of the 2017 matchup sums up the dynamic the two schools have with each other.
“I remember [at last year’s game] seeing that our sideline was jumping around, and we didn’t have raincoats on,” Nall said. “And then I saw the fancy Nike Duck raincoats on. And I remember thinking, ‘We’re going to beat them. They’re not prepared for these elements.'”
Nall was right. Oregon State beat the Ducks that day. But his trash talk was thrown back in his face during the 2017 game, as Oregon trounced the Beavers 69-10.
Saturday
Better known as: The Game
This year’s game: Saturday, noon, Fox
All-time record: Michigan, 60-51-6
Current streak: Michigan, 2
Wildest on-field moment: There was Desmond Howard striking the Heisman Trophy pose as Keith Jackson yelled, “Hello, Heisman.” Charles Woodson and David Boston going after each other in 1997. The 1950 Snow Bowl, a game that featured 45 punts and ended with a 9-3 Michigan win. The controversy over whether J.T. Barrett got a first down in the 2016 game. But one of the wildest moments came in 1973, when Ohio State ran onto the field to a roar of boos and ran straight toward Michigan’s “Go Blue” banner that the Wolverines jump and touch before every home game. The Buckeyes jumped up, grabbed the banner and tore it down in the middle of the field, which caused the boos to grow louder. That incident led to former Michigan players defending the banner in 1977, which caused an incident of its own. As Ohio State players ran under the banner, the Michigan alumni stood in the middle of the lane while body checking and pushing the Buckeyes players as they ran through. The incident caused Michigan announcer Bob Ufer to exclaim, “Oh brother, are you and I in for 60 minutes of football!”
Strangest off-field moment: This probably could have served as the wildest on-field moment, but it technically happened off the field. A dustup occurred in the 2013 game, and Ohio State offensive lineman Marcus Hall was ejected. He stormed to the sideline, threw his helmet to the ground, kicked a bench and left the field. As he made his way into the tunnel, he extended both arms and flipped off the Michigan fans as he exited. That moment went viral, and T-shirts were even made with a silhouette of Hall flipping the double bird. — Tom VanHaaren
Quote that defines the rivalry: “I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people in the classroom, the community and, most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan.” — new Ohio State coach Jim Tressel at a Buckeyes basketball game after being hired to replace John Cooper, who went 2-10-1 against Michigan.
Better known as: Governor’s Cup
This year’s game: Saturday, noon, ABC and ESPN App
All-time record: Kentucky, 19-15
Current streak: Kentucky, 4
Wildest on-field moment: Louisville was a massive, four-touchdown favorite entering the 2016 game, with future Heisman winner Lamar Jackson leading the way. But the Cards’ season had already begun to fall apart the week before when Jackson was bludgeoned by Ed Oliver and the Houston defensive front. Against Kentucky, Jackson struggled badly, throwing three interceptions. Still, Louisville had a shot to win, with a first-and-goal play, tied at 38 with 1:45 to go. Instead, Jackson was hit in the backfield and fumbled. Kentucky recovered, drove 60 yards on seven plays and kicked a winning field goal to hand the Wildcats their first Governor’s Cup since 2010.
Strangest off-field moment: OK, this happened on the field — but not during a play. Louisville was looking for revenge in 2017 after Kentucky pulled the massive upset the year before, and Jackson was the catalyst. The emotions were high from the outset, and when Jackson scored in the first quarter, a skirmish broke out on the sideline. Jackson got into it with Kentucky’s Jordan Jones, but it was Wildcats linebacker Denzil Ware who stole the show by picking up a plastic trash can and attacking a Louisville player with it. — David M. Hale
Quote that defines the rivalry: Although the two schools initially played in 1912, the rivalry went dark from 1924 until 1994. When the rivalry kicked off again, Louisville was considered an upstart program, while Kentucky was already battling in the difficult SEC East. Former Kentucky coach Bill Curry summed up the general feeling for the Wildcats, who saw the game as an obstacle, while Louisville saw opportunity: “To add another stem-winder, another gut-check game, was just not smart scheduling on our part, whereas for Louisville, it was a great thing.” Kentucky prevailed 20-14.
Better known as: Nothing, but Les Miles once had an idea: “We need a trophy. Somebody needs to come up with a trophy. There’s so much petroleum right? On both ends. Maybe some kind of big petroleum something. No, not a barrel. A wrench or something.”
This year’s game: Saturday, noon, ESPN and ESPN App
All-time record: LSU, 35-23-3
Current streak: Texas A&M, 1
Wildest on-field moment: The two teams played 50 times before they were ever in the same conference, so there is plenty of history. But we just have to go back to 2018 for this one, to when A&M beat LSU 74-72 in an epic, seven-overtime game that set the FBS record for the most points in a game and lasted nearly five hours. That, in itself, was wild. But afterward, with fans storming the field and Texas A&M receivers coach Dameyune Craig — who was fired by LSU coach Ed Orgeron following the 2016 season — jawing at LSU coaches, a melee broke out. LSU offensive analyst Steve Kragthorpe (himself a former A&M offensive coordinator) intervened with Craig, and A&M student manager Cole Fisher, Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher’s nephew, shoved Kragthorpe. Cole Fisher then traded punches with LSU running backs coach Kevin Faulk and was punched by LSU safety John Battle. “I didn’t appreciate getting punched in my pacemaker,” Kragthorpe told Gannett Louisiana newspapers afterward, though video showed it to be a shove, albeit in his chest. Jimbo Fisher said “the matter has been addressed internally” on A&M’s end; and Kragthorpe, who has Parkinson’s disease, was OK. But that game supercharged the now-divisional rivalry.
