The Nationals threw 77 pitches that inning, the second-most by a team since at least 2000 in a frame Marlins threw 91 on 6/27/03 in the first at Fenway

What a fun story to read.

Very enjoyable story by ⁦Tyler Kepner⁩ on a cool dude! nytimes.com/athletic/65716…

This week's Sliders visits with switch-throwing position player Carlos Cortes of the A's, gets David Robertson's thoughts on the many Hall of Famers he's faced, considers some recent would-be BBWAA relievers of the year -- and more! nytimes.com/athletic/65813…

It's lame enough to pitch a position player while losing. (Once kinda fun, now tedious.) The Mets did it while winning, the Marlins teed off on him, the crowd howled -- and now they're using a real pitcher anyway. It's so weird when teams stop competing.

A few recent Grids to share…

I love stuff like this: in signing Tim Mayza and Walker Buehler today, the Phillies acquired the pitchers who closed out the last two games of the 2024 WS — Mayza for the Yankees in Game 4, and Buehler (much more memorably!) for the Dodgers in Game 5.

My beloved Eagles have great expectorations for this season. #FlyEaglesFly

If you're not reading Sliders, the weekly baseball column by Tyler Kepner, you're doing baseball wrong. The last few weeks have included RR luminaries including Ryne Duren & Greg Harris & although not in The RR, the hirsute Dennis Lamp. Each week is a must-read.

Sliders: For the quietly competitive Marlins, rookie Jakob Marsee is a disciplined dynamo -- plus David Bednar's glove story, Victor Robles talks about his pet monkeys, and more fun stuff! nytimes.com/athletic/65988…

Sneak peak: If the Yankees keep this up, they’ll be dangerous in October nytimes.com/athletic/66086…

What a story about an indelible night that was perfect for Sandy Koufax — and Vin Scully

Sliders: How Davey Johnson went from scapegoat to savant in the 1986 World Series; an all-time HR call in Seattle; Daulton Varsho reflects on his namesake -- and do you want to buy Willie Mays' Rolls-Royce? nytimes.com/athletic/66140…

Jacob deGrom, a revived Ranger, makes a winning return to Queens — and the reeling Mets could use him nytimes.com/athletic/66251…

“The Natural” is not a kids' movie, not like “Little Big League” or “The Sandlot.” But fairy tales are timeless. Just ask former big leaguers, writes @tylerkepner. More on a Robert Redford performance that helped revive a genre: nytimes.com/athletic/66363…

Gone in 2.5 pitches: The fleeting life of a baseball in modern MLB nytimes.com/athletic/66375…

At 222-96, Clayton Kershaw will finish his career as the first pitcher with 200 wins and fewer than 100 losses since Al Spalding and Bob Caruthers – two guys who never even pitched off a mound.

Love this from ⁦Steve Buckley⁩: Meet the man whose MLB career came and went in a single pitch nytimes.com/athletic/66085…

A few recent Grids…

Immediately after the last out of the Mets game, SNY finds the absolute perfect reaction shot …