Sports
In an era of short starts, the bullpen is running out in MLB’s League Championship Series
CLEVELAND — For a generation, he was as much a part of October as fun-size Snickers bars and pumpkin-spice lattes. Andy Pettitte made 44 starts in baseball’s postseason, logging so many innings that nobody else comes within 50. And every time he took the mound, Pettitte knew the expectation.
“I was going to probably throw 100 pitches, no matter what,” Pettitte said late Friday in a familiar setting: the New York Yankees’ clubhouse on the precipice of a pennant. “It’s just a different game now.”
So it was in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, when the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians somehow escaped without every pitching arm in a sling. Surgeons nationwide must have been transfixed by the Yankees’ 8-6 victory.
Fourteen pitchers took the mound at Progressive Field, down from 15 in Game 3. The attrition has led to late-inning thrill rides in a series that’s been much tighter, game to game, than its National League counterpart.
Both series, though, have something in common: neither has featured a game in which both starters lasted five innings. And almost every reliever seems spent.
“The game’s built on bullpens now,” said Pettitte, now a special advisor for the Yankees. “(Teams) piece it together, and that’s tough. Now, being around all year, you kind of see how the game’s so different from when I played. It’s just a new brand of baseball. I don’t know whether it’s good or bad, but teams are built to do it now. Relievers weren’t built to do it back when I pitched.”
In the 1995 postseason, Pettitte’s first, there were 31 starts of at least 100 pitches. In the 2012 postseason, his last, there were 29 such starts. So far this year we’ve had two, by the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and the New York Mets’ Luis Severino.
In the 2009 postseason alone, Andy Pettitte racked up 30 2/3 innings pitched over five starts. (Photo: Jared Wickerham / Getty Images)
It would make more sense if the relievers were dominating. That’s not what we’ve seen this month, yet teams keep trying to bullpen their way to a title.
For Game 4 on Friday, the Yankees planned to give a night off to Luke Weaver, who had pitched in every postseason game and surrendered David Fry’s walk-off homer in Game 3. Yet even without their best reliever — and with his replacement, Tommy Kahnle, throwing all changeups to get the save, as Weaver warmed up — the Yankees expected minimal work from starter Luis Gil.
Gil was as fresh as he could be, having not pitched for nearly three weeks. A leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, Gil was merely adequate in September, with a 4.00 ERA, but he did last at least five innings in all five outings.
So it was startling — even to Yankees manager Aaron Boone himself, it seemed — to hear this after the game:
“What was big was Luis getting us four innings,” Boone said, adding that he knew it sounded light. “Really I was keeping him at like, 75, 80 pitches. I think he ended up throwing 80 (actually, 79), probably even more than we really like.”
It’s all an educated guess, but it underscores every pitching move a manager makes from March to November: how long will each pitcher be effective, given how much he has rested? Now add the complications of the postseason, where the competition is better and the stakes are more intense, and this is what you get.
The starters aren’t trained to pitch deep in games, anyway, and now they’re at the end of a long season. And the relievers are not only taxed, but they’re more familiar to the hitters due to repeat appearances.
“Guys have been throwing a lot of innings and guys can be tired,” said Kahnle, who acknowledged he should probably throw a fastball or two next time. “But I would say adrenaline does kick in big-time in these games, so you don’t really notice until you come out.”
Making this third appearance of the ALCS, Tommy Kahnle threw 18 changeups to earn the save in Game 4. (Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
You notice it, though, in the lack of command. A tired pitcher can often still throw as hard as usual. But the ability to repeat mechanics suffers, and that’s what leads to mistakes in the strike zone.
“It’s the middle, end of October,” said Austin Hedges, the Guardians’ veteran catcher. “Everyone’s been training since the offseason to prepare for a six-month season. As much as your goal is to win the World Series, there’s only a handful of teams that play this long and it’s exhausting.
“You can see it in the past. There’s plenty of pitchers that have pitched a lot in the playoffs and then they come back the next year and they’re just not the same, just because of that whole extra month, and also the pressure of each moment is tough. So that’s very real.
“But also it’s something that they have to be able to respond to. I feel like their team’s experiencing the same thing. They’ve got a good bullpen, but they’re not necessarily pitching the way that I’m sure that they would like to, as well.”
