The NHL scouting combine is over. The predraft news conference has concluded, and, starting Friday, the Flyers select their next generation in the 2026 NHL draft.
Determining who they will pick is always a gamble, especially this season; the Orange and Black will pick 21st in the first round. But since the Flyers will be making their picks in Atlantic City, let’s test our luck and roll the dice here in our third mock draft — which will only be two rounds as the Flyers traded away their third-rounder to Toronto on Tuesday.
Command likely will be long gone. Center Ilia Morozov, wingers Wyatt Cullen and Ethan Belchetz, and forward Maddox Dagenais, who is projected as a winger in the NHL, sound like they will be drafted before the Flyers pick, too. Fans also should keep an eye on Nikita Klepov as the Flyers brass travels to Florida to see the right winger and other Gold Star clients in their annual predraft camp.
So, the question remains: why not go back to Bleyl, a dynamic offensive defenseman? Yes, the Flyers need help on the power play, and the New York native is considered a top-tier quarterback; however, as general manager Danny Brière was quick to point out on Tuesday, “right now you might have some needs, but in four years, five years, that need might be different” — and the Flyers desperately need help on the man advantage today.
When asked about the small defensemen available, like the 5-foot-11 Bleyl, assistant general manager Brent Flahr said they need to be dynamic but then glossed over the position: “There are premier forwards at the top of the draft, a grouping of big-time defensemen, and then it goes back to forwards.” The Flyers do like 6-7¼ defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii, but taking him at No. 21 feels like a reach more massive than Jett Luchanko in 2024.
So, reading between the lines, it sounds like the Flyers are keying in on a forward.
Jack Hextall is one of several players the Flyers have been keeping tabs on this season. Scott R. Galvin
With all that — if the Flyers do not trade the pick — let’s go with Jack Hextall, who, for the record, is a distant cousin of Ron Hextall, the former Flyers goalie and general manager. Jack told The Inquirer in Buffalo that the two have never met.
This Hextall is a 6-foot-½ inch, 195-pound right-shot centerman who is projected to play a middle-six role. The fact he is a righty is intriguing, as Luchanko, Jacob Gaucher, and Cole Knuble, who is more of a winger but can play down the middle, are the only right-handed pivots in the organization.
The 18-year-old from Illinois is known for his big motor, a high compete level, relentlessness, and, according to Ryan Ward, his coach with Youngstown of the United States Hockey League, “His brain is off the charts.” The Flyers love picking centers in the first round, plus they focus on all these traits when drafting, as seen with someone like Denver Barkey, who can play wing and center.
Hextall finished with 58 points in 59 games for the Phantoms (apropos, no?) and had seven points for the winning USA Hockey squad at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
“His bread and butter is how well-rounded he is,” The Athletic’s NHL draft and prospects reporter Scott Wheeler told The Inquirer. “The details off the puck, up and under sticks, retrievals, board battles, he’s got pro habits.
“If you talk to the guys in Youngstown, the first thing they say about him is that he’s a pro; this isn’t a junior hockey player, like a lot of these kids are. [He] does everything the right way, no selfishness to his game and he doesn’t cheat for offense.”
One more reason to keep an eye on him: he is heading to Michigan State in September.
Called “the draft’s most purely dynamic defenseman” by Elite Prospects, Xavier Villeneuve draws comparisons to former Flyers blueliner Shayne Gostisbehere.Sébastien Gervais/Armada Blainville-Boisbriand
Second round: Xavier Villeneuve
Where defenseman Xavier Villeneuve ends up is truly all over the map. He could end up going in the first or second round. As one coach told The Inquirer recently, if a team falls in love with a player, they may try to take them earlier than expected.
The latest mock draft by Corey Pronman, the senior NHL prospects writer for The Athletic, has Villeneuve going to the Flyers in the second round with the 53rd overall pick. It matches the word on the street that his stock has dropped a bit as the 5-10¾, 164-pound blueliner needs to work on his defense and gain strength to accommodate his small stature; however, there is a massive upside to Villeneuve, especially offensively.
The 18-year-old has a good stick, can skate, and dropped 38 points in an injury-plagued season — he had 14 points in 17 playoff games — for Blainville-Boisbriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He had 143 points in 152 regular-season games across three seasons in “The Q” and had eight points in seven games at last year’s Under-18 Championships for the gold-medal-winning Canadians.
“He’s very dynamic. His first three, four steps are really dynamic. He’s got a great vision,” his coach, Alexandre Jacques of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Blainville-Boisbrand Armada, told The Inquirer. “Offensively, he’s seeing things, and he’s able to create things that not too many players are able to do.
“At the offensive blue line, he is really, really, really deceptive, so he’s able to create something out of nothing with his edge [work]. Skating sideways is probably one of his greatest attributes, and he’s good at using [his edge work] to create shooting lanes or to create offensive situations.”
Down the road, yes, the expectation is that Villeneuve could help the Flyers power play as the quarterback. And you’d have to think the scouting and player development staffs have been keeping tabs on the Laval, Quebec, native as he was teammates with defenseman Spencer Gill, who is turning pro, with the Armada.
Called an “exciting player to watch” by Boston University coach Jay Pandolfo, Villeneuve brings a hefty comparable in Lane Hutson and is following in his footsteps by joining the Terriers in September.
One other name to keep in mind is Jaxon Cover. Although he does need to work on his skating — something the Flyers do not shy away from — he does have fantastic hands and creativity. A Penn State commit who plays for London of the Ontario Hockey League — the ex-team of Barkey and Oliver Bonk — a lot of his skill set comes from his time on the roller hockey rink while growing up in the Cayman Islands and playing in tournaments across North America before switching to ice hockey when he went to boarding school in Ontario in 2020.
It feels similar to the path of Ty Murchison, a Californian who switched to ice from roller hockey when he was 11 — and neither could stop when they made the switch. Murchison, the Flyers’ fifth-rounder in 2021, made his debut last season and could crack the opening-night lineup in the fall.
Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best sports images from the last seven days. This week, it should come as no surprise that you’ll find lots of World Cup photos — especially after Ecuadorian fans rallied on the steps of the Art Museum, and fell victim to the Rocky curse the next night against Ivory Coast. Brazil fans, whose team plays Friday night in South Philly, took precautions to avoid that fate.
