VAVEL • 22/03/2025

MLB Opening Day Starting Pitching Matchups

MLB Opening Day, one of the most anticipated days in the American sporting calendar, is just five days away and each starting pitching matchup has now been set. It will be the beginning of what looks to be an exciting season, with plenty of significant player movement. Will the LA Dodgers, bolstered by the starting pitching additions of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, become back-to-back champions? Are the Juan Soto-less New York Yankees still the team to beat in an open American League? Can Soto’s...

VAVEL • 11/03/2025

Gerrit Cole Set to Undergo Dreaded Tommy John Surgery

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was told the dreaded three words no pitcher ever wants to hear: ‘Tommy John surgery’. For some days, it seemed inevitable, but the Yankees confirmed their worst fears on Monday afternoon, announcing that their starting pitcher would undergo surgery the next day. He is now set to miss up to 18 months. He had made a strong start to Spring Training with two starts, the first of which was an impressive outing allowing three hits and one run. His second start against...

VAVEL • 04/03/2025

Yankees Lose Big Power with Giancarlo Stanton Set to Miss Opening Day and Beyond

With less than a month until Opening Day in the MLB season, the New York Yankees are resigned to being without Giancarlo Stanton for an extended period. Stanton, along with Aaron Judge, is the team’s most powerful hitter, and his absence will leave a significant hole in the middle of the lineup. An offense which has already been hurt by the departure of Juan Soto, the Yankees would have relied on Stanton’s force behind Judge.

The 35-year-old is suffering from tennis elbow in not one, but both o...

VAVEL • 03/03/2025

Yankees Dealt Blow in Pitching Department as Luis Gil Faces Spell on Sidelines

Reigning AL Rookie of the Year and New York Yankees starter Luis Gil is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after being diagnosed with a high-grade right lat sprain. Manager Aaron Boone revealed on Monday afternoon that the right-hander will be shut down from throwing for at least six weeks, which will see him begin the season on the injured list.

The problem first arose for Gil in a bullpen session last week, in which he complained of pain in his right arm, prompting an immediate shutdo...

VAVEL • 21/02/2025

Assessing Each Major Yankees Off-Season Move

After losing in the World Series last season, the New York Yankees failed in their pursuit of their prized free agent, Juan Soto. The Dominican superstar instead headed across town to the New York Mets signing a record-breaking 15-year $765m contract. It meant the Yankees were left with a giant hole in what was already a flawed lineup, which they have made great attempts to fill through multiple positions. A huge criticism of the Bronx Bombers was their lack of fundamentals and defensive quality...

VAVEL • 20/10/2024

MLB: Juan Soto Heroics Send New York Yankees to the World Series

For the first time since 2009, the New York Yankees are on their way to the World Series.  They won the ALCS in five games, beating the Cleveland Guardians and securing the series win on the road. Juan Soto, who the Yankees acquired in a blockbuster trade before the season, hit a three-run extra innings home run to give the team a 5-2 lead.  Luke Weaver, as he has done so reliably throughout October, kept the side out at the bottom of the tenth. And how fitting it was that Soto recorded the fina...

VAVEL • 13/10/2024

New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians Advance to ALCS

The stage is set for the ALCS, as the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians face off with a place in the World Series at stake.

In this best-of-seven series, the Yankees will have home-field advantage, with the Guardians visiting the Bronx for game one on Monday night.  The pair have a great history in the postseason, and this is now the second most frequent playoff matchup in MLB history.  They most recently met in the ALDS in 2022, which the Yankees won in five games.  New York have won th...

VAVEL • 13/10/2024

LA Dodgers and New York Mets Advance to NLCS

It is a matchup between the big markets in the NLCS as the LA Dodgers meet the New York Mets for a place in the World Series.  The Dodgers were preseason favourites to win it all, whilst the Mets were not even favoured to make the playoffs.  A remarkable mid-season turnaround has brought the Mets into this position and they will fancy their chances of making it the whole way.