Strangest off-field moment: The two are fierce recruiting rivals. But no signee was under as much scrutiny as Billy Cannon Jr., son of LSU’s legendary 1959 Heisman Trophy winner. The younger Cannon chose Texas A&M in 1980, saying he didn’t “owe LSU his blood” and that he wanted to leave Louisiana. LSU retired the elder Cannon’s No. 20 jersey in 1960, but after his son picked the Aggies, there was a failed movement to unretire the father’s jersey. LSU and the Aggies also went to the wire in 1986 for the services of one of the nation’s top recruits, running back Harvey Williams. Williams, a star at Hempstead (Texas) High School, just 42 miles from College Station, told Sports Illustrated he was set to sign with the Aggies but that he heard a cheerleader singing the “Aggie War Hymn” on the way to his announcement, got annoyed and changed his selection to LSU. For a little extra fuel, he added: “All that military and uniforms and yell leaders, I don’t get off on that stuff. And that dog — Reveille — that dog is so sorry. I can’t stand that dog.” — Dave Wilson
Quote that defines the rivalry: “I hope they enjoyed it. I hope they put the score of last year’s game too. I bet they didn’t sell many cups on that one.” — Orgeron to WAFB-TV in the spring of 2020, following LSU’s 50-7 defeat of the Aggies in 2019 after Texas A&M sold cups at Kyle Field concessions stands with 2018’s 74-72 score on them.
Better known as: Iron Bowl
This year’s game: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS
All-time record: Alabama, 49-37-1
Current streak: Alabama, 3
Wildest on-field moment: At first, it looked as if the official review might save Alabama, which was one win away from reaching the SEC title game in 2013 and a shot at a third consecutive BCS National Championship appearance. With the contest tied at 28, running back T.J. Yeldon sprinted across midfield and ran out of bounds right as the play clock hit 0:00 on the field. But officials took another look and decided one second should be placed back on the clock — enough time for Alabama coach Nick Saban to have his place-kicker attempt a 56-yard field goal.
And just like that, the Kick Six was born. Adam Griffith’s kick fell short. Chris Davis caught the ball in the back of the end zone, started running toward the middle of the field, then veered to his left. Alabama’s field goal team was late getting into coverage and couldn’t stop Davis from breaking containment, and he danced down the sideline for a touchdown. Auburn won the game, fans stormed the field and Alabama was stunned. Auburn went on to the SEC championship game and the BCS title game.
“First time I’ve lost a game that way,” Saban said. “First time I’ve ever seen a game lost that way.”
Strangest off-field moment: Al from Dadeville wasn’t Al from Dadeville at all. His real name was Harvey Updyke, and he was from Louisiana, and he called in to Paul Finebaum’s radio show one day with a story of how overheated the Iron Bowl rivalry can get.
Updyke, an Alabama fan, said he was at the 2010 game in Tuscaloosa when he saw someone place a Cam Newton jersey on former Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s statue.
“Let me tell you what I did,” Updyke told Finebaum. “The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Alabama, because I live 30 miles away. I poisoned the two Toomer’s trees. I put Spike 80DF in them.”
Finebaum, who wasn’t taking it all that seriously, asked, “Did they die?”
“They’re not dead yet, but they definitely will die,” Updyke said.
Finebaum then asked, “Is that against the law to poison a tree?
“Do you think I care?” Updyke said. “I really don’t. Roll damn Tide.”
Updyke did poison the famed oaks on Toomer’s Corner, which had stood for more than 70 years as a gathering place for Auburn fans to celebrate. The school fought to save the trees, but in 2013, they had to be removed.
Updyke, who died in 2020, was charged with criminal mischief, desecrating a venerated object and damaging agriculture. He was later convicted of felony criminal damage of an agricultural facility, served more than 70 days in jail and was ordered to pay about $800,000 in restitution. — Alex Scarborough
Quote that defines the rivalry: From 1904 to 1988, every Iron Bowl was played in Birmingham, which was only an hour’s drive from the University of Alabama but twice as far from Auburn. When Pat Dye took over as coach at Auburn in 1981, he wanted to change that. But his former boss, Bryant, said they’d never agree to it as long as he was still coaching. To which Dye famously replied, “You ain’t gon’ coach forever.” Bryant reminded Dye that they had a contract to play in Birmingham through 1988. Fine, Dye said, they’d play the game in Auburn in 1989 then. And they did. The 11th-ranked Tigers upset No. 2 Alabama 30-20 in the first rivalry game ever played in their home stadium. Afterward, Dye told his team how much that meant to him: “Sure I’d like to be 11-0, but I wouldn’t swap this year for any year that I’ve been at Auburn.”
Better known as: Territorial Cup
This year’s game: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN and ESPN App
All-time record: Arizona, 50-46-1
Current streak: Arizona, 1
Wildest on-field moment: Arizona State had already locked up a berth in the Rose Bowl when it traveled to Tucson in 1986, and the only blemish on its record was a tie. Down 24-10 late in the third quarter, the Sun Devils were driving with a chance to make it a one-score game. On third-and-goal, Chuck Cecil stepped in front of a Jeff Van Raaphorst pass six yards deep in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown. The touchdown sealed a famous win for Arizona and, perhaps more importantly, prevented Arizona State from finishing undefeated. For Arizona, Cecil’s interception return stands as one of the most iconic moments in program history.
