Though, Ben Rice Committed Throwing Error He Made Up For It By Hitting 2-Run Home Run Scoring Ali Sanchez Helping New York Edge Toronto 4-3 Sunday In Finale In 10 Innings

Ben Rice who is first baseman for New York the team that wears the pinstripes committed throwing error in bottom of 9th inning allowing Ernie Clement who is second baseman to hit sacrifice fly to center scoring Josh Smith who was pinching third baseman for Kazuma Okamoto.

Though,

Ben Rice committed throwing error in bottom of 9th inning he made up for it by hitting 2-run home run scoring Ali Sanchez who is catcher helping New York the team that wears the pinstripes edge Toronto 4-3 in 10 innings Sunday in finale.

Where?

Toronto Ontario Canada!

Before New York the team that wears the pinstripes edged Toronto 4-3 Luis Garcia Jr. who is first baseman who was designated hitter hit sacrifice fly to center to left scoring Jose Caballero who is shortstop who was second baseman in top of 3rd inning before Daz Cameron who is left fielder who is right fielder who doubled to left scoring Kazuma Okamoto evening score 1-1 in bottom of 5th inning before New York the team that wears the pinstripes would take 2-1 lead on Jose Caballero single scoring George Lombard Jr.

Ben Rice’s 2-run home run scoring Ali Sanchez offensively supported Ryan Weathers who started who pitched 7.1 innings surrendering 6 hits, 1 earned run , 1 walk.

To who?

Daz Cameron who is left fielder who doubled to left scoring Kazuma Okamoto in bottom of 5th inning evening score at 1-1. David Bednar who came on in relief of Ryan Weathers who pitched 1.2 innings surrendering 0 hits, 0 earned runs , 1 walk while striking out 1 Toronto batter . Tim Hill who came on in relief of David Bednar pitched 1.0 innings surrendering 1 hit, 0 earned runs , 0 walks while striking out 0 Toronto batters.

New York the team that wears the pinstripes edging Toronto 4-3 Sunday in finale in 10 innings allowed New York the team that wears the pinstripes to avoid being swept by Toronto improve their record to 69-55 is now 5.5 games behind Tampa Bay who is leading the American League with record 74-49 who lost 10-2 to Baltimore Sunday in St. Petersburg Florida.

According to ESPN App

Following Ben Rice committing throwing error making up for throwing error by hitting 2-run home run scoring Ali Sanchez helping New York the team that wears the pinstripes edge Toronto Sunday in 10 innings manager Aaron Boone shared his thoughts by saying Obviously, no one’s feeling worse at that point than Benny,”And to come up there and essentially win the game for us in the 10th was massive. Credit to him, that’s this game. That’s being a big leaguer.”

Though,

Ben Rice wasn’t only player Aaron Boone shared his thoughts on as he also shared his thoughts on Ryan Weathers who started who pitched 7.1 innings surrendering 6 hits, 1 earned run ,

To who?

Daz Cameron who is left fielder who doubled to left scoring Kazuma Okamoto in bottom of 5th inning evening score at 1-1 while striking out 4 Toronto batters by saying I thought it was one of his better strike-throwing games,”He never walks a lot of guys, but he can get into some deeper counts and scatter sometimes. And today he was in the zone a lot, not a lot of waste pitches, and again excellent.”

Following Ben Rice committing throwing error making up for throwing error by hitting 2-run home run scoring Ali Sanchez helping New York the team that wears the pinstripes edge Toronto Sunday in 10 innings Ben Rice who is first baseman shared his thoughts on his throwing error making up for it by hitting 2-run home run scoring in Ali Sanchez in top of 10th inning by saying It definitely felt good,” RiceI mean, you just gotta have as short of a memory as you possibly can, and just go out there and try to execute a plan against whoever's on the mound.”

According to Zach Worden MLB article https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/ben-rice-homers-in-10th-as-yankees-beat-blue-jays

New York the team that wears the pinstripes has the day night off Monday before starting three game series with Baltimore Tuesday night in Baltimore Maryland where Will Warren is on schedule to start for New York the team that wears the pinstripes though New York the team that wears the pinstripes deciding if Carlos Rodon who has been on injured with elbow inflammation by Tuesday if Rodon comes off the IL this week or heads to Scranton on Tuesday or Wednesday to make a third minor-league start. He looked good working 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a start for Double-A Somerset last Thursday, but he was pulled after 58 pitches. If he rejoins the Yankees returning this week, he’ll likely be on a pitch count of 65 to 70 with Will Warren available to piggyback. Eventually, Warren likely will move to the bullpen with hot left-hander Ryan Weathers holding onto his rotation spot as the fifth starter.

