Dodgers acquire lefty Anthony Banda from Guardians for cash
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired pitcher Anthony Banda from the Cleveland Guardians for cash on Friday. The 30-year-old left-hander has a 2.12 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 17 innings in 12 games for Triple-A Columbus this season. Banda pitched in 10 games for the Washington Nationals last...
Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee to have season-ending surgery on dislocated left shoulder
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his left shoulder while crashing into an outfield wall. The Giants announced Friday that Lee will have season-ending surgery in the next couple of weeks. Lee leaped in an attempt to...
Astros starter Ronel Blanco suspended 10 games after being ejected when foreign substance found in gloveVideo
HOUSTON — Astros starter Ronel Blanco received a 10-game suspension Wednesday for violating MLB’s prohibitions on foreign substances after being ejected from the game against the Oakland Athletics. The suspension was announced by Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations. The suspension will begin Wednesday night unless Blanco...
Roku will stream weekly MLB game on Sundays. Viewers won’t need one of the service’s devices
Roku will carry Major League Baseball games on Sundays beginning this week, and viewers will be able to watch for free and not be required to use a Roku device, the streaming service announced Monday. Roku secured multiyear rights for MLB Sunday Leadoff games beginning with the Boston Red Sox...
Disgruntled Marlins fans protest team after Luis Arraez trade
MIAMI — As a sparse crowd headed into loanDepot Park to watch the Miami Marlins face the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday evening, a handful of disgruntled Miami fans remained on the outskirts of the ballpark, yelling passionately in hopes their message would be heard. The small demonstration of no more...
Orioles owner takes turn spraying fans with hose
BALTIMORE — New Orioles owner David Rubenstein turned out to be quite a rally starter at Camden Yards. Rubenstein made a guest appearance Friday night in the “Splash Zone” in left field, where fans are sprayed with a hose in celebration after big plays. Rubenstein was put in charge of...
Man pleads guilty in theft of bronze Jackie Robinson statue from Kansas park
WICHITA, Kan. — A 45-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the theft of a bronze Jackie Robinson statue that was cut off at the ankles and found days later smoldering in a trash can in a city park in Kansas. Ricky Alderete entered the plea during his arraignment Thursday. A...
Former interpreter for Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani will plead guilty in betting case
LOS ANGELES — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday....
First Call: Ex-Penguin Jordan Staal finalist for Selke Trophy; 2 former Pirates pitchers lighting up the NL
Monday’s “First Call” has an honor for a former Pittsburgh Penguin. Chase Claypool gets a familiar number with his new team. Paul Skenes isn’t the only Pirates pitching prospect worth tracking in the minors. And a pair of ex-Buccos pitchers are tearing it up in the National League. Selke for...
Phillies’ Trea Turner to miss at least 6 weeks with left hamstring injury
PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner will miss at least six weeks with a left hamstring strain after being injured in the fourth inning of Philadelphia’s 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants on Friday. The Phillies placed the two-time All-Star shortstop on the 10-day injured list Saturday, but Turner said he’ll...
4 suspended for roles in Brewers-Rays brawlVideo
Milwaukee reliever Abner Uribe was suspended for six games and starter Freddy Peralta for five Wednesday for their roles in a brawl during a Brewers’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays outfielder Jose Siri was suspended for three games, a penalty later cut to two, and Milwaukee manager Pat...
Angels’ Mike Trout needs surgery on torn meniscus, no timetable on return
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, sidelining the three-time AL MVP indefinitely. The Angels believe Trout will be able to return this season, general manager Perry Minasian said while announcing the injury Tuesday. Trout is...
Astros to option slumping 2020 AL MVP José Abreu to their spring training facility in FloridaVideo
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros will option slumping first baseman José Abreu to their spring training facility to try to help the 2020 AL MVP get back on track. General manager Dana Brown made the announcement Tuesday, saying Houston would make the move Wednesday. The 37-year-old will report to the...
