After player input, MLB allows some pitch clock delays
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has clarified its new rules to allow umpires to delay the start of the pitch clock after big swings in which a hitter loses footing or when a pitcher covers first base, third or home, in addition to other clarifications announced Wednesday. The commissioner’s...
World Baseball Classic interest keeps growing despite injury risks
MIAMI — Shohei Ohtani’s strikeout of Mike Trout, Trea Turner’s go-ahead, eighth-inning grand slam against Venezuela, Japan’s walk-off semifinal win and Mexico’s comeback from a four-run deficit against Puerto Rico will be replayed over and over. Edwin Díaz’s season-ending knee injury and Jose Altuve’s broken finger will be discussed all...
Japan shuts down Team USA bats to claim 3rd World Baseball Classic championshipVideo
MIAMI — Team USA manager Mark DeRosa felt confident in his team’s lineup no matter who would throw for Japan on Tuesday night. “It’s crazy deep and crazy good,” DeRosa said. It turns out so was Japan’s pitching staff. Japan used seven pitchers, starting with Shota Imanaga and finishing with...
MLB plans to announce rules tweaks on pitch clock before Opening DayVideo
MIAMI — MLB’s new pitch clock is going to undergo some timing adjustments before it is turned on for games that count. Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called the changes “significant” but also described them as “clarifications” based on input from players. The alterations are likely to be announced Wednesday, eight...
United States routs Cuba to reach World Baseball Classic finalVideo
MIAMI — Trea Turner homered twice to give him a tournament-leading four, and the defending champion United States romped over Cuba 14-2 on Sunday night to reach its second straight World Baseball Classic final. Paul Goldschmidt and Cedric Mullins also homered for the Americans, who scored in seven of eight...
Astros’ Jose Altuve breaks right thumb, needs surgeryVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros star Jose Altuve has a broken right thumb and needs surgery after getting hurt in Venezuela’s 9-7 quarterfinal loss to the United States at the World Baseball Classic. The Astros said Sunday they will announce a prognosis for the second baseman after the...
MLB umpires will have a new view this season — on Zoom
NEW YORK — Umpires will have a new view this season: on Zoom. Major League Baseball struck a deal with Zoom Video Communications Inc. allowing on-field umpires to watch the replay operations center evaluating contested calls. MLB first adopted instant replay in September 2008 for home boundary calls and expanded...
Mets’ Edwin Díaz expected to miss season with torn patellar tendon
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz has a torn patellar tendon and is expected to miss the entire season after hurting his right knee while celebrating a victory in the World Baseball Classic. Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Díaz would undergo surgery Thursday. Without...
Mets’ Edwin Díaz hurts knee as Puerto Rico tops Dominicans in World Baseball Classic
MIAMI — New York Mets star closer Edwin Díaz injured his right knee celebrating a win Wednesday night that advanced Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and eliminated the Dominican Republic. Díaz was taken off the field in a wheelchair in Miami soon after pitching a perfect ninth inning...
Joe Pepitone, flamboyant Yankees All-Star, dies at 82Video
NEW YORK — Joe Pepitone, an All-Star and Gold Glove first baseman on the 1960s New York Yankees who gained renown for his flamboyant personality, hairpieces and penchant for nightlife, has died at age 82. Pepitone was living with his daughter Cara Pepitone at her house in Kansas City, Mo.,...
Hitting technology could help baseball’s struggling lineups
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tim Anderson wanted to study his swing. After a season hampered by groin and hand injuries, the Chicago White Sox shortstop wanted to build a more fluid approach at the plate. That work brought him to Driveline Baseball, first at the company’s main facility in Washington, and...
Phillies’ Bryce Harper says he could return by All-Star break
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper joined his teammates at spring training and hasn’t ruled out being back by the All-Star break following Tommy John surgery. “Things can change either way,” the two-time National League MVP Harper said Thursday. “I could be after, I could be before. But...
Coalition aims to keep Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — A coalition of Wisconsin business, tourism and health care leaders, former office holders and others announced Wednesday that it is working to find a bipartisan solution to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in the state. The Home Crew Coalition was formed as Gov. Tony Evers and the Brewers...
World Baseball Classic has more stars after 6-year absence
Nolan Arenado wants the World Baseball Classic to grow into a global event with stature approaching soccer’s World Cup. “I feel like the hype is a little bit higher this time around than it was in 2017. There’s more guys that want to do it,” the St. Louis third baseman...
World Baseball Classic features more stars after 6-year absenceVideo
Nolan Arenado wants the World Baseball Classic to grow into a global event with stature approaching soccer’s World Cup. “I feel like the hype is a little bit higher this time around than it was in 2017. There’s more guys that want to do it,” the St. Louis third baseman...
Boston’s Justin Turner hit in face by pitch, leaves gameVideo
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston Red Sox infielder Justin Turner was taken to a hospital after leaving Monday’s game against the Detroit Tigers when he was hit on the face with a pitch. The 38-year-old fell to the ground after getting hit by right-hander Matt Manning. Medical personnel rushed to...
MLB says White Sox’s Mike Clevinger won’t face discipline in investigationVideo
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Major League Baseball said Sunday it will not discipline Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger after completing its investigation of domestic abuse allegations. In a statement, the commissioner’s office said its investigation included interviews of more than 15 people, including Clevinger and a woman who said she...
MLB average salary rose 14.8% to record $4.22M last season
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 14.8% to a record $4.22 million last year after the end of the lockout, boosted by big deals for Max Scherzer, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Semien and Corey Seager. The rate of increase was the highest since a 17.7% increase in 2000...
Reports: Manny Machado, Padres agree to new $350M, 11-year dealVideo
All-Star slugger Manny Machado agreed to a new $350 million, 11-year contract that will keep him with the San Diego Padres through 2033, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Machado must pass a physical before...
MLB catchers wary of looming robo umps amid rules changes
Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais spent parts of 11 seasons and nearly 800 games behind home plate as a catcher with four franchises, mostly in the 1990s. During that era — one dominated by Hall of Famers Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez — the skills needed at backstop were clearly...
MLB’s bigger bases could lead to more steals, fewer injuries
PEORIA, Ariz. — Like a violin virtuoso using a new music stand, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado noticed a difference right away. Not only are the bases bigger, but they feel different, too. “It’s definitely different, for sure,” said Machado, a two-time Gold Glove winner. “They look better....
U mad, bro?: Frustration around Mike Tomlin’s ‘standard,’ slumping Penguins, Pitt being unranked, Gerrit Cole’s quip
One thing that is wonderful about Pittsburgh sports fans is that they do not discriminate when it comes to their angst. The Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt, college basketball … even the XFL! This week’s “U mad, bro?” illustrates how all-encompassing of a community we truly have in this great city....
Report: Former Pirates OF Ben Gamel, Rays agree to minor-league dealVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Free-agent outfielder Ben Gamel has agreed to a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team had not announced the agreement, which...
MLB curtails infield shift, hopes for more singles, speed
PHOENIX — Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell needed to add some pop to his lineup a couple years ago, so he put a few more big bodies in his four-man infield, sacrificing defensive range for offensive thump. “They combined for a weight of over 1,000 pounds,” Counsell said, laughing. “I don’t...
On the clock: New timer will affect more than just pitchers
SARASOTA, Fla. — As one of the game’s top prospects, Grayson Rodriguez will probably make his debut for the Baltimore Orioles pretty soon, and then the 23-year-old right-hander can begin adjusting to the big leagues. In one respect, he has a critical head start: Rodriguez has plenty of experience with...
