Judge's big league-high 14th homer sparks Yankees over Orioles 12-1 for sweep, 14th win in 16 games
Aaron Judge's 14th home run sparks Yankees to a 12-1 win over Orioles, completing a four-game sweep.

Joe Mack has been called up to the Miami Marlins from Double-A, replacing struggling catcher Jacob Ramirez. Mack expressed excitement and nervousness about making his major-league debut against the Phillies.
MIAMI — This part never gets old. Joe Mack stood at his first major-league locker with a big smile and said, sure, he’d be nervous for his first major-league start. This is what he dreamed about ever since he held a baseball.
And Sunday, after a Double-A Game in Durham, N.C., the news came in wonderfully chaotic fashion.
“My manager brought us all in and yelled at everybody for no reason,’’ said the Marlins’ new catcher. “Then he said it was because I was going to The Show. It was definitely a shock to hear the news.”
He called his mom and dad, then his girlfriend. They came to his debut Monday night against the Phillies, along with his brother and sister. And his long-time hitting coach and his wife. And their child. And the hitting coach’s brother. And …
“A lot of people,’’ Mack said.
No, that part never gets old. It’s the other part of the story that does. Another Marlins big hope, Agustin Ramirez, was sent down to the minors because he wasn’t getting the job done.
Ramirez was the big name in the trade of Jazz Chisholm to the New York Yankees a couple of years back.
It’s good the Marlins are finding talent for low costs, such as shortstop Otto Lopez (team-leading 1.9 WAR) off waivers, reliever John King (three hits allowed in 15 innings) for $1 million and catcher Liam Hicks, a Rule 5 pickup after playing his career in the minors who entered Monday tied for second in the majors with 29 RBI.
Such low-cost stories and some strong pitching have the Marlins at a respectable 16-18 entering Monday against Philadelphia. Don’t shrug at that. This a build-with-youth roster that has a league-low $80 million payroll.
But for this latest Marlins’ rebuild to work, the investments like Ramirez have to work. The promise Ramirez showed last season with 21 home runs was tempered by his troubling defense, which hasn’t improved this year. The hitting went splat this season, too. Two home runs thus far.
“A hard one,’’ manager Clayton McCullough called the decision to demote Ramirez. “Especially the defense, that part of his game needs to continue to improve to be able to catch up here.”
Joe Mack is a rising catcher for the Miami Marlins, recently called up from Double-A to replace Jacob Ramirez, who has been struggling.
Joe Mack was called up after a Double-A game, where his manager delivered the news in a surprising manner, indicating his performance warranted the promotion.
Joe Mack made his major-league debut on Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Joe Mack was initially shocked by the news of his call-up but expressed excitement and nervousness about fulfilling his dream of playing in the major leagues.
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Here’s the larger problem: It’s not just Ramirez. The investments of director of baseball Peter Bendix are struggling. This isn’t a reason to panic a third of the way through this season. Baseball is a game designed to destroy those who panic in preposterously long 162-game season.
It would be nice to see some results from these investments, though. Center fielder Jakob Marsee, part of the Luis Arraez trade, has followed a strong start last year by hitting one home run with a .175 average thus far.
Right fielder Owen Caissie, who came as the Chicago Cubs’ top prospect in this winter’s trade for Edward Cabrera, had two home runs and nine RBI the first week. He has no homers and six RBI since.
You can go to the measured buys this offseason. Starting right-hander Chris Paddack, who cost $4 million, might be down to his last start this week to show something. The big buy, $13 million reliever Pete Fairbanks, has been strong when in — but is hurt now.
“There’s nowhere to hide up here,’’ McCullough said, referring to Ramirez, but in a way that encompasses many struggling young players. “It’s very easy to get caught up — you hear the narrative. You start to read about it.
“And sometimes getting out of the spotlight a little bit and just have the light a little dimmer for a time period can let you just reset some and get back to the player we all know that he has a chance to be.”
That’s the hope. Of course, that’s not safe right now, either. This era’s first draft pick, PJ Morlando, the 16th pick overall, is in his third season of Class-A ball and showing no reason for a promotion.
Maybe there’s a reason for the old baseball line about it taking six prospects to make a major-league player. There’s no reason to panic so early. But Ramirez’s demotion says there’s only so much time given these young players before performance matters.
It’s Mack’s turn behind the plate now. His part of the story, the fun part of the kid coming up, never gets old. But it’s the part of the big hope going down that tells as much about the Marlins’ situation.