Czechia's viral electrical worker 'Jedi' who K'd Ohtani bids farewell to Classic
TOKYO -- One pitch changed Ondřej Satoria’s life -- and he thought it was a mistake. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the Tokyo Dome three years ago, Satoria -- an electrical controller at ČEZ Group in Ostrava, a city on the border of Poland – threw his changeup, which he calls
This World Baseball Classic pitcher may be baseball's biggest Taylor Swift fan
TOKYO -- Baseball has taken Todd Van Steensel around the world. He's pitched in the Minors for the Phillies and Twins, played for Kinheim in Holland's Honkbal Hoofdklasse, Guadalajara in the Mexican League (for current Mexican national team manager Benji Gil), the Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela's Winter League and
Logan Allen wins anthem standoff vs. ... Logan Allen?
Yes, yes, we know that you've seen baseball player standoffs -- usually done before the national anthem. One vs. one, one vs. five, even some that have lasted three innings. But have you ever seen a player stand off against ... himself?
Australian starter flourishes vs. Japan, but his brothers steal the show
TOKYO -- Connor MacDonald wasn’t supposed to be a pitcher. The Brisbane native actually began his career as a first baseman and outfielder, signing with the Astros and reaching Single-A. He reinvented himself and converted to pitching full-time just three years ago. On Sunday, he was handed the opportunity of
Have trombone, will travel: Passionate Chinese Taipei fans light up Tokyo Dome
TOKYO -- When Jyun-Yue Tseng raced out onto the mound in the seventh inning of Chinese Taipei's 14-0 victory over Czechia on Saturday, over 40,000 fans lifted their phones and flipped on their flashlights, turning the stadium into a sparkling globe filled with screaming, cheering fans. But this wasn’t the
Caissie homers directly into Canadian flag
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- According to MLB Pipeline, Owen Caissie is the No. 42 prospect in all of baseball. That means the red-headed Marlins outfielder is good. Really good.
A shot of espresso is the best way to celebrate a home run
Everyone’s favorite dugout espresso machine is back in business. And business is booming. Italy created a stir at the 2023 World Baseball Classic when it housed a Nespresso machine in the dugout. With a little caffeine in their system, the Italians played inspired baseball, advancing out of group play for
Furry friend causes commotion in stands during Braves-Twins spring matchup
FORT MYERS, Fla -- A furry, four-legged friend was trying to catch the action on the field between the Braves and Twins Friday night at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, all while avoiding being caught in the stands. A few shrieks and screams could be heard amongst stadium goers as
This home run celebration is fit for a king
Daikin Park isn't quite Buckingham Palace, although it shared some similarities on Friday. We can (sort of) explain: Pool B of the World Baseball Classic kicked off on Friday afternoon with Great Britain taking on Mexico in Houston, and over the course of the game -- which Mexico won, 8-2
These six ballparks live on in the hearts of Minor League Baseball fans
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here. For
Korea's home run celebration has players dreaming of a trip to Miami
When Tokyo's Pool C ends, two teams will head to Haneda Airport and fly to Miami for the quarterfinals. For Korea, which hasn't advanced out of the first round since reaching the championship in 2009, the mission begins there. So, during this past week's two exhibition games in Osaka, there
Play free bird as pelican is released from clutches of netting at college baseball game
Move over, rally squirrel and rally parrot. You’ve got company. A pelican flew into the netting behind home plate during the fourth inning of Tuesday’s college baseball game between Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Barbara. A fan sitting in the front row helped free the pelican from the net, with
In heartwarming twist, kid gives foul ball to grownup who just missed it
Tuesday provided one of the most wholesome moments at this year’s Spring Training so far. During the Blue Jays-Team Canada exhibition game at Dunedin’s TD Ballpark, a foul ball to the bleachers down the left-field line sent a Tigers fan over his seats in an attempt to catch it. After
Wilyer so confident of his challenge, he didn't wait for the answer
It looked like strike three, but Wilyer Abreu never had a doubt it was ball four. Called out on strikes in the third inning of Sunday’s Spring Training matchup against the Orioles, Abreu immediately tapped his helmet to initiate an ABS challenge, removed his gear and was standing on first
Jimmy Butler on the Giants? This reliever looks a lot like the NBA All-Star
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Around the Giants’ clubhouse, left-hander Reiver Sanmartin isn’t primarily known by his given name.
Why Murphy, pitching coaches have arms 'working at the car wash'
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- There’s a car wash on just about every corner in greater Phoenix, and that’s a good thing, because Brewers manager Pat Murphy keeps talking about sending his pitchers there. Get ready to hear all season about the “H&H Car Wash,” which is Murphy’s reference to the Brewers’
Josh Gibson really, may have, hit a ball 600 feet in Puerto Rico
Batboy Freddie Thon Jr. peered out of the dugout at Sixto Escobar Stadium. And for this particular at-bat, he peered a little harder. His dad, Fred Sr., was pitching for the San Juan Senadores. A franchise that would eventually end up being one of the most storied in Puerto Rican
Young Cards eye prestigious honor: 1st prize in clubhouse talent show
JUPITER, Fla. – Look around the Cardinals' clubhouse and you’ll see a lot of talented players with the ability to do great things on a baseball field. On Monday evening, those players will find out what other talents lay beneath their gift for throwing or hitting. Forty Cardinals players will
Rojas honors '90s baseball legends with custom Air Jordans
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Miguel Rojas was one of many kids growing up in the 1990s who wanted to be like Mike. Rojas drew attention on Tuesday -- which also happened to be his 37th birthday -- for wearing a pair of Air Jordans that resembled cleats that Michael Jordan himself
This reporter has worked from 190 Minor League ballparks -- here are his favorites
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The youngest ballplayer ever was HOW old?
A version of this story originally ran in February 2021. We present it here as Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball celebrate Black History Month.
That time MLB's No. 1 prospect got a shoutout from Randy Moss -- in ninth grade!
Konnor Griffin is only 19 years old and already turning heads as MLB's top prospect, flexing his muscle by launching spring dingers out of stadiums. But the Pirates phenom is no stranger to jaw-dropping feats of athleticism. In fact, he's been doing so since the ninth grade (that's only something
Sale generates swords all the time ... but now he can swing one
In 2024, Chris Sale received plenty of hardware in the form of a National League Cy Young Award and a Gold Glove Award. In 2026, Sale added more to his collection with … a custom sword?
Explain how this bat broke because we have no idea. Neither does the guy who swung it
FORT MYERS, Fla. – A day later, the man who broke his bat in about the most mysterious way possible still wasn’t sure exactly what happened. But Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu tried to explain how a check-swing in the bottom of the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game against
Did you know these famous people played Minor League Baseball?
For more about the unusual, unexpected and sometimes hilarious culture of Minor League Baseball, be sure to subscribe to the The Baseball Traveler newsletter.