AROUND THE HORN
Mets: Sandy Alderson will step down as president of the Mets when the team finds his replacement. The 74-year-old Alderson, a cancer survivor who has served two stints as the team’s general manager, will move to a new role as special advisor to owners Steve and Alex Cohen and the senior leadership team. The firstplace Mets announced the plans Thursday evening before hosting the Pirates on Roberto Clemente Day in Major League Baseball. “For me personally and for the organization, it’s the right time for this transition,” Alderson said in a statement. “We are having a successful season, we have made several key additions to our senior leadership team and we have built a strong and forward-thinking culture. When the time comes, I am looking forward to continuing to support Steve, Alex and the organization in a new role.” Alderson was the Mets GM from 2010-18. He returned to the club as president when Cohen bought the team in November 2020 and assumed GM responsibilities running baseball operations once again for a while before Billy Eppler was hired as GM last offseason. “When I asked Sandy to come back to the team, it was for a defined period of time and with a specific mandate – revive our culture and this iconic franchise for our fans, partners and employees,” Steve Cohen said. “Sandy has done those very things and more and we have begun a search for his successor. When we find that person, I have asked Sandy to continue in a new role as special advisor to me and the senior leadership team.”
White Sox: Elvis Andrus hit one of his team’s five HRs off rookie Hunter Gaddis as the visiting White Sox cut the Guardians’ division lead to three games with an 8-2 victory in a makeup game. Andrus connected in the fifth off Gaddis (0-2), who became the first Guardians pitcher to allow five HRs in a game since Luis Tiant in 1969. On Wednesday, Andrus raised some eyebrows by telling reporters he expected the first-place Guardians “to crumble, the closer we get.” The White Sox, who have underperformed this season, inched up with 18 games left. Andrus wasn’t available following the game so he could get treatment. He and his teammates might have been sore after taking some big cuts against Gaddis. A loss would have dropped the White Sox five games behind the Guardians. Gavin Sheets hit a two-run HR in the second to start the White Sox’s HR barrage against Gaddis, and Andrew Vaughn, Yoán Moncada and Yasmani Grandal joined Andrus by hitting shots off the righthander. Lance Lynn (7-5) limited the Guardians to two runs and six hits in 6
innings. He’s 5-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his last seven starts. Lynn’s ERA since the All-Star break is 2.14. The Guardians had their winning streak stopped at six as they began a run of nine straight games against the White Sox and Twins.
Cardinals: Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina on Wednesday started together for the 325th time, the most ever by a pitcher-catcher duo in the majors. The duo eclipsed the regular-season mark of 324 held by the Tigers pair of Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan from 1963-75. Wainwright, 41, gave up one run in five innings as the Cards beat the visiting Brewers 4-1. Molina, 40, hit an RBI single and threw out a runner trying to steal.