Strangest off-field moment: Unlike most long-standing rivalries, there hasn’t been one iconic trophy on the line in the Arizona-ASU football game for a significant period of time. Multiple trophies have cycled in and out over the past 70 years or so. Still, the Territorial Cup is the oldest rivalry trophy in college football, dating back to 1899. After its debut more than a century ago, the Cup went missing for the next 80 years, only to be discovered in a church basement in 1980. It has been awarded to the winner of the game since 2001. — Kyle Bonagura
Quote that defines the rivalry: “This rivalry goes back [to 1899]. The Territorial Cup has really emotional fan bases when it comes to this football game. It’s one of longest rivalries in college football, so that’s always good. The guys that have played in this game have competed in it; they understand the validity of it.” — Sun Devils coach Herm Edwards, 2018
Better known as: Commonwealth Cup
This year’s game: Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network and ESPN App
All-time record: Virginia Tech, 60-38-5 (acc. to Tech); Virginia Tech, 58-38-5 (acc. to UVA)
Current streak: Virginia Tech, 2 (and 17 of the past 18)
Wildest on-field moment: Virginia held a commanding 29-14 lead entering the fourth quarter of the 1995 installment of the Commonwealth Cup. The Hokies stormed back on the arm of signal-caller Jim Druckenmiller, taking a one-point lead with 47 seconds to play. UVA’s final comeback attempt was thwarted when Virginia Tech’s Antonio Banks picked off a pass and returned it for a score. But what’s most remembered from that play is Virginia trainer Joe Gieck sticking his foot out in a feigned attempt to trip Banks as the Hokies’ defender raced down the Cavaliers sideline. Gieck insisted the incident was just a joke and that he never came close to tripping Banks, adding, “I’ve seen too many people break a tibia [doing that] in soccer.”
Strangest off-field moment: These days, Virginia Tech players expect wins against their chief rival, but at the turn of the 20th century, things were different. Hence the story of the long career of Hunter Carpenter, a future Hall of Fame halfback who played for the Hokies from 1899 through 1903. In 1899, Carpenter’s team was demolished by Virginia, and he vowed revenge. Unfortunately for Carpenter, he lost again in 1900 and 1901 and 1902 and 1903. Inexplicably, Carpenter then enrolled at North Carolina — a far better football program at the time — in hopes he might finally beat Virginia in 1904. He lost again. In 1905, Carpenter returned to Virginia Tech — his eighth year playing college football — and faced allegations by the UVA newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, that he was being paid. He was forced to sign an affidavit denying it, and he finally got his win. The outcome became so contentious that Virginia refused to play the Hokies again until 1923. — David M. Hale
Quote that defines the rivalry: In 1989, former Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was dealing with heart problems, which raised alarms when he collapsed on the sideline during the Hokies game with Virginia that year. It turns out, Beamer had actually been on the receiving end of an errant elbow during a tackle attempt. “So, I got this heart issue going,” Beamer said, “I got a tooth knocked out, and we lost the game.” No doubt the score was the one that bothered Beamer most.
Better known as: Apple Cup
This year’s game: Saturday, 4 p.m., Fox
All-time record: Washington, 75-33-6
Current streak: Washington, 1
Wildest on-field moment: When an individual game within a rivalry is branded with its own name, it’s a good indicator that something unique took place. For the Apple Cup, the Snow Bowl is that game. After climbing to No. 13 in the AP poll a few weeks earlier, Washington State had lost three of four and entered the 1992 Apple Cup at home against No. 5 Washington. The Huskies had been ranked No. 1 until a loss to No. 12 Arizona two weeks prior but had still already locked up a trip to the Rose Bowl.
It began to snow the morning of the game and really started to come down after kickoff. At halftime, Washington, which was led by quarterback Mark Brunell, led 7-6 at halftime as neither team could find any sort of an offensive rhythm. In blizzard-like conditions in the second half, everything changed. WSU quarterback Drew Bledsoe caught fire and led the Cougars to 29 third-quarter points, including one of the most iconic plays in WSU and Apple Cup history: a 44-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Bobo, who slid into a snowbank underneath the goalpost after making the catch.
Strangest off-field moment: A lot of what made the 2002 game strange — for all the wrong reasons — technically took place on the field, but not until the game was over. Unranked Washington beat No. 3 Washington State 29-26 in triple overtime in a game that ended when the officials ruled a WSU bubble screen was a backward pass and recovered by Washington. The response from the crowd at Pullman’s Martin Stadium was ugly, as fans rained down bottles and whatever else they had at their disposal toward the field. Washington star wide receiver Reggie Williams was pelted with a bottle, and UW athletic director Barbara Hedges stated she “feared for her life,” marring the end of one of the best WSU regular seasons in history. — Kyle Bonagura
Quote that defines the rivalry: “One game doesn’t make a season, but the people who say that haven’t participated in the Apple Cup.” — former WSU coach Mike Price
Better known as: Sunshine Showdown
This year’s game: Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN and ESPN App
All-time record: Florida, 37-27-2
Current streak: Florida State, 1
Wildest on-field moment: It is so hard to choose between the Choke at Doak in 1994 or the Sugar Bowl in 1997 when Florida won the national championship or Florida upsetting No. 1 Florida State 32-29 by rotating quarterbacks in 1997 or Doug Johnson throwing a football near Bobby Bowden’s head during a pregame brawl in 1998 or a postgame fight between the teams in 2003 after Florida State started stomping on the logo at midfield (a game marred by horrific officiating calls). As you can see, there have been plenty of wild moments. But if we had to choose one, the most notable has to be the Choke at Doak, when Florida blew a 31-3 fourth-quarter lead in Tallahassee. The game ended in a 31-31 tie, but it felt like a win to many Seminoles. Florida coach Steve Spurrier said of the game, “They were all bragging about the tie. I said, ‘Hell, it’s the same for you as it is for us.'” Spurrier never did beat Florida State in Tallahassee.
