Mark Madden: Cheating can’t become an accepted part of baseball
Plenty of dumb stuff has been said by pitchers since MLB decided to crack down on the use of foreign substances to improve grip. Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees (and formerly of this parish) seemed to be nearing a breakdown when he spoke Wednesday after pitching: “It’s so...
Rays ace Tyler Glasnow hopes to avoid surgery after elbow tearVideo
CHICAGO — Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow has a partially torn elbow ligament, the team said Tuesday, putting in doubt his future for the rest of this season and beyond. An MRI showed Glasnow had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and also a flexor strain. The test...
MLB threatens pitchers with 10-game bans for altering balls
NEW YORK — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start June 21. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low,...
Indians shut down reigning AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber for at least 2 weeksVideo
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber’s season is suddenly on pause, leaving the Cleveland Indians to survive for a while without their ace. The AL’s reigning Cy Young winner won’t throw for at least two weeks because of a right shoulder strain, an injury that will further test Cleveland’s pitching depth and...
Ex-Pirate Todd Frazier signs with Frontier League team
In between stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the U.S. Olympic team, 35-year-old third baseman Todd Frazier is playing some independent baseball. Frazier has signed with the Sussex County Miners, the New Jersey-based team in the Frontier League announced Wednesday. He expected to make his debut with the team Friday....
Baseball Hall of Fame delays induction to September to allow crowd
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Baseball’s Hall of Fame is moving this year’s induction ceremony for Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller from July 25 to Sept. 8 so a crowd may attend as coronavirus restrictions ease. The ceremony will take place outdoors on the Hall’s lawn...
Angels’ Mike Trout says no timetable on return from calf injuryVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout said his right calf is starting to feel better, but the Los Angeles Angels superstar still doesn’t know when he will be able to return. The three-time AL MVP went on the injured list May 18 after straining his calf the night before against the...
First Call: How Julio Jones trade may impact Steelers; no Selke for Sidney Crosby; curtain call for Andrew McCutchen
Monday’s “First Call” tells us how the Julio Jones trade will impact the Steelers. Andrew McCutchen is getting hot. Sidney Crosby is shut out of the Selke voting. And local product Brandon Saad is back on the score sheet in the NHL playoffs. But he was one-upped by someone on...
Tony La Russa moves into No. 2 on baseball’s wins list as White Sox top TigersVideo
CHICAGO — Tony La Russa credited a long list of mentors. He paid tribute to his players, staff and family. He talked about working with strong ownership and front offices over the years. For La Russa, it was their moment just as much as it belonged to him. “There’s a...
20 of 30 MLB teams reach 85% vaccinations, relax protocols
NEW YORK — Two-thirds of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams have been able to relax coronavirus protocols after four additional clubs qualified and raised the total to 20 franchises reaching 85% vaccinations for players and other on-field personnel. The commissioner’s office and the players’ association said Friday that two additional...
MLB reaches 2 million total runs; Twins’ Donaldson scores it
MINNEAPOLIS — Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins scored the 2 millionth run in Major League Baseball history on Saturday, trotting home in the first inning on a ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz against Kansas City. The Elias Sports Bureau confirmed Donaldson touched the plate for the milestone mark. The...
Family cries foul after White Sox change name of food area
CHICAGO — A food area at the home of the Chicago White Sox now is called La Russa’s Lounge after being named years ago in honor of a woman who sold beer and hot dogs for more than six decades. Loretta Micele’s family is crying foul after the title of...
Mickey Callaway banned through at least 2022 after harassment probe
NEW YORK — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball on Wednesday through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations. Shortly after MLB’s announcement of the suspension, the Los Angeles Angels said they had fired Callaway,...
Phillies’ Bryce Harper goes on IL with bruised left forearmVideo
MIAMI — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday with a bruised left forearm. The move was made before Tuesday’s game in Miami. The Phillies also reinstated outfielder Roman Quinn from the injured list. Harper is hitless in his past 16 at-bats, which...
Joe West, the ump you love to hate, is about to set major-league record for games umpired
As he closed in on his 5,000th game umpiring in the major leagues four years ago, I asked Joe West if he planned to hang around long enough to break Bill Klem’s all-time record. “That’s a few years down the road,” West said, dodging the question. So how long can...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Unwritten rules are height of stupidity
Nothing in sports is dumber than the unwritten codes. Example No. 1: The NHL playoffs have specialized in stupid since the puck dropped. Violence and dirty play are heightened as the league continues its descent back to thuggery. A particularly idiotic example occurred Thursday in the series opener between Montreal...
First Call: Early hype for young Steelers; Derek Shelton on run of no-hitters; another Penguins classic moment
Friday’s “First Call” gives us some praise for a pair of young Pittsburgh Steelers skill-position players. Pirates manager Derek Shelton wonders why we are seeing so many no-hitters this year in Major League Baseball. We have another reason why Friday is special in Penguins history. And Bruce Arians said he...
Yankees’ Corey Kluber throws 2nd MLB no-hitter in as many days
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Kluber stopped for a moment before his first pitch of the ninth inning. “I had to take a breath after the warmups and calm myself down a little bit,” said the pitcher nicknamed Klubot for his robot-like demeanor. Kluber then finished the sixth no-hitter in the...
With hits now scarce, no-hitters on the rise in MLBVideo
Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the valid one: The number of hits per game in the major leagues has plummeted, so no-hitters are on the rise. Even so, this season has been a bit extreme. Spencer Turnbull’s gem Tuesday night was the year’s fifth no-hitter, and 2021 is on pace...
Tigers’ Spencer Turnbull twirls 5th no-hitter of MLB season
SEATTLE — Spencer Turnbull walked out of the bullpen Tuesday night feeling terrible, hoping a shaky pregame warmup would dissipate once he stepped on the mound. A few hours later, Turnbull was being slammed in the face with a shaving cream pie and doused in water, beer and baby powder...
Tim Dahlberg: First rule of baseball is first basemen don’t pitch
Yermin Mercedes is hitting .346 with six home runs in his breakout rookie season, numbers that should win him praise from manager and everyone else rooting for the Chicago White Sox to make a run deep into October. And, no, he’s never read the unwritten rules of baseball. He can’t,...
First Call: Free agent idea for Steelers; John Harbaugh praises Al Villanueva; Marc-Andre Fleury, McCutchen flash in defeat
Monday’s “First Call” has an idea for the Pittsburgh Steelers to investigate when it comes to bolstering its offensive line. The Ravens are excited about adding a former Steeler. Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrew McCutchen flash in defeat. OK with Okung? Free-agent tackle Russell Okung is still without an NFL team....
AP: Albert Pujols signing with Los Angeles DodgersVideo
LOS ANGELES — A person with knowledge of the deal says the Los Angeles Dodgers are signing veteran first baseman Albert Pujols to a major league deal. The source spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the deal isn’t expected to be finalized until Monday. The...
Yankees’ Gleyber Torres positive for covid despite being vaccinated
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres tested positive for covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated and having previously contracted the coronavirus during the offseason. Torres is among eight so-called breakthrough positives among the Yankees — people who tested positive despite being fully vaccinated. “Certainly unexpected,” Yankees manager...
ESPN, MLB agree to 7-year rights extension through 2028
ESPN could be rewarded with additional playoff games under its new deal with Major League Baseball. Walt Disney Company and MLB announced a seven-year extension of their rights agreement Thursday. ESPN has aired games since 1990 and the new deal means that will continue until at least 2028. “This agreement...