Elsewhere, the Phillies took the field against some divisional foes, a state champion returned to the track, and dodgeball got serious. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite photos from the week:
The Phillies used eight pitchers — technically seven and cathcer Garrett Stubbs — in Wednesday’s loss to the Marlins.Jose F. Moreno / Staff PhotographerPhillies second baseman Bryson Stott looks to the dugout after hitting a triple in the first inning of Tuesday’s 8-2 win over the Marlins.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff PhotographerWinslow Township High School sophomore Jasmine Jackson recently won a state championship in the 100-meter hurdles and earned an invite to the Brooks PR Invitational.Jose F. Moreno / Staff PhotographerEcuador goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez allowed the game-deciding goal by Ivory Coast’s Amad Diallo in the 90th minute of their World Cup Group E match on Sunday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff PhotographerEcuador fans were shocked by their team’s World Cup loss to Ivory Coast on Sunday in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerIvory Coast’s Amad Diallo (center) is surrounded by his teammates after scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday in Philadelphia.Jose F. Moreno / Staff PhotographerEcuador forward Enner Valencia (center) and Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Agbadou (right) battle for the ball during their World Cup match on Sunday in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEcuadorian fans cheer during their World Cup match against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerIvory Coast’s soccer team practice as the sprinklers began operating last Friday at Subaru Park in Chester. They faced Ecuador in Philadelphia that Sunday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff PhotographerMembers of the Empire, a women, trans, and nonbinary dodgeball team, prepare to throw while taking on team Sirens during the “Beast Coast” championship Saturday at Ben Franklin High School.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerMembers of the Sirens celebrate after beating Empire in a WTNB dodgeball quarterfinal.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerA young Ecuadorian soccer fan sits under the Ecuadorian flag during a flag-waving event on Saturday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, before the team faced Ivory Coast in the World Cup.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Father’s Day will hit a little differently this year for Don and Preston Mattingly. After years of working in baseball for different teams, often on opposite sides of the country, they are together with the Phillies as the first father-and-son manager-and-GM combination ever. Preston Mattingly joins Phillies Extra to discuss working with his dad, as well as the Phillies’ decision to demote Andrew Painter to the minors and their preparations for the trade deadline. Watch here.
Philadelphians are known to be superstitious — especially when it comes to sports.
And now, international soccer fans are feeling those effects. After Ecuadorian supporters fitted the Rocky statue with a yellow La Tri kit, they saw their team fall to the Ivory Coast, 1-0, in its FIFA World Cup group-stage opener on Sunday.
Yup, that’s the “Rocky curse.”
However, Brazilian fans didn’t plan on making the same mistake ahead of Brazil’s World Cup clash with Haiti at Philadelphia Stadium (also known as the Linc). Instead, they went to great lengths to make sure supporters did not put a Brazilian shirt on the iconic statue during a fan rally Thursday.
Brazil enters Friday night as favorites, but underdogs have a habit of rising to the occasion in Philly. Before that game, all eyes will be on the United States men’s national team, which will play Australia at 3 p.m. (Fox29, Telemundo 62). Check out how our writers predict this one to shake out.
And in Seattle, Team USA will be welcomed by an all-time World Cup home field advantage, and we should expect the atmosphere to be pretty rowdy.
The Phillies made a seven-year, $200 million offer to Bo Bichette, but he chose the Mets’ three-year, $126 million deal that includes opt-outs after the first two years.Frank Franklin II
The Phillies may say they were on the verge of signing Bo Bichette as a free agent, but Bichette has a slightly different recollection.
The Mets jumped on José Alvarado in seventh inning of Phillies’ 6-4 loss in Thursday’s series opener. Alvarado allowed three runs in the inning.
And Andrew Painter was understanding when told that he was being sent down to triple A. The pitcher knew that the Phillies couldn’t keep him in the starting rotation. Not with a 1-8 record and 7.06 ERA.
New Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey (center) will come into focus with the NBA draft and free agency happening over the next two weeks.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
The 76ers’ offseason is about to ramp up, with the NBA draft next week and free agency beginning at 6 p.m. on June 30. These will mark the first opportunities for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey to make roster decisions.
There is a lot to ponder and discuss — from biggest draft needs to Joel Embiid’s future — which means it’s the perfect time to answer reader questions.
Delaware State shortstop Santino Harwood, who went to Roman Catholic, will play in the HBCU Swingman Classic on July 10 at Citizens Bank Park as part of All-Star week.Mike Buscher
Santino Harwood wanted to play baseball at a Division I school but his chances were dimming when he started his senior year at Roman Catholic without a college scholarship offer.
Since the shortstop was 5-foot-11, he was overlooked by most college coaches. That was until he met an assistant at Delaware State, who offered Harwood a spot as a walk on.
Now, he’ll represent Delaware State at Citizens Bank Park days before the All-Star Game when he plays in the HBCU Swingman Classic on July 10.
Join Inquirer reporter Jonathan Tannenwald and host Lisa Carlin for Soccer Extra on Gameday Central.Patrick Binkley / Staff
Join Inquirer writer Jonathan Tannenwald and host Lisa Carlin, analyst for CBS Sports Golazo, as they dissect the matches, the moments, and more as Philly has its moment in soccer’s brightest spotlight. Watch our latest episode right here.
Ecuador fans react as time runs out against Ivory Coast during the World Cup Group E soccer match in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Ivory Coast wins 1-0.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors pick the best sports images from the last seven days. From World Cup celebrations — and agony — to Garrett Stubbs on the mound, here are the best Philly sports photos of the week.
One of golf’s biggest hitters, Bryson DeChambeau, shown here at the Ryder Cup, doesn’t want the golf ball to fly any shorter.Robert Bukaty
Golf’s governing bodies declared Wednesday at the U.S. Open that the rollback of hyper-engineered golf balls would be rolled back itself. Any adjustment now will go into effect in 2030 instead of 2028.
The rollback is dead. It would take players months to adjust to a new ball, which is the most important piece of the myriad pieces of equipment they use. They will never agree to that, writes Marcus Hayes.
What you’re saying about MLB trade deadline
We asked: If you were Dave Dombrowski, what moves, if any, would you make and why?Among your responses:
Right now the Phillies do not look like they can be a serious threat to the Dodgers and other top NL teams. The team is aging and Dumbrowski needs to start rebuilding. Phillies having just sent Painter down really don’t have a whole lot to deal with, but I would start by trading Nola to a contender for a couple young promising pitchers. The team really has just about one more year after this one where Schwarber, Harper, and Realmuto will be productive. — Everett S.
Dombrowski has wasted the last few years and is still left needing most of an outfield, including a significant right-handed hitter, and now, a starting pitcher after allowing Suarez to go last year. One could argue that he also needs a middle infield that can hit. I like both Turner and Stott, but neither has lived up to his skills. Has Turner ever been worth what the Phillies paid for him? — Wayne H.
Phillies need an outfielder badly. Marsh is pretty good right now but I doubt that can last. Probably under. 280 at season end. Also a decent backup catcher who can hit over. 125 as age is catching up to JT a little. Pitching will be fine eventually. — Bob M.