Strangest off-field moment: Perhaps the most contentious moment in the rivalry happened after their 1996 regular-season matchup, when Spurrier accused Florida State coach Bobby Bowden of trying to deliberately take out quarterback Danny Wuerffel. Florida State won the game 24-21, but the teams ended up in a rematch in the Sugar Bowl to decide the national championship. Bowden said of the accusations: “We might hit ’til the echo instead of just the whistle. We try to do it legally. They usually call it if it’s too late.” It was not a good enough explanation for Spurrier, who said, “We are not going to go to the Sugar Bowl and take the crap that we took in Tallahassee. Maybe we’re declaring war on the Seminoles, and maybe they’ve declared war on us, but we’re looking forward to competing with them — not for a national championship, not for anything except trying to beat them. That should be as big a goal as we could possibly have.” Florida won the rematch 52-20 to claim its first national title. — Andrea Adelson
Quote that defines the rivalry: “You know what FSU stands for, don’t you? Free Shoes University.” — Spurrier
Better known as: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate
This year’s game: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ABC and ESPN App
All-time record: Georgia, 70-39-5 (acc. to Georgia); 70-41-5 (acc. to Tech)
Current streak: Georgia, 5 (and 18 of the past 21)
Wildest on-field moment: In the 1999 edition in Atlanta, the score was tied at 48 with 13 seconds to go. Georgia had the ball at Tech’s 2-yard line on first-and-goal. Instead of kicking a field goal to potentially win the game, Georgia coach Jim Donnan elected to go for a touchdown. Jasper Sanks took a handoff, dove for the goal line and — depending on which side you were on — either fumbled or was down before losing the ball. TV replays showed Sanks was down, but it was before the introduction of instant replay rules. So, the only thing that mattered was the officials ruled Sanks fumbled the ball, and Georgia Tech took possession at its 1-yard line. The game went into overtime, and Tech’s Luke Manget kicked a field goal to give the Yellow Jackets a controversial 51-48 victory. The next week, then-SEC commissioner Roy Kramer suspended referee Al Ford and his six-man crew from working the SEC championship game.
Wildest off-field moment: The Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets don’t agree about much of anything, including the all-time series record. Georgia says it has a 68-39-5 advantage; the Yellow Jackets claim 41 victories in the series. The dispute lies in games played during World War II, in 1943 and 1944, during which Georgia Tech won by a combined score of 92-0. Many of the Bulldogs’ best players from their 1942 national championship enlisted in the war, so there wasn’t a single returning starter. In fact, most of Georgia’s players were under the age of 18 and weren’t eligible for the military draft. Conversely, Georgia Tech benefited from having an on-campus Navy V-12 Program, from which it was able to recruit football players, as well as a Navy flight school, which attracted players from other schools. Georgia still distinguishes the disputed games in its media guide and record books with asterisks. — Mark Schlabach
Quote that defines the rivalry: “Lose to Tech, you don’t put up a Christmas tree. That’s my rule.” — Erk Russell, whose family apparently went without the holiday tradition only four times in his 17 seasons as Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 1964 to 1980.
Better known as: Palmetto Bowl
This year’s game: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network and ESPN App
All-time record: Clemson, 72-43-4
Current streak: South Carolina, 1
Wildest on-field moment: The nation’s second-longest continuously played rivalry (it ended at 111 games last year; thanks COVID-19) is packed with title-worthy moments, from The Return and The Brawl to The Catch and The Catch II (or as Gamecocks fans call it, The Push-Off). But the peak pissed-off moment of the game’s history happened in 1992. That’s when cocky, rattail-wearing quarterback Steve Taneyhill took over a South Carolina team that had started the season 0-5 and led the Gamecocks to four wins in his five starts, including an upset 24-13 victory over the reeling Tigers. Taneyhill threw for nearly 300 yards in the cold rain, and along the way, he stood on the bench and taunted the orange crowd, swung an imaginary baseball bat, was carried off the field by jubilant fans and, most notably, ran to Death Valley’s midfield and acted as if he was signing his autograph atop Clemson’s sacred Tiger Paw logo. A poster of that moment is still on display in sports bars and man caves from Charleston to Greenville.
Strangest off-field moment: OK, so it was on the field, but it involved a bunch of guys who should have been off the field. In 1961, Clemson took the field in Columbia and started their pregame warm-ups, but they were the weirdest warm-ups ever, including dancing and stumbling and dropping passes. They even convinced the Clemson band to play the “Tiger Rag.” But when the real Tigers jogged out, confused and then angry, the crowd realized that the “team” they’d been watching was instead members of South Carolina’s Sigma Nu fraternity. — Ryan McGee
Quote that defines the rivalry: “They ain’t Alabama. They ain’t LSU. And they’re certainly not Clemson. That’s why Carolina’s in Chapel Hill and USC’s in California and the university in this state always has been, always will be, Clemson.” — Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, 2011
Better known as: Carolina-State
This year’s game: Saturday, 8 p.m., ACC Network and ESPN App
All-time record: UNC, 68-38-6
Current streak: NC State, 2
Wildest on-field moment: This game has never been as big of a deal as it should be, at least not nationally. When these squads met as ranked teams one year ago, it was only the third time in 110 meetings that both teams were in the AP Top 25. But forget that neither one of these Tobacco Road anchors has been as good at football as they should be or that they have inexplicably kept this game off the final weekend of the schedule more often than not; this is a game that generates plenty of heat across the Old North State. (Trust me: I grew up dodging postgame fights in the Carter-Finley Stadium parking lot.) The 2004 edition of the game was in Chapel Hill, and the home crowd was left heartbroken when Wolfpack tailback T.A. McLendon rumbled into the end zone for a game-tying TD in the closing seconds, with the would-be game-winning PAT forthcoming. As one goal line official signaled touchdown, another ran in and said McLendon’s knee had hit the turf before the ball crossed the goal line. On the next play, McClendon ran it in again, this time going airborne. UNC’s Khalif Mitchell blasted the ball from McClendon’s grasp, and the game ended with a Tar Heels fumble recovery and a 30-24 win.
