Riyan Parag vape row: Ravichandran Ashwin says 'this could have been avoided'
Riyan Parag fined for vaping in dressing room during IPL 2026 match; Ashwin says it could have been avoided.
Kyle Hendricks joins the Detroit Tigers front office, while Garrett Crochet's injury adds to the struggles of the Boston Red Sox. The New York Mets continue to face a dismal season start, with their April record being the worst in MLB.
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Happy Friday, everyone. Itâs hard to believe it, but we are actually approaching the one-fifth point of the season. Itâs no longer easy to just blame issues on a small sample size, and weâre starting to have a good idea of who the real contenders this season might be. The NL seems to be faring much better than the AL overall, but even in the NL we still have teams like the Mets and Phillies showing historically bad season starts.
We look at that in todayâs news alongside other fun tidbits. Shohei Ohtani showed that he wasnât perfect, Nick Kurtz is taking a ton of walks, and the Phillies canât even take in a hockey game without getting savagely booed by frustrated fans.
All that and more, so letâs just jump right into it.
Meet Derek Klena, whose love of both acting and baseball found the perfect outlet with the Savannah Bananas. Story by Rick Maese.
A familiar face for Cubs fans will be heading to the AL as Kyle Hendricks joins the Detroit Tigers front office as a special assistant. Story by Cody Stavenhagen. (The Athletic subscription required.)
Think things canât get worse in Boston? Garrett Crochetâs injury would beg to differ. Story by Ben Clemens.
Martin Gallegos looks at Nick Kurtzâs insane walk streak and who heâs poised to pass next.
Kyle Hendricks has joined the Detroit Tigers front office as a special assistant.
Garrett Crochet's injury exacerbates the already challenging season for the Boston Red Sox, adding to their woes.
The New York Mets are struggling significantly, finishing April with the worst record in MLB at 10-21.
Riyan Parag fined for vaping in dressing room during IPL 2026 match; Ashwin says it could have been avoided.
Pep Guardiola might tune in to watch Arsenal take on Fulham this weekend.
FC St. Pauli takes on Mainz in a crucial Bundesliga clash this Sunday.

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Shubman Gill's explosive innings leads Gujarat Titans to victory over RCB!
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See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Kyle Koster looks at the wildly different results between the AL and NL right now.
A look at the Metsâ woeful April, making them one NL team thatâs really weighing down the curve. Story by Jorge Castillo.
The Phillies went to a hockey game and didnât get the reception they were likely hoping for.
Travis Sawchik has a proposal for how to make a better ballpark for White Sox fans.
Maury Brown does a deep dive look at potential destinations for expansion and how soon we might expect to hear about them. (Spoiler: it wonât be right away)
Jake Rill looks at a two grand slam day for the Oâs.
How Ildemaro Vargas quietly become the hottest hitter in baseball? Story by Kyle Koster.
Nick Selbe looks at the best and worst of players debuting on new teams this season.
Chad Jennings tries to determine which manager might be on the chopping block next. (The Athletic subscription required.)
Considering that looks like a jumbo-sized bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters, I think the trade was worth it.
The Athletic staff look behind the scenes at the sweeping managerial changes in Boston. (The Athletic subscription required.)
Jay Jaffe looks at the unexpected comeback of the Atlanta Braves after a dreadful 2025.
Will Aldrich shares how Paul Skenes showed his gratitude to his former high school mentor.
Shohei Ohtani made a mistake! Story by Stephen Douglas.
Came across this fun litle bit of baseball trivia and it made me chuckle, so sharing it here!
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.