Pete Rose, baseball’s banned hits leader, has died at age 83
Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83. Stephanie Wheatley, a spokesperson for Clark County in Nevada, confirmed on behalf of the medical examiner...
Braves salvage playoff berth with 3-0 win over the Mets, who win thrilling opener 8-7 to clinch
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves bounced back from a stunning loss in the first game of a makeup doubleheader, claiming the last postseason berth with a 3-0 win over the Mets in the nightcap Monday after New York clinched a playoffs trip with an 8-7 victory in the opener. With...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Move is what’s best for business for A’s
The A’s played their last-ever game in Oakland on Thursday. Oakland Coliseum was packed: 46,889 creating an atmosphere both celebratory and (mostly) funereal. It was sad. But the A’s will finish dead last in MLB attendance. Under a million. They also finished last in 2023 and ‘22. Second-last in 2021....
MLB’s .300 hitters become endangered species in era of dominant pitchingVideo
NEW YORK — A .300 hitter has become an endangered species, a victim of increased velocity as 100 mph heaters are no longer rarities. “When I got in the league, I’d still see a lot of guys throwing 89, 91,” Baltimore Orioles All-Star slugger Anthony Santander said. Not anymore. The...
MLB’s postseason is rapidly approaching with NL playoff race shaping up for tight finish
The Major League Baseball playoffs are approaching and a Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series looms as an enticing October possibility. While the rooting interests of baseball fans vary widely, there’s little doubt MLB and television executives are drooling over the potential matchup between two of...
Shorter games, more running, more action. 2 years in, MLB’s rule changes have provided a joltVideo
Two years ago, it looked as if Major League Baseball was having an existential crisis. To many inside the game, it certainly felt like one as a sport built on its timelessness careened toward a future hellbent on speeding things up. Pitch clocks. Defensive shift bans. Bigger bases. Fewer throwovers....
As an era ends, the city that was home to the Oakland A’s comes to grips with their departure
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Athletics had long ago carved out a Jekyll-and-Hyde legacy as one of Major League Baseball’s most successful — and sad-sack — franchises. Under their belts: nine World Series titles and 19 seasons of futility punctuated by 100 or more losses. This, though, is different. Now, legions...
White Sox left to ponder the magnitude of their record-tying 120 lossesVideo
SAN DIEGO — The Chicago White Sox had a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday, and then history struck. That tenuous lead disappeared in the span of four San Diego Padres batters, and the White Sox went on to their 120th loss, tying the post-1900...
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani becomes 1st member of 50-50 club in styleVideo
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani keeps showing a flair for the dramatic during his historic first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Japanese superstar became the only player in major-league history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, doing so with a slew of firsts. Ohtani had the...
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani becomes 1st player with 50 HRs, 50 stolen bases in same yearVideo
MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to exceed 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season during the most spectacular game of a history-making career for the Los Angeles Dodgers star, going deep three times and swiping two bags on Thursday against the Miami...
Brewers outperform preseason expectations again to win 3rd NL Central title in 4 yearsVideo
MILWAUKEE — These aren’t the same Milwaukee Brewers who have made regular playoff appearances the last several years. Milwaukee became the first major league team to clinch a division championship Wednesday when it sealed its third NL Central title in the last four years. The Chicago Cubs’ 5-3 home loss...
Guardians closer Emmaneul Clase breaking bats, records, making strong case to win AL Cy Young
CLEVELAND — Emmanuel Clase is breaking bats and records at an almost equal rate. He’s become baseball’s grim reaper, the cream of the closer crop. Cleveland’s right-hander with a devilish cut fastball not seen since Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s dominant days with the New York Yankees is having a...
Longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione announces retirement following 42 seasons
NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione said Sunday he is retiring at the end of the season, his 42nd calling the team’s games. Castiglione, 77, announced on the WEEI broadcast as the Red Sox batted in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees. Castiglione will...