Strangest off-field moment: After the 1905 game ended in a 0-0 score, the third straight tie in the rivalry, the NC State football team received a congratulatory telegram from Trinity College, a little school in nearby Durham that had yet to start a football program. In 1925, Trinity changed its name to Duke. — Ryan McGee
Quote that defines the rivalry: “You might not hear much about that game around the country, and that’s fine. But if you ever walk into a bar anywhere in the state of North Carolina and you see a guy in khakis and his Carolina polo staring at a guy in his jeans and an NC State T-shirt, clear the room, because it’s about to go down.” — Philip Rivers, NC State quarterback, 2000-03, who posted a 3-1 record vs. UNC
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David Schoenfield
We’re past due to hand out some midseason grades, so let’s hand out some midseason grades.
As we pass the 90-game mark in the 2025 MLB season, my team of the first half isn’t the well-rounded Detroit Tigers, who do get our highest grade for owning MLB’s best record, or the explosive Chicago Cubs or Shohei Ohtani‘s Los Angeles Dodgers, but a team most baseball fans love to hate: the Houston Astros. They lost their two best players from last season and their best hitter has been injured — and they’re playing their best baseball since they won the 2022 World Series.
Let’s get to the grades. As always, we’re grading off preseason expectations, factoring in win-loss record and quality of performance, while looking at other positive performances and injuries.
Jump to a team:
AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX
NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF
Tarik Skubal is obviously the headline act, but the Tigers are winning with impressive depth across the entire roster.
Javier Baez is putting together a remarkable comeback season after a couple of abysmal years and will become the first player to start an All-Star Game at both shortstop and in the outfield. Former No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson have put together their own comeback stories, while Riley Greene has matured into one of the game’s top power hitters.
Given their deep well of prospects and contributors at the MLB level, no team is better positioned than the Tigers to add significant help at the trade deadline.
I heard someone refer to them as the Zombie Astros, which feels apropos. Alex Bregman left as a free agent, they traded Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez has been injured and has just three home runs, and the Jose Altuve experiment in left field predictably fizzled.
But here they are, fighting for the best record in the majors and holding a comfortable lead in the AL West. They’re getting star turns from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Jeremy Pena, while the risky decision to start Cam Smith in the majors with very little minor league experience has paid off, as he has now become their cleanup hitter.
If we ignore the COVID-19 season, the Astros look on their way to an eighth straight division title.
This could be at least a half-grade higher based on everything that has gone right: Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s attention-grabbing breakout, Tucker doing everything expected after the big trade, Seiya Suzuki‘s monster power numbers and Matthew Boyd‘s All-Star turn in the rotation. The Cubs are on pace for their most wins since their World Series title season in 2016.
There have been a few hiccups, however, especially in the rotation with Justin Steele‘s season-ending injury and Ben Brown‘s inconsistency, plus rookie third baseman Matt Shaw has scuffled, and the bench has been weak aside from their backup catchers.
Still, this is a powerhouse lineup, and the Cubs will seek to improve their rotation at the deadline.
They just keep winning of late, going from 25-27 and seven games behind the Yankees on May 25 to taking over first place from the slumping Bronx Bombers, a remarkable turnaround over just 36 games. They went 27-9 over a 36-game stretch ending with their eighth win in a row on Sunday.
George Springer‘s recent surge has been fun to watch, a reminder of how good he was at his peak, and Addison Barger has been mashing over the past two months.
Some of the stats don’t add up to the Blue Jays being this good — they’ve barely outscored their opponents — but there might be more offense in the tank from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a healthy Anthony Santander, and the bullpen, a soft spot, is the easiest area to upgrade.
Their success is best summed up by the fact that Freddy Peralta is their lone All-Star, but they have a whole bunch of players who have contributed between 1 and 2 WAR.
Brandon Woodruff looked good Sunday in his first start in nearly two years, so that could be a huge boost for the second half.
I’m curious to see how Jackson Chourio performs as well. While his counting stats — extra-base hits, RBIs — are fine, his triple-slash line remains below last season, especially his OBP. He had a huge second half in 2024 (.310/.363/.552), and if he does that again, the Brewers could find themselves back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The Rays started off slow, with a losing record through the end of April, but then went 33-22 in May and June to claw back into the AL East race — as the Rays usually do, last year being the recent exception.
Two key performers have been All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero, who has a chance to become just the third player to hit 40 home runs in his age-21 season, and All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda.
Due to the league wanting the Rays to play more home games early in the season, the July and August slate will be very road-heavy, so we’ll see how the Rays adapt to a difficult two-month stretch, especially since their pitching isn’t quite as deep as it has been in other seasons.
No, they’re not going to be the greatest team of all time. But they might win 100 games — even though Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, their huge offseason acquisitions, have combined for just two wins in 10 starts.
