NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees reliever Ian Hamilton and Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson had a weird stare down at the end of the top of the seventh inning of New York's 7-0 loss Saturday.
With the Yankees trailing 4-0, Hamilton gave up a two-out single to Denzel Clarke and walked Lawrence Butler. Wilson followed with a comebacker and Hamilton, after making an underhand toss to first, stared at Wilson. The 23-year-old stared back at the 30-year-old right-hander.
“I was having a bad inning,” Hamilton said. “A little emotional and got the ball, and then kind of looked in at him and then told him to run. ... He just wasn't running out of the box. I was upset with the inning and then that was that. Then he asked me what I said and I just walked off."
Wilson is hitting .340, second in the major leagues to New York's Aaron Judge, who is at .354.
“It’s baseball and sometimes things get hot. It’s part of the game and no hard feelings,” Wilson said. “As players, you get frustrated and no hard feelings, like I said. No big deal.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Athletics' Jacob Wilson watches the pitcher while on deck during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians Friday, June 20, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — When the Denver Broncos won their first AFC West title in a decade last week, Sean Payton said he didn't talk about it with his team and he told reporters he'd heard the commemorative caps and T-shirts were ugly.
So, it's not surprising when Payton insists he's not focused on the NFL-best and franchise-record 64 sacks the Broncos have piled up heading into Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers with the AFC's top playoff seed on the line.
“I'm not worried about the sacks, not worried about the sacks,” Payton said. "I'm worried about caging the quarterback, rushing him properly. So we’re not focused on the sack numbers. Those can actually be numbers that help a quarterback climb up in the pocket.
"A lot of it maybe has to do with who we’ve been playing relative to the quarterback position, but I’m not interested in the sack numbers.”
Still, they're significant.
The Broncos' 64 sacks, one more than they had last year when they also led the league, are 11 more than the next team's, the Atlanta Falcons, who have 53.
A whopping 17 Denver players have gotten in on the sack attack, led by Nik Bonitto with 12 1/2.
“I think that's the most underrated part about when we rush the passer, or a lot of these blitzes that are being called, is we have so many unselfish guys," Bonitto said. "The D-tackles being willing to drop in coverage, the outside linebackers being able to drop in coverage and the DBs knowing when to blitz and just guys rushing the right way.
“That's why we're seeing the numbers that we are and everybody's able to get a piece of the cake when it comes to getting the sacks.”
For a while, the Broncos were on pace to set the NFL record for most sacks in a season, a mark that's held by the Chicago Bears, who had 72 sacks in 1984.
But since their bye week a month and a half ago, the Broncos have averaged three sacks a game, down from the 4.45 clip they produced during their first 11 games.
To curtail Denver's pass rush, opposing quarterbacks have been getting the ball out of their hands quickly.
“They'd better,” Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph cracked.
Or else they'll get sacked.
But playing the short game with quick passes to keep the Broncos at bay only plays into the the Broncos' hands in the bigger picture as opponents curtail their own downfield passing game to keep their quarterback upright.
“Absolutely, I see that as we’re first in yards per play and we’re first in giving up (the fewest) big plays. That’s it,” Joseph said. “So, if you want to chase numbers, let’s chase the right numbers. And numbers change and numbers can tell a lot of stories. But teams don’t want to get sacked by us, so the ball is coming out quicker. But if we tackle well, it doesn’t hurt us.”
That's where sure-handed rookie Jahdae Barron comes in as the Broncos implement their “Big Nickel" defense in heavy doses with inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) sidelined.
Denver's defense has had to adjust to the quicker releases, too.
“My point to our guys is basics, tackling, the ball is going to come out quicker. D-line, get your hands up, knock some balls down,” Joseph said. “No one’s going to hold the ball against us. It’s gonna be the same on Sunday, it’s gonna be the same in the playoffs, if they hold it we’re going to sack them.”
The Broncos only sacked third-string Chiefs QB Chris Oladokun one time in their 20-13 win at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas night, but they limited him to 66 yards passing and held Kansas City to just 139 yards of total offense.
Joseph insists the Broncos could have obliterated the single-season sack record if Denver's pass rushers weren't unselfish. But they're a disciplined bunch, not rushing past the quarterback's deepest drop and, as Payton said, focused instead on caging the quarterback.
If he steps up to avoid the rush, defensive lineman Zach Allen has been there to close the escape route. Allen's 45 quarterback hits so far lead the league, eight ahead of second-place Myles Garrett, who can set the single-season record with a sack on Sunday.
Allen's 68 quarterback pressures are the most by any NFL interior defensive lineman.
“We're not rushing recklessly (and) passing the quarterback to get 64 sacks," Joseph said. “So, it's being done right.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
