Pitcher Kodai Senga was masterful again and the Mets offense did just enough in Ronny Mauricio’s debut to beat the Mariners 2-1 at Citi Field.

Mauricio made his MLB debut and handled himself well. A natural shortstop, the infielder started at second base and made every defensive play hit his way including a nifty double play in the third inning.

But he was just as impressive at the plate. In his first at-bat, Mauricio launched a double 117 mph off the bat. It’s the hardest hit ball by a Met this season. In his second at-bat, Mauricio struck out swinging on three pitches, but picked up a single in his third AB. The infielder finished 2-for-3.

Mauricio became the first Met to have multiple hits in his MLB debut since Steven Matz — yes, the pitcher — in June 2015.

Brett Baty returned as the third baseman. His offensive struggles continued but that could have been a product of Mariners starter Logan Gilbert who was on his game. 

The Mets offense had a hard time getting to Gilbert. The 26-year-old got through 6 innings while giving up just one run; his one mistake was a solo shot given up to Brandon Nimmo in the sixth that tied the game at 1-1.

Kodai Senga was masterful again, keeping the red-hot Mariners off balance with his wide array of pitches and fooling them with his patented ghost fork. 

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz is not giving up on potentially playing in 2023 despite suffering what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury in the World Baseball Classic.

Diaz spoke to the media and raised the possibility of pitching again in 2023, saying it was his goal if some of his upcoming tests came back clean.

“I’m feeling great, we are working hard to see if I can come back. The doctors say I’m doing great,” Diaz said. “They want me to get my knee better first, then they will see how I respond in my strength, all these things I have to do. If the tests come back good, I might throw this year.”

Diaz pitching in 2023 is probably a long shot, but one he is unwilling to rule out at this point. He sounded optimistic after the injury, and the chances may be enhanced since his arm was not impacted.

Diaz was dominant in the closer role for the Mets in 2022, posting a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves.

The names on the New York Yankees aren’t as readily recognizable, and sitting in last place in their division and likely missing the playoffs certainly aren’t familiar positions for the organization.

But Monday against the Tigers, the Yankees flashed some of their big bats and ability to pitch.

The Tigers, despite some great pitching from Reese Olson and some brief excitement in the ninth inning, lost 4-1 in the opener of the four-game series at Comerica Park.

The Yankees (63-68) came into the game playing less than .500 baseball and in last place in the American League East, losers of eight of their last 10 games.

The key turning point occurred in the seventh inning, just after the Tigers (59-72) failed to tie, or go ahead, in the sixth.

Yankees’ Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres connected on back-to-back homers – the seventh time the Yankees have hit consecutive homers this season – off relief pitcher Beau Brieske giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

Gang Green legends Darrelle Revis and Joe Klecko were both announced as members of the 2023 class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

Revis and Klecko are part of a class that includes six-time All-Pro  offensive lineman Joe Thomas; linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Zach Thomas; cornerback Ronde Barber; senior candidates Chuck Howley and Ken Riley; and coaching candidate Don Coryell. 

Revis, 37, was elected in his first year on the ballot. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a four-time first-team All-Pro selection during his career. He played eight seasons for the Jets over two stints. The Jets drafted him No. 14 overall in 2007 out of Pittsburgh. He quickly became a star and “Revis Island” was born with opposing quarterbacks afraid to throw his way.

Klecko was selected as one of three senior candidates in August after failing to get voted in by the regular selection committee for years. Klecko, 69, played 11 seasons for the Jets and was a Pro Bowler at three different positions — defensive end, tackle, and nose tackle.

Klecko was a two-time All-Pro selection and he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks in 1981, before the stat was recognized by the NFL. Klecko was a member of the famed “Sack Exchange” defensive line.

Taco Bell adds two new limited-time frozen slushy beverages to its menu with the introduction of the new Watermelon Berry Freeze and new Watermelon Berry Lemonade Freeze.

The new Watermelon Berry Freeze is a sweet, watermelon-and-berry-flavored Freeze.

Meanwhile, the new Watermelon Berry Lemonade Freeze is a sweet, watermelon-and-berry-flavored Freeze with a swirl of lemonade flavor.

You can find both new frozen slushy beverages at participating Taco Bell locations nationwide.