However, they will come up against an offensive machine in the Dodgers, who boast a top three of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie B...

VAVEL • 05/10/2024

MLB Division Series: Everything You Need to Know

After a crazy Wild Card round, it is now time for the MLB Division Series.  Here is everything you need to know:

Aside from the New York Yankees, the remaining American League playoff teams all reside in the AL Central division.  The Yankees are the favorites to come out of the AL, however, the other three teams, particularly the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals come in with momentum on their side. The pair provided huge upsets, sweeping the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles.  The Cleve...

VAVEL • 04/10/2024

Pete Alonso Breaks Milwaukee Brewers Hearts and Sends New York Mets to NLDS

It is the first time that the New York Mets have reached the NLDS since 2015 when they made it to the World Series. 
They booked their place with a remarkable come-from-behind victory in the ninth inning of game three. 
For the Milwaukee Brewers, it was heartbreak, as they were just two outs away from celebration.

This was the only series this season not to end after two games, and just the second ever to reach three in the current Wild Card format.  No team has ever been eliminated after winni...

VAVEL • 04/10/2024

San Diego Padres Stars Shine in Sweep of Atlanta Braves

A stellar pitching performance from Michael King put the San Diego Padres on their way to a two-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves.  This has set up the NLDS against rivals LA Dodgers.  It will be a fascinating matchup between two of the National League’s most talented and in-form teams, with superstars on both sides.

For the Braves, it marks the first year since 2017 that they have not won a playoff game.  Their loss also confirmed a sixth consecutive elimination game defeat.  It was a year of a...

VAVEL • 03/10/2024

Bobby Witt Jr Produces Two Game-Winning RBIs to Help Royals Sweep Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles' season has ended at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, who won two games on the road to complete the sweep in the Wildcard Series.

It continues an exciting year for the Royals, who had made the postseason for the first time since 2015, in which they won the World Series — last season they won just 56 games, a huge turnaround in such little time.

For the O’s, it is another year of disappointment after they were swept for the second consecutive year.  This means they are...

VAVEL • 02/10/2024

Detroit Tigers Cause Upset with Sweep of the Houston Astros in the Wildcard Series

For the first time since 2016, the ALCS will not feature the Houston Astros.  This is because the unlikely success story of the Detroit Tigers will continue as they won both games on the road to sweep the three-game series.

Heading into this series, the difference in playoff experience between the two sides was enormous.  For all but one on the Tigers roster, this was their first taste of postseason baseball.  Matt Vierling was the only member of the team to have made a playoff appearance, havi...

VAVEL • 01/10/2024

The Playoffs Have Arrived: Everything You Need to Know About the MLB Wildcard Series

October is here and that means just one thing: Playoff baseball has arrived. The regular season concluded yesterday with a chaotic doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.  Both teams ended the day in celebration, whilst the Arizona Diamondbacks had to reflect on a disappointing and premature end to their season.

The two games had serious playoff energy and it perfectly blends into the drama and entertainment which will unfold over the next month. 

But first up is the Wildcar...

VAVEL • 30/09/2024

New York Yankees Face Big Decision at First Base after Anthony Rizzo Injury

The New York Yankees do not play their first playoff game until Saturday, but they will be sweating on the health of Anthony Rizzo.  The first baseman suffered two fractured fingers after being hit by a pitch in Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It is devastating timing for the team, as last weekend's series was essentially meaningless after they had clinched the AL East division against the Baltimore Orioles.
Even more so for the player, who has endured his fair share of injuries...

VAVEL • 30/09/2024

Arizona Diamondbacks Face Anxious Wait to Learn Playoff Fate

For all but two teams, the MLB regular season ended on Sunday, with the postseason just around the corner.  But for the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, there are still two games to play.  The pair will play a doubleheader today (Monday 30th September) to determine not only their fate but also the entirety of the National League playoff picture.

