Astros pull even in ALCS with blowout win over Rangers in Game 4Video
ARLINGTON, Texas — José Abreu hit a three-run homer right after Yordan Alvarez’s tiebreaking sacrifice fly, and the Houston Astros pulled even in the AL Championship Series with a 10-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 4 on Thursday night. Houston, which led 3-0 only four batters into the...
Ketel Marte hits walk-off single in 9th as D-backs beat Phillies, close to 2-1 in NLCSVideo
PHOENIX — More than 15 minutes after the game, Ketel Marte stood at his clubhouse locker, gulping water while trying to finally catch his breath after delivering the Arizona Diamondbacks’ latest clutch postseason moment. “After my hit, I sprinted so hard,” Marte said, shaking his head. Marte capped a three-hit...
Jose Altuve, Cristian Javier lead Astros to road win in ALCS
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jose Altuve homered, Cristian Javier worked into the sixth inning of another solid postseason start and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers, 8-5, on Wednesday night, closing to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series. Texas lost for the first time this postseason after a 7-0 start....
Diamondbacks rookie Brandon Pfaadt will try to slow homer-happy Phillies in NLCS Game 3Video
PHOENIX — Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt had some good moments on the mound during the regular season but struggled to contain the long ball, giving up 22 homers in just 96 innings. Now the Diamondbacks turn to the rookie right-hander for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series in an effort...
Kyle Schwarber homers twice, Trea Turner goes deep, Phillies power past Arizona in Game 2 of NLCS
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber is pounding postseason homers at such a rate that he fits right in with Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson. The tattooed slugger is doing it all while powering the Philadelphia Phillies toward a chance for the franchise’s first World Series championship since 2008. “If you want...
A’s pitcher Trevor May rips Oakland owner John Fisher in retirement video: ‘Sell the team, dude’
OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland Athletics reliever Trevor May ripped owner John Fisher and implored him to sell the franchise while announcing his retirement Monday in an impassioned video message. “Sell the team, dude. … Sell it, man,″ May said in a video posted on his Twitch stream. “Let someone who...
Old but more than old-school, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy are shining
HOUSTON — When Texas rookie Evan Carter was born in 2002, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker had been managing in the big leagues for a decade and Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy was in his eighth season. The ages of MLB managers have been declining in the last few years, with...
Harper, Schwarber, Castellanos power Phillies past Diamondbacks in Game 1 of NLCS
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper smashed the first pitch he saw on his 31st birthday into the seats, Kyle Schwarber hit his first homer of the postseason and Nick Castellanos also went deep again to power the Philadelphia Phillies past the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 in Game 1 of the NL Championship...
Rangers build big early lead off Valdez, hold on for win over Astros
HOUSTON — Jonah Heim homered, Nathan Eovaldi pitched six effective innings and the Texas Rangers beat Framber Valdez and Houston Astros, 5-4, on Monday for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series. Adolis Garcia, Mitch Garver and Nathaniel Lowe each hit an RBI single during Texas’ four-run first inning...
Jordan Montgomery shuts out Astros, Taveras homers as Rangers get win in Game 1 of ALCSVideo
HOUSTON — Jordan Montgomery shut down the Houston Astros and Leody Taveras homered as the Texas Rangers did just enough against Justin Verlander to get a 2-0 win in the opener of the AL Championship Series on Sunday night. Montgomery pitched five-hit ball over 6 1/3 innings and Taveras provided...
Rangers’ Marcus Semien and wife schedule birth during break before ALCS
HOUSTON — The fourth child for Marcus Semien and his wife, Tarah, was due during the AL Championship Series. When her doctor said she was far enough along that it was safe to induce, Tarah told the Texas Rangers’ second baseman they’d be having their baby in the break before...
While Diamondbacks thriving in postseason atmosphere, another hostile one awaits for NLCS in PhillyVideo
PHOENIX — Merrill Kelly surfed the internet to find a few tickets, threw on a hoodie and hat so he wouldn’t be recognized and took his brother, Reid, to Game 3 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park last year, where the two watched Philadelphia hit five homers in...