The Guardians’ bullpen had a 2.57 ERA in the regular season, the best by any team since the 2013 Kansas City Royals. In the postseason, though, Cleveland’s relievers have been far more ordinary, with a 3.83 ERA. The Yankees’ weary (but less so) group has been better, at 2.97.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, who gave up just five earned runs in the regular season, has now allowed eight in October. After blowing the save in Game 3 and losing Game 4, his ERA is 10.29. Manager Stephen Vogt said Clase’s problems were pitch location and a Yankees team that led the majors in walks and waits for mistakes.
“That is what the Yankees do really well,” Vogt said. “They take a really good approach against your pitchers, and then they get pitches over the middle. They don’t miss them, and they really capitalized.”
Whether through loud home runs or soft contact, the Yankees have made short work of Emmanuel Clase. (Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
He’s right about that: the Yankees have taken extraordinary at-bats this postseason, with Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton as dangerous as Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. While Judge and Stanton homered off Clase in Game 3, it was Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, Alex Verdugo and Torres who nicked him with singles and soft contact on Friday.
Cleveland has gotten 15 outs from a starter just once this postseason, when Matthew Boyd held the Yankees to one run over five innings in Game 3. Tanner Bibee, the nominal ace, lasted only 39 pitches on Tuesday, such a brief appearance that he’ll start on short rest in Game 5 on Saturday.
“The strength of our team has been our bullpen all year, so we’re gonna lean on that,” said Shane Bieber, the former Cy Young Award winner who needed Tommy John surgery after two starts this season. “I think you see most of these teams doing that as well, because it happens quick and runs are at a premium. Starters are definitely able to go deeper in games, but when it’s such high stakes, man, the leash is a little bit shorter.”
It’s a credit to the Guardians that they’ve made it this far without their best starter. Boyd was a shrewd signing — a veteran with a fresh arm after his own Tommy John rehab — but they simply do not trust any of their starters to pitch very long.
It’s a formula that worked in the regular season and got Cleveland past an even more bullpen-heavy team, the Detroit Tigers, in the division series. But now, with the top of the mountain in sight, the little engine is sputtering.
“I mean, everybody is tired,” Vogt said. “I think we’ve used them a lot. We’ve had to. It’s who we are.”
The Guardians have one more chance to win with this identity. It’s a tough way to live, and they’re not alone.
(Photo of starter Gavin Williams exiting the game: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
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The highly anticipated 30th WNBA season tipped off Friday with three games, including the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first-ever contest.
The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-riddled sophomore season.
Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd’s — the most recent top pick — underwhelming debut.
Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers react during the first half of the Fever’s season opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on May 9, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed Fudd’s performance after the game, encouraging the rookie to, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”
EX-WNBA STAR CRITICAL OF SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION
In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.
Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas in 2018 and was subsequently rebranded as the Aces.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd warms up before the game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9, 2026. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Despite the slow start to her first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she’s been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.
The Wings’ decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick drew controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month it did not.
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed in New York City on April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
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“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.
Neither Bueckers nor Fudd has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”
Next up, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.
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The Lakers are one playoff defeat from their season being over and from the conversation turning to LeBron James’ future.
They are in a hole no team has climbed out of in the history of the NBA, the Lakers’ 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 putting L.A. down 3-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
James and his teammates gave a gallant effort Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, but the defending champion proved to be more than the Lakers could handle.
James finished his night with 19 points on seven-for-19 shooting, eight assists and six rebounds. Rui Hachimura had 21 points and Austin Reaves finished with 17 points and nine assists.
Even so, the Lakers have now lost all three games by double digits.
And the Lakers are fully aware that no NBA team has successfully come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, with those teams holding a 161-0 record. Only four teams have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0, all of which ultimately lost the series, including the Boston Celtics in 2023.
Lakers forward LeBron James shows frustration as Thunder center Chet Holmgren slam dunks during Game 3 on Saturday night.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers will try to stave off elimination and a night that will determine how the conversations go with James if they lose.
James has been frequently asked this season about retirement, but he has not given any indication of what the future holds for him.
He’s 41 years old and playing in an NBA-record 23rd season.
