The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-28)

SATURDAY, MAY 28 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 D5

BY ANDY KOSTKA

boston — For all the platitudes the Baltimore Orioles give about their mentality — how they never give up — Friday night at Fenway Park was real, t angible evidence to support t hose statements. The Orioles trailed 6-0 a fter the second inning and 8-2 after the sixth inning. The Red Sox had jumped all over r ight-hander Kyle Bradish, scoring four runs before he recorded an out. But as the evening grew later and Baltimore continued to hang around, s imply hanging around turned into a whole lot more. There w as Anthony Santander’s blast to right field, the first break- through. Then came Jorge Mateo’s three-run shot, and Austin Hays’s two-run blast, and a throwing er- ror by third baseman Rafael De- vers t hat scored Rougned Odor. In those fits and spurts, the Orioles turned a potential blowout into a barnburner, with the go-ahead run — and then some — crossing in the ninth. The 12-8 w in came i n large part because of the bullpen’s ability to cover for Bradish, allowing just two runs after h is departure. The offense chipped away at a deficit b efore it blew the gates down in the ninth with four runs. The first four batters reached safe- ly, and Santander’s single into right scored the f irst of those r uns. A wild pitch, a sacrifice fly and Odor’s RBI single — part of a ca- reer-high 1 1-game hitting s treak — did t he rest o f the d amage. Bradish yielded more runs than he managed outs, with Boston scoring six in 12 / 3 innings. Six re- lievers covered the final 61 / 3 innings, which could have r epercus- sions S aturday, when a bullpen game could be in order d uring a doubleheader. — Baltimore Sun

O’s wipe out

six-run deficit

to top Boston

ORIOLES 12, R ED SOX 8

halves of their careers?
It’s a complicated time in the
world of Nationals merchandise.
So The Washington Post polled
more than 50 fans, asking what
jersey each would purchase right
now. This extremely scientific
study included 15 votes for Soto,
13 for Keibert Ruiz, eight for
Josiah Gray, five for the retired
Ryan Zimmerman, three for
Doolittle and Bell, and one each
for Strasburg, Riley Adams, Lane
Thomas, Josh Rogers, Paolo Es-
pino and Luis García (who is in
the minor leagues).
The three top answers are 24
or younger and have at least two
more years of team control after
this one. Many fans shared feel-
ings of distrust after eight play-
ers were dealt in last summer’s
fire sale — and after Bryce
Harper and Anthony Rendon
departed via free a gency in back-
to-back offseasons. It has been a
while since buying a Nationals
jersey seemed this precarious.
“If you look at the list of
expiring contracts and think
about the trade deadline, there
really aren’t many options,” said
Chris Cleveland, who picked
Gray and already owns jerseys
for Soto, Corbin, Max Scherzer,
Tr ea Turner and Kyle Schwarber.
The latter three were traded
away in 2021. “At this point, they
really have to push the young
guys who are going to stick
around. What else is there to
sell?”
That’s an all-encompassing
question for a last-place team at
16 -30 after Thursday’s win. Fri-
day night, the Nationals officially
postponed a matchup with the
Colorado Rockies l ess than a
half-hour before first pitch. Many
fans were already in the stadium,
holding Juan Soto bobbleheads,
and reporters shared the an-
nouncement about e ight minutes
before it hit the big screen.
Discussions to postpone
games take place between teams
and Major League Baseball offi-
cials. A person familiar with
these talks said the Nationals
tried to postpone the game earli-

NATIONALS FROM D1

er Friday but MLB did not ap- prove t he decision until the game was near. A person with knowl- edge of MLB’s thinking con- firmed that officials felt there was a “viable window” to fit the contest in, then changed their minds once the forecast wors- ened in the evening. What’s left were angry, booing fans, some of whom paid for nonrefundable parking and concessions. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader S aturday, the first leg beginning at 12:05 p .m. and the second at 6 :05. Aaron Sanchez will pitch for the Nationals in the afternoon before Joan Adon takes the ball at n ight. When it comes to jerseys, the main team store at Nationals Park has displayed Soto, Corbin, Strasburg and Victor Robles this spring. It is no coincidence that all of them were on the World

Series-winning team in 20 19. In the kids’ section, Soto, Zimmer- man and Corbin are on the shelf. For T-shirts, shoppers can pick among Soto, Bell, Strasburg, Zimmerman and Robles. Want Ruiz, as 13 randomly selected fans did? That has to be personalized. Online, where offi- cial MLB apparel is sold by Fanatics, that will run you $384. 99 — but at least shipping was free if you ordered Thursday night. “I can’t buy Soto — not with the clock ticking on his likely departure,” Dean Schleicher said. “If I knew what number [top prospects Cade Cavalli and Brady House] would wear, that’d be tempting. Ruiz is my answer because I could wear it until 2028 when [agent Scott] Boras takes him to free agency.” The team chooses the jerseys

