Aaron Judge’s incredible stretch, plus an overnight OT thriller

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Good morning! I’d like to ask the new pope about Jermaine Dye.

While You Were Sleeping: Maybe we should reconsider the Oilers

Amid all the NHL playoff hype this year, somehow we let the Oilers idle on the proverbial backburner. They weren’t the best team in hockey this year. Not even in their own division. But they do have two of the top five players in the sport, and in the playoffs, that counts for a lot. 

They’re also masters of the comeback game, and last night’s 5-4 overtime win over Las Vegas was a pristine example. They survived a third-period collapse — squandering a two-goal lead — and even managed to win after failing to score in a five-minute power play in OT. Who rebounds from that? 

Edmonton does, and of course it was Connor McDavid passing to Leon Draisaitl for the game-winning goal. The Oilers are up 2-0 on the Golden Knights and I wouldn’t bet against them the rest of the way. 

Elsewhere in the playoffs, we had more equilibrium:

• In the NBA, Minnesota routed the Steph Curry-less Warriors, which was less than surprising. The Timberwolves’ defense was stifling, and Golden State just doesn’t have a chance in this series if Curry misses more than a week with his hamstring injury. Maybe there’s a superhero Jimmy Butler game on the way. If not, this might end with a whimper. Series tied 1-1. Draymond Green, who drew a tech for elbowing Naz Reid, was extremely unhappy after the game: 

Draymond Green just wanted to give one quick postgame statement: “The agenda to continue to keep making me look like an angry black man is crazy. I’m sick of it. It’s ridiculous.” pic.twitter.com/ay7TLFhjWL

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 9, 2025

• Remember when we thought the Hurricanes would make quick work of the Capitals? Washington snuffed out that extremely incorrect thought in a 3-1 win last night, showcasing a verve totally absent in Game 1. Logan Thompson was fantastic in the net. There is new life in this 1-1 series. 

Plenty more playoff action tonight of course. Let’s keep going:

Quiet Greatness: History — again — for Aaron Judge

Sometimes, superstars have it rough. Narratively, I mean. If a player is consistently great for a long period of time, the greatness becomes … boring. There’s no arc for us to latch onto, no adversity. See: James, LeBron. 

Aaron Judge has quickly entered that territory. In 2022, he produced one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen — 62 home runs, 131 RBIs and a 210 OPS + in a contract year. After an injury-plagued 2023, he returned to that form last season (58 homers, 144 RBIs, 223 OPS+). Both seasons earned MVP awards. A standard was established. 

This year? He’s even better. Let’s start at the basics and build up: 

• The surface numbers are just bonkers: a .400 average, 1.241 OPS, 249 OPS+ (which normalizes a player’s OPS in relation to the league average, which is set at 100). As in, Judge is hitting 149 percent better than a league-average player.
  
  
• Judge, 33, has produced 3.4 wins above replacement (via Fangraphs) already this season, which would’ve ranked 77th last year for the entire year. Judge led the league in WAR last year, too (11.2).
  
  
• Judge might be, as Jayson Stark illuminated Tuesday, the best right-handed hitter the modern game has ever seen. Better than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio — at least statistically.
  
  
• To wit: Since the 2022 season began, Judge put together the best asterisk-free 450-game stretch of any right-handed hitter in the last 100 years — 168 home runs and a 207 Weighted Runs Created+, which means he manufactured runs 107 percent better than the average major leaguer. The only players with more homers in the same amount of time: Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. 

I urge you to read Jayson’s story, which is full of plenty of other mind-blowing stats. And maybe watch Judge hit soon if you get the chance. We may never see a player produce like this again.

News to Know

YouTube game?
YouTube — not YouTube TV — is favored to host an NFL game this fall, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported yesterday, a billowing smoke signal about the league’s intention with streamers. Unlike previous games on Amazon or Netflix, this game would not require a subscription to watch. Read Andrew’s full report.

Devers sounds off
Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers will not move to first base, he said yesterday, after former starter Triston Casas had season-ending knee surgery last week. It comes just months after the team moved Devers from third base to DH after signing Alex Bregman in free agency. “They can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said. Read his full comments here.

Pirates axe Shelton
Derek Shelton is out as Pirates manager, the team announced yesterday, just 38 games into the season. Pittsburgh has lost seven straight games and holds the third-worst record in the majors. Bench coach Don Kelly is taking over. Things are bleak.

More news

• Texans rookie Jayden Higgins is the first second-round NFL Draft pick to ever agree to a fully guaranteed deal. More details here.
  
• The Cubs are calling up top pitching prospect Cade Horton. They need him.
  
• Texas and Texas A&M will play a football game on Black Friday this year, which is how it should be. They also want to avoid NFL interference.
  
• It’ll be an all-England final in the Europa League after a stirring win for Tottenham Hotspur and a blowout victory for Manchester United. Champions League spot on the line.

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What to Watch

📺 NBA: Cavaliers at Pacers
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This is the end of the road for Cleveland, which is a stunning concept for the East’s best team. If they go down 3-0 in this series, it’s all over. 

📺 NHL: Maple Leafs at Panthers
7 p.m. ET TNT/Max
Same thing here — Florida cannot go down 3-0. And does Toronto have the killer instinct to push it there? Hoo buddy. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

Pulse Picks

A daunting decision awaits USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino: Does he go for results in his first summer as coach, or should he rest Christian Pulisic and other stars? Greg O’Keefe broke down the fascinating dilemma. 

George Pickens clearly needed a fresh start. As Mike DeFabo writes, Pickens’ antics in Pittsburgh forced Mike Tomlin’s hand in moving the talented wideout with baggage. I love a well-reported column. 

Joe Rexrode argues that, while the NCAA has bigger issues, it must punish Michigan for its sign-stealing scandal in a meaningful way. 

Over 100 men’s college basketball players entered the transfer portal this offseason with no remaining eligibility. Why? 

A good circle-back: The Utah Hockey Club finally picked a new name, Mammoth, and debuted new jerseys. I support it. 

Have these NBA playoffs really been more physical? John Hollinger investigated. 

The Phoenix Suns needed a refresh, so they … hired a general manager who has little experience in the NBA. Hm. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Rustin Dodd’s Dan Campbell-inspired coffee adventure. I’m jittery reading it. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: The Golden State-Minnesota live blog.

Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Top photo: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)

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