Browsing: Waiting

SEATTLE — Logan Gilbert didnâ€t want to get greedy.

The Mariners had the bases loaded in a 2-2 game in the bottom of the eighth inning of ALCS Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. The right-hander was standing in the dugout as a nervous spectator, just like the 46,758 fans surrounding him in the seats and concourses at T-Mobile Park.

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Minutes earlier, Cal Raleigh had rejuvenated the home crowd with a roof-scraping, stadium-rattling, game-tying solo home run to left field after seven agonizing innings of minimal offensive output. The rally continued after Raleighâ€s blast, with Jorge Polanco and Josh Naylor drawing walks against Toronto reliever Brendon Little and Randy Arozarena wearing a 98-mph fastball off the elbow from Seranthony Domínguez for a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

Up to the plate walked Eugenio Suárez, the lovable slugger who returned to Seattle in a serendipitous trade-deadline swap, still seeking his signature moment in this postseason.

By the time Suárez settled in for his showdown against Domínguez, Gilbert had been joined in the dugout by rotation-mate Bryce Miller, who started Game 5 on the mound, tossing four solid innings to set an encouraging tone for Seattle. Miller was in the clubhouse handling his post-outing arm care during Raleighâ€s home run, but he rushed out to get a better view as the eighth-inning rally started to build.

“I just ran outside, and next thing you know, bases are loaded, and Geno’s up,†Miller said afterward.

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Domínguez attacked Suárez with fastballs and sweepers, with Suárez fouling off one of each to stay alive in the high-stakes at-bat. In a 2-2 count, Gilbert turned to Miller with a humble plea.

“Logan actually told me, ‘Hey, all I’m asking for right here is a home run — nothing too much,â€â€ Miller recounted.

With the crowd eagerly and desperately awaiting a resolution that could break the tie, Domínguez unleashed a 98.5-mph fastball over the heart of the plate. Suárez delivered his thunderous, right-handed cut that has sent so many baseballs over fences during the course of his 12-year career.

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“And next pitch,†Miller said, “home run.â€

Suárez connected with precision, sending Domínguez’s heater soaring toward the right-field seats. He exited the batterâ€s box calmly and started walking toward first base while holding his bat with two hands, patiently observing the trajectory of the most important batted ball of his life.

Three seconds later, that ball crash-landed into the crowd for a series-altering grand slam and a 6-2 lead that the Mariners would not relinquish.

After Raleighâ€s solo shot had taken the volume in the venue to ear-splitting heights, Suárez’s grand slam achieved seemingly supersonic levels. And with that, Gilbertâ€s wish had been granted.

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“It started as a request,†he told Yahoo Sports postgame. “But we can say that I called it.â€

As Suárez spent his well-earned time rounding the bases, several teammates spilled out of the dugout, unable to contain their excitement about what their beloved teammate had just done. For all Suárez brings to the table as a player, his unwavering positivity and steady leadership rooted in an overabundance of good vibes make him nearly everybodyâ€s favorite teammate, someone whose success is celebrated tenfold because of his impact on the entire roster.

That singular clubhouse presence, which Seattle was familiar with from Suárez’s time with the team in 2022 and ‘23, combined with the massive right-handed power he showcased in Game 5 is what made him such an obvious target for Seattle at the trade deadline. And though Suárez had gone through some considerably cold stretches since returning to the Mariners, the veteran third baseman remained predictably upbeat and continued to work hard, with the belief that his time in October would come.

“I think everybody was thinking what could happen, but the chances of it actually happening in that moment is probably not super high,†Gilbert said. “And then, of course, it happens. Geno’s been so clutch, and so many home runs, so if anybody was going to do it, I feel like it’s him.â€

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“He’s done that for 10 years — that same exact swing,†catcher Mitch Garver said.

It was a swing that not only gave the Mariners the lead but also single-handedly transformed the tenor of a series that had been decidedly in Torontoâ€s favor since the action shifted to Seattle for Game 3. For the majority of the 25 innings played at T-Mobile Park before the Mariners†eighth-inning breakthrough, the good vibes Suárez so passionately preaches were absolutely nowhere to be found.