The lineup, of course, has been terrific, with Ohtani leading the NL in several categories and Will Smith leading the batting race. By wRC+, it’s been the best offense in Dodgers history.
If they can get some combo of Snell, Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow healthy, plus Ohtani eventually ramped up to a bigger workload on the mound, the Dodgers still loom as World Series favorites.
They are on pace for 95 wins, mainly on the strength of Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez, who are a combined 23-7 with 11.8 WAR. Jesus Luzardo‘s ERA is bloated due to that two-start stretch when he allowed 20 runs, but he has otherwise been solid as well.
But, overall, it hasn’t always been the smoothest of treks. The bullpen has imploded a few times and the offense has lacked power aside from Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper is back after missing three weeks, and they need to get his bat going. Look for some bullpen additions at the trade deadline — and perhaps an outfielder as well.
The Cardinals have been a minor surprise — perhaps even to the Cardinals themselves. St. Louis was viewing this as a rebuilding year of sorts — not that the Cardinals ever hit rock bottom and start completely over. They had a hot May, winning 12 of 13 at one point, but the offense has been fading of late, with those three straight shutout losses to Pittsburgh and six shutout losses since June 25.
The starting rotation doesn’t generate a lot of swing and miss, with both Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas seeing their ERAs starting to climb. Brendan Donovan is the team’s only All-Star rep, and that kind of sums up this team: solid but without any star power. That might foretell a second-half fade.
All-Star starting pitchers Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, plus a dominant bullpen, have led the way, although after starting 12-4, the Giants have basically been a .500 team for close to three months now. Rafael Devers hasn’t yet ignited the offense since coming over from Boston, and the Giants have lost four 1-0 games.
These final three games at home against the Dodgers before the All-Star break will be a crucial series, as Los Angeles has slowly pulled away in the NL West.
This was an “A-plus” through June 12, when the Mets were 45-24 and owned the best record in baseball, even though Juan Soto hadn’t gotten hot. Soto finally got going in June, but the pitching collapsed, and the Mets went through a disastrous 1-10 stretch.
The rotation injuries have piled up, exacerbating the lack of bullpen depth. Recent games have been started by Justin Hagenman (who had a 6.21 ERA in Triple-A), journeyman reliever Chris Devenski, Paul Blackburn (7.71 ERA) and Frankie Montas, who has had to start even though he’s clearly not throwing the ball well. The Mets need to get the rotation healthy, but also could use more offense from Mark Vientos and their catchers (Francisco Alvarez was demoted to Triple-A).
At times it has felt like Cal Raleigh has been a one-man team with his record-breaking first half. But he will be joined on the All-Star squad by starting pitcher Bryan Woo, closer Andres Munoz and center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who made it on the strength of his defense, as his offense has been a disappointment.
The offense has been one of the best in the majors on the road, but the rotation has been nowhere near as effective as the past couple of seasons, with George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller all missing time with injuries. They just shut out the Pirates three games in a row, so maybe that will get the rotation on a roll.
They’re just out of the wild-card picture while hanging around .500, so we give them a decent grade since that exceeds preseason expectations. It feels like a little bit of a mirage given their run differential — their record in one-run games (good) versus their record in blowout games (not good) — and various holes across the lineup and pitching staff.
But they’ve done two things to keep them in the race. One, they hit a lot of home runs. Two, they’re the only team in the majors to use just five starting pitchers. The rotation hasn’t been stellar, but it’s been stable.
The Padres are probably fortunate to be where they are, given some of their issues. As expected, the offensive depth has been a problem.
Not as expected, Dylan Cease has struggled while Michael King‘s injury after a strong start has left them without last year’s dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation (although Nick Pivetta has been one of the best signings of the offseason). Yu Darvish just made his season debut Monday, so hopefully he’ll provide a lift.
The Padres haven’t played well against the better teams, including a 2-5 record against the Dodgers, but they did clean up against the Athletics, Rockies and Pirates, going 16-2 against those three teams.
For now, the Reds are stuck in neutral. Leave out 2022, when they lost 100 games, and it’s otherwise been a string of .500-ish seasons: 31-29 in 2020, 83-79 in 2021, 82-80 in 2023, 77-85 in 2024 and now a similar record so far in 2025.
The hope was that Terry Francona would be a difference-maker. Maybe that will play out down the stretch, but the best hope is to get the rotation clicking on all cylinders at the same time. That means Andrew Abbott continuing his breakout performance, plus getting Hunter Greene healthy again and rookie Chase Burns to live up to the hype after a couple of shaky outings following an impressive MLB debut.
Throw in Nick Lodolo and solid Nick Martinez and Brady Singer, and this group can be good enough to pitch the Reds to their first full-season playoff appearance since 2013.
The Yankees have hit their annual midseason swoon — which has been subject to much intense analysis from their disgruntled fans — and that opening weekend sweep of the Brewers, when the Yankees’ torpedo bats were the big story in baseball, now seems long ago.
Going from seven up to three back in such a short time is a disaster — but not disastrous. Nonetheless, the Yankees will have to do some hard-core self-evaluation heading to the trade deadline.
The offense wasn’t going to be as good as it was in April, when Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice were all playing over their heads. So, do they need a hitter? Or with Clarke Schmidt now likely joining Gerrit Cole as a Tommy John casualty, do they need a starting pitcher? Or both?
From the book of “things we didn’t expect,” page 547: The Marlins are averaging more runs per game than the Orioles, Padres, Braves and Rangers, to name a few teams. They’re averaging almost as many runs per game as the Mets, and last time we checked, the Marlins weren’t the team to give Soto $765 million.