This is due to Hurricane Helene, which caused two rainouts, forcing the games to be played after the conclusion of the regular season.

Whilst four NL...

VAVEL • 27/09/2024

New York Yankees Celebrate Clinching AL East

With three games left to play in the regular season, the New York Yankees can finally celebrate being AL East division champions again.  After missing the postseason last year in a disastrous campaign, they bounced back to deservedly earn this title.

They came into this latest series with the Baltimore Orioles with a six-game lead over their AL East rivals, meaning just one win was enough to clinch.  However, the first two games did not go to plan as the O’s secured a series win in the Bronx an...

VAVEL • 23/09/2024

New York Yankees Need One More Win to Clinch Division

After a series sweep against the Oakland Athletics to complete their final road trip of the season, the New York Yankees return home needing just one win to win the AL East division.

For so much of the season, the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles had been locked into a heated division race, with neither side able to build a comfortable lead at the top.  The pair enjoyed extremely hot starts to the season, as the Yankees began 42-19 and the Orioles 37-20.  Since then, they endured slumps simultaneo...

VAVEL • 16/09/2024

New York Yankees Enjoy Series Win over Boston Red Sox

It was a dramatic weekend in the Bronx as old rivals New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox completed a four-game set.  The hosts recorded three wins to increase their lead at the top of the AL East division to three games over the Baltimore Orioles.

In contrast, the Red Sox have fallen further behind in the race for the wildcard.  At 75-75, they are 4.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins with 12 games to play.

After enjoying a walk-off win courtesy of Jazz Chisholm Jr the night before against the...

VAVEL.com • 31/07/2024

Jazz Chisholm Jr Makes Dream Start to Life with New York Yankees

Prior to the trade deadline, the New York Yankees had a number of question marks and positions to be filled, one of the most important being another impact bat in the lineup.

Last Saturday, they filled one of their needs by acquiring Jazz Chisholm Jr from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects, catcher Agustin Ramirez and infielders Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramirez.  Agustin Ramirez was the main pieces in the return to the Marlins, and given the breakout of current catcher Austin Well...

VAVEL.com • 19/07/2024

Top Five Teams at the All-Star Break

The MLB all-star break is coming to an end and teams are beginning to prepare for a big second half to the season.  There are many teams still in contention for their divisions and wildcard spots ahead of the post-season.  But which teams have enjoyed the best records?  Here are the top five teams of the season so far.

The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in Major League Baseball currently with a record of 62-34.  They comfortably sit atop the NL East with an 8.5 game lead over the Atlan...

VAVEL.com • 02/06/2024

Aaron Judge Completes Historic Month of May

The New York Yankees are one of, if not the best team in baseball right now. With a record of 41-19, they are top of the AL East, two games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles. They also have the best record in the American League, and only trail the Philadelphia Phillies by half a game for the best record in all of baseball.

Whilst they started the season excellently, their play has been particularly impressive in the month of May, with both the offense and pitching staff producing incredible numbe

VAVEL.com • 30/05/2024

How the Yankees Pitching Staff have Excelled without their Ace Gerrit Cole

When it was announced that New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole would be shut down in mid-March with nerve inflammation in his right elbow, there was huge concern at how they would get by without their ace and Cy Young winner. With the off-season acquisition of three-time all-star Juan Soto, who is set to become a free agent in the winter, there is no doubt that the franchise are all-in on winning a Championship this season. After captain Aaron Judge and now Soto, Cole is the most impor

VAVEL.com • 19/05/2024

Juan Soto Hints at Contract Extension Talks: ‘My Door is Always Open’

When the New York Yankees made the blockbuster move to trade for three-time all-star and former World Series champion Juan Soto in the off-season, they knew that there was a possibility that his stay in the Bronx could be as short as just one year.

However, in his limited time in New York, he has produced an MVP-type campaign so far and has endeared himself to both his teammates and fans alike, and it seems like the Yankees must do whatever it takes to secure the services of the 25-year old lon