The Mariners had returned home with a 2-0 lead in the series having flatly dominated the Blue Jays on their home turf, setting the stage for the possibility of clinching the franchiseâ€s first trip to the World Series in front of a fan base that had waited nearly a half-century for such a moment. But Toronto arrived in Seattle intent on reversing the tide and followed through with downright dominant victories in Games 3 and 4. And for the first seven innings of Game 5, a similar story was being written, putting the Mariners in danger of dropping all three home games and letting a golden opportunity turn into an embarrassing and season-threatening series deficit.

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For the third straight night, the Mariners had opened the scoring with a home run, this time on a Suárez solo shot in the second inning. But once again, the bats went ice-cold after that initial blast, allowing Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman to settle in and a relentless Toronto lineup to scratch across a couple of runs and pull ahead 2-1.

Torontoâ€s seizing of the lead was a particular gut punch for Mariners fans, considering who was on the mound when it occurred: All-Star starter Bryan Woo, making his postseason debut at long last as he builds back up from the right pectoral injury that kept him off the ALDS roster. Woo surrendered the double and single that gave Toronto a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

But unlike the previous two nights, when the Blue Jays†offense exploded to put the game out of reach, just one run was the difference as the later innings of Game 5 arrived — a deficit that could be eliminated with one swing. And for as unproductive as the Mariners†lineup had been, it still featured multiple hitters capable of sending one out of the yard when needed. Sure enough, the MVP candidate who just spent the summer smashing home run records and the veteran slugger who has been sending souvenirs into seats for over a decade accessed their power at the perfect time, producing two of the most memorable long balls in the history of the Mariners franchise.

“I have a good amount of beautiful moments in my career, but today is something else,†a beaming Suárez said postgame as he sat at the podium with his daughters, Nicolle and Melanie.

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“Hitting that grand slam and helping my team win games in the postseason, in a big game here in front of our fans … They have been waiting for a long time, and myself, too. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole career.â€

Said Raleigh: “The fans and the stadium, they were waiting 26 innings for something like that. Obviously, it didn’t deliver the first two games. But when those moments happen, they just exploded.â€

Thanks to those two titanic swings from Raleigh and Suárez — and an efficient 1-2-3 ninth thrown by closer Andrés Muñoz, who was finally given a lead at home to lock down — what was trending toward one of the most disappointing three days in the history of Seattle sports transformed into one inning of unfettered jubilation that will be remembered in the Pacific Northwest for generations to come.

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By securing the victory in Game 5, the Mariners have arrived at an entirely unfamiliar juncture for the franchise. Just one win separates Seattle from its first World Series berth and the erasure of a longstanding, not-so-fun fact regarding the franchiseâ€s status as the only big-league ballclub to never appear in the Fall Classic.

The team will now travel back to Toronto, where Game 6 on Sunday represents its first of two chances to punch a ticket to the unexplored final stage of baseballâ€s October tournament.

“They came here last night for this type of game, and I’ve been waiting for this,†Suárez said. “I just feel so grateful right now and feel so good because we’re going to Toronto with an opportunity in front of us to go to a World Series.â€

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Whether youâ€re a stick-flexing sniper or a third-pair defender, nobody wants to wait long for the weight to come off.

Bagging your first goal of a new season is always a delight.

Last year, every player who skated in 65 or more NHL games managed to find the net at least one time, and only two players — defencemen Adam Pelech and Josh Mahura — who suited up in at least 55 contests failed to score a goal.

Only four NHL teams have played five games so far, so unless you entered the year with legit Rocket Richard hopes, itâ€s not exactly time to panic if youâ€ve failed to get off the goal-scoring schneid.

That said, grips get tight quickly when you canâ€t get one to fall.

With that in mind, weâ€ve decided to use this weekâ€s power rankings as a way to highlight a player or two from each team whoâ€s probably only thinking about one thing when his head hits the pillow: “When is that first goal gonna come?â€

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1. Dallas Stars (3-0-0): Knee surgery wiped out February, March, April and half of May for Miro Heiskanen last year. The Stars†No. 1 defenceman hasnâ€t scored a regular-season goal since Jan. 9, so you know heâ€s itching to get one.

