Who won the Sox-Sox revenge game? Plus, Mike Trout’s Mookie Betts moment

Sports

add

The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.

Sox vs. Sox was a revenge game, but for whom? Plus: Mike Trout’s Mookie Betts moment, really bad news for the Cubs and Ken takes the temperature of some managerial hot seats. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal. Welcome to The Windup!

Sox vs. Sox: Revenge game, but for whom? 

It is very much a trope in big-league clubhouses: The first time a player faces their old team after a trade, some member of the assembled press asks, “Does it mean a little more to face your old team?”

It’s nowhere near unanimous, but it is surprising how often the answer is some iteration of: “Well … yeah, a little bit.”

Here’s a recipe: Start with the team that lost a historic number of games last year. Mix in one of the best pitchers in the league, and stir in a dash of “added motivation.” Mix it together and watch the 4-11 White Sox go seven-plus innings without a hit yesterday.

Garrett Crochet’s final line against his old team: 7 1/3 innings, one hit, one walk, 11 strikeouts. Not a bad “How do you like me now?”

But would you like to guess who got that one hit, with one out in the eighth inning? It was Chase Meidroth, one of the four players whom the Red Sox traded to the White Sox for the guy whose no-hitter he broke up.

It got a little dicey after Crochet left the game, with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position against reliever Garrett Whitlock. But the rally fell short — the Red Sox later added an insurance run and avoided the sweep, winning 3-1.

Ken’s Notebook: Baldelli, Marmol heading toward the hot seat?

From my latest column about managers who might be in trouble:

Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins

After the Twins stumbled to a 12-27 finish last season, blowing a 92 percent chance of making the playoffs, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said of Baldelli, “I believe in his process. I believe in him. I believe in the partnership I have with him.”

And now?

Falvey, like virtually everyone else interviewed for this column, declined comment, and for good reason. The Twins, fighting declining attendance and trying to sell a new direct-to-consumer streaming product, were perhaps the team most in need of a strong start. They changed hitting coaches. Baldelli took a firmer approach.

Yet at 5-11, their malaise from the end of 2024 has extended into the start of ‘25. Fans are frustrated with the lack of commitment by the Pohlad ownership. The injury-related absences of third baseman Royce Lewis, right-hander Pablo López and, until yesterday, infielder Brooks Lee, are part of the Twins’ problem. But for arguably the most talented team in the AL Central, the injury excuse goes only so far.

Oli Marmol, St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals are in an odd place, using the 2025 season to transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom as their head of baseball operations. Marmol, hired by Mozeliak, is under contract through ‘26. It stands to reason Bloom will want his own man. But who?

Two former Cardinals greats, Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols, have made no secret of their desire to manage. Both have done it in the Dominican Winter League, and Molina will manage Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team for the second time in 2026.

The Cardinals, though, might not want to choose between two of their legends. And Bloom, after his experience with Alex Cora in Boston, will be especially careful with his choice. Friends of Bloom, who spoke on condition of anonymity in exchange for their candor, believe Cora was not as supportive of Bloom as he could have been.

Skip Schumaker, another former Cardinal who was a member of Marmol’s initial staff in 2022 before leaving to manage the Miami Marlins, might be a safer pick. Now working as a senior adviser to Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young, Schumaker would be the logical successor to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. But if Bochy, who turns 70 on Wednesday, wants to manage beyond this season, Schumaker might prefer to accept an immediate opening rather than stay off the field another year.

More here.

Rule Changes: Mike Trout’s Mookie Betts moment

At this time last year, we could honestly say, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

But after an almost identical thing happened to Mookie Betts in the World Series last year, I guess we have to go with, “I’ve only ever seen anything like this one time.”

Mike Trout appeared to make a phenomenal play Saturday in Houston, soaring through the air and reaching over the right field wall to catch a foul ball. Here, watch:

An Astros fan ripped the ball out of Mike Trout’s glove. Umpires ruled it a foul ball pic.twitter.com/QerDoLzy4H

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 12, 2025

The similarities between this and that infamous World Series Game 4 fan interference incident are pretty stark on first glance, but there’s a major difference if you compare them closely. In New York, the fans appeared to be gleeful about having stripped Betts of the ball (also, that one was ruled fan interference). In this one … watch the fan’s face. That is an immediate “OH NO I am so sorry, Mr. Trout, can I offer you this baseball back as penance??” face.