According to Randy Miller NJ.com article https://www.nj.com/yankees/2026/08/yankees-injuries-plan-for-cody-bellinger-carlos-rodon-aaron-judge-update.html

While Aaron Boone has a decision to make on Carlos Rodon, Will Warren Brandon Hyde manager of Baltimore also has a decision to make who is starting for as the starter mlb. com is to be determined.

Carlos Rodon is a left handed pitcher while Will Warren is a right handed pitcher!

As a starting pitcher for New York the team that wears the pinstripes this season Will Warren has a record of f 8-6 with an earn run average of 4.42 because on Wednesday August 12, 2026 Will Warren who started for New York the team that wears the pinstripes put New York the team that wears the pinstripes in 2-0 3-0 deficit 4-1 against Seattle Wednesday night in Bronx New York surrendering a 2-run home run to Randy Arozarena who is left fielder hit 2-run home run to right scoring Cole Young who is second baseman Julio Rodriguez who is center fielder who hit home run to right 378 feet in top of 1st inning . In top of 5th inning Will Warren surrendered a single to first baseman Josh Naylor scoring Randy Arozarena at time extending Seattle’s lead over New York the team that wears the pinstripes 5-3 following Spencer Jones who is center fielder who was right fielder who is taking the place of captain, right fielder Aaron Judge who is current on in injured with right rib fracture doubling to left scoring first baseman Ben Rice catcher Austin Wells getting New York the team that wears the pinstripes within two runs of Seattle at 4-3 .

Acording to ESPN App

Though,

Will Warren surrendered runs to Seattle New York the team that wears the pinstripes came back to win 10 -5 Wednesday in Bronx New York as Trent Grisham would hit home run to right 364 feet getting New York the team that wears the pinstripes within run of Seattle at 5-4 before Spencer Jones would double to center scoring Ben Rice evening score at 5-5 before New York the team that wears the pinstripes would take lead on Trent Grisham doubling to center scoring George Lombard Jr. giving New York the team that wears the pinstripes a 6-5 lead over Seattle a lead they would never reliquish because Ben Rice would single to center scoring Trent Grisham extending New York the team that wears the pinstripes lead 7-5 before Jazz Chisholm Jr. who is second baseman would walk while Ben Rice would score extending New York the team that wears the pinstripes lead over Seattle 8-5 in bottom of 7th inning before New York the team that wears the pinstripes would end up winning 10 -5 on Trent Grisham’s 2-run home run scoring George Lombard Jr. who is shorstop.

According to ESPN App

Off who?

Seattle starting pitcher Bryce Miller!

And Will Warren took a no decision!

As a starting pitcher for New York the team that wears the pinstripes this season Carlos Rodon has a record of 4-2 with an earn run average of 3.30 because on June 28, 2026 at Boston Carlos Rodon took no decision pitched 5.0 innings surrendering 1 hit 0 earned runs 4 walks while striking out 6 Boston batters.

According to https://www.mlb.com/player/carlos-rodon-607074

Though,

Could mother nature prevent Carlos Rodon possible return from Will Warren starting or following him on Tuesday night?

There isn’t possibility of that happening because at first pitch it’s 84 degrees mostly sunny with 0 % chance of rain then it remains mostly sunny with 0 % chance of rain at 7:00pm before turns mostly clear with high of 81 at 8:00pm before continuies to be mostly clear 79 degrees with 0 % at 9:00pm 9:35pm when the game is supposed to be over.

According to Accuweather on ESPN App

First pitch on Tuesday night is set for 6:35pm Eastern Time from Oriole Park at Camdan Yards!

The game is going to be televised on Yes, MASN!