2. Carolina Hurricanes (3-0-0): Nikolaj Ehlers hasnâ€t potted one yet for his new team, but the Dane has 13 shots on goal in three outings. Something should fall soon.

3. Colorado Avalanche (3-0-1) Gabriel Landeskogâ€s most recent regular-season tally came three-and-a-half years ago on March 1, 2022. Itâ€s going to be quite a fist pump when he buries his next one.

4. Edmonton Oilers (2-0-1): Connor McDavid talked about wanting to score more coming into the season, but No. 97 has yet to hit the back of the net so far.

5. Washington Capitals (3-1-0): Alex Ovechkin will move to within two goals of career tally No. 900 when he breaks through for the first time this fall.

6. Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0): Jonathan Toews actually scored in his final game with the Chicago Blackhawks on April 13, 2023. Heâ€s already picked up his first apple with the Jets; all thatâ€s left to do now is bend that twine.

7. Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-2): Nine of Vegas†14 goals this year have come courtesy of Pavel Dorofeyev (five) and Jack Eichel (four). That means there are a few guys on this club whoâ€d like to find the range, including newcomer Mitch Marner.

8. Florida Panthers (3-2-0): Ten Panthers already have a goal this season, but Seth Jones is not one of them.

9. Toronto Maple Leafs (2-2-0): You know Nick Robertson wanted to find one quickly this season, but it hasnâ€t happened yet in four games. Only three forwards — Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann — have more shots on goal this year than Robertsonâ€s eight.

10. New Jersey Devils (2-1-0): Neither Jack Hughes nor Luke Hughes has lit the lamp this season. You know Luke — after signing that massive new contract — is dying to slip one home.

11. Montreal Canadiens (3-1-0): Nick Suzuki leads the team with six points, but theyâ€re all assists. Suzuki has hit the 30-goal barrier each of the past two seasons.

12. Minnesota Wild (2-2-0): Newcomer Vladimir Tarasenko has been seeing over 16 minutes per night so far, but that has yet to result in his first score as a Wild.

13. Los Angeles Kings (1-2-1): Every goal will be a special one for Anze Kopitar in this, his final NHL campaign. Heâ€s still trying to break the goose egg in his 20th season.

14. Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-1): Brandon Hagel registered a career-high 35 goals last season, so you know heâ€d like to get the ball rolling on this year very soon.

15. Detroit Red Wings (3-1-0): Alex DeBrincat has a half-dozen apples so far, but the 39-goal scorer from last year has not been the finisher on a play yet.

16. St. Louis Blues (2-2-0): Jordan Kyrou scored 104 goals for St. Louis in three seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25. The next highest Blue in that time is Pavel Buchnevich with 73. Kyrou needs to get going soon.

17. New York Rangers (2-3-0): Well, we know absolutely every Ranger is looking to break through at home, where New York has mind-blowingly failed to find the net in three outings at Madison Square Garden. Pending-UFA Artemi Panarin has just two points in five games this year, and neither of them are goals.

18. Utah Mammoth (2-2-0): Just one point and zero goals through four games is not how captain Clayton Keller wanted to begin the Mammoth chapter of his career.

19. Boston Bruins (3-1-0): Viktor Arvidsson is getting a chance to show heâ€s still got some scoring touch in Boston. As such, heâ€d surely like to get his first as a Bruin before too long.

20. Seattle Kraken (2-0-1): Shane Wright came within a single tally of scoring 20 goals last year. The fourth-overall pick from 2022 is still looking for his first goal of this campaign, while also trying to show he can be a real top-six offensive presence in the NHL.

21. Anaheim Ducks (2-1-0): Two guys who inked big deals with Anaheim in the off-season — Mikael Granlund, who came over as a UFA, and Mason McTavish, who re-upped as an RFA — have yet to celebrate with a tally.

22. Columbus Blue Jackets (1-2-0): Kent Johnson had a nice 24-goal breakout last year, so you can bet the talented winger is dying to get one soon.

