Miami Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine did not start Saturday afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, entering the game late as a pinch-hitter and staying in to play left field. That decision ended up allowing him to make what might be the best defensive play of the young Major League Baseball season.
In a 3-3 game in the top of the eighth inning, Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski struck a well-hit fly ball deep into left field that looked like it had a chance to be a go-ahead home run.
That is until Conine did this.
GRIFFIN CONINE BRINGS THIS BALL BACK pic.twitter.com/hLttjjf0tO
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2025
That is some serious air-time, as well as a perfectly timed jump, to go up that high and bring that ball back. It looked like it was going to be five or six feet over the wall without much issue.
Conine had other ideas.
it also has to be a major source of frustration for Suwinski. His 2024 season was a bitter disappointment that saw him get demoted to Triple-A, and he is looking to get off to a strong start this season. That would have been a good way to do it. It was not meant to be on that play.
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The St. Louis Cardinals shook up the roster ahead of action on Saturday against the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, the Cardinals had to place Victor Scott II on the Injured List due to an ankle injury. The Cardinals brought up Nathan Church in response. That wasn't the Cardinals' only move of the day, though. St. Louis sent Roddery Muñoz down to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and called up left-handed pitcher Anthony Veneziano in response, according to MLB.com's John Denton. "Cardinals made the following moves: CF Nathan Church promoted from Memphis for his MLB debut," Denton said. "LHP Anthony Veneziano has been recalled from Memphis. RHP Roddery Muñoz has been optioned to Memphis. OF Victor Scott II has been placed on the 10-day IL (left ankle sprain)." Church has gotten most of the headlines since the moves were announced. He's St. Louis' No. 14 prospect and hasn't made his big league debut ahead of the moves. Veneziano is someone who has made his big league debut, but hasn't pitched in St. Louis yet. He made his big league debut in 2023 as a member of the Kansas City Royals. In 2024, he spent time with the Royals and the Miami Marlins. Cardinals make yet another move to tinker the roster In 2023, he appeared in two games and didn't allow a run. Last season, he appeared in 12 total games with the Royals and the Marlins and pitched to a 3.38 ERA and 14-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 13 1/3 innings pitched. Veneziano spent time with the Miami Marlins this season and had a 4.71 ERA in 24 appearances before designated for assignment and being claimed by the Cardinals. Veneziano was claimed on Aug. 4th by the Cardinals and has quickly worked his way up to the big leagues for St. Louis. It's been an eventful few weeks for the Cardinals. The 2025 MLB trade deadline obviously led to changes with Ryan Helsley, Steven Matz, and Phil Maton all traded away. That led to a shakeup in the bullpen. Since then, the Cardinals have been tinkering and this is yet another example of that fact. Overall, Veneziano has 38 total appearances under his belt in the big leagues and a 3.93 ERA to show for it. Don't be surprised if he gets into action quickly as St. Louis pieces the bullpen together.
The Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 99-93 in overtime on Sunday, but Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham left the game with a right knee injury and did not return. Already playing without point guards Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson, the blow to Cunningham continued a brutal trend of injuries in the Indiana backcourt during the 2025 WNBA season. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell took over for the Fever, tying her career high with 38 points — including 34 after halftime and 10 in overtime. Mitchell's heroics helped erase a 21-point deficit, the largest comeback win in franchise history. After the game, Mitchell opened up about the feeling of seeing Cunningham go down. She said it was like "deja vu," but it also served as motivation for the Fever star. Indiana Fever Playing for Each Other Amid Injuries "Seeing Soph go down, it fuels you if you care about your team and you care about the people in your locker room," Mitchell said. "I can’t even explain it to y’all," added the eighth-year WNBA veteran, full of emotion. "You just really got to care about the people that you play with. It just fuels who we are as people, and y’all get to see it as a team for us.” Cunningham is averaging 8.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 made three-pointers per game this season. Her attitude aligns with Mitchell's words, too. Cunningham has been open about the responsibility she felt to stand up for Clark when the Fever and Sun met earlier in the season. Head coach Stephanie White also spoke about the team's resiliency after losing another player to injury. "They got something inside of them that you just can't teach," White said. "They bring it out of each other. It allows us to go through these incredibly tough times we're going through." Sophie Cunningham Injury Update White was not able to provide an update on Cunningham's status in the aftermath of the emotional overtime win on Sunday. She is expected to have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, which occurred when Connecticut guard Bria Hartley fell and made contact with her standing right leg.
Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Tyler Booker finally had his NFL debut in the second preseason game, in the 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. And yeah, he was as advertised. Booker looked at home in the NFL, and yes, we get it, it's preseason, but we saw all that we needed to, and given the fact that Dallas had its best running plays behind the right side of the offensive line, ittells you all you need to know. But how was getting on the grass in a real NFL game? “Great,” Booker said. "It's really a dream come true. I was glad to be out there with my teammates. Glad to see some live action, and I'm very excited to watch the film. Just going out there having any debut was really a dream come true. Being able to play with my teammates and some live action. It was definitely a great time. Had a great time. Perhaps the best thing was that Booker wasn't just able to be serviceable, he was good. Per PFF, Booker, on 15 pass plays, didn't offer up a single pressure with No. 52 stout against the Ravens pass rush, and also, his push in the run game was something that will no doubt make Schottenheimer and the coaching staff happy. Yes, it was only preseason, but with all the question marks surrounding the Cowboys, one that we don't have is whether Booker will be able to compete at a high level and look good doing it.
Earlier this summer, the Boston Celtics parted with the entirety of their center rotation for the 2024-25 season. They traded away Kristaps Porzingis and allowed Luke Kornet to leave via free agency, and while Al Horford is yet to sign with a new team, he isn't expected to return to Boston. With three bigs leaving in the same summer, Neemias Queta appears to have jumped from being the fourth-string big last season into the starting center role for the 2025-26 NBA season. And as the franchise is in a retooling year, it will likely try to develop the 7-foot rim-runner. Fortunately for Celtics fans, they're going to get a solid look at how Queta deals with starter-level minutes against high-level opponents in the coming weeks. The 26-year-old big man is with the Portuguese national team, where he will likely anchor the middle of the floor throughout the FIBA EuroBasket tournament. On Friday, Queta suited up against Iceland as part of Portugal's warmup schedule. He earned 14 minutes of playing time and quickly filled the box score, ending the contest with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block. Queta has shown flashes of his upside since joining the Celtics. He played in 62 games last season despite being fourth on the depth chart. He's already proven that he's capable of making an impact against NBA-level opposition. However, there's a difference between earning some spot starts or making a splash against second units and to being a full-time starter. Queta will undoubtedly find himself working through a new learning experience, especially deep into the season, when games start to come at you fast. Fortunately for Queta and Celtics fans, the EuroBasket tournament will serve as a reliable proving ground. He will face some of the best bigs in the world this summer and could quickly squash any concerns Boston's fanbase may have. And with that in mind, Celtics fans will likely hope that Queta's performance against Iceland was a sign of things to come.
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