On Yes Michael Kay or Ryan Ruocco alongside rotating analysts David Cone, Paul O Neill, Joe Girardi, Meredith Marakovits or Justin Shackil are going to be commentating! Michael Kay is the Emmy Award-winning Yankees play-by-play announcer for the YES Network who also hosts the network’s CenterStage series and its various programming specials. The 2025 season will be his 34th year broadcasting Yankees baseball: the first 10 years on radio, the latter 24 on YES.

Kay was a part of YES’ Yankees team that won a 2024 New York Emmy Award for its season-long coverage, a 2023 Emmy Award for its pre-game shows and a 2022 Emmy Award for Single Game Coverage.

Kay’s Centerstage show won a 2020 New York Emmy for best Interview/Discussion show. He also won a 2015 New York Emmy Award for his play-by-play work on YES’ Yankees telecasts, and a 2017 New York Emmy for his CenterStage hosting duties. In total, Kay has earned 19 Emmy wins while at YES. He also won CableFAX Program Awards in 2011 and 2013 for his CenterStage hosting duties.

From February 2014 to December 2024, Kay co-hosted The Michael Kay Show, a sports talk show heard weekdays from 3 to 6:30 pm ET on ESPN Radio in New York, which was simulcast live on YES. On January 6, 2025, Kay began solo hosting his new eponymous show on the same station from 1-3 pm ET weekdays.

During the 2022 and 2023 MLB seasons, Kay co-hosted, with former Yankee Alex Rodriguez, special “KayRod Casts,” alternate broadcasts on ESPN2 that aired alongside ESPN’s traditional Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts.

In November 2016, Kay was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame in October 2018. The following month, he was awarded the Lou Gehrig Sports Award by the Greater New York Chapter of the A.L.S. Association.

Kay received the Vin Scully Award for Excellence in Sports Broadcasting from WFUV Radio in November 2018; WFUV is the radio station for Fordham University, Kay’s alma mater. Previous recipients of the Vin Scully Award include Dick Enberg, Ernie Harwell, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Verne Lundquist, Pat Summerall and Mike “Doc” Emrick.

He was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class of the prestigious Bronx High School of Science in February 2018. Kay was awarded the Italian American Baseball Federation Media Award in December 2022. In 2005, Kay was honored in his home borough of the Bronx with an honorary street sign erected on the Grand Concourse in his name. In December 2023, Kay was honored as a National Honoree by the Stamford (Ct.) Old Timers Athletic Association.

Kay handled play-by-play duties for ESPN’s coverage of the Astros-Tigers and the Blue Jays-Twins American League Wild Card Series in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He also did play-by-play on the ESPN Radio Network for the 2016 Blue Jays-Rangers American League Division Series, the 2013 Tigers-Athletics American League Division Series and the 2008 Phillies-Brewers National League Division Series. He also was a frequent contributor to ESPN’s Emmy Award-winning Sports Reporters television show.

Before joining the YES Network in 2002, Kay worked at the MSG Network since 1989 as a Yankees reporter. In 1992, he added Knicks locker room reporter to his responsibilities and continued in that role until the 1998-99 season.

Kay was awarded the Dick Young Award for Excellence in Sports Media by the New York Pro Baseball Scouts in 1995. In 1998, he was on the MSG Network team that won a New York Emmy for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage – Series.” In 1996 and 1997, he was a member of the MSG Network team that won New York Emmys for “Outstanding Live Sports Coverage - Single Program” for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter and “The Battle for New York: Yankees vs. Mets.” He was also part of the Yankees/MSG Network production team nominated for New York Emmy Awards for six consecutive years.

In addition to his television work, the Bronx, NY, native worked as a Yankees analyst on WABC Radio from 1992 through the 2001 season, which concluded with the classic Yankees-Diamondbacks World Series. Kay was a winner of “Best Sports Reporter” honors at the 2000 New York Metro Achievement in Radio Awards. In 1998, Kay also began co-hosting Sports Talk with John Sterling and Michael Kay, a nightly sports radio call-in show which aired on WABC Radio during the winter months.

Shortly after graduating from Fordham University in 1982 with a B.A. in Communications, Kay worked at SportsPhone and as the public address announcer for the New York Pro Summer Basketball League.

In 1982, Kay landed the job as general assignment writer for the New York Post. Two years later, he began covering college basketball (1984-85) and then spent two years as the writer covering the New Jersey Nets. In 1987, he moved to baseball at the Post, serving as the Yankees beat reporter. While he was in that position, he got his first television job with MSG Network as host of the Hot Stove League segment of MSG’s SportsNight.

In 1989, Kay moved to the New York Daily News, where he was the Yankees beat reporter before taking the job as a Yankees broadcaster on WABC Radio in 1992. With that jump, Kay became the first newspaper reporter in any sport to make the move into the broadcast booth full-time, performing both play-by-play and analysis.

Kay stayed on the radio for 10 years, broadcasting the Yankees’ four World Series championships during that time, before moving to the television side to become the lead play-by-play man for YES in 2002.

Kay has been involved in the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), a charitable organization whose mission is to assist baseball community members. He co-hosted the 2013 B.A.T. fundraising dinner in New York. Kay also was master of ceremonies at the 2013 Thurman Munson Awards fundraising dinner in New York.

Kay is active with the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of his mother, Rose, who passed away from the disease in 2006. He also teamed up with former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Girardi’s Catch 25 Foundation to organize annual charity dinners to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.

Kay and his wife Jodi Applegate have a daughter, Caledonia Rose Kay, born in January 2013, and a son, Charles Applegate Kay, born in November 2014.

Ryan Ruocco, who joined YES in 2007 as a statistician for the network’s New York Yankees telecasts, holds down various roles within the network’s Yankees coverage. He backs up YES’ play-by-play man Michael Kay, fills in hosting YES’ Yankees Pre- and Post-Game Shows and periodically handles clubhouse reporting duties. Ruocco also shares play-by-play duties with veteran Ian Eagle on YES’ Brooklyn Nets telecasts.

Ruocco has won six Emmy Awards while at YES. He was a part of the YES team which won a 2024 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Season category and was a member of the YES team which won a 2022 Emmy in the Live Sporting Event/Game category. Ruocco also earned individual New York Emmy nominations in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for his work at the network.

In addition to his YES work, Ruocco is one of the primary NBA play-by-play voices on ESPN, is the lead play-by-play announcer for the network’s women’s college basketball package and is the lead play-by-play announcer for the WNBA on ESPN. Ruocco is also executive producer of the 2024 documentary Sue Bird: In the Clutch.

He also handled periodic NFL play-by-play on ESPN Radio, college football and college basketball play- by-play on ESPN’s television networks, and he co-hosted ESPN Radio New York’s mid-day show.

Ruocco also co-hosted the popular R2C2 podcast with former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia from 2017 to 2023.

Prior to joining YES, Ruocco handled basketball and football play-by-play at WFUV, Fordham University’s radio station while he was a student there. He also hosted WFUV’s One on One, New York’s longest-running sports call-in show. In 2008, he received Fordham’s prestigious Marty Glickman Award, named for the legendary play-by-play announcer.

Ruocco, who grew up in Fishkill, N.Y., graduated on the Dean’s List from Fordham in 2008 with a B.S. in Communications.

David Cone, the strikeout artist who endeared himself to New York Yankees fans for his numerous clutch performances and for hurling a perfect game in 1999, initially joined YES as a Yankees analyst in 2002. After pitching for the Mets in 2003 and then retiring from baseball, he re-joined YES as an analyst for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. After a year away from the mic, he came back again to YES in 2011 and has been with the network ever since. Cone has won five New York Emmy Awards while at YES.

Since 2022, Cone has been a game analyst on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts in addition to his YES duties. In 2019, he collaborated on a book with YES colleague Jack Curry called Full Count: The Education of a Pitcher, which was a New York Times best-seller.

Cone compiled a 194-126 record, 3.46 ERA and 2,688 strikeouts in his 17-year Major League career. He captured the American League Cy Young Award in 1994 and was a five-time All-Star (1988, 1992, 1994, 1997 and 1999). The Kansas City, Mo. native, known for coming up big in critical games, posted an 8-3 postseason record and played on five world championship teams: the 1992 Blue Jays and the 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankees.

The flame-throwing right-hander was drafted by his hometown Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 1981 amateur draft and made his Major League debut with the Royals in 1986. He played the next five and a half seasons with the Mets; in 1988, he ran up a 20-3 record, 2.22 ERA and 213 strikeouts, and on October 6, 1991, he struck out 19 Phillies in a game.