23. Nashville Predators (2-1-1): Year 1 in Nashville was a bit of a nightmare all around for Steven Stamkos, so itâ€s got to be killing him to be 0-for after four outings this season.

24. Vancouver Canucks (1-2-0): First off, only one Canuck — Jonathan Lekkerimaki — has exactly one goal this year. Kiefer Sherwood (3), Brock Boeser (2) and Filip Chytil (2) all have more than one, and everybody else is sitting on zero. Youâ€ve got to think the guy who would most like to move off zero immediately is Elias Pettersson.

25. Ottawa Senators (1-3-0): Really, the big concern here is how long it will be before Brady Tkachuk has a chance to pop his first of the year. The hand injury he sustained in Ottawaâ€s home opener is going to keep him out “a significant amount of time,†according to coach Travis Green, and thatâ€s awful news for the Sens.

26. Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-1): A league-high 12 Blackhawks have already hit paydirt this year, which is a great sign for the young squad. That certainly takes some pressure off 2024 second-overall pick Artyom Levshunov, who has not popped one yet and has been a healthy scratch.

27. Philadelphia Flyers (1-1-1): 0-0-0 is not the line sophomore Matvei Michkov wanted after three outings.

28. Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2-0): Evgeni Malkin may not have a goal yet, but his six assists are sure attention-catching in the big manâ€s 20th NHL season.

29. New York Islanders (0-3-0): The winless Islanders wonâ€t be going anywhere without some goals from Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, both of whom have yet to break through this season.

30. Buffalo Sabres (1-3-0): Rasmus Dahlin is averaging over 26 minutes a night, so the Sabres need a goal out of him soon.

31. Calgary Flames (1-4-0): Yegor Sharangovichâ€s 31-goal showing two years ago — his first year in Calgary — is starting to feel like a distant memory. He had 17 last year and is stuck on zero so far through five contests this fall.

32. San Jose Sharks (0-1-2): Macklin Celebrini is averaging nearly 21 minutes per night — most of any Sharks player — but he hasnâ€t been able to find the range just yet.

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Roxanne Perez doesnâ€t have to worry about “when†she gets called up to the WWE main roster anymore. However, she says facing pressure can be a good thing.

Perez and Raquel Rodriguez recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about their tenure in Judgment Day. The pair are two of the newest members of the group, with Perez getting added to the lineup in June.

Prior to her spot on RAW being formalized, Roxanne Perez made several main roster appearances in 2025, including in this yearâ€s Royal Rumble match and a match with Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown. She also appeared in the Womenâ€s Elimination Chamber match, as she qualified as a member of the NXT roster by beating Rodriguez in a qualifying match.

During this time, and towards the end of her NXT Championship reign in 2024, Perez was one of the names consistently mentioned when the topic of main roster call-ups was approached. Perez was asked about not having the pressure of “when†might be. “The Prodigy†noted that pressure can be a good thing, too.

“I think regardless, pressure is good. Being part of both brands, itâ€s not like I was just doing NXT and not coming back to the main roster. I was doing both,†she pointed out. “Theyâ€re having me go to SmackDown and RAW, coming back to NXT, so I thought that was really fun. I thought it was a great opportunity to continue showing the world why they call me ‘The Prodigyâ€. And why I deserve a spot like in Judgment Day. Now Iâ€m having so much fun and enjoying my time.â€

Roxanne Perez faces off with Lyra Valkyria on this weekâ€s episode of WWE RAW.

Read More: WWE RAW Star ‘Quietly Signed†A New Contract — Report

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Tyler Dibling? More like Tyler Dribbling…

That’s what Thomas Müller might say if ever asked about the Everton youngster in a press conference.

Landing the ex-Southampton youngster this summer was perhaps the Toffees’ second-best transfer in recent times, after Jack Grealish on a season-long loan, of course.

In a way, David Moyes robbed Football League spectators of what could have been one of the most ‘streets won’t forget’ seasons from Dibling in a Southampton shirt, but we’re happy to have him in the Premier League.

