Correa returns to Astros; Bethel Park’s Miller goes to Padres on MLB trade deadline day
MLB’s trade deadline brought plenty of chaos Thursday, with dozens of deals capping a frenetic 24 hours as teams sought to improve their rosters ahead of the postseason. Among the highlights: All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa is reuniting with the Houston Astros, and the San Diego Padres went on a trading...
Durán to Phillies and twin pitchers dealt on same day. Big names remain as MLB trade deadline looms
The Philadelphia Phillies acquired hard-throwing reliever Jhoan Durán, and identical twin relievers Tyler and Taylor Rogers got dealt on the same day, signaling that teams are willing to pay a hefty price for bullpen help as the Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches Thursday. The 27-year-old Durán is arguably the...
Shohei Ohtani leaves mound with trainer after throwing 6 straight balls, including 2 wild pitches
CINCINNATI — Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani left the mound accompanied by a trainer during the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. Ohtani threw six straight balls — including two consecutive wild pitches — and, after a conference on the mound, departed with a 2-0...
Athletics place All-Star SS Jacob Wilson on 10-day IL with fractured left forearm
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics placed All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a fractured left forearm. The 23-year-old Wilson was hit on his left hand by a pitch in the first inning of a 10-1 victory over Atlanta on July 8. The rookie is...
Hall of Fame 2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg dies after battling cancer
CHICAGO — Ryne Sandberg, a Hall of Fame second baseman who became one of baseball’s best all-around players while starring for the Chicago Cubs, has died. He was 65. Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home Monday, according to the team. Sandberg announced in January...
Baseball’s biggest spenders are stumbling, with the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees beset by injuries
NEW YORK — Baseball’s biggest spenders are stumbling, slowed by injuries and scrambling to patch rosters with help for battered bullpens and other positions ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. Opening the season with a top payroll of $326 million, the New York Mets have a 1 1/2-game NL East lead...
Guardians’ All-Star Emmanuel Clase placed on paid leave as part of MLB sports betting investigation
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting. Clase, a three-time All-Star, becomes the second Guardians pitcher to be placed on leave in connection with a sports gambling probe. Luis Ortiz also is on non-disciplinary...
Bristol Motor Speedway game tops 85,000 in ticket sales, will break MLB attendance record
BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Speedway Classic will break Major League Baseball’s single-game, regular-season attendance record. The game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves, which will be played Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway, already has sold more than 85,000 tickets. The first American or National League game ever played...
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred confronted by Bryce Harper during meeting, AP source says
CHICAGO — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper had a spirited exchange during a question-and-answer session between the commissioner and the team, according to a person with direct knowledge of the conversation. The person spoke to the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity because of...
Ichiro Suzuki adds humorous touches to Hall of Fame induction ceremonies
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — If you want someone for your next celebrity roast, Ichiro Suzuki could be your guy. Mixing sneaky humor with heartfelt messages, the first Japanese-born player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame stole the show Sunday in Cooperstown. Morning showers and gloomy skies delayed the...
Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner set for Hall of Fame induction
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki was always known for his meticulous preparation during his 19-year Major League Baseball career. For his induction into the Hall of Fame? Not so much. “Of course, I’m nervous and I probably should be preparing more, but this morning I actually went to the field,...
Yankees star Aaron Judge to go on IL with flexor strain but no damage to UCL in elbow
NEW YORK — Yankees captain Aaron Judge, his teammates and New York’s fan base exhaled Saturday when the two-time AL MVP learned he has a flexor strain in his right elbow but no acute damage to his ulnar collateral ligament that might cause a long-term layoff. Judge was sent for...
Nick Kurtz of Athletics becomes first major league rookie to hit 4 homers in a game
HOUSTON — Nick Kurtz of the Athletics became the first rookie in major league history to hit four home runs in a game, going deep in the second, sixth, eighth and ninth innings at Houston on Friday night. Kurtz also singled and doubled for 19 total bases on a 6-for-6...
Shohei Ohtani’s home run streak ends at 5 games in Dodgers’ win over Red Sox at Fenway Park
BOSTON — Shohei Ohtani was held homerless for the first time in a week in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night. Ohtani struck out twice, singled, walked and hit a foul popup. His five-game home run streak leaves him tied with six...
Record crowd expected at Bristol for the MLB Speedway Classic between the Braves and Reds
Workers still have some finishing touches to put on the field inside the racetrack at Bristol Motor Speedway, and officials are expecting a record crowd in a week to watch the Cincinnati Reds play the Atlanta Braves in the MLB Speedway Classic on Aug. 2. “We can’t wait for next...
MLB trade deadline: Eugenio Suárez, Mitch Keller, Seth Lugo among prized players who could move
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks got the trade deadline party started Thursday night when they dealt 2024 All-Star Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for two pitching prospects. That probably won’t be the last time the D-backs make news before the July 31 deadline. Arizona has had a disappointing season...
John Oliver’s Erie Moon Mammoths debut in front of record crowd
ERIE — Besides being a fan, John Oliver has had a certain affinity for minor-league baseball. On Saturday night, the comedian and host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” saw his latest crazy creation set out into the world as the Erie Moon Mammoths made their debut in front of a...
Shohei Ohtani to make next start Monday, aims for longer outings
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani will make his next start on the mound Monday as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar progresses toward longer outings after elbow surgery. He’ll open with three innings against the Minnesota Twins in his sixth start before giving way to Dustin May, manager Dave Roberts...
Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez’s rehab shut down due to sore elbow
TAMPA, Fla. — Baltimore right-hander Grayson Rodriguez had a setback in his comeback from an elbow injury and the Orioles have shut him down indefinitely. “We had to pull back a little bit on Grayson,” interim manager Tony Mansolino told reporters before Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays....
Mark Madden: Increased popularity shows changes are working for MLB
After the first-ever “swing-off” brought pizzazz to the finish of Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, it seems inevitable the concept will be used for regular-season games. It shouldn’t be. It has a fatal flaw. The “swing-off” uses non-major-leaguers to help determine the result of MLB games, namely the batting-practice pitchers. Teams...
Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber leads NL to victory in 1st All-Star Game decided by tiebreaker
ATLANTA — Kyle Schwarber went 3 for 3 in the first All-Star Game home run swing-off to put the National League ahead 4-3 following a 6-6 tie in which the American League rallied from a six-run deficit Tuesday night. In baseball’s equivalent of soccer’s penalty-kick shootout, the game was decided...
A lockout is looming over MLB in December 2026, with a salary cap fight possibly at the center
ATLANTA — Looming over baseball is a likely lockout in December 2026, a possible management push for a salary cap and perhaps lost regular-season games for the first time since 1995. “No one’s talking about it, but we all know that they’re going to lock us out for it, and...
Baseball players’ union head hopeful of major leaguers participating in 2028 Olympics
ATLANTA — Baseball players’ union head Tony Clark says plans are moving ahead exploring the possibility of using major leaguers in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and discussions have taken place this week during the All-Star break. “There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” he told...
Robot umpires to make All-Star Game debut, another step toward possible regular-season use in 2026
ATLANTA — Tarik Skubal views the strike zone differently than robot umpires. “I have this thing where I think everything is a strike until the umpire calls it a ball,” Detroit’s AL Cy Young Award winner said ahead of his start for the American League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game....
In an era prizing velocity, more than 20,000 curveballs a year have disappeared from MLB
ATLANTA — Curveballs have been thrown a curve by a modern game valuing velocity over variety, disappearing from the major leagues by more than 20,000 annually. The Athletics have thrown curves on just 2.5% of pitches this season. The overall big league figure dropped from 10.7% in 2019 to 8.1%...
