Mark Madden: Maybe it’s time to lighten up on Pete Rose
HBO’s new four-part, four-hour documentary on Pete Rose reveals little new but is nonetheless provocative. That’s because Pete Rose is provocative. He’s everyman, a monument to hard work maximizing skill. If you don’t believe that, ask Rose. He’ll tell you. His ban from MLB for betting on baseball is something...
First Call: A Steelers WR trade prospect adjusts his contract; AFC North news; odd injury for Bethel Park’s Mason Miller
Friday’s “First Call” removes one name from the Steelers wide receiver rumor mill. There’s lots of information from the team’s rivals in the AFC North and one headline from a Penguins rival within the Metropolitan Division. And we’ve got odd injury news for Bethel Park’s Mason Miller in Oakland. Bad...
Oakland All-Star closer Mason Miller breaks left pinky finger pounding training table in frustrationVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Oakland Athletics All-Star closer Mason Miller broke the pinky finger on his non-pitching hand when he pounded a table in frustration after he was reminded he had to do postgame lifting following Monday night’s game against Houston. The 25-year-old right-hander, the hardest-throwing pitcher in the major leagues...
Clayton Kershaw makes 2024 debut with Dodgers, strikes out 6
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw made his season debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, striking out six and allowing two runs and six hits in his return from offseason shoulder surgery. With his return to the lineup against the San Francisco Giants, Kershaw became the only pitcher to...
Latrobe, Seton Hill alum Kollar gets promoted to Padres’ Triple-A affiliate
A day after his 26th birthday, pitcher Jared Kollar received a gift: a promotion in the minor leagues. Kollar, a Latrobe and Seton Hill alum, is headed to Triple-A with the San Diego Padres. His 9-3 record and 3.04 ERA in 15 starts were good enough to earn him a...
Scherzer passes Verlander for 10th on career strikeout list at 3,394, most among active pitchersVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer moved into 10th place on the career strikeout list — and the most among active pitchers — when the Texas Rangers right-hander recorded his 3,394th on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox. Scherzer passed fellow three-time Cy Young winner Justin...
Dylan Cease throws 2nd no-hitter in San Diego Padres historyVideo
WASHINGTON — Dylan Cease pitched the second no-hitter in San Diego Padres history, a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Thursday that completed a three-game sweep. After falling one out short of a no-hitter two years ago when he gave up a single to current teammate Luis Arráez, Cease...
Ernie Johnson taking leave of absence from TBS’ MLB duties
ATLANTA — Ernie Johnson, the well-respected longtime TNT Sports broadcaster, is taking a leave of absence from hosting duties for TBS’ national MLB games. In a news release, he said, “I’d like to thank the leadership at TNT Sports for allowing me the time away to take care of a...
Mt. Lebanon pitcher David Shields signs with Kansas City Royals, forgoes college baseball
Mt. Lebanon’s David Shields is turning pro. The left-handed pitcher has signed with the Kansas City Royals, who drafted him in the second round of the MLB Draft, forgoing a scholarship to play baseball at Miami (Fla.). Shields posted a photo on social media showing him signing his contract with...
First Call: Overlooked Steelers angle before training camp; love for Paul Skenes, not much for NHL
After a week off at “Breakfast With Benz,” there is plenty of catching up to do. We have a lot to preview as NFL training camps begin and the Pittsburgh Pirates get back into divisional play this week. For our initial “First Call” back from break, let’s get recalibrated by...
Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hits for cycle against Mariners
SEATTLE — Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez hit for the cycle against the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, becoming the 10th player in Houston history to accomplish the feat. Alvarez singled in the first inning, hit his 20th homer of the season off Mariners starter Bryan Woo in the fourth, added...
Pirates’ Jim Leyland among those inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Jim Leyland said there was something special about all four of the organizations he managed during his Hall of Fame career — the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Detroit Tigers. The Pirates gave the longtime minor-league coach his first chance to manage, and what followed...
