Former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen designated for assignment by Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Former Pirates star Andrew McCutchen was designated for assignment by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, after he hit .192 in his 37 games. The 39-year-old McCutchen was replaced by free-agent infielder Nicky Lopez in a move spurred by the lingering absences of shortstop Corey Seager and second...
Former Braves slugging 3rd baseman Bob Horner, who hit 4 homers in a game, dies at 68
ATLANTA — Bob Horner, the power-hitting third baseman who was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1978 and hit a home run in his debut with the Atlanta Braves after skipping the minor leagues, has died. He was 68. The Braves, who said Tuesday they were informed of Horner’s...
Houston Astros starter Tatsuya Imai and 2 releivers throw combined no-hitter against Texas Rangers
ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai and relievers Steven Okert and Alimber Santa combined to throw a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Monday night. It was the 17th regular-season no-hitter in Astros history and the fourth one that was a combined effort. They...
Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández could make his season debut Monday against Rockies
MILWAUKEE — Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández is expected to be activated in time to make his season debut Monday after recovering from surgery on his left elbow. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hernández should be available for the start of their home series against the Colorado...
Gerrit Cole pitches 6 shutout innings for Yankees after 569-day absence
NEW YORK — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole pitched six shutout innings in his return from elbow ligament reconstruction that caused a 569-day absence, leaving with a 1-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. A 35-year-old right-hander who had surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed two...
Former Pirates star Gerrit Cole could make his Yankees return this homestand
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole could return to the New York Yankees this homestand following elbow surgery last year, the All-Star pitcher’s first major-league appearance in a game that counts in 18 1/2 months. “It’s on the table,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday before the start of a seven-game...
Cardinals manager Marmol buys tickets for fans to recreate shirtless revelry
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol believes in the “no shirt, no problem,” mantra. His club was boosted to a win Friday night by a group of college ball players in the right-field seats who took off and waved their shirts as they sang, chanted and drew...
MLB players, owners start collective bargaining, 6 1/2 months ahead of contract’s expiration
NEW YORK — Negotiators for baseball players and owners began what figures to be lengthy and acrimonious collective bargaining negotiations Tuesday to replace their labor contract that expires Dec. 1, with management likely to propose a salary cap system the union has vowed never to accept. An initial session of...
First Call: Recalibrating after last weekend’s Aaron Rodgers speculation; Paul Skenes faces frequent Pirates foe
Tuesday’s “First Call” reassesses the Aaron Rodgers situation after a weekend full of speculation yields no results. Gerrit Cole is still trying to come back to the Bronx. Paul Skenes takes the mound against a frequent Pittsburgh Pirates pest. And Robert Morris lands an intriguing basketball recruit from overseas. Nothing...
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole strikes out 8 over 5 innings in his 5th minor-league rehab start
READING, Pa. — Gerrit Cole struck out eight over five innings in his fifth minor league injury rehabilitation start Sunday as he works his way back to the New York Yankees. The right-hander allowed three runs — two earned — and four hits while walking one for Double-A Somerset in...
Hall of Fame Braves manager, 1995 World Series champion Bobby Cox dies at 84
ATLANTA — Bobby Cox, the folksy manager of the Atlanta Braves whose teams ruled the National League during the 1990s and gave the city its first major title as well as World Series trips that fell short, died Saturday. He was 84. Cox died in Marietta, Ga., according to the...
Walks and game time up, pitches in strike zone down through first full month of MLB’s robot umpires
NEW YORK — Walks are up 7.3% as pitches in the strike zone dropped markedly and the average time of games increased by 5 minutes through the first full month of MLB’s initial season with robot umpires. Average attendance increased 2.8%, and the big league batting average went up by...
Don Mattingly thought he was done, then Phillies pinned hopes on him
PHILADELPHIA — Don Mattingly thew in the towel on his managerial career and had all but retired from baseball after he left his bench coach job with the Toronto Blue Jays following the World Series. Prodded by his son, Mattingly decided to give baseball another go, and he accepted a...
Phillies fire manager Rob Thomson after losing 11 of 12 games, name Don Mattingly interim skipper
PHILADELPHIA — Manager Rob Thomson, who led the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, including the 2022 World Series, was fired on Tuesday after Philadelphia lost 11 of 12 games and began the day tied for last place in the majors. Bench coach Don Mattingly was named interim manager through...
Direction of the Boston Red Sox feels ‘up in the air’ after Cora’s firing, Trevor Story says
BALTIMORE — Less than 24 hours after the Boston Red Sox shockingly fired manager Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff, infielder Trevor Story said the club’s path forward feels unclear. “I mean obviously, it’s kind of up in the air what the true direction is,” the two-time...
Boston Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora and 5 coaches
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox have fired manager Alex Cora, who led them to the World Series championship and a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins in 2018. Chad Tracy, who had been managing the team’s Triple-A Worcester affiliate, will serve as interim manager with the major league club. “Alex Cora...
Brewers 2nd team to face AL, NL Cy Young winners in consecutive games
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers had the daunting task of facing the AL and NL Cy Young Award winners in consecutive games. The results were mixed, with both ending in losses for the defending NL Central champions. After having late-inning success against the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal on Thursday in Detroit,...
Devin Williams gets the win (and the save) after Mets bullpen mixup
NEW YORK — Already struggling to win games, the New York Mets also had difficulty figuring out which pitcher was supposed to be on the mound Thursday night. Closer Devin Williams headed to the mound from the bullpen to start the ninth inning after Bo Bichette’s go-ahead, three-run double. And...
Players say MLB’s robot umpires are shrinking the strike zone
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald knows that — in theory — Major League Baseball’s new Automated Ball-Strike system shouldn’t favor batters or pitchers. In practice, he thinks one side has gained an advantage. And it’s not the guys throwing the baseball. “It’s what (MLB) wanted — people on...
Francisco Lindor defends manager Carlos Mendoza after Mets drop 11th straight game
CHICAGO — The losses are piling up for the New York Mets, and Francisco Lindor thinks the criticism surrounding the team is about to get very loud. It’s already pretty noisy. New York dropped its 11th consecutive game when closer Devin Williams blew a ninth-inning lead in a 2-1 loss...
MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day as every player wears No. 42 on anniversary of his historic debut
LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball will honor Jackie Robinson on Wednesday, when every player, coach and umpire will wear his No. 42 to mark the 79th anniversary of the infielder breaking the sport’s color barrier. Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He went on to...
Money and tech have closed the gap between NCAA baseball and MLB. That’s good news for coaches
PHOENIX — There was a time in the not-so-distant past that many Major League Baseball teams looked at their college baseball counterparts with a degree of skepticism. There were the metal bats, the shorter schedule and a sense that nothing could replace the seasoning that came with years of grinding...
AP study: MLB average salary hits a record $5.34M as the Mets lead spending again
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year. Mets outfielder Juan Soto is the highest-paid player...
Dodgers great Davey Lopes, an infield fixture and record-setting base stealer, dies at 80
LOS ANGELES — Davey Lopes, a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ record-setting infield of the 1970s and ’80s and one of baseball’s premier base stealers, died Wednesday. He was 80. The Dodgers were informed of his death in Rhode Island by his former wife, Lin Lopes. Lopes was a...
Cubs pitcher Cade Horton headed for elbow surgery, will miss rest of 2026 season
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton will miss the rest of the 2026 season after an MRI revealed UCL damage in his right elbow, Chicago manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. “Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before the Cubs game against the Tampa Bay Rays at...