I believe it is time to bring Mike Trout home.I don’t know if the Angels would even consider a trade but we absolutely should try.— Richard F.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Kerith Gabriel, Matt Breen, Jonathan Tannenwald, Rob Tornoe, Gina Mizell, Ariel Simpson, Mia Messina, Ryan Novozinsky, Isabella DiAmore, Lochlahn March, Scott Lauber, Owen Hewitt, and The Inquirer’s photography staff.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for wrapping up the week with me. Enjoy the weekend and happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. — Bella
Santino Harwood was set on playing baseball at a Division I school but his chances were dimming when he started his senior year at Roman Catholic without a college offer. He had chances to play at Division II and Division III schools but the infielder from Mayfair always dreamed of Division I.
“Kids these days want to hear that they’re a D-I player and going to a D-I institution,” said his father, Edgar. “I said, ‘That really does not matter.’ You need to go where you fit in and where you like the program. They feel like they’re disfigured if they’re D-II or D-III and they don’t have that status symbol next to them.”
Santino played like a Division I player in high school, but he was just 5-foot-11, causing college coaches to overlook the shortstop. Finally, an assistant at Delaware State noticed. They didn’t have a scholarship for him but told him he could walk on. Deal, he said. And then the coach made sure Harwood knew that the school was a historically Black college and university.
“He said, ‘You have to understand that you’re going to be a minority’,” said Edgar, as his son is white.
Santino didn’t mind. He just wanted a chance. He was in. The shortstop hit .296 this season, played crisp defense, and stole bases with ease for Delaware State, which reports its student body as 76% Black. Harwood grew up playing baseball with kids of various races — “Being from Philly, my friend group is mostly Black,” he said — so being a white kid at an HBCU was nothing new.
“It’s a great environment to be around,” Santino said of Delaware State. “It’s a great energy. They make you feel comfortable … I feel like baseball has the most diverse community. We have a lot of Hispanic, Black kids, white kids. Everyone comes together and is here for the same reason. That’s why we all get along.”
And next month, he will represent Delaware State at Citizens Bank Park days before the All-Star Game when he plays in the HBCU Swingman Classic on July 10.
The event was developed by Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to give players from HBCU schools — overlooked guys like Harwood — a chance to showcase their skills. Jimmy Rollins will manage a team, Griffey will be there, and Harwood will get his chance to star in a big-league park.
“Our president Dr. [Tony] Allen, his goal is to create the most diverse HBCU at Delaware State University,” baseball coach Pedro Swann said. “If you walk around campus, you’ll see all types of shade. There’s a mixture of everything. Plus, Santino has a little drip and a little swag to him. So he fits right in and has no problem blending in with the HBCU culture. That’s what I love about him. He’s friends with everyone.”
Santino Harwood (second from right) and his brother, Edgar; father, Edgar, and mom, Michelle after a game at New Foundations Charter School.Edgar Harwood
The Santino Rule
The 8- and 9-year-olds from Holy Terrors were called to the stage at the end-of-season banquet years ago when a table in the catering hall started to boo. Edgar looked around and saw it was another team from Northeast Philly that played in the age group above his son’s team. Fine, he thought. We’ll play up in age and beat them.
Holy Terrors — a youth organization at Brous and Princeton Avenues — won the Department of Recreation title against 11- and 12-year-olds despite 8-year-old Santino batting leadoff. Opposing teams were livid.
“I said, ‘Why are you mad? He’s 8 years old,’” Edgar said. “‘He’s my leadoff hitter. Just strike him out if you can. But that’s probably not going to happen.’”
A year later, Edgar said the league instituted a new rule that banned players from playing up in age.
“The Santino Rule,” Edgar said. “The pamphlet came out, and, boy, they put that sucker in boldface lettering. It was really weird. For me, playing up is a bonus if you can do it and you can hold your water.”
Edgar soon started a travel team called Falcons Baseball that practiced for three to four hours at fields in the Northeast. Even that wasn’t enough for his son, as the coach often would cap practice by driving his car up to the cage and turning on the headlights so Santino could get more swings after dark.
“There was always that want and desire,” Edgar said.
Santino Harwood after a game with the Bensalem Ramblers.Edgar Harwood
Those Falcons teams were diverse — “Black, white, Hispanic,” Edgar said — and the players became more than teammates. They hung out at the Harwoods’ home, barbecued, and bonded like “brothers” over their love of baseball.
“You have a melting pot of identities in the United States now,” Edgar said. “You have to get an understanding and learn to love one another and understand each other. Just like brothers, you’re going to bump heads. Everyone bumps heads whether you’re at work or on the baseball field or with your neighbor.
“But you have to learn these things now that you have to understand each other. You have to have a respect for different attitudes, different thought processes, different identities, cultural or national.”
Santino Harwood went to Delaware State without a scholarship.Mike Buscher
Earning his way
The Delaware State baseball team is full of players like Santino, who were overlooked by other programs before finding their way to the Hornets. The roster is racially diverse, just like that Falcons team.
“Last season, we had a guy from Idaho,” Swann said. “You pair him with someone from like Teaneck, N.J., and it’s polar opposites. But the guys got along. When you get out on that field, it’s not about what color you are. It’s about how you catch and throw the ball.”
Santino went to Delaware State without a scholarship, but his dad told him not to worry.
“You need to be prepared for the opportunities that can get you to that scholarship,” Edgar said. “Whether or not you think someone in front of you doesn’t deserve it, that’s irrelevant. When you have your opportunities, can you showcase to the point where you get that same bonus or package?”
He hit .296 as a freshman in 2025, and his coach called him into the office after the season. He was no longer a walk-on. Harwood called home and told his parents. They were thrilled.
He stole 15 bases last season as a sophomore with a .413 on-base percentage in 44 games. Swann told him early in the season that he was building a case to be picked in the Swingman game.
“I said, ‘Man, that would be cool. You’d get to play in your hometown. That would be awesome,’” Swann said. “Then he ended up getting selected. He took the lead role in the infield this season and was our quarterback out there. He never backed down from any battle. He’s a Philly kid, so he has that fighting spirit and chip on his shoulder. I love the way he plays the game.”
Delaware State shortstop Santino Harwood had a .409 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases in 45 games last season.Mike Buscher
Santino grew up an Atlanta Braves fan — his dad is from Georgia — but still is honored to play at Citizens Bank Park.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “It’s a privilege to play there. I feel like that’s every kid’s dream. For me to get a taste of it in the Swingman is nothing more than a blessing.”