Ed Kranepool, longest-tenured player in New York Mets history and member of Miracle Mets, dies at 79Video
NEW YORK — Ed Kranepool, the longest-tenured player in New York Mets history and a member of the Miracle Mets when they won the 1969 World Series, died Sunday. He was 79. The team said in a statement Monday that Kranepool died Sunday after suffering from cardiac arrest in Boca...
Francisco Lindor is challenging Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP
NEW YORK — Most of this summer, the NL MVP race looked like a one-man Sho. Francisco Lindor has turned it into a hot topic. With his laudable leadership and everyday brilliance on both sides of the ball, the New York Mets’ streaking shortstop is giving Los Angeles Dodgers designated...
Braves’ Whit Merrifield rants about out-of-control pitchers after getting plunked in the headVideo
ATLANTA — Whit Merrifield got lucky. He wasn’t seriously injured when a 95-mph fastball struck him on the head. Still, the Atlanta Braves second baseman is livid about the state of pitching in the big leagues, saying it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or even...
First Call: Steelers work out WR/KR; Falcons get boost in advance of opener
Tuesday’s “First Call” begins with a Pittsburgh Steelers workout of interest. The team’s opponent for the regular season opener got some good news. Paul Skenes is getting ready to see the Chicago Cubs yet again. And Duquesne got a good look at its next football opponent during a nationally televised...
Jacob deGrom, Rangers set date for fourth rehab start
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom might not rejoin the Texas Rangers’ rotation on this homestand after all. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Friday that deGrom will make two more minor league rehab starts in the next eight days: On Sunday, with Triple-A Round Rock, and another next Saturday, most likely...
Rich Hill, 44, makes it 20 straight MLB seasons
BOSTON — Rich Hill came on in relief for the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night and became the only active player to appear in a major-league game in each of the last 20 seasons. “There’s a lot of people to thank to get to this point,” the left-hander said...
First Call: Steelers reportedly adding veteran RB Boston Scott; a new WR idea; Dylan Crews’ first hit off Gerrit Cole
Wednesday’s “First Call” features a potential addition to the Steelers’ offensive backfield. The wide receiver headlines continue to catch attention. We look at Paul Skenes’ next start for the Pirates. And his former LSU teammate, Dylan Crews, gets hit No. 1 of his career off a former Pirates All-Star. Boston...
Danny Jansen plays for both teams in Blue Jays-Red Sox game, an MLB firstVideo
BOSTON — Former Blue Jays and current Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen didn’t just play for both teams in the same game — a first in Major League Baseball history. He batted for both teams in the same inning. In a statistical oddity made possible by two of the quirkiest...
Babe Ruth’s ‘called shot’ jersey sells at auction for over $24 millionVideo
DALLAS — The jersey Babe Ruth wore when he called his shot during the 1932 World Series, hitting a home run to center field, sold at auction early Sunday for over $24 million. Heritage Auctions said the New York Yankee slugger’s jersey went for a record-breaking $24.12 million after a...
‘Hey, can I play with you guys?’ Royals’ Salvador Perez joins kids Wiffle ball game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Even on his day off, Royals catcher Salvador Perez can’t say no to a game — especially if it’s Wiffle ball with a bunch of kids. The nine-time All-Star was driving through a neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., on Thursday when he spotted some kids playing...
Red Sox catcher Danny Jansen to make history by playing in the same game for 2 teamsVideo
BOSTON — Danny Jansen will become the first major leaguer to appear in a game for both teams when he plays catcher for the Boston Red Sox on Monday in the resumption of a suspended game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “He’s catching. Let’s make history,” Boston manager Alex Cora...
Nationals’ Dylan Crews, MLB’s No. 3 prospect, to debut Monday
The Washington Nationals plan to call up outfielder Dylan Crews, the No. 3 prospect in MLB, to make his debut Monday night against the New York Yankees, a person familiar with the decision told the Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because...