This is not a replay Tyler Dibling scored THREE almost identical goals in Southampton’s 4-2 win over Newcastle in the Premier League 2 pic.twitter.com/vzuni9A4XKApril 26, 2022

The Everton teenager has an excellent command of the ball at his feet, not breaking stride, smoothly moving through the gears in a way which suggests he should be stoppable, but often isn’t.

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Dibling eats ground in an elegant manner, carrying the ball seamlessly; he was a particularly useful outlet for a Southampton side who found themselves hemmed into their own half throughout 2024/25.

‘Give Tyler the ball and get your rest’, may as well have been Ivan Jurić’s primary tactic with the team already several goals down in some cases.

Dibling featured in over 2,000 minutes of senior football for that doomed Saints side last season, making 33 Premier League appearances, which is pretty out of the ordinary in any top five European league, never mind the most physically demanding one.

What is ‘The Boy’s A Bit Special’?

FourFourTwo’s long-running ‘The Boy’s A Bit Special’ feature has been going since the magazine’s first issue, highlighting the best young players in the United Kingdom and abroad.

As of September 2025, we’ve given it a revamp. Our youth football expert Joe Donnohue will be profiling four teenagers each month, explaining why they’re, well, a bit special.

Tyler Dibling is awaiting his chance at the Hill Dickinson Stadium (Image credit: Getty Images)

At Everton, he’s going to learn from the best and I don’t mean to suggest Moyes was a marauding wide player in his day. Grealish’s breakthrough at Aston Villa saw the Brummy Beckham hacked and chopped at by Premier League defences, so much so that only Wilfried Zaha really rivals the England international for fouls won over the past decade. Dibling, in this case, is the young pretender.

The 19-year-old will become a key player for this new cohort of England Under-21s, too, for whom many of their established wingers have outgrown the age group. So, don’t rule out a senior bow in years to come, either.

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Sep 30, 2025, 06:10 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is entering the final season of his current contract, the typical time in a contract cycle when established NBA coaches demand or at least discuss an extension.

But that isn’t Kerr’s current plan, he said on Tuesday afternoon after the team’s first practice of the season. He has no issue letting his contract expire before cementing his future.

“I’m very comfortable going into the season with a year left,” Kerr said. “I’m so aligned with [general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] and [owner] Joe [Lacob]. We talked about this — there’s no reason for discussion or concern. This is kind of a point in our relationship where let’s just see how it is at the end of the year.”

The Warriors’ three star players — Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green, aged 37, 35 and 35 — all have two years remaining on their current contracts. That’s an alignment that Curry has called beneficial, allowing them to focus on a two-year window at another title.

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There’s been some internal wonder whether Kerr would push to get his contract lined up with his three stars. He is entering his 12th season coaching Curry, Green and the Warriors and, sources said, remains the preferred head coach for both of his longtime stars. They’ve won four titles together.

But Kerr said he is feeling no urgency to get any security beyond this season.

“I love my job,” Kerr said. “I love what I’m doing every day. I can’t wait to get to the building. Hopefully I’m here for another few years. But I think it makes sense for the organization and for me to see where this thing is at the end of the year — where they are and where I am. Hopefully that means we run it back, we keep going with this group, that’d be awesome. But I like the fact we can do it how we want it.”

Kerr entered the 2023-24 regular season on a similar expiring deal, but there were significant negotiations ongoing behind the scenes. Kerr signed a record two-year, $35 million extension in February of that season.

That’s not the plan this time around.

“I don’t anticipate any negotiation during the season,” Kerr said. “Who knows — maybe it all comes up at some point, and they come to me. But I’m not the slightest bit concerned about it. I don’t think about it. I just think it makes perfect sense for all of us [to wait].”

Wrapped within Kerr’s transparent discussion of his expiring contract was a clear acknowledgement that the end of this golden era of Warriors basketball is nearing, and he intends to walk away gracefully.

“However this ends it’s going to be done in a really quality way,” Kerr said. “It’s going to happen the right way. If it’s meant for me to keep going, I’m going to keep going. If it’s meant to be for the team to move on to someone else, there will be nothing but gratitude and appreciation. This makes it easy for everybody. Let’s see where we are at the end of the year.”

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