Santino dreamed of playing Division I baseball but had to wait for his opportunity. Even then, he had to earn a scholarship. First, his coach had to make sure he would be comfortable. Santino didn’t think twice about it. The HBCU, he said, has felt like home. And he’ll represent it next month on a big stage.
“I’m so happy to see him get an opportunity that he’s really worked so hard for,” Edgar said. “No one knows the hours and the days that we’ve been out there trying to get him better at this sport. And it doesn’t really matter if anyone knows or not, right? It’s an opportunity that me and his mom are going to enjoy.”
The 76ers’ offseason is about to ramp up, with the NBA draft next week and free agency beginning at 6 p.m. on June 30.
These are the first opportunities for new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey to make roster decisions — within the constraints of having three players (Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George) still on max contracts.
That means there is a lot to ponder and discuss. And you brought questions.
Let’s get to them.
Santa Clara’s Allen Graves could be one of the players the Sixers consider picking at No. 22 in next week’s draft.Nam Y. Huh
Q: From @davesoup on Bluesky: “Draft question. Biggest need? Best available? Chances they pick someone as good as [Jared] McCain?”
A: This is a great place to start. Based on Gansey’s vague comments at his introductory news conference, the Sixers will aim for a combination of both with the 22nd overall pick. It’s cliche, but also makes sense in that range. I’m perhaps most intrigued by the options at center and power forward — think Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr. or Santa Clara’s Allen Graves — though a wing could make sense if the Sixers’ front office believes they are in danger of losing Kelly Oubre Jr. and/or Quentin Grimes in free agency. So could a guard — yes, again — if they can provide a three-point shooting boost.
The Sixers absolutely could find somebody as good as McCain, given Maxey went even lower at 21 in the bizarre COVID-impacted 2020 draft. But as recent drafts illustrate, picking here is always a crapshoot. Who the Sixers select next week, however, will likely help determine free agency priorities.
Q: From @marc_almond on X: “Any chance the Sixers trade up their pick, since the draft is very open at their current spot?”
A: There’s always a chance, especially if the front office falls in love with a specific prospect during this week’s workouts. But right now it feels more likely that a good option could slip to 22, rather than the Sixers aggressively trying to move up. Gansey’s general draft approach also still comes with some uncertainty. He ran the draft with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was not in the higher-ranking position that he holds with a new organization.
The Sixers and Joel Embiid are optimistic about his long-term health.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Q: From @cornerblight on Bluesky: “Do you think they are keeping Embiid?”
A: Never say never, given Luka Dončić was abruptly traded on a January Saturday night in the middle of his prime. But, putting it bluntly, Embiid’s contract is regarded as extremely difficult to trade given his age and injury history. If you were a fan of another team, would you be interested in trading for Embiid?
For now, the Sixers have to accept Embiid’s optimism that he and the medical/training staff have figured out how to manage his knee. He has no surgeries scheduled and plans to play more next season. That, of course, does not prevent the freak injuries like the oblique strain that kept him out for a month, or the ankle sprain and hip soreness that sidelined him for Game 2 of the playoff series against the New York Knicks, or the other random ailments like orbital fractures and Bell’s Palsy that have hampered postseason runs. One guarantee: He no longer has an appendix, and therefore will not need another emergency appendectomy.
The Sixers flashed what they could be with Embiid and George during that playoff comeback in the first round against the Boston Celtics. Gansey said he must operate (at least for now) as if he is building a roster with the core four of those three max players, plus VJ Edgecombe. And they all must cross their fingers for health, and that health leads to continuity.
Q: From @johnmlatimer on Bluesky: “I think the Spurs should have done the Two Tower thing more with Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] and [Luke] Kornet. And I think that would be a good option for Sixers to maximize and protect Embiid. Thoughts? Is [Adem] Bona that guy? If not him, who?
A: Solid observation. The Sixers have already dabbled in this, even going back to a preseason scrimmage in Delaware. And Bona has vocalized his eagerness to play in those lineups, as an additional way to get on the floor long-term.
The Sixers could use Bona’s athleticism, particularly as a defender, given Embiid clearly is not as mobile and vertical as the once-dominant player used to be. Bona’s limited offensive repertoire, in turn, is balanced by Embiid’s excellent skills for his size in the mid-post and perimeter. And that all helps fill the void at power forward.
Embiid did not play enough during the regular season to really experiment with this lineup for significant stretches. I’d imagine it is something Nick Nurse and the coaching staff are examining this summer.
Tyrese Maxey is a franchise cornerstone for a Sixers team trying to contend for a championship with three max contract players.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Q: From @realstuartl on X: “With Rich Paul as his agent, would Maxey really play the next few years in a rebuilding situation, if they did somehow get rid of Embiid and George?”
A: First, Maxey has never publicly expressed anything resembling disgruntlement or wanting out if the Sixers make the type of pivot you are suggesting.
I think it greatly helps the Sixers that Maxey legitimately believes in Edgecombe and has immediately established an on- and off-court connection and mentorship with him. I also think Maxey understands his unique situation: that he was drafted to an immediately competitive team with an MVP contender, instead of trudging through a rebuild like so many star-caliber young players do early in their careers. That now has made Maxey a tweener, of sorts, on this roster between Embiid/George and Edgecombe — and bridging that during a transitional period always felt like a possibility. Heck, Maxey has already been part of several iterations of this team, from Embiid-Ben Simmons, to Embiid-James Harden, to the most recent version.
Maxey, though, is also fiercely competitive. He also has already done right by the organization in waiting a year to sign his max contract, so that the Sixers could have a smaller cap hold on him and also sign George. In the current NBA landscape, partnerships between players and teams run their course more times than not (see Giannis Antetokounmpo). But right now, Maxey is a franchise cornerstone.
Q: From @jesuszoidberg on Bluesky: “In today’s NBA playoffs, is it possible to win a title if your best player is a post 30 year old big man, even not taking into the account the injuries?”
A: Just throwing this out there: A month ago, one could have asked if it was possible to win a title if that team’s best player was a small, ball-dominant guard who was a second-round draft pick and did not even make the All-NBA first-team this season.
(This is Jalen Brunson, of course.)
A team almost certainly needs a certified dude to win a championship. But getting the right players around that dude — whatever archetype they fill in regards to physical stature, skills, or intangibles — is the biggest key to building the correct team. And I do think that, under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement’s constraints, the star collecting method might be phasing out in place of compiling depth at the right spots. That is something Bob Myers mentioned during his news conference before the executive search that landed on Gansey.
LONG POND, Pa. — Lavar Scott is accustomed to reaching top speeds around a racetrack. But earlier this month, less than 24 hours before his race at Pocono Raceway, he took a beat.