After short stints with the Blue Jays and the Royals (again), he joined the Yankees in 1995. His finest season in pinstripes was 1998, when he was 20-7 with a 3.55 ERA and 209 strikeouts. A year later, on July 18, 1999, he hurled a perfect game against the Montreal Expos, only the second inter-league perfect game in Major League history. Fellow Yankee Don Larsen’s World Series gem in 1956 was the first.

While with the Yankees from 1995-2000, Cone was 64-40 with a 3.91 ERA and 888 strikeouts. He pitched for Boston in 2001, sat out the 2002 season, and pitched briefly for the Mets in 2003 before retiring.

Paul O’Neill is in his 24th season as a New York Yankees analyst for the YES Network. He has earned five New York Emmy Awards for his work at YES.

O’Neill played Major League Baseball for 17 seasons, from 1985 to 2001. He appeared in six World Series and earned five World Series rings, one with the Cincinnati Reds and four with the New York Yankees. He also played in five All-Star games.

The Yankees honored him on August 21, 2022, by permanently retiring his No. 21 during “Paul O’Neill Day” at Yankee Stadium.

O’Neill began his MLB career in 1985 with the Reds. After eight seasons with Cincinnati, O’Neill joined the Yankees in 1993, with whom he won the American League batting title in 1994 with a .359 average. From July 23, 1995, until May 7, 1997, O’Neill played 235 games in right field without making an error. In 1997, he led the American League in hitting with men on base with a .429 average. On Aug. 25, 2001, O’Neill became the oldest Major Leaguer to steal 20 bases and hit 20 home runs in the same season.

He was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame in November 2017. In 2008, O’Neill was named “Father of the Year” by The National Father’s Day Council at its 67th Annual Father of the Year awards dinner in New York.

Former New York Yankees catcher Joe Girardi, who helped lead the Yankees to three World Championships in the 1990s as a player and later guided the team to the 2009 World Championship as a manager, re-joined the YES Network as a Yankees analyst in advance of the 2024 season. He previously had been a Yankees analyst for YES in 2004 and 2007.

In addition to managing the Yankees from 2008 to 2017, Girardi managed the Philadelphia Phillies from the 2020 season until June of 2022, and he also held that role with the Florida Marlins in 2006, with whom Girardi earned the National League Manager of the Year Award. Girardi also was the Yankees’ bench coach under manager Joe Torre during the 2005 season.

From 2022-24, Girardi served as a Chicago Cubs analyst on the Marquee Sports Network. Previously, he was an analyst with the MLB Network in 2018 and 2019. In addition, he was an analyst during the 2003 National League Division Series for ESPN Radio and provided the 2007 World Series pre-game analysis for FOX Sports.

In addition to his analyst work during his previous stints at YES, he won a New York Emmy Award for his hosting efforts on the network’s Kids on Deck series and was the star of The Joe Girardi Show.

A Peoria, Ill. Native, Girardi graduated from Spalding (Ill.) Institute in 1982 after earning All-State honors in baseball. He then played at Northwestern University, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time Academic All-American. He received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern in 1986.

He was drafted by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft. He broke into the majors in 1989 with the Cubs and later played three seasons for the Colorado Rockies (1993-1995). Girardi was acquired by the Yankees prior to the 1996 season and played key roles as New York won the World Series in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

One month after departing the Yankees as a free agent in November 1999, Girardi signed with the Cubs and played three additional seasons for Chicago, making the National League All-Star team in 2000.

He played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003 before signing with the Yankees as a free agent in February 2004. Girardi retired at the end of spring training, then joined YES.

Emmy Award-winning Meredith Marakovits was named the YES Network’s New York Yankees clubhouse reporter in March 2012. She reports on the team within the network’s Yankees game telecasts, pre- and post-game shows, Yankees Batting Practice Today and Yankees Hot Stove. She also periodically hosts the network’s Brooklyn Nets pre- and post-game shows.

Justin Shackil begins his sixth season covering the Yankees for YES Network, serving in a variety of roles, including clubhouse reporting and studio hosting. In addition to his baseball duties at YES Network, Shackil has called play-by-play for Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty and college basketball broadcasts.