Brewers left-hander Wade Miley says he needs Tommy John surgery
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher Wade Miley said Friday he needs Tommy John surgery. The 37-year-old Miley was put on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on April 22, retroactive to April 19. “I need a full Tommy John,” Miley said Friday before the Brewers faced the...
First Call: Levi Wallace leaves in free agency; medical concern for potential Steelers draftee; bizarre MLB ejection
Tuesday’s “First Call” features news about a departing Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back. A potential Steelers draft target may have a medical concern. The Brandon Aiyuk trade conversation has more oxygen. And a Pittsburgh-area native was a star during a crazy day at Yankee Stadium. Losing Levi Cornerback Levi Wallace is...
Yankees manager Aaron Boone is ejected 5 pitches into game vs. AthleticsVideo
NEW YORK — Aaron Boone didn’t tie the record for fastest ejection. The New York Yankees manager did think it was among the most unjust dismissal. Boone was thrown out of Monday’s 2-0 loss to Oakland five pitches in by Hunter Wendelstedt over a remark the Yankees maintained was yelled...
Shohei Ohtani passes Hideki Matsui for most MLB homers by Japanese-born player
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani made another piece of baseball history Sunday when he surpassed a mark set by one of his heroes. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger crushed his 176th career homer in the third inning, breaking Hideki Matsui’s record for the most home runs hit by a Japanese-born...
Woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sex assault charged with defrauding him
PHOENIX — An Arizona woman who accused former major league pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault has been charged with defrauding the baseball player. An indictment unsealed Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court charges the woman with fraud and theft by extortion, both felonies, but doesn’t provide specific details about...
Whitey Herzog, Hall of Fame manager who led St. Louis Cardinals to 3 pennants, dies at 92
NEW YORK — Whitey Herzog, the gruff and ingenious Hall of Fame manager who guided the St. Louis Cardinals to three pennants and a World Series title in the 1980s and perfected an intricate, nail-biting strategy known as “Whiteyball,” has died. He was 92. Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said Tuesday...
Ken Holtzman, MLB’s winningest Jewish pitcher who won 3 World Series with Oakland, dies at 78
CHICAGO — Ken Holtzman, MLB’s winningest Jewish pitcher who threw two no-hitters for the Chicago Cubs and helped the Oakland Athletics win three straight World Series championships in the 1970s, has died, the Cubs announced Monday on social media. He was 78. Holtzman’s brother Bob Holtzman told the St. Louis...
John Sterling retires from Yankees broadcast booth at age 85
NEW YORK — John Sterling, the hyperexcitable New York Yankees broadcaster known for decades of indelible, personalized home run calls, announced his immediate retirement Monday at age 85. Sterling made the unexpected decision a few weeks into his 34th season as the Yankees’ radio play-by-play voice. He had cut back...
First Call: As Steelers talk swirls, Brandon Aiyuk’s agent denies trade request story; Tee Higgins’ future in Cincy
Pittsburgh Steelers fans interested in their team acquiring Brandon Aiyuk or Tee Higgins at wide receiver won’t be thrilled at news coming out of San Francisco and Cincinnati. We also preview the Penguins’ game against Nashville and the Pirates’ trip to New York. All that in Monday’s “First Call.” San...
Rangers reliever Brock Burke broke non-throwing hand by punching wall
HOUSTON — Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke broke his non-throwing hand while punching a wall following a poor outing Friday night against the Houston Astros. Manager Bruce Bochy said Burke, who is a left-hander, broke his right hand when he punched the wall “out of frustration” and was placed on...
Benches and bullpens clear with Milwaukee up big in the sixth inning at BaltimoreVideo
BALTIMORE — The benches cleared quickly, and then relievers came running in from the bullpens. Why it all happened remains a mystery. That sixth-inning altercation between the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers didn’t escalate into any real fighting, and the two main participants — and their managers — wouldn’t say...
Rockies pitcher Daniel Bard needs elbow surgery, will miss rest of season
TORONTO — Colorado right-hander Daniel Bard needs surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right elbow and will not pitch again this season, Rockies manager Bud Black said Friday. Bard is in the final season of a $19 million, two-year deal. He has not pitched in 2024 after surgery...