fans can buy in its in-house stores, which typically means more options are at Nationals Park than appear online. The catch is that teams can’t buy just a handful of jerseys for a given player. There’s a minimum buy, meaning clubs won’t purchase jerseys for a player if they do not foresee selling enough of them. What the Nationals will do, though, is purchase extra blank jerseys and kits to press numbers and names onto them to meet demand. Sara Hudson, a longtime fan, has no plans to buy any jersey this season. Her reasoning blends i mmediate uncertainty, the Nationals’ r ecord of not keep- ing homegrown stars and M ajor League Baseball’s handling of the lockout over the winter. “Would not buy any current guys,” she said. “There are plen- ty t hat I love, but after the talent hemorrhage I have seen, I would n ot invest in any of them. And after the owners’ behavior during the lockout, I vowed not to spend a dime. I watch on MASN, and that’s it for the season.” Maybe Valerie Barger has the right idea. Every season, Barger picks what she calls “an under- dog player” and buys a personalized jersey. In 20 19, she chose longtime Nationals infielder Adrián Sanchez. In 2020 , reliever Tanner Rainey was her pick. In 2 021, she smartly chose Es- pino, a veteran pitcher who stuck. She bought a Rogers jersey this April. When she opened the package from Fanatics, Barger noticed that Rogers was misspelled as “Rodgers.” After she panicked a bit, customer service was good about sending a replacement. Her tradition of going with lower-profile players has otherwise been fun and stress-free. “You could buy a jersey for anyone — a guy who just signed a five-year deal — and before you know it, something happens and he’s gone,” Barger said. “That’s the business side of it. There is always some gamble on the buy- er’s end.”

Nats fans are leery of losing the names on the shirts on their backs

JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST Many fans wear Juan Soto No. 22 j erseys, but some w onder if he will leave like other homegrown stars.

BY JESSE DOUGHERTY

On Tuesday night, just after the
Washington Nationals held a mo-
ment of silence for the victims of
the mass shooting at Robb El-
ementary School in Uvalde, Tex.,
a middle school choir sang the
national anthem at Nationals
Park. And that’s when Nationals
reliever Sean Doolittle says he
“broke,” thinking about how the
children killed in Texas were
younger than those singing
America’s song and about how
this country “can’t even guaran-
tee enough safety in schools to
make it so kids can reach that
age.”
Two days later, Natasha Cloud,
a member of the Washington
Mystics, urged members of the
Nationals and Washington Capi-
tals to use their platforms to
discuss recent mass shootings
and the persistence of gun vio-
lence. Doolittle says her message
“snapped” him out of a funk,
leading him to tweet a thread of
thoughts before asking The
Washington Post to meet him in
the Nationals’ dugout Friday af-
ternoon. Here’s what the 35 -year-
old said upon sitting down:
“I think it’s important to say

that Natasha was right,” Doolittle said. “I think she is a really important leader in the D.C. community, and whenever she talks I listen. I think she was right to essentially call for backup, espe- cially here in D.C., where Con- gress is in our backyard. We might not have representation ourselves as D.C. residents, but maybe we can force some change and at least some conversations. “... It just feels like we’ve reached a point where if not now, when? We should have done something after Sandy Hook; we should have done something after Vegas; we should have done something after Pittsburgh; I mean, you can go down the list. We should have done something after Virginia Tech. How far back do you want to go? And then the conversation inevitably always changes to mental health or bul- letproof backpacks. We’re talking about ballistic blankets. We’re talking about renovating schools so there is only one entrance and one exit. We’re talking about arm- ing teachers. “You’re describing a prison, and you’re bargaining and negoti- ating with people’s lives instead of just addressing the common

denominator in every single one of these issues. It’s really frustrating, and I would like to think that in this country we’re capable of some common-sense reforms that a majority of Americans support that don’t infringe on your Second Amendment rights.” While Doolittle spoke, his hands kept shaking in his lap. He raised his voice more than once. He seemed on the verge of either screaming or breaking down in tears. “Just watching the stories on the news of these innocent people and their families, the survivors that have to carry on... yeah, we can try to compartmentalize as athletes. Natasha talked about it in her press conference yester- day,” Doolittle continued. “When you’re here, when you’re at your job, when you put a uniform on and you’re around your team, you’re 100 percent focused on what you’re doing.... But there are only so many hours that I can actively rehab my elbow. There are only so many hours I can actively prepare for a game and then play the game. “We’re still members of our communities, and we want our communities to be safer, and it’s

really frustrating that Congress is taking a 10-day recess right now after people were peacefully pro- testing outside Supreme Court justices’ homes, and two days later they had an emergency ses- sion to increase their protection. Two days after Uvalde and they’re taking a 10-day recess? It doesn’t make sense. “... And, yeah, we do need to address mental health in this country, b ut the only time we talk about it can’t be after a mass shooting. There are so many other things we have to address to reduce the frequency of these kinds of events, like income in- equality and better resources in communities and at schools. That’s the longer game, and we’ll probably never be able to stop these attacks from happening. It’s part of our society. It j ust feels like a disgusting and gross price that we pay for freedoms. It doesn’t really feel like freedom when every two weeks this is happening.” Why did Doolittle agree with Cloud’s assertion that more local players — and more Nationals — should use their platforms right now? “I guess, cynically, you could