Standing in front of a room of about 40 people at Holy Ghost Distillery, roughly 10 miles west of the track, Scott, a Carneys Point, Salem County, native, told stories about his racing family.
“One time, my grandmother raced my grandfather, and she flipped her Mustang,” Scott told the room, which was greeted with a chorus of laughs.
It was insight into the racing family that molded him. Lavar’s path started at 4 years old, when his grandfather built him a go-kart. He couldn’t race with an engine for another year, but his grandparents pushed him around the track anyway. Now, he’s racing through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and into the sport’s second tier, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he drives the No. 45 car.
Scott, just 22, exudes confidence in every room that he’s in. When he tells novice racing fans his age, they can’t believe it. Those two hours at Holy Ghost Distillery — he was meeting with people connected to David Weinstein, a partner at Archer & Greiner, a law firm that serves as one of Scott’s racing sponsors — also displayed the business side of being a professional driver.
“As a driver, you can’t just be fast, right? You have to be fast and be a good business guy, and me being 22 and having to learn that so fast is really challenging,” Scott told The Inquirer inside his Alpha Prime Racing car hauler at Pocono Raceway’s infield. “[I’m] trying to put sponsors together and get more resources, to have better resources to make our cars faster, right?
“The people that can kind of stay grounded and the people that do the work every day are usually the ones that get past those challenges, and I’m in the middle of that right now. I’m just working to get to the other side.”
His family and the village that raised him, from South Jersey to North Carolina, keep him grounded. And it was apparent just how much he leans on those closest to him.
Lavar Scott (right) has leaned on his family, including his mother Sonia (center), as his climbed the racing ranks.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
“It’s almost no surprise, because he damn near guaranteed himself, ‘That’s what I’m going to do,’” Wayne Scott Jr., Lavar’s uncle, said at Pocono Raceway. “And there was no alternative. There was no Plan B; there’s no second job. … That was his game plan, and he stuck to it. Here he is living his dream, not done yet, but he’s living it.”
Added Lavar, one of three active Black drivers in NASCAR: “The support [from] my family is a need. I need to have the support to feel good, right? If they didn’t support me, I don’t know how I would go about my day. I really care about what they think. They’re my family, [they’re the] reason why I’m here now.”
In the southwest corner of Pocono Raceway sits the Pocono Quarter Midget Raceway, which hosts races for kids ages 5 to 16. Scott’s eyes were fixed on the youngest age group driving go-karts with cages on top to protect them from injury. He beamed while watching the kids circle the dirt track because it reminded him of his start in racing and his first-ever win, on a dirt track when he was 5. He was hooked.
As he watched from the chain-linked fence that separated the stands from the track, a few teenagers recognized Scott from his racing TikToks and asked for pictures and autographs.
Lavar Scott (back right) poses with kids who compete at Pocono Quarter Midget Raceway, located near Pocono Raceway, on June 12. Scott got his start racing on similar dirt tracks.Devin Jackson
But he wasn’t just at the track to watch and take a trip down memory lane. He offered words of encouragement to the kids and took a group picture. It marked the first time in two years a NASCAR driver came to speak at the track during Pocono weekend.
“I started where you guys are,” Scott told the group of about 40 kids. “Some of your parents, I raced against. I’m proud of you guys. It’s really cool what you’re doing. Being back at this type of track brings back memories. … It means a lot [to me] to be here with you.”
It was a reminder, too, of his own racing journey and family ties. It began with grandfather Wayne Sr., who became interested in cars when he was in high school.
Lavar Scott (center) shown with his grandfather and mother after winning a race during his childhood.Courtesy of Todd Pride
Wayne Sr. got into drag racing, often with his friends. His love for drag racing was passed down to Lavar’s mother, Sonia, who was National Hot Rod Association certified and “very competitive” as she raced all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
“She didn’t want to leave the track until she beat her time, and at that time, she was one of only a few women out there racing,” said Waynetta Scott, Lavar’s aunt and Sonia’s little sister. “There’s a [nine-year age] gap between us … but just watching her really inspired me to just know that you can be the only female out here and dominate, and she had that mindset to go against the men at that time.”
What helped feed Lavar’s racing career, Wayne Jr. says, is Scott’s Auto, which Wayne Sr. opened in 1978. It has become a family business, and Sonia, Wayne Jr., and Waynetta work at the Carneys Point shop.
“We grew up at our auto mechanic shop, and it’s like a second home, so we’ve just always been around cars and in that competitive nature,” Waynetta said. “Like how everyone goes and watches the Phillies, we went to a racetrack. That’s how we congregated and enjoyed our family time together.”
Sonia Scott (left) stops for a picture with her son before Sunday’s race at Pocono.Steven M. Falk / For The InquirerRacing is a family affair for the Scott family. Wayne Scott Jr. (left), Wayne Scott III, Shanel Scott, and Elizabeth Scott pause for a photo with Lavar Scott (center) in the garage area.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Lavar’s older brother, Jerome, who also goes by Wayne, and Lavar “have been competing and everything their whole life,” said their uncle, Wayne Jr. Lavar and his brother would race their uncle and cousin, Wayne III. But Lavar, Wayne Jr. says, didn’t appreciate his uncle’s driving.
“He [said] he’s scared to get close to me on the track because I’m a wild driver, I guess you’ll say,” Wayne Jr. said with a chuckle. “I’m having fun out there. … I was like, ‘I’m just giving you some experience. You never know what you might get into out there [on the racetrack]. So take it as a lesson because everything’s unpredictable.’ I told him, ‘I’m glad I can help.’”
Lavar Scott’s pit crew works on the #45 Sunoco Chevy during NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Lavar Scott has been chasing the winning feeling since his first race roughly 17 years ago. It’s been almost five years since Scott was last in the winner’s circle, even as he moved through NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.
“It’s a feeling that when I go to bed, I think about, [when I] wake up, [I] think about, [when I] sleep, [I am] thinking about. It’s just the feeling of standing on top of your car after a win and [celebrating] with your friends and family and knowing you did your job really well that day,” said Scott, who has four top 20 finishes in the Auto Parts Series. “Knowing the work you’re putting in is paying off … I get kind of super emotional talking about it, because [racing] really, really matters to me.”
Scott signed with Alpha Prime Racing team last December, about two months before Jusan Hamilton was appointed as team president. Hamilton became NASCAR’s first Black team president a few years after he became the sport’s first Black racing director in 2017.
Hamilton, who was a racer himself while growing up in Ithaca, N.Y., had known Scott for seven years and sees a lot of himself in Scott.
“I see someone who works hard, continues to be a student of the sport,” Hamilton said. “He’s just on a platform now where he knows all the work that he puts in is going to maximize tomorrow, and I just see him continue to put that work in and try and be a better driver and on the track and a better person off the track to support the rest of it.”
Rajah Caruth (right) is one of Scott’s competitors, and another of NASCAR’s young Black drivers.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Beyond what Scott is doing on the racetrack, what he is doing off it is catching young fans’ attention in the Philly area and beyond. Last fall, Scott entered a partnership with Philadelphia-based Urban Affairs Coalition, a nonprofit that works “to improve the quality of life in the region, build wealth in urban communities, and solve emerging issues.”
Through this partnership, UAC launched Team Racing-2-Education, which aims to introduce young people to careers in engineering, data analytics, automotive tech, and media production within motorsports. Recently, Alpha Prime Racing launched a national workforce development initiative in partnership with UAC and Team Racing-2-Education to “immerse students and young adults in hands-on experiences across race team operations, engineering, mechanics, logistics, marketing, content production, business operations, and event management.”
Driving coach Phil Horton (left) and Alpha Prime Racing president Jusan Hamilton are in Lavar Scott’s corner.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
“It’s something I really take very seriously, and want to help grow and change, and bring a lot more people into the sport,” Scott said. “I think our partnership [with UAC] and our goals align really well. … It’s been really cool, and the work that’s being done is definitely making a change, but there’s still a lot more to be done, and we’re working hard every day to kind of continue that.
“On my side of things, I want to see more simulators be available to the youth and to kids, and let them gain interest. When you go to your local middle school or high school, you walk into a gym, you see your basketball courts there, you go outside for football with your friends, right? But I think there’s a way to just get some [racing simulators] into different places to have it accessible to them to play.”
Added Hamilton: “It’s really been our culture of Alpha Prime to bring new people into the sport to give them a foundation to learn and grow in a team that supports that because a lot of the big [NASCAR] teams, they just want people that are turnkey and can go straight to work without training. They don’t want to take the time to train because that’s loss of performance for them in their eyes, so we kind of serve that position of the sport.”
Lavar Scott is becoming more well-known among racing fans.Steven M. Falk / For The InquirerScott waves to a young fan at Pocono.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Scott also had an autograph signing early Saturday morning. Children and adults, excited to meet him, walked up to his hauler and grabbed a poster for him to sign.
That has become a regular occurrence as Scott’s profile has grown. He says he can “hear little kids say, ‘Hey, that’s Lavar Scott,’” and added that it’s ”super cool” to have those interactions.
A visit with a children’s hospital earlier in the week, though, helped put things in perspective.
“[I was] speaking with this girl, and she had to be about 9 years old, and she said … ‘I think this is the coolest thing ever, that I get to meet you,’” Scott said. “[I said], ‘So you think today, meeting me is the coolest thing ever?’ She said, ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve done in my life, is to meet you,’ and that hit hard for me. That was — I don’t want to say motivating, but it touched on a different level.”
Lavar Scott takes a moment alone before his race in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Scott walked away from his No. 45 car with Sunoco, a Chevrolet with a blue, yellow, and red color scheme. He walked toward the wall separating pit road from the straightaway just past the start/finish line before the national anthem and flyover.
He needed a moment to collect himself and refocus. He had spent the hours leading up to the 4 p.m. race on Saturday striking a balance of focus on the race and his laid-back, playful energy around family and friends.
While it was all business in the morning for practice and qualifying, he enjoyed the company of his uncle, Wayne Jr.; aunts Shanel and Waynetta; cousins Wayne III (who works on the No. 44 car for Alpha Prime Racing as a pit crew member) and Elizabeth; and mother, Sonia, after securing his 25th starting spot.
Jalen Hurts is entering his seventh season with the Eagles. Jose F. Moreno / Staff PhotographerLavar Scott compared his mentality around racing to how Hurts approaches football.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
His racing approach, Lavar says, is reminiscent of an NFL player who is revered in the Philly area.
“I do respect Jalen [Hurts], how he goes about things, being very quiet, processes things differently … and I think that’s how my guys view me,” said Scott, who connected with the Eagles quarterback recently. “No matter what’s going on, that Lavar’s going to show up prepared and ready to go.”
Once it was time to climb into his car, the rest of the Scott family watched anxiously from his pit box, listening to the in-car radio communication to glean information they couldn’t see on the track.
Lavar Scott operates on the straightaway under one of the many cautions in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts series at Pocono Raceway.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Every time Lavar’s No. 45 car zoomed by at around 190 miles per hour, a friend or family member would point out his car, trying to get a glimpse of their star fighting for track position.
“I get starstruck when I see him in his suit and in his race car,” Waynetta said. “I know he loves his family. We’re so family-oriented that it just gives him that comfort and the support and the confidence to know that he can go out there and be all that he can be. He does [racing in NASCAR] well, and he’s not alone in this battlefield.”
Though Scott’s first race at Pocono Raceway didn’t end the way he was hoping — he was knocked out of the race with five laps to go to finish 29th — it was clear from listening to his spotters through his car communication that he was maximizing his opportunities to move up through the field after starting toward the back. He was inside the top 15 at one point.
Lavar Scott was just five laps from the end of the race when he crashed on Turn 3 on June 13 at Pocono Raceway. Scott was uninjured in the crash.Steven M. Falk / For The InquirerLavar Scott getting a hug from his aunt Shanel in the garage area after he crashed on the 95th lap.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Those closest to him believe this is just the beginning for Scott as he navigates the delicate balance of racing and relationship building.
“I think what Lavar is doing is certainly going out there and competing at the highest level, which is fantastic. I think he’s learning as he goes as well, but making some really good progress,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said recently. “A guy who we’d love to see continue to climb the ladder in NASCAR, and he’s done it the right way. He’s put in the time, and he’s working with a great race team. I’m excited to see how it plays out throughout the year.”
Added Hamilton: “As long as [his] partnerships continue to grow, the sky’s the limit, really, for Lavar. The goal for all the drivers that we brought in on the NASCAR side, when I was working in that capacity, was for them to get to the Cup Series, and I think that’s still an attainable goal for him as long as everything else continues to work in his favor off racetrack.”
Lavar Scott recently partnered with a Philly nonprofit, the Urban Affairs Coalition on its Racing-2-Education initiative.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
This year’s World Cup is the first since prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket exploded to popularity as a new way to bet on sports.
Fans in the U.S. are free to collectively wager billions of dollars on the tournament, but a growing number of other countries are making it harder to access the platforms offering those bets. Whether fans can bet on how many goals Kylian Mbappé scores for France or who wins the tournament may depend on where they live. In some cases, fans may not be able to bet at all.
In just the last few weeks, Spain, Indonesia, and India have joined the growing list of countries — including most of the European Union and large parts of Asia — that have put in place temporary or permanent measures to cut off access to the Kalshi and Polymarket websites and apps.
Brazil shut down 27 prediction platforms in April, including Kalshi, whose co-founder, Luana Lopes Lara, is Brazilian, leaving the company scrambling shortly after it launched in the country.
Regulators have intensified their scrutiny of prediction markets as the companies have expanded rapidly around the world, offering a new kind of financial contract that straddles the line between gambling and financial speculation.
Some countries view the new types of financial contracts offered by the prediction markets as a form of gambling and subject them to betting laws. Others argue that they should fall under securities or derivatives rules. The start-ups have used the legal uncertainty around their new products to offer them to customers even as regulators struggle to catch up.
“Prediction markets are entering the same phase every novel financial primitive eventually enters: first hobbyist market, then mass attraction, then legitimacy fights,” said Dovey Wan, founding partner of Primitive Ventures, a backer of prediction market platform Opinion Labs. “The recent bans mean the category has become important enough to regulate.”
Prediction market operators argue their platforms provide valuable information by aggregating collective forecasts on everything from economic indicators to geopolitical events. Critics counter that the contracts can encourage excessive speculation, and also open new opportunities for insider trading, alongside the ethical issues created by making it possible to bet on the war and other matters of life and death.
“Betting isn’t new,” said Chris Holland, partner at Singaporean consulting firm HM Strategy. “What’s new is the structure.” Because prediction market contracts are typically classified as derivatives, they fall outside gambling licensing frameworks, he added. “That gap is an open invitation to insiders.”
Though Kalshi and Polymarket are by far the largest prediction companies, many more are expanding globally, including Opinion Labs, which is backed by Binance cofounder Changpeng Zhao’s family office YZi Labs, and Coinbase Ventures-backed Limitless.
A number of exchanges have cut marketing deals with soccer leagues and teams ahead of the World Cup to increase their visibility around the tournament.
The markets are big business, and growing. On Monday, Piper Sandl analyst Patrick Moley wrote that the World Cup was “like the Super Bowl every day,” and was driving record daily volumes on Kalshi.
Polymarket recorded around $2.8 billion in notional trading volume across its international and U.S. exchanges in the first week of June, according to user-compiled data on Dune Analytics, up from $2.1 billion a week earlier. Kalshi reported about $4.5 billion over the same period, up from $4.2 billion.
Creating a regulatory framework that restricts the sites is proving a challenge for country-specific regulators. The companies have been rapidly expanding around the world, unlike traditional gambling companies that are generally restricted to a specific jurisdiction. The use of virtual private-networks and cryptocurrencies make it easier to operate without going through local financial firms and regulators, and makes it difficult to completely shut the platforms down.
India’s government said users were able to access “illegal and blocked” prediction markets and said “Polymarket and a few other similar sites” were enabling the use of virtual private networks to circumvent the national ban, The government asked internet providers to cut off access to the platforms.
Polymarket and Kalshi’s terms of service already prohibit people from signing up in certain countries, including many that have recently taken steps to crack down on the sites. They’ve also strengthened safeguards against insider trading and market manipulation as prediction markets face growing scrutiny.
Polymarket is partnering with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis Inc. to help police its platform related to suspicious trades.
“We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Spain, Brazil, and other countries on a path forward that supports responsible innovation, transparency, and user protection in prediction markets,” a Polymarket spokesperson said in an email. The firm monitors for insider trading and other illegal activity, consistent with other markets, the spokesperson added.
Opinion Labs has restricted access for users from various jurisdictions and blocked any sanctioned addresses, said Alex Chan, chief investment officer, in an emailed response. “We are working closely with a number of local authorities toward launching compliant local platforms.”
Kalshi and Limitless didn’t respond to email seeking comments.
For now, prediction markets remain legal in a patchwork of jurisdictions, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer: Governments are increasingly unwilling to let platforms operate in a regulatory gray zone.
Emily Nicolle, Sidhartha Shukla, Alice French, Yian Lee, Betty Hou, Lulu Yilun Chen, and Amanda Wang contributed to this article.
SEATTLE — There was no surprise news about Christian Pulisic from U.S. men’s soccer team manager Mauricio Pochettino in his news conference before Friday’s game against Australia (3 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62). Pochettino did not rule the star playmaker in or out, and that was not surprising.
“As you know, he was training in an individual way the whole week,” Pochettino said. “But like always, I think tonight, the day before the game, we have a meeting with our medical area, and we will assess the whole group, the players, and tomorrow we will communicate all the things that we can agree tonight.”
Pulisic was seen briefly at the start of Thursday’s practice, then headed off to work on his own. When he arrived, he wasn’t wearing the sleeve over his injured left calf that he sported on Wednesday. But after a few minutes, he sat down on a bench by the sideline and put it on.
“He is evolving, he is much better from [last] Friday,” Pochettino said. “I think at the moment we’ll see. … He’s doing a massive effort trying to be ready.”
Mauricio Pochettino (left) and his top assistant Jesús Pérez at Thursday’s practice.Jonathan Tannenwald
The manager also praised Pulisic for being “strong and with a great mentality” as the Hershey native works to be ready for kickoff.
Asked who might play if Pulisic can’t go, Pochettino didn’t answer. This was no surprise either.
“I will tell tomorrow if that is the situation,” he said. “At the moment, we are evaluating all the possibilities just in case, and then we will decide when we have the confirmation in one or another direction tonight.”
What is no secret is that when these teams met in a friendly in suburban Denver in October, it was far from friendly on the field. Australia played a physical game, with a focus on Pulisic that forced him off the field injured in the 31st minute.
When Christian Pulisic (center) first appeared Thursday, he wasn’t wearing the sleeve over his injured calf that he wore Wednesday. He put it on later.Jonathan Tannenwald
All of the U.S. players are ready for round two, and so is the manager.
“I think we need to play on the edge of the line, not crossing the lines of the rules,” Pochettino said. “I think we are going to try, all, to be very close to this thin line. That allows us to take some advantage [with] the rules.”
Later in the day, Australia manager Tony Popovic was asked if he expects this game to be similar to the last. He didn’t answer directly.
“Since then we feel we’ve improved,” he said. “We’re a better team now than what we were in October and I’m sure the U.S. is as well.”
Popovic also was asked if he expects Pulisic to play.
“I’m sure he’ll play if he’s fit — he’s one of their best players, an outstanding footballer,” Popovic said. “We expect Christian to definitely play if he’s available, and if he’s not, we’ve looked at some of the players that have played when he hasn’t been there.”
