Former Mariners, Cubs pitcher Yoervis Medina dies at 37
Former major league pitcher Yoervis Medina has died. Reports out of his native Venezuela indicate that authorities believe Medina suffered a heart attack while he was driving, leading to a fatal car crash (via KIRO 7 News). He was 37 years old.
Medina pitched for the Mariners and Cubs from 2013-15, working 146 innings across an identical number of games. He posted a 3.08 career ERA with a 23.1% strikeout rate along with a 12.4% walk rate. Most of his success came in his first two seasons, as Medina pitched to a 2.81 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 12.6% walk rate in 125 innings for the Mariners from 2013-14. In that span, he ranked 34th out of 109 qualified relievers in ERA and ranked 21st with a 53.5% ground-ball rate.
He was traded to the Cubs in May 2015 for Welington Castillo and pitched in five games for them with a 7.00 ERA, but he wound up spending most of the season in the minors. That was followed by brief stints in the Pirates and Phillies organizations in 2016, neither of which resulted in a big league call. Medina then pitched in the Venezuelan winter league from 2016-20 before moving to the Italian Baseball League in 2023 and the Czech Baseball Extraliga in 2024.
Medina was teammates in Seattle with Jesús Montero, who was tragically killed in a motorcycle crash earlier this month. We send our condolences to Medina’s family, friends, loved ones and former teammates.
Steph Curry Sends Strong Message to Ex-Warriors Teammate After Revenge Game
Stephen Curry was caught somewhere between admiration and frustration on Thursday night.
The Golden State Warriors superstar could only shake his head — and later laugh — after his former locker room neighbor,
Rollins, who was part of the trade package that sent
Rollins Outshines Curry in Career Night
Seizing the spotlight with the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo on the sidelines, Rollins delivered the game of his life — hitting 13 of 21 shots, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, while adding eight assists and three rebounds.
But his biggest statement came on the defensive end, where he hounded Curry for much of the night. The two-time MVP finished with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting and committed five turnovers, two of which came directly against Rollins’ pressure.
“Watching him on film before tonight, you see he’s being very calculated on how to use his speed and create space and get downhill,” Curry said of Rollins, per The Athletic
From Locker Neighbors to Rivals
GettyStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball against Ryan Rollins of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rollins’ relationship with Curry made the duel personal. The 23-year-old guard spent his rookie season sitting beside Curry in the Warriors’ locker room, learning the ropes from the four-time champion.
“That’s my guy, man,” Rollins said after the win. “He was my locker neighbor my first year. My first year was very fast for me, so he was a great, down-to-earth dude. Him being Steph Curry, him just being so humble and how he talked to me — that was very humbling.”
After the game, Rollins received a signed Curry jersey, which he said he plans to frame and hang on his wall — a memento from the night he both honored and outplayed his mentor.
Tempers Flare After Hard Contact
The competitive fire between the two teams boiled over in the fourth quarter when Rollins collided with Curry while defending a drive. The contact drew a heated reaction from
“I think I bumped Steph, that’s why Draymond did what he did,” Rollins said. “I didn’t expect nothing different, I kind of liked it. It just turns me up a little bit more.”
Rollins channeled that energy into closing out the game strong, scoring 13 points in the final period to bury the Warriors’ comeback hopes.
Kerr: Rollins ‘Was Fantastic Tonight’
Golden State coach Steve Kerr credited Rollins’ pace and poise for dismantling their defense.
“Well, his speed gave us a lot of trouble,” Kerr said. “He got past us — penetration, either scored at the rim or kicked it to shooters. He was fantastic tonight. Just played a great game.”
Warriors’ Regret
Rollins’ breakout performance was a gut punch for a Warriors team still searching for backcourt consistency beyond Curry. While Milwaukee proved it can win without Antetokounmpo, Rollins may have proved something even bigger — that Golden State gave up too soon.
What started as a sentimental reunion turned into a revenge game for the ages — one that left Curry smiling, but still a little “pissed off.”