Dreams of contention for Elly De La Cruz and the Reds take a hit with a sweep at Washington
WASHINGTON — Elly De La Cruz predicted before the second half of the season began that the Cincinnati Reds were going to make the playoffs and “win it all.” That optimistic goal became even more of a long shot on Sunday, when the still-rebuilding Washington Nationals completed a three-game sweep...
Astros’ Justin Verlander set to throw bullpen on path back from injury
SEATTLE — Houston righty Justin Verlander is expected to throw another bullpen session Saturday as the three-time Cy Young winner tries to work his way back from neck discomfort that landed him on the injured list a month ago. Houston manager Joe Espada said Verlander and Luis Garcia are expected...
Guardians sign No. 1 overall draft pick Travis Bazzana
CLEVELAND — Travis Bazzana, the top overall pick in the MLB amateur draft out of Oregon State, signed his first professional contract with the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. Bazzana formally inked the deal at Progressive Field, agreeing to an $8.95 million deal, a person familiar with the negotiations said. The...
Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray to have season-ending elbow surgery
WASHINGTON — Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray will have season-ending surgery for a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, the team announced Friday. It won’t be clear until Dr. Keith Meister operates on the elbow Wednesday in Texas whether Gray’s injury will require an internal brace...
New York Mets 1B Pete Alonso among MLB stars who could use big second half heading into free agency
PHOENIX — Pete Alonso’s disappointing performance in this year’s Home Run Derby wasn’t a particularly big deal for the future of his big-league career. His play over the next three months could be a different story. The 29-year-old is one of the most coveted free agents in Major League Baseball...
Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes
ARLINGTON, Texas — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else. Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game, hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer for the American League and being awarded...
MLB will consider whether to return to club uniforms in All-Star GameVideo
ARLINGTON, Texas — Major League Baseball will consider going back to having players wear their team uniforms for the All-Star Game. Club uniforms were used by the American League from 1933-2019 and by the National League from 1934-2019. When the game resumed in 2021 after the pandemic-related cancellation in 2020,...
Sons of former big-league stars Ortiz, Ramirez and Grudzielanek among MLB draft picks in late roundsVideo
Major League Baseball’s three-day amateur draft concluded Tuesday, with the 30 teams blazing through 300 picks in less than 3 1/2 hours. There were some familiar last names selected on the final day, which consisted of rounds 11 through 20. The Los Angeles Angels took outfielder Lucas Ramirez in the...
Ingrid Andress offers explanation for panned national anthem performance at MLB Home Run Derby
Country singer Ingrid Andress’ performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Monday night at MLB’s Home Run Derby in Arlington, Texas, has been been universally roasted. With painful pauses, the Grammy-nominated singer’s a cappella version has been called “the Star-Strangled Banner” and worse on social media. By Monday afternoon, Andress released...
Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez dethrones Mets’ Pete Alonso as Home Run Derby champ
ARLINGTON, Texas — When Teoscar Hernández needed a moment to calm down during the Home Run Derby, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger got a boost from a former teammate who just happened to be last year’s champion. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore a Blue Jays jersey with Hernández’s name and No....
Hempfield grad, Pitt pitcher Phil Fox drafted by White Sox in 7th round
Hempfield graduate Phil Fox can’t remember a time when he didn’t want to pitch in professional baseball. “From the day I was, like, born, I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. The Chicago White Sox made no promises that he will have...
Orioles’ Corbin Burnes to start for AL against Pirates’ Paul Skenes in All-Star Game
ARLINGTON, Texas — Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes will start for the American League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game against Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. A 29-year-old right-hander, Burnes is 9-4 with a 2.93 ERA in his first season with the Orioles, who acquired him from Milwaukee just before spring training. The...
Mars, West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt chosen 7th overall by Cardinals in MLB Draft
Looking the part of a Texan for the biggest weekend of his life, Mars and West Virginia product JJ (Jonathan David) Wetherholt was wearing a cowboy hat and snakeskin boots Sunday night when he was selected seventh overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB Draft in Fort Worth,...