Bryce Harper shines as Phillies aim for 2nd straight World SeriesVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper has manhandled postseason pressure with the ease of one of his swings — bat tucked behind his helmet, short ground step, then, whack! — against a slider. He has crushed it. The drama lies in the postseason not so much in what Harper will do once...
2020s starting to feel like 1990s for Braves after another playoff flop
ATLANTA — The 2020s are starting to feel like the 1990s for the Atlanta Braves. Another dazzling regular season. Another flop in the postseason. After tying a major-league record with 307 homers, the slugging Braves went down meekly to the rival Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series for the...
Big-dollar investment in Seager and Semien has boosted Rangers from 102 losses to the ALCSVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers were coming off a 102-loss season when they invested a half-billion dollars in free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Now with their All-Star middle infielders at the top of the batting order for the second straight year, the Rangers are getting ready for...
Rangers’ Max Scherzer says he’s ready to go; ALCS roster status uncertain
ARLINGTON, Texas — Max Scherzer declared himself “ready to go” after throwing another bullpen session and doing fielding drills Friday, two days before the Texas Rangers open the AL Championship Series. The Rangers haven’t said if the three-time Cy Young Award winner will be on their ALCS roster, and that...
Brewers’ Brandon Woodruff has shoulder surgery, could miss 2024 season
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff could miss the 2024 season after surgery Friday to repair the anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder. The Brewers said Woodruff is expected to sit out most, if not all, of next season. The injury caused the two-time All-Star to miss the Brewers’...
Castellanos hits 2 homers, powers Phillies past Braves 3-1 and into NLCS for 2nd straight seasonVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Nick Castellanos became the first player to hit multiple homers in consecutive postseason games, sending the Philadelphia Phillies to a 3-1 victory in Game 4 of their NL Division Series on Thursday night that knocked the 104-win Atlanta Braves out of the playoffs for the second straight year....
D-backs slug 4 homers in record-setting barrage, sweep Dodgers with win in Game 3 of NLDS
PHOENIX — The hard-hitting Arizona Diamondbacks rode a record-setting barrage of solo homers in the third inning to a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night, sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs. The D-backs return to the NL Championship Series...
Jose Abreu homers again to power Astros past Twins, into 7th straight ALCSVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — José Abreu homered for the third time in two games, a two-run rocket in the fourth inning that launched the Houston Astros to their seventh straight AL Championship Series appearance with a 3-2 win that eliminated the Minnesota Twins in Game 4 of their AL Division Series on...
Bryce Harper slugs 2 more HRs as Phillies pound Braves in Game 3 of NLDSVideo
PHILADELPHIA — When gossip spread among the Phillies that Bryce Harper — of all the superstars to poke — had been laughed at inside the Braves clubhouse, his teammates dared the slugger to deliver. “They looked at me,” Harper said, “and they were like, ‘What are you going to do?’”...
Bryce Elder gets the nod for Braves in Game 3 of NLDS vs. Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — The Atlanta Braves picked right-hander Bryce Elder to start Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Elder (12-4, 3.81) struggled down the stretch after pitching a career-high 174 2/3 innings in his first full season in the big leagues. But the Braves...
Corey Seager still going deep in Texas, helps send Rangers to ALCS with sweep of 101-win OriolesVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Seager is still going deep in Texas during the postseason. This time he is doing it for the Rangers, who are streaking through October. Seager and Adolis García homered early, Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven smooth innings in another playoff clincher and Texas completed an AL Division...
Column: MLB’s playoff format penalizing top seeds with all that time offVideo
The Baltimore Orioles won an AL-leading 101 games during the regular season. The Los Angeles Dodgers also reached triple digits in victories. Those impressive accomplishments earned both teams a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. Clearly, the time off did them no good. Tossing in the 104-win Atlanta...
Astros hit 4 homers, with a pair by Abreu, to rout Twins and take 2-1 ALDS leadVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — José Abreu hit a three-run homer for Houston in a four-run first inning against Sonny Gray and piled on with a two-run shot in the ninth, powering the Astros past the Minnesota Twins, 9-1, on Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series. Yordan Alvarez hit...