James is in the final year of his contract that pays him $52 million, making him a free agent this offseason. He can retire, join another team or perhaps return to the Lakers next season.
That will be the conversation if the Lakers can’t win Game 4.
They will see the same Thunder team that had seven players score in double figures, led by Ajay Mitchell’s 24 points and 10 assists and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 23 points and nine assists.
The Lakers went down 13 in the third quarter and had to play catchup the rest of the way. They never did, going down by 112-94 with 6 minutes and 12 seconds left, forcing Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout.
The deficit just kept growing, topping out at 27 points in the fourth.
They were outscored 33-20 in the third quarter. The Lakers didn’t take care of the basketball in the third, turning it over six times, and they didn’t play good defense, allowing the Thunder to shoot 59.1% from the field and 55.6 percent from three-point range,
The Lakers did not give an inch to the Thunder in the first half, even when they fell behind by 10 points.
They just kept grinding until they led 59-57 at halftime.
Hachimura had 16 points in the first half, continuing his hot three-point shooting by making all four of his threes. Luke Kennard came off the bench to give the Lakers 13 points, shooting five for six from the field and three for four from three-point range.
The Lakers kept the pressure defense on Gilgeous-Alexander. Though he had 14 points in the first half, he shot only four for 14 from the field and one for five from three-point range.
The Lakers shot 55% from three-point range in the first half, which went a long way in helping them.
The Lakers lost the first two games by identical margins of 18 points and each loss was magnified because Gilgeous-Alexander was kept under wraps for the most part by L.A.’s defense.
When Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul with 10:34 left in the third quarter of Game 2 and went to the bench, the Thunder turned a five-point lead into a 13-point advantage at the end of the quarter.
So, when he wasn’t on the court, the Lakers failed to take advantage.
“Well, you know, again, I’ll repeat what I said after the game: we’ve got to be better in the non-Shai minutes,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Role players like Mitchell and Jared McCain hurt the Lakers in the second game. Chet Holmgren also was hard to deal with.
“Mitchell and McCain have hurt us in those non-Shai minutes, and then Chet [Holmgren] has hurt us the whole game,” Redick said. “I think you’ve got to be willing to live with something. Shai playing one-on-one, thus far in the series, we haven’t been willing to live with, so you’re going to be in rotation. That can lead to smalls on bigs at the hole, and the offensive rebounding from Chet has really hurt us.”
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In 2025, Alex Palou kicked off the Month of May with a Sonsio Grand Prix win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Based on the odds, it’s likely that Palou will find himself in Winner’s Circle again this Saturday when INDYCAR goes back to IMS on May 9 (4:30 p.m. ET, FOX).
Considering Palou has already captured the checkered flag three times this season, are there any other drivers whose odds are worth a wager?
Here are the latest lines at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 9.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Sonsio Grand Prix 2026
Àlex Palou: 5/18 (bet $10 to win $12.78 total)
Kyle Kirkwood: 5/1 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Pato O’Ward: 12/1 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
David Malukas: 14/1 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Josef Newgarden: 16/1 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Scott McLaughlin: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Christian Lundgaard: 30/1 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Scott Dixon: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Will Power: 60/1 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Felix Rosenqvist: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Alexander Rossi: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Ericsson: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Marcus Armstrong: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Christian Rasmussen: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Graham Rahal: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Louis Foster: 300/1 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Dennis Hauger: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Romain Grosjean: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Santino Ferrucci: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Rinus Veekay: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Kyffin Simpson: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Caio Collet: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Sting Ray Robb: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Nolan Siegel: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Mick Schumacher: 1000/1 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Here’s what to know about the oddsboard:
Heavy Favorite: It doesn’t look like Alex Palou’s dominance will be slowing down anytime soon. As noted above, he’s already won three of the five races since the INDYCAR season started in March. With 186 laps led, Palou sits first in the standings and has the shortest odds to win the title again. Last season, he started from the pole and led 29 laps before winning the race.
Long Shot to Watch: While his odds of 150/1 to win at IMS are much longer than Palou’s, Graham Rahal is one to watch. At this race in 2025, he started second and led 49 laps before finishing sixth. He finished second at this course in 2015, 2020 and 2023. He’s currently 10th in the INDYCAR standings, with one top five and three top 10s.
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