Pochettino grew up in Argentina, played 20 times for his country (including at the 2002 World Cup), and like many Argentines is fiercely proud of his roots. So of course he was thrilled to see the Albiceleste start its World Cup campaign by routing Algeria, 3-0, with a hat trick from Lionel Messi — whom Pochettino coached at Paris Saint-Germain in the 2021-22 season.
“I am Argentino, and I really enjoyed the performance,” Pochettino said, quickly adding “but I’m going to give my life for the USA.”
He didn’t have to worry about offending anyone this time.
“I think it’s difficult to describe Messi,” Pochettino said. “Six World Cups, all that he achieved in his career in different clubs [in] collective and individual ways — woof. Is he the best? For sure, yes.”
(Not that he was ever going to answer with Brazil’s Pelé, Argentina’s foil for decades; or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s modern foil.)
“Argentina is an amazing team,” Pochettino said of the reigning champions, noting his friendship with their manager Lionel Scaloni and some of his staff. “Lionel is, for me, the best coach today in this World Cup. … The fans — amazing.”
The packed crowd of Argentina fans in Kansas City on Tuesday.Reed Hoffmann
He paused there to make a gesture showing the importance of Argentina’s legendary fan base, that has filled stadiums to the brim for decades. Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium was the latest to see the show, as a full house roared into the night.
“And then the cherry [on top]? Messi,” Pochettino concluded.
This isn’t Pochettino’s first trip to Seattle. In 2014, his first game with England’s Tottenham Hotspur was a friendly against the Sounders at the same stadium he’ll work Friday.
“I saw the ambience and the atmosphere and the people, and I hear that they are very passionate people here,” he said. “I’m looking forward [to] tomorrow, to share all together a great night, I hope with a good result and good performance.”
The vibrant scene in Seattle as Fox’s studio show goes on air:
At one point during Thursday’s practice, Pochettino walked to the end of the field, then up a hill behind the net, took out his phone, and recorded a little video. What was that about?
He joked in the news conference that it was “to see how everything looks without me,” mocking Argentines’ reputations for big egos. He also joked that he was watching for spies, though that line fell a little flat in a sport where spying actually happens.
As it turned out, he was just taking a video for himself, with a view in front of him of Lake Washington and the facilities on a classically big-time American college campus. Though the U.S. team was only there for a short time, Pochettino appreciated the setting.
“It was amazing, beautiful facilities,” he said. “We know that they were working for months, only for us to spend maybe an hour and a half, two hours. … Thank you to the people that made it possible to have, in perfect condition, the field and all the facilities.”
The Mets had already scored one run against the Phillies reliever to break the 3-3 tie in the seventh, and threatened for more with two runners on. But Marcus Semien fouled a cutter back into J.T. Realmuto’s glove for what Alvarado thought was an inning-ending strikeout, and he started to walk off the mound.
Home plate umpire Brian Walsh checked the ball and found a dirt mark on it, proving that it had touched the ground before entering Realmuto’s glove. It gave the Mets second baseman a new life. And Semien made the most of it, sending Alvarado’s next pitch to the center field wall, above a jumping Justin Crawford.
“It ends up being the right call,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “Not a call I like, but the right call.”
What was nearly an inning-ending strikeout instead became a bases-clearing triple, putting the Mets ahead to beat the Phillies, 6-4, in Thursday’s series opener. Alvarado, whose season ERA has risen to 6.58, was charged with the loss.
Alvarado was nearly out of the inning even before that. He had allowed a leadoff single to start the seventh inning, but battled back to induce a line out and pop out, respectively, from Bo Bichette and Juan Soto, who had been the Mets’ most dangerous hitter all night. He then brought pinch-hitting Mark Vientos to a 1-2 count.
But Alvarado lost his command, throwing three straight cutters in the dirt to walk Vientos. He allowed another pinch-hitter to reach when Eric Wagaman singled, bringing up Semien.
“Hitters feel confident that they can hit against me right now,” Alvarado said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “It seems like 100 mph is something they see a lot at this level. It’s not surprising anymore. They’re just hitting well against me right now.”
All three hits Alvarado gave up on Thursday came on his sinker. Hitters are batting .333 against the pitch this year, and .268 on his cutter.
After the Phillies optioned fellow lefty Tanner Banks earlier on Thursday, it is more crucial that Alvarado turns his season around. Alvarado and Tim Mayza are the Phillies’ only left-handed options on the roster, though Kyle Backhus (left elbow inflammation) is progressing on his rehab assignment and is nearing a return.
“We’re a nick away from catching strike three, just touches the ground. So we just keep paying attention to him,” Mattingly said of Alvarado. “But, I mean, the ball’s coming out, it’s not like he’s down in velo or anything like that. Just got to get the ball to the right spots.”
It didn’t help that the Phillies’ bats went cold after the fourth inning. After the Mets jumped out to an early lead against starter Aaron Nola, courtesy of a pair of solo homers from Soto and an RBI double A.J. Ewing hit over Brandon Marsh’s head in right field, the Phillies chipped away to tie it in the fourth.
“He said he had trouble on defense, felt like he was a liability on defense, so he couldn’t really move,” Mattingly said, adding that he hoped the day off Friday would help Turner be ready for Saturday night’s game.
Bohm delivered another RBI in the third, doubling to drive in Kyle Schwarber and cut the Mets’ lead to 3-2. The Phillies’ designated hitter had reached first on a dropped third strike from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, and advanced to second when Alvarez botched the throw to first.
In the fourth, Derek Hill tied the game at 3, singling up the middle to drive in Bryson Stott. But that proved to be the Phillies’ final hit until the ninth inning, as the bats fell mostly silent against the Mets bullpen.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola allowed seven hits, but he limited the Mets to three runs to keep his team within striking distance.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Nola allowed seven hits, but he limited the Mets to three runs to keep his team within striking distance. Seth Johnson and Bryse Wilson, who both had been recalled earlier on Thursday, each appeared in relief. Johnson retired the side in order in the sixth with a pair of strikeouts on his 99-mph fastball, while Wilson pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth after the Mets took the lead against Alvarado.
“Seth was good tonight,” Mattingly said. “He’s been throwing the ball good in triple A, one of the best relievers in triple-A baseball. So stuff was good, threw in the strike zone, attacked, so it was good.”
Down to their final out in the ninth, the offense showed a little life. Gabriel Rincones Jr., pinch-hitting for Hill, delivered the Phillies’ first hit since the fourth on an infield single to Bichette. Crawford followed it up with an RBI single to bring up Schwarber, representing the winning run with two on base.
Schwarber worked a 2-2 count against Devin Williams, and hit a sharp liner, 104.6 mph off the bat, but it was straight at right fielder Brett Baty for the final out.