On radio, Shackil worked on the WFAN Yankees Radio Network for three seasons as a fill-in play-by-play announcer and postgame host. Shackil has also worked for the New York Yankees since 2015, hosting the team’s in-stadium pre-game shows and working with its in-house production team. In addition, he has co-hosted the Toeing The Slab pitching podcast with David Cone and YES researcher James Smyth. Shackil currently serves as a host and blow-by-blow announcer for Matchroom Boxing on DAZN.

His additional work credits include hosting for NBA Entertainment, SiriusXM Sports, Westwood One and radio play-by-play for the Double-A baseball teams: Mobile BayBears, Tennessee Smokies and Trenton Thunder. Shackil graduated from Fordham University in 2009.

According to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/team/broadcasters

On MASN Kevin Brown, Brett Hollander , Josh Lewin , Rob Long , Ben McDonald , Melanie Newman , Jim Palmer , Ben Wagner are commentating!

Kevin Brown serves as a play-by-play commentator on several college sports across ESPN networks, including football, basketball and softball. He also calls NCAA championship action, serving as a voice on the NCAA Div. I Hockey Championship and Women’s College World Series dayside coverage. Brown has also called Little League games on ESPN, and MLB on ESPN Radio.

In addition to his duties at ESPN, Brown is a TV and radio commentator for the Baltimore Orioles, a role he began in 2019.

From 2010 to 2017, he was the director of broadcasting and media relations for the Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. He was also the lead voice of the team, calling radio and television broadcasts.

Brown is a graduate of Newhouse School at Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Brett Hollander still vividly remembers walking into Oriole Park at Camden Yards for the first time at eight years old. The Orioles were playing the New York Mets in an exhibition game, the first-ever exhibition at the new stadium. But more importantly, it was the moment he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.

“I had heard about Oriole Park at Camden Yards for years and it all became very real at eight years old,” said Hollander. “And in many ways changed the trajectory of my life and what I wanted to do and what I wanted to be involved with. Seeing Oriole Park and stepping in this ball park for the first time. That’s one of my most clear early memories.”

From that moment on, Hollander did whatever it took to make his dreams of becoming a broadcaster come true. From starting a broadcasting program at his high school, to relaying beach traffic to listeners, Hollander was going to do whatever it took. And on July 24, 2020, after years of hard work, it finally happened. Hollander called his first game as a member of the Baltimore Orioles broadcast team

Rob Long is a Baltimore sports radio host on 105.7 The Fan and a member of the Baltimore Orioles broadcast team, hosting O's Xtra pregame and postgame shows on MASN.

Ben McDonald is a longtime television commentator, serving as a college baseball game analyst for SEC Network and ESPN during the regular season and as one of the primary booth voices throughout the NCAA Men’s College World Series on ESPN. McDonald was one of the original voices of college baseball on SEC Network alongside current SEC Network/ESPN analyst Chris Burke and has also been a commentator for the Baltimore Orioles since 2016, joined by fellow ESPN broadcaster Kevin Brown.

Drafted first overall by the Orioles in 1989, McDonald made his MLB debut two weeks after signing his first professional contract. He spent seven years with the Orioles and then signed with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent in 1995 before officially retiring in 1998. Over his career, McDonald amassed a record of 78-70, a 3.91 earned run average (ERA), and 894 strikeouts. Before being drafted by the Orioles, McDonald was selected straight out of high school in the 27th round by the Atlanta Braves in the 1986 MLB Draft.

The Denham Springs, La. native was a three-year letterwinner in baseball at LSU, where he was a two-time All-American and led the Tigers to two College World Series appearances while also playing two seasons of basketball. In 1988, he pitched for the United States in the 1988 Olympics hosted by South Korea where the U.S. took home the gold medal after beating the 1984 champion Japanese team. The following year, McDonald went on to win the 1989 Golden Spikes Award with LSU, awarded to the nation’s top college baseball player.

McDonald is a 2008 inductee of the College Baseball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. He resides in his hometown of Denham Springs, La. with his family.

It might be hard to imagine Orioles’ broadcaster Melanie Newman doing anything other than working in baseball, but despite her obsession, it took her a while to find the right road.

In Woodstock, Georgia., being an avid sports fan is part of the culture. For Newman, it has always been baseball in particular.