An eight-game winning streak at the end of June has the Marlins going toe-to-toe with the Braves for third place in the NL East even though the starting rotation has been a mess, with Sandy Alcantara on track to become just the fourth qualified pitcher with an ERA over 7.00.
Heading into the season, I thought that if any team was going to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, it would be the Diamondbacks. The offense has once again been one of the best in the majors, but the pitching issues have been painful.
After the aggressive move to sign Corbin Burnes, he went down with Tommy John surgery after 11 starts. Meanwhile, Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt each have an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00. Rodriguez was better in June before a shellacking on July 4, while Gallen remains homer-prone, so it’s hard to tell if improvement is on the horizon. Their playoff odds are hovering just under 20%, so there’s a chance, but they need to get red-hot like they did last July and August.
It feels like it has been more soap opera than baseball season in Boston, with the Devers drama finally ending with the shocking trade with the Giants.
If you give added weight that this is the Red Sox, a team that should be operating with the big boys in both budget and aspirations and instead seemed to only want to dump Devers’ contract, then feel free to lower this grade a couple of notches, even if the Red Sox are close in the wild-card standings.
On the field, the heralded rookie trio of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer hasn’t exactly clicked, with Campbell returning to the minors after posting a .902 OPS in April. A big test will come out of the All-Star break, when they play the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Twins and Astros in a tough 15-game stretch.
After last season’s surprise playoff appearance, it’s been a frustrating 2025 — although I’m not sure this result is necessarily a surprise.
There were concerns about the offense heading into the season and those concerns have proven correct. They were getting no production from their outfield, so they rushed Jac Caglianone to the majors to much hype, but he has struggled and might need a reset back in Triple-A. Even Bobby Witt Jr., as good as he has been (on pace for 7.5 WAR), has seen his OPS drop 140 points.
On the bright side, Kris Bubic emerged as an All-Star starter and Noah Cameron has filled in nicely for the injured Cole Ragans, so maybe they trade a starter for some offense.
Coming off a catastrophic 2024 season, nobody was expecting anything from the White Sox. Indeed, another 121-loss season loomed as a possibility. While they’re on pace to lose 100 again, they’ve at least played more competitive baseball thanks to their pitching.
Rookie starters Shane Smith and Sean Burke have shown promise, while rookie position players Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and now Colson Montgomery are getting their initial taste of the majors.
There has been the mix of calamity: Luis Robert Jr. has been unproductive and is probably now untradable, and former No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn hit .189 and was traded to the Brewers.
The Twins are one organization that might like a do-over of the past five seasons. It feels like they’ve had the most talent in the division, but all they’ve done is squeeze out one soft division title in 2023. Now, the Tigers have passed them in talent and other factors, such as payroll flexibility.
There’s still time for the Twins to turn things around in 2025, but outside of that wonderful 13-game winning streak, they haven’t played winning baseball.
Overall, it’s been yet another bad season, despite Paul Skenes‘ brilliance. Really, do we talk enough about him? Yes, we do talk about him, but he has a 1.95 ERA through his first 42 career starts. Incredible.
Here’s an amazing thing about baseball. The Pirates are not a good team, but they recently put together one of the best six-game stretches in history. That’s not stretching the description. First, they swept the Mets — a good team — by scores of 9-1, 9-2 and 12-1. Then they swept the Cardinals — a good team — with three shutouts, 7-0, 1-0 and 5-0. They became the first team since at least 1901 to score 43 runs or more and allow four runs or fewer in a six-game stretch. And then they promptly got shut out three games in a row, making them the first to win three straight shutouts and then lose three straight shutouts.
Eighteen of our 28 voters picked them to win the AL West before the season, but it’s looking more and more like the 2023 World Series might be a stone-cold fluke in the middle of a string of losing seasons. That year, nearly everyone in the lineup had a career year at the plate, and the pitching got hot at the right time.
This year’s Rangers, though, have struggled to score runs, and while some have pointed to the offensive environment at Globe Life Field, they’re near the bottom in road OPS as well. It’s been fun seeing Jacob deGrom back at a dominating level, and Nathan Eovaldi should have been an All-Star.
Put it this way: If the Rangers can somehow squeeze into the postseason, you don’t want to face the Rangers in a short series. Indeed, if any team looms as an October upset special, it might be the Rangers.
The Nationals received superlative first-half performances from James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, while CJ Abrams is on the way to his best season. But there remains a lack of overall organizational progress, which finally led to the firings on Sunday of longtime GM Mike Rizzo and longtime manager Dave Martinez. A 7-19 record in June sealed their fate, as the rotation has been bad and the bullpen arguably the worst in baseball.
Until the Nationals figure out how to improve their pitching — or, better yet, find an owner who wants to win — they will be stuck going nowhere.
That fell apart in a hurry. Sunday’s loss was Cleveland’s 10th in a row, a stretch that remarkably included five shutouts. Indeed, the Guardians have now been shut out 11 times; the franchise record in the post-dead-ball-era (since 1920) is 20 shutouts in 1968.
There’s nothing worse than watching a team that can’t score runs, so that tells you how exciting the Guardians have been. Last year, the Guardians hit exceptionally well with runners in scoring position, keeping afloat what was otherwise a mediocre offense. That hasn’t happened in 2025 (trading Josh Naylor didn’t help either). Throw in some predictable regression from the bullpen, and this season looks lost.
We can’t give this a complete failing grade due to the emergence of All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (the Athletics’ first All-Star starter since Josh Donaldson in 2014) and slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz, who have a chance to finish 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year voting. Plus, we have Denzel Clarke‘s circus catches in center field.