say that you’re overinflating the size of your platform and the influence that you have and it’s just self-indulgent to say these kinds of things. Maybe it is on some level. Who am I? I’m on the injured list. I’m a middle reliever on a team that unfortunately is in last place right now,” Doolittle answered. “But we’re still members of societies and our communities, and there are people who look up to us as athletes, who listen to what we have to say as athletes. “And I think if you could start some of these conversations, or you can participate in some of these conversations and maybe get people to listen or put pres- sure on elected officials to do something, the reality is that you have a little bit more sway than the average person. And when it comes to making changes in your community, you can help move the needle on any number of issues that are important to you. “... Guys here have been talking about it. Guys in here have kids that age. Guys in here have kids that go to school. We don’t have kids, but I think about my 5-year-old niece. The other day I asked my w ife if our niece’s s chool

does active shooter drills. I was like, what the [expletive], man. Like what a question to have to ask. We’ve normalized it so much. “We need to have more conversations about better regulations around assault rifles. I don’t think people need them. I don’t think that weapons of war should be on the street. But, like, I respect the right to protect your home and to go hunt and to have a gun, and I know a lot of guys that I’ve played with are gun owners. “... There is a way here to protect people’s Second Amend- ment right but also protect people who are just going to the grocery store, who are going to the movie theater, kids that are going to school, people who are going to church or a synagogue. It doesn’t feel like a controversial opinion to have, but I find myself really policing my speech right now. It’s really frustrating.” Doolittle stopped, kept his eyes on the ground and then cut off the next question, talking louder than at any other point of the conversation. “The kids called 911,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s a bsolutely heartbreaking.”

Doolittle delivers an emotional plea for ‘common-sense reforms’ of gun laws

NATIONALS ON DECK

vs. C olorado Rockies

Today12:05 MASN2 Today6:05 MASN2

Tomorrow 1:35 MASN2

at New York Mets

Monday7:10 MASN

Tuesday7:10 MASN Wednesday1:10 MASN

at Cincinnati Reds

Thursday6:40 MASN Friday6:40 MASN

June 44 :10 MASN June 51 :40 MASN

Radio: WJFK (106.7 FM)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Darren Helm scored with 5.6
seconds left and Darcy Kuemper
stopped 17 shots as the Colorado
Avalanche finished off its sec-
ond-round series with a 3-2 road
win over the St. Louis Blues in
Game 6 on Friday night.
J.T. Compher scored twice for
Colorado, which advanced to the
Western Conference finals for
the first time since 2002. The
Avalanche had been eliminated
in the second round each of the
past three years.
Colorado opens the series
against the Edmonton Oilers on
Tuesday night in Denver.
Jordan Kyrou and Justin Faulk
scored for St. Louis, and Ville
Husso made 36 saves.
On the winner, Helm scored
off a drive from the faceoff circle.
Compher, who had been held
scoreless over the Avalanche’s
first nine games of the playoffs,

broke free at the perfect time. He pounced on the rebound of a shot from Josh Manson to tie the score at 1 early in the second period. Compher then tied it at 2 on a wrist shot from the faceoff dot with 9:41 left in the third. After giving up 13 goals on 93 shots over the previous three games in the series, Husso re- bounded with a much stronger effort in Game 6. Colorado dominated play for long stretches, but it could not solve Husso, who regained his job after Jordan Binnington went down with a lower-body injury in Game 3. Husso robbed Nazem Kadri from close range early in the third period. Husso had a 37-save s hutout in a Game 1 win over the Minnesota Wild in the first round. Faulk scored late in the first period on a wrist shot from between the circles. He sailed into the slot before taking a pass from Robert Thomas. The drive grazed off the arm of Kuemper. I t was Faulk’s first goal of the postseason after h e had r ecorded seven assists.

Kyrou also missed the net on a breakaway in the second period and had a shot from close range stopped by Manson in the defen- sive play of the game after Kuem- per was out of position. Kyrou then converted on a two-on-one off a pass from Brayden Schenn to put the Blues up 2-1 at 9:34 of the second period. St. Louis forced a Game 5 by beating Colorado, 5-4, in over- time on Wednesday on a goal by Tyler Bozak.

Marchand out for six months Boston Bruins leading scorer Brad Marchand had surgery on both hips and is expected to be out six months, meaning he would miss the start of next season. The team said Marchand had arthroscopic surgery to repair the cartilage in his hips. Marchand recorded 32 goals and 48 assists last season. He added four goals and seven assists in the playoffs, when the Bruins lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes.

NHL ROUNDUP

Helm’s goal in the final seconds ends Colorado’s conference finals drought

AVALANCHE 3, BLUES 2

JEFF ROBERSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS The Avalanche will face the Edmonton Oilers in its first Western Conference finals berth since 2002.

The Washington Post - USA (2022-05-28)

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources