Dugout Diary by Joe Boesch

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."  — Babe Ruth — Joe Boesch 

Official Media Release from MILB: Dominican Summer League Kicks Off 39th Season on Monday Rookie-level developmental league features 52 teams at 30 complexes across country New Playoff Format To Highlight 2025 DSL Postseason Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin  June 2  with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra.   The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL clubs qualify for the two-stage DSL postseason. The eight DSL division winners (based on winning percentage) and the eight teams with the best winning percentage that did not win their division (Wild Card teams) will qualify for the postseason. In Pool Play, the sixteen teams will be divided into four pools of four teams each and will participate in a round-robin competition. The team with the best record in each pool will advance to the Championship B...

*Note: This story was first published in The Sports Column MLB assists veterans and their families through its many initiatives. Major League Baseball donates 100% of its licensed royalties from selling  Armed Forces Day On-Field Authentic Collection  apparel to  MLB Charities.  One of the recipients is the  Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors   (TAPS), a national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources for all those grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one. The MLB said in a statement that, in addition to conducting a national moment of silence, all teams will wear the traditional Memorial red poppy on the left side of their jerseys with " Lest We Forget " language included. When the Milwaukee Brewers had 105-year-old World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor Ed Miklavcic throw out the first pitch on April 16th, Sal Frelick dedicated the home run he hit in the game to him. "There are very few s...

Chicago native Robert Francis Prevost, the newly installed pontiff, is a lifelong Sox fan.  Last season, the Chicago White Sox broke the record for losing the most games with a 41-121 record, surpassing the 1962 Mets. This season doesn't look any better, with the Sox having a record of 14-33 (.298) as of May 18, sitting 17 games out of first place. But now the team is in line for divine intervention. Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, is a die-hard White Sox fan.  Pope Leo's brother set the record straight, saying he has  always  been a White Sox fan. There's video proof of the Pope attending Game One of the 2005 World Series at U.S. Cellular Field. "He was never, ever a Cubs fan," John Prevost declared. "So I don't know where that came from. Our mother was a Cubs fan, our dad was a Cardinals fan, and all of our aunts on my mother's side (all from the city's north side) were Cubs fans." As bad as the White Sox are...

First it was Rockies Manager Bud Black; second was Derek Shelton of the Pirates and then Brandon Hyde of the Orioles. All of them have enough talent in their clubs, but the expectations never came to fruition. Out of them all, Hyde was the most surprising, with a talented team that was hampered by injuries and just never gained momentum. Managers of MLB clubs come and go; it's just the nature of the business. They aren't the first and won't be the last. All three will end up with another team in some type of capacity, whether it is as a manager, advisor, special assistant, etc. The season is young, with many months of baseball to be played. Until then, see you at the park. — Joe Boesch

The Subway Series has begun, and the fans at Yankee Stadium have shown their displeasure with Juan Soto signing with the crosstown rival Mets. At one point, reported by media outlets, the Bleacher Creatures turned their back on him, and fans even threw a baseball he tossed into the stands. So it goes. At least the Yankees have Aaron Judge. This weekend is to show your allegiance to your team —the Mets or Yankees. Go pledge your allegiance for the next two games. Go New York, go! Until then, see you on the subway! — Joe Boesch 

Here's a synopsis of the upcoming baseball card releases for 2025: Already released — 2025 Topps Chrome Black Baseball Release Date : April 30, 2025 2025 Bowman Mega Box Baseball Release Date : May 7, 2025 2025 Donruss Baseball Release Date : May 28, 2025 Until then see you at the park! — Joe Boesch