But otherwise? Ugh. The Sacramento gamble already looks like a disaster, three months into a three-year stay. The team is drawing well below Sutter Health Park’s 14,000-seat capacity, with many recent games drawing under 10,000 fans. Luis Severino bashed the small crowds and the lack of air-conditioning.
The A’s had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new park in Vegas, renting heavy construction equipment as background props. Maybe they should have spent that money on more pitching help.
Based on preseason expectations, the Braves have clearly been the biggest disappointment in the National League — fighting the Orioles for most disappointing overall.
What’s gone wrong? They haven’t scored runs, as the offense continues its remarkable fade from a record-setting performance just two seasons ago. The collapses of Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies lead the way, with lack of production at shortstop and left field playing a big role as well. Closer Raisel Iglesias has struggled, and the team is 11-22 in one-run games. Spencer Strider hasn’t yet reached his pre-injury level and Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before going down.
The Braves haven’t missed the playoffs since 2017, but that run is clearly in jeopardy.
The Orioles have a similar record to the Braves but have played much worse, including losses of 24-2, 19-5, 15-3 and two separate 9-0 shutouts.
They will spend the trade deadline dealing away as many of their impending free agents as possible, and then do a lot of soul-searching heading into the offseason. After making the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, will this season just be a blip? While the pitching struggles aren’t necessarily a big surprise, what has happened to the offense? Are some of their young players prospects or suspects?
After two months of Cleveland Spiders-level baseball, it would be easy to make fun of the Rockies. Especially since they recently announced Walker Monfort — son of the owner — was promoted to executive VP and will replace outgoing president and COO Greg Feasel.
On the other hand, the Rockies are doing something right: They just drew 121,000 for a three-game series against the White Sox.
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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — The Yankees designated two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu for assignment Wednesday, presumably ending the infielder’s seven-year tenure with the organization despite being owed $22 million through next season.
“Tough decisions,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “In the end, it ultimately comes down to how this roster sits and what’s best. You want to provide your manager with enough chess moves to deal with on a day-in and day-out basis in-game.”
Manager Aaron Boone explained that the move resulted from “an evolving conversation” in recent days that included multiple meetings with LeMahieu, a respected veteran in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
It comes a day after Boone announced that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would shift back to playing second base every day from third base, bumping LeMahieu from the team’s everyday second baseman to a bench role. Boone acknowledged LeMahieu took the demotion “not necessarily great” but emphasized that LeMahieu did not ask for his release.
“It’s been a tough couple of days,” Boone said. “Some hard conversations. And then ultimately coming to this decision, conclusion, obviously not easy for [who’s] been a great player. He’s done a lot of great things for this organization. So, difficult, but at the end [we] feel like this is the right thing to do at this time.”
LeMahieu, who turns 37 on Sunday, batted .266 with a .674 OPS in 45 games this season after starting the season on the injured list with a strained calf. He has been better since June 1, hitting .310 with a .754 OPS in 96 plate appearances as the Yankees’ primary second baseman, but Cashman ultimately decided the production wasn’t enough to offset his defensive liabilities.
The Yankees signed LeMahieu to a six-year, $90 million contract before the 2021 season — fresh off LeMahieu hitting .364 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign to become the first player to win a batting title in both leagues in the modern era — envisioning him as an everyday utility player bouncing between infield positions.
LeMahieu made 36 of his 55 starts last season at third base before going on the injured list in early September with a right hip impingement for the remainder of the year. That injury, according to Cashman, inhibited LeMahieu’s ability to play third base, and led to LeMahieu informing him that he couldn’t physically handle playing the position anymore.
“He was always just sharing that the recovery was really difficult,” Cashman said. “The physical toll on him to tee up at that position was a problem and so therefore that position is a problem.”
The limitation was cemented during spring training when LeMahieu strained his left calf in his first Grapefruit League game playing third base, forcing the Yankees to conclude that LeMahieu was no longer an option at the position. He only played second base in his nine rehab games before making his season debut May 13 as a second baseman with Chisholm on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Three weeks later, Chisholm, who started the season as the team’s everyday second baseman, came off the injured list to play third base despite LeMahieu’s range at second base being glaringly limited. Chisholm, who feels most comfortable at second base, accepted the assignment and returned to third base, a position he picked up last season after the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline through the World Series.
The calculus changed Sunday when Chisholm, with the Yankees in the midst of a six-game losing streak, told reporters that he hurt his shoulder making a throw from third base three weeks earlier and the injury impacted his throwing. Two days later, Chisholm, who had made three throwing errors in his final four starts at third base, was the Yankees’ starting second baseman again.
With Chisholm, an All-Star this season, stationed at second base, former MVPs Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger entrenched at first base and Giancarlo Stanton occupying the DH spot, playing time would have been sparse for LeMahieu.
Factoring in that the Yankees’ options at third base behind Oswald Peraza, who is also the team’s backup shortstop, would have been catcher J.C. Escarra, Cashman determined that LeMahieu’s presence hampered the team’s flexibility to an extent that would have handcuffed Boone’s in-game decision-making. Infielder Jorbit Vivas, a light-hitting versatile defender, was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace LeMahieu on the roster.
“I wouldn’t say he’s unwilling to still make the attempt and maybe spell over there,” Cashman said of LeMahieu. “But it was something that he was without sharing that was steering clear of to the extent he could.
“Because, again, like anything else, he’s got a lot of pride. He’s a great player. He wants to contribute to the team. He loves this team. He loves this organization. But he felt that was an avenue that was no longer a realistic avenue and that kind of ties our hands a little bit more moving forward.”
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