Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ dies at 93Video
NEW YORK — Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93. Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the...
MLB switching to challenge system full-time for robot umpires experiment at Triple-A
NEW YORK — Baseball’s top minor leagues are switching to a challenge system full-time for their test of robot umpires. Major League Baseball has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019. It has been used at all Triple-A ballparks this year for the second...
Dodgers star Mookie Betts suffers broken left hand after getting hit by pitch
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star was drilled in the hand by a 97.9 mph fastball from Dan Altavilla (Elizabeth...
The Giants scratch lefty Kyle Harrison from his start and place him on injured list
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants placed left-hander Kyle Harrison on the injured list with a right ankle sprain just hours before he was scheduled to start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels. Harrison rolled his ankle working out in the weight room on Saturday and was unable...
Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris II headed to IL with hamstring injury
ATLANTA — Atlanta leadoff hitter and center fielder Michael Harris II will be placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving the Braves’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night with tightness in his left hamstring. Harris led off the first inning with a single off right-hander Zack...
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole fans 10 for Scranton-Wilkes Barre in 3rd rehab start
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gerrit Cole struck out 10 in 4⅓ innings for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre on Friday night, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner’s third rehab start and the latest step toward returning to the New York Yankees’ rotation. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed a double in the first inning...
MLB umpire Pat Hoberg appealing discipline after sports betting investigation
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball plans to discipline umpire Pat Hoberg after an investigation into a potential violation of sports gambling policies. In a statement Friday, the commissioner’s office said Hoberg has decided to appeal the penalty. MLB did not disclose the nature of the violation or the extent...
Astros release José Abreu with $30.8 million remaining on his contractVideo
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros released José Abreu on Friday, cutting ties with the former AL MVP less than halfway through a three-year, $58.5 million contract. The 37-year-old Abreu was batting .124 (14 for 113) with two homers and seven RBIs this season, during which he spent time in the...
Twins send struggling Kirilloff to Triple-A and bring back Martin
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins sent struggling outfielder Alex Kirilloff to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday and recalled multi-position player Austin Martin to take his place. Kirilloff batted .201 with eight doubles, three triples, five home runs, 20 RBIs, 15 walks and 47 strikeouts in 57 games, primarily in left...
Dodgers acquire Cavan Biggio from Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Braydon Fisher
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired infielder-outfielder Cavan Biggio from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league pitcher Braydon Fisher on Wednesday. Biggio was designated for assignment last week after batting .200 with four doubles, two home runs and nine RBI in 44 games for the...
Royals’ Hunter Renfroe fractures left big toe after twice fouling off pitches from Carlos Rodón
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe fractured his left big toe when he twice fouled off pitches from New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon in the third inning Monday night. Renfroe fouled off seven pitches before striking out in a 12-pitch at-bat. He fouled the fourth pitch, a...
Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi embarrassed after colliding with A’s opponent chasing foul pop
OAKLAND, Calif. — Even on a day when he wasn’t pitching, Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi ended up right in the middle of the action. Not in a way he wanted, though. Kikuchi cost his team an out by bolting from the dugout and colliding with an opponent on...
Mets rally in ninth to beat Phillies, 6-5, and split London Series, getting game-ending double play
LONDON — Catcher Luis Torrens turned Nick Castellanos’ bases-loaded slow roller in front of the plate into a game-ending double play, and the New York Mets hung on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on Sunday for a split of their two-game London Series. New York rallied from a 4-3...
Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández makes error in midst of live television interviewVideo
NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Kiké Hernández made an error while in the midst of a live television interview Friday night during a game against the New York Yankees. Hernández had a microphone and earpiece in his left ear as he spoke with Wayne Randazzo and former...
MLB strengthens U.K. ties with Mets-Phillies London Series after Paris won’t play ball
LONDON — Summertime in Paris with reservations not far from the Eiffel Tower. Sounds dreamy. Major League Baseball’s plans to play a series in the French capital fell through, though. You know what city doesn’t disappoint when it comes to American sports? London. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies...
Ex-interpreter for Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani pleads guilty in sports betting case
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud on Tuesday and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off sports betting debts. Ippei Mizuhara’s crimes stunned the baseball world, shattering his...
10-cent beers helped turn Cleveland baseball game into bloody riot 50 years agoVideo
CLEVELAND — Beer flowed and a little blood and bruises followed. There was some baseball played in between. On a warm spring night along Lake Erie five decades ago, a well-intended promotion meant to attract fans for the perpetually lousy Cleveland Indians turned ugly and triggered a booze-fueled riot now...
As Mets retire his No. 18, Strawberry tells fans ‘I’m so sorry for ever leaving’Video
NEW YORK — Darryl Strawberry stood on the Citi Field grass as his No. 18 was being retired and addressed the New York Mets fans he had jilted 34 years earlier. “I mean this from the bottom of my heart: I’m so sorry for ever leaving you guys,” Strawberry said,...
Mark Madden: Adding Negro League stats to MLB is dishonest, factually incorrect
As of Tuesday, MLB’s all-time batting average leader never took a swing in MLB. That’s stupid. Black players being excluded from MLB till Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 is a dark, inexcusable piece of baseball history. It’s also something that can’t possibly be fixed. It’s a wrong...
Josh Gibson claims MLB career batting records as Negro Leagues stats incorporated
NEW YORK — Josh Gibson became Major League Baseball’s career leader with a .372 batting average, surpassing Ty Cobb’s .367, when Negro Leagues records for more than 2,300 players were incorporated Tuesday after a three-year research project. Gibson’s .466 average for the 1943 Homestead Grays became the season standard, followed...
Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. to miss the rest of the season after tearing his left ACLVideo
PITTSBURGH — Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will miss the rest of the season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Sunday’s 8-1 victory at Pittsburgh. The reigning NL MVP led off the game with a double to right-center field off Martín Pérez. With...
Kodai Senga gets injection, shut down 3-5 days in rehab setback for Mets pitcher
NEW YORK — Kodai Senga still is feeling tightness in his right triceps, and it’s unclear when he might return to the mound for the New York Mets. Sidelined all season by a capsule strain in his pitching shoulder, the team’s No. 1 starter scrapped a scheduled bullpen Friday and...
MLB says robot home plate umpires unlikely for 2025
NEW YORK — MLB says robot home plate umpires are unlikely for 2025. “We still have some technical issues,” baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday at a news conference following an owners meeting. “We haven’t made as much progress in the minor leagues this year as we sort of hoped...
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner credits clubhouse technology for improved health, fast start
NEW YORK — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner credits new clubhouse technology with helping New York get off to an AL-best 33-17 start, is pleased Juan Soto has bonded with teammates and fans, and is confident his club can return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. “Our injuries have been...
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole faces hitters for the first time since spring trainingVideo
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole walked onto the Yankee Stadium mound in full pinstriped uniform as New York teammates filled the dugout to watch their ace throw 20 pitches of batting practice. “I feel pretty good, and the stuff looked pretty good,” he said. “I had some fun. It’s all...
