Nevada Professional Athletes

JoJo Romero didn't just survive the postseason spotlight — he thrived in it. The Nevada alum and Milwaukee Brewers reliever was a key piece of the bullpen as Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, stunning the two-time defending champions and punching the Brewers' ticket to the World Series.

Romero appeared in two games during the series. In Game 1 on Monday, Oct. 12, he delivered a scoreless inning and struck out two in a 7–4 Milwaukee win. He was even sharper in Game 4 on Friday, Oct. 16 — the series clincher — tossing two innings, striking out three, and finishing the sweep with a 1.69 ERA. Across the NLCS, he struck out five batters in three combined innings, never allowing the vaunted Dodgers lineup to do real damage.

The sweep itself turned heads across baseball. Los Angeles entered as heavy favorites with back-to-back titles to their name, but as Sportsnet's Nick Ashbourne argued, the outcome — while surprising — was no fluke. Milwaukee's pitching depth, bullpen construction, and postseason execution made them a legitimate threat all along.

For Wolf Pack fans, Romero's October run is the kind of postseason moment that alumni circles buzz about for years. A left-handed reliever who has quietly built one of the more reliable arms in Milwaukee's bullpen, Romero now stands two wins from a World Series ring — with his best playoff performances on record.

Nevada doesn't produce MLB talent at a blue-blood program clip, but the Wolf Pack faithful have plenty of reason to follow this postseason closely. Romero is carrying the flag, and right now, he's carrying it deep into October.

The Friedl Chapter in Cincinnati May Be Over

The Cincinnati Reds made a quiet but significant roster move Sunday, designating outfielder TJ Friedl for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Carson Spiers, called up from Triple-A Louisville to cover for injured starter Chase Burns (right groin strain). For the Nevada alum, the move stings — not just because of its timing near the end of a lost 2026 season, but because of what it signals about his standing with the organization.

Friedl, who earned genuine affection in Cincinnati over his tenure, now faces the waiver wire. If he clears, the Reds could outrightly assign him to the minors. His contract situation may also give him the option to elect free agency — a decision that would formally close the book on his time in a Reds uniform. Either way, the path back to a major-league role in Cincinnati looks narrow.

The question of what comes next isn't just personal — it reframes the Reds' outfield picture entirely. With Friedl gone, Cincinnati's in-house options for 2027 are thin, and none of the alternatives currently on the roster project as obvious everyday answers. That's a front-office problem that extends well beyond one DFA.

For a Wolf Pack alum who worked his way into a legitimate MLB role, the designation is a reminder of how quickly roster calculus can shift — even for fan favorites.

Romero Deals in Milwaukee

On a more encouraging note for Nevada's alumni watch, left-hander JoJo Romero has been a reliable late-inning arm for the Brewers down the stretch. The reliever appeared three times during the Sept. 20–26 window, and each outing reinforced why Milwaukee has leaned on him in high-leverage situations.

Romero opened the week Sunday, Sept. 20 against Baltimore, working 1.2 innings and striking out one. He followed that with a strong showing Thursday, Sept. 24 against Philadelphia — 1.1 innings, one strikeout in a 5-1 Milwaukee win. Then on Saturday, Sept. 26, with the Brewers edging St. Louis 3-2, Romero delivered his sharpest outing of the stretch: 1.2 innings and three punchouts.

His ERA ticked down across the three appearances — from 3.54 to 3.46 to 3.36 — a small but telling trajectory for a pitcher finishing the season with momentum. Romero has carved out a durable bullpen role, and his closing stretch makes a compelling case for a return engagement in 2027.

---

It was a week of contrasts for Nevada's MLB alumni. Friedl's DFA clouds his immediate future and raises real questions about where he lands next — whether that's another organization via waivers or a free-agent market that will determine his value independently of Cincinnati's plans. Romero, meanwhile, is rounding into form at exactly the right time, giving the Wolf Pack fan base at least one reason to feel good about the final week of a long season.