Also, it was somehow ruled to be a foul ball.

The fan said he was simply trying to protect his son from the ball, which seems iffy in slow motion, but *shrugs* life doesn’t happen in slow motion. The powers that be seemed to agree; the fan wasn’t removed (but was relocated). And Trout met with the man and his son after the game, even signing the ball.

If they’re all cool with it, I’m certainly not going to be the one guy on the internet arguing for more punitive action.

More Trout: The oft-injured superstar says he knows he has “a lot of support” as he attempts to put together a full healthy season.

Bummers: Justin Steele out for the year

Justin Steele wasn’t technically the Cubs’ Opening Day starter — that was Shota Imanaga in the Tokyo Series. But when the Cubs began the remaining stateside 160, it was Steele who took the mound, getting the team’s first win in Arizona.

He won’t pitch again this year. After pitching seven shutout innings against the Rangers a week ago, Steele experienced some pain in his elbow. Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that he would be undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left (throwing) elbow to address his flexor tendon and UCL.

It’s a huge blow for the Cubs (11-7), who are facing increased pressure to make the postseason this year. Their pitching depth isn’t bad, with Colin Rea taking Steele’s place and Javier Assad currently on rehab assignment. But consulting the crystal ball, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cubs target starting pitching at the trade deadline.

Also: We don’t know whether Steele, 29, will undergo a full Tommy John surgery (it would be his second) or the “internal brace” procedure, which could shorten the return time. Either way, we’re looking at sometime in 2026 for the lefty.

More Cubs: The team and Pete Crow-Armstrong have tabled extension talks for now. All Crow-Armstrong did last night was homer twice, with a triple for good measure.

Handshakes and High Fives

It appears the Angels are funding Eric Kay’s legal costs. Why? Sam Blum investigates.

Our writers spoke to multiple agents about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s contract, and the aftershocks it will have on baseball’s finances.

Recent experiments in the Atlantic League include the ABS “robot ump” system we saw in spring training (seems hopeful) and the moved-back mound and “double hook” that seem dead in the water. The league’s latest experiment: QR codes on baseballs. Jayson Stark examines the possibilities.

The Cubs beat the Dodgers 16-0 on Saturday, featuring an entertaining moment in which position-player-pitching Miguel Rojas imitated the deliveries of a few Dodgers pitchers. The silver lining: Roki Sasaki allowed just one run in five innings before the bullpen opened the floodgates.

If for no other reason than track record, it seems likely the Marlins will *gasp* trade their best player. But teams looking to acquire Sandy Alcantara will have to wait a little longer, says Will Sammon.

Ten years ago, Wilmer Flores famously battled tears at news the Mets might be trading him. Now it’s hard to imagine him playing for anyone but the Giants. Speaking of the Giants: Jung-Hoo Lee is playing like the star San Francisco has been waiting for.

Who’s going to be the leadoff hitter for the Yankees? I guess they have three, including Ben Rice, who appears to be having a breakout season. The question of their fifth starter is a bit murkier.

Zach McKinstry has gone from “Is my roster spot in danger?” to a pivotal cog in the Tigers’ machine.

The A’s hoped to bring a big-league experience to a minor-league park. Update on that: A medical cart broke down on the field, and the game was delayed.

Jim Bowden has a list of Day 1 draft picks who are showing signs of a breakout in 2025.

Andrew Painter last pitched in a game in late 2022. He hit 100 in his first game action this year. How long ‘til he’s in Philadelphia?

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Britt Ghiroli’s piece on what MLB players do with all their old team swag.

📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.

(Photo: Matt Marton / Imagn Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Filipe Luís, do Flamengo, elege técnico que “mudou o futebol”: “Referência”

Futebol

Next

trending_flat

Karenna Groff, former NCAA woman of the year, dies in plane crash

Sports