“It’s the hometown of Nick Markakis,” Newman recalled. “Baseball was just a way of life for us at that point. Everybody played, it was year-round.”

Growing up, Newman enjoyed bonding with her family while attending sporting events around Atlanta. Her grade school used to give away Braves tickets, rewarding students for reading a certain number of books or achieving a certain GPA.

“My parents never said no if we brought them (tickets) home for free,” she said.

Despite the common misconception, Newman did not play softball as a kid. “I did not pick up a bat and take a swing until 2019 in Myrtle Beach,” she explained. Newman had been working in the minor leagues for five years already at that point. She continued, “I was able to take hacks one night. It was great.”

Despite being among the most knowledgeable sports fans, Newman did not enjoy competing in athletics as a child. “Everybody looked forward to field day, but that was the day where I was like ‘fake sick, just fake sick, you don’t have to show up,’” she laughed. “I hated it.”

She began college wanting to do print journalism. She always had a strong background of reading and writing, which dated back to covering sporting events and serving as a section editor for her yearbook in high school.

“It was a natural route for me. It wasn’t a hard compromise.”

The journalism program at Troy University is so large, it is split into two separate programs between print journalism and broadcasting. It was her advisor, David Kirby, who steered Newman towards broadcasting. He paved her path, without even knowing it.

Newman regrets never going back to ask Kirby why he thought she’d be a better fit in broadcasting, compared to her passion of print journalism, but she followed his advice regardless. “That was when they thought print was just going to die, before it rediscovered itself digitally… They were trying to steer students into something that can actually be a profitable, obtainable career, and not a sinking ship that might not exist when you graduated,” said Newman.

At the end of the day, it was always going to be sports, regardless of if it was in print or broadcasting.

Newman gushed, “With sports, you had unifying moments. I liked being a part of a solution and being part of a unifier.”

While at Troy, Newman handled play-by-play duties and color commentary across a multitude of Division I sports, while also assisting their Sports Information department. Shortly before graduating, she met Atlanta Hawks’ play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun, a moment she credits as setting her future in motion.

“He was like the genesis of it all,” Newman began. There was no particular person influencing her career aspirations at the time – in part, due to the lack of women in the broadcasting field of the sports industry. “He was like, ‘Look, you can do the multi-sport thing and that makes you more marketable, but it’s very clear that baseball is your sport and if I were you, that’s what I would stick to,’” continued Newman.

So, she did just that.

Newman received her first paying job in professional baseball with the Double-A Mobile BayBears during the 2014 season. It eventually led to her “big break” with the Class-A Advanced Salem Red Sox in 2019. Unbeknownst to Newman at the time, Salem would be her last minor league stop before her real big break.(Salem) was the first time I felt like I had a home,” she recalled, emphasizing the organization’s culture. When thinking back to the interview process, it was the first time Newman had not been asked about her gender affecting the position. “It was always the same. ‘Well, as a girl how would you handle this? And as a girl, how would you handle that?’ Salem never asked any of that… They were asking more about my experiences,” she continued.

After that 2019 season, Newman had really settled on the idea of making Salem home. Then the Orioles called.

She didn’t realize it was even a job interview.

“I flew up and had lunch and just talked about the philosophy of where baseball is going, how fans are connecting with it, how engagement is changing, and the way broadcasting style needs to adapt to that,” she recalled.

Newman left the meeting under the impression that she could be an emergency back-up in case someone couldn’t make a game, since Salem was not too far from Baltimore. “I was very wrong,” she laughed.

Soon after, she was offered a full-time role as one of the club’s official broadcasters with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network and the Orioles Radio Network. It was too big of an opportunity to turn down; Newman could count on one hand how many females held play-by-play duties in the Majors. The Orioles were also offering one of the most versatile positions.

“Everybody always told me, ‘You have to pick one. You can’t do play-by-play and sidelines.’ And then Baltimore was like, ‘Here’s both,’” she explained excitedly.

With that, Newman became MASN’s pregame, postgame, and sideline host for television, and the Orioles’ play-by-play announcer for radio beginning in 2020, switching up her role depending on the series.

With the job came more responsibility than she initially realized as one of the leading female representatives in baseball, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “The place where you start to make that difference, is just literally showing up and doing a quality job,” she said.

When you put somebody in that position, male or female, it doesn’t matter, that’s when you become a role model,” Newman continued.

Doing a quality job is what lead to even more opportunities during the 2021 baseball season.

Newman was asked to perform play-by-play duties for a nationally broadcasted Major League Baseball game on June 22 when the Texas Rangers took on the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas for the YouTube Game of the Week. She was the second female ever to hold such a role, joining Suzyn Waldman who did so nearly 20 years prior.

“It was a huge honor to follow Suzyn,” Newman said.

Waldman also happens to be Newman’s mentor in the industry. “She tells it like it is, she doesn’t take any grief from anybody… If you didn’t do well at something, she’ll tell you that, and you need that in order to get better,” she continued.

The following month, Newman did play-by-play for the July 20 YouTube Game of the Week when the Baltimore Orioles faced the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, marking the first-ever all-women broadcast crew on national television. Then, on September 29, Newman called ESPN’s first all-female baseball broadcast when the San Diego Padres visited the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While she has loved every opportunity thrown her way, at the end of the day, as someone who grew from the minor leagues, Newman loves the day-to-day grind of working with one team, something that you don’t necessarily get when you’re broadcasting on the national stage.

It was a bit of an adjustment. I had really good people around me that were helping guide me through it, but it was nerve-racking… It would’ve been easy to say no because we don’t get many off days, but I’m new in my career still and these are opportunities that if you keep saying no, they’re not going to keep coming back to you.”

Newman has faced her share of challenges in her first two big league seasons, though, in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic closing off access to the players that is usually key to a broadcaster’s success.

The pandemic also limited travel for broadcasters during the 2020 and 2021 baseball seasons, something Newman thoroughly enjoys. She’d love to see the California ballparks when she is able, but her ultimate bucket-list item is calling a game at Fenway Park and signing the inside of the Green Monster prior to an Orioles vs. Red Sox game, which she refers to as a classic matchup.

“My family is from Boston, so Fenway is a special place for us. That’s home, and it’s always going to have something special,” Newman said.

Although Newman did not always know where she wanted her career to take her, she is very proud of the person she has become. If she could give her younger self any piece of advice, it’d be that “knowing it gets better and bullies don’t get a chance to win in the end, and just keep taking the high road and keep turning the other cheek. They get theirs and you get yours, and yours is a lot more enjoyable when you’re a nice person,” she exclaimed.

Baseball was the perfect route for Newman, and she’s thrilled to see where the opportunities continue to take her.

“I’ve really enjoyed where I’ve been at right now… For whatever reason baseball was just the one. I wanted to know every little detail about it. I was obsessed. Obsessed,” she gushed.

According to Elyssa Kaplan article https://www.mlb.com/orioles/news/featured/melanie-newman-paving-her-path-to-the-majors

Jim Palmer made his MLB Debut on April 17, 1965 for Baltimore!

For his entire MLB career for 19 seasons Jim Palmer pitched for Baltimore where he had a record of 268 -152

Jim Palmer career was from 1965 -1984 though in 1968 Jim Palmer didn’t play because severe arm, shoulder back injures stemming from off season shoulder strain intially aggravated by uising a paint roller in 1966 and sequent heavy cortisone use.

Jim Palmer is in the Hall Of Fame is a 3x Cy Young Award Winner 6x All-Star 3x World Series Champion 4x Gold Glove Award Winner 2x ERA Title Award Winner.

According to https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/palmeji01.shtml

Ben Wagner joined Baltimore’s broadcast team as radio voice though Toronto decided to part ways with him in 2023 “decided not to renew (Wagner’s) contract for next season” in a statement released Wednesday. The Blue Jays rights holder also thanked the radio broadcaster and wished him well.

Wagner’s time with Sportsnet was not without obstacles. During the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020, Wagner did not travel to road games and instead called games from a Toronto studio.

The following season, games were simulcast on TV and radio when the Blue Jays played their games in Dunedin, Fla., and Buffalo for the first four months of the 2021 season, leaving Wagner without a consistent role on the broadcast. A separate radio broadcast only returned for the season’s final two months when the team returned to playing at the Rogers Centre.

According Kaitlyn McGrath The Athletic article in the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5099938/2023/11/29/ben-wagner-sportsnet-parts-way-blue-jays/