Joey Lucchesi has spent most of the 2023 season as a forgotten man,  but the left-hander is an additional pitcher who is under the Mets’ control for 2024 and capable of getting outs in the major leagues.

Friday night was an opportunity for the team to savor the best of Lucchesi, who pitched strong into the sixth inning in the Mets’ 7-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

The Mets (57-66) won for the fifth time in six games, continuing their recent success against the NL Central. Facing the Cubs, Pirates and Cardinals over the last week-and-a-half, the Mets have gone 6-2.

Brandon Nimmo homered leading off the game for his 18th of the season, a career best. The Mets extended their lead to 2-0 in the third on Jeff McNeil’s RBI single. 

McNeil’s three-run homer in the seventh broke it open. After the Mets loaded the bases with nobody out and scored a run on Lindor’s RBI fielder’s choice, Alvarez stroked an RBI single that widened the lead to  4-0. McNeil followed with a shot over the right-field fence for his sixth homer of the season.

Rookie Masataka Yoshida hit a three-run homer four batters into the game and drove in four runs, and Brayan Bello pitched six innings Friday night to lead the Boston Red Sox to an 8-3 victory over the skidding New York Yankees, who dropped two games under .500.

The Red Sox took a 4-0 lead 19 pitches in against rookie Jhony Brito (4-6) when Yoshida hit a changeup into the right-center field seats. Yoshida homered after the Yankees were charged with consecutive mound visits to go over signs because the PitchCom device was not working for the Red Sox, meaning the Yankees were unable to use it.

After allowing Judge’s 23rd homer, Garrett Whitlock struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the eighth. Brennan Bernardino allowed two hits to start the ninth and Chris Martin finished off Boston’s sixth win in seven meetings against the Yankees.

The Yankees avoided being shut out in three straight games for the first time since September 2016 when Anthony Volpe doubled and scored on DJ LeMahieu’s groundout in the third.

Starbucks announces a new line of frozen lemonade drinks with the introduction of new Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverages.

The new line of frozen icy beverages combines the Starbucks Refreshers flavors with a swirl of strawberry puree and pieces of real fruit.

Here’s a closer look at the three new Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverages:

• Frozen Strawberry Açai Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverage: Reminiscent of a classic strawberry lemonade, with an icy twist, combining the flavors of sweet strawberry and acai notes blended with lemonade, real strawberries and ice.
• Frozen Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverage: A sunset in a cup with tropical flavors of pineapple and passionfruit blended with real diced pineapple and lemonade.
• Frozen Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverage: Features flavors of sweet mango and dragonfruit blended with real pieces of dragonfruit, lemonade and ice for a refreshing summer vibe.

Frozen Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers beverages can be found at participating locations nationwide.

Last place was theirs for the first time this season on Sunday, but the Mets finally showed up against their chief NL East tormentor and promptly relinquished it.

The embarrassment stopped, at least for a day. 

The Mets received a solid pitching performance from Kodai Senga and  in a flashback to last season grinded at-bats in a fruitful sixth inning that sparked a 7-6 victory over the Braves at Citi Field.

In losing the first three games of this series the Mets had been outscored 34-3, but on this night contributions throughout the lineup —  No. 9 hitter Rafael Ortega went 3-for-4 with two RBIs — added even the smallest semblance of decency to the weekend; the Braves had never swept a four-game series in Queens.

The Mets (53-65) were a percentage point below the Nationals for last place in the NL East as the night began, but clawed back to fourth. 

The team’s mission for the final 44 games of their season might be summed up as such: find rest for the veterans, get experience for the rookies and avoid the NL East cellar.

The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) is one of the most decorated tag teams in wrestling history. 

Bubba Ray Dudley, aka Bully Ray, and D-Von Dudley have held titles in every promotion they’ve worked for, including WWE, ECW, and TNA Wrestling. 

They also had some classic matches, including their TLC bouts against The Hardys and Edge & Christian.

They worked in TNA Wrestling from 2005 through 2014, where they were inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2014. While in the promotion, they held the TNA Tag Team Titles twice while they were once the NWA Tag Team Champions.

D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley went their separate ways in 2016 as D-Von stayed with WWE to transition into a producer while Bubba Ray went to ROH.

Impact Wrestling announced today that Team 3D will reunite under the Impact banner for the first time in 7 years on the 1000th episode of Impact Wrestling on September 9 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY.