U mad, bro?: Pre-Fourth fireworks on state of the Penguins, insufficient Pirates, Mike Tomlin’s recent playoff fade
Thursday is Independence Day. So I plan on celebrating my independence from work. Hence, we are posting “U mad, bro?” a day early this week. Don’t worry. I’m offering up plenty of fireworks about the Penguins’ current roster, the Pirates’ ups and downs and Mike Tomlin’s recent track record. This...
Mets OF Brandon Nimmo faints in hotel room, cuts forehead
WASHINGTON — New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo missed Monday night’s game against the Washington Nationals after fainting in his hotel room overnight and hitting his head when he fell. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Nimmo cut his forehead but did not have a concussion. “He went through all the...
11 people injured when escalator malfunctions in Milwaukee ballpark
MILWAUKEE — Eleven people were injured Saturday when an escalator malfunctioned at American Family Field in Milwaukee following the Brewers’ loss to the Chicago Cubs, a team official said. Six people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and five others were treated at the ballpark, according to Tyler Barnes, the senior...
Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña misplays pop fly while doing in-game TV interview
NEW YORK — Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña misplayed a fly ball Friday night in a game against the New York Mets while participating in an in-game interview. Peña was involved in an interview with Apple TV+ just before New York’s Jeff McNeil popped up toward the shortstop area with...
Phillies place Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber placed on injured list
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies placed All-Star first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber on the 10-day injured list after both were hurt in Thursday night’s 7-4 loss to Miami. Harper strained his left hamstring running the bases in the ninth inning, and Schwarber strained his left groin...
Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper elected to start in All-Star Game
NEW YORK — New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper were elected Thursday to start in the July 16 All-Star Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. A few hours later, Harper limped off the field with an apparent left hamstring injury after...
Guardians slugger Jhonkensy Noel homers in 1st MLB at-bat
BALTIMORE — Jhonkensy Noel became the fourth Cleveland player in franchise history to homer in his first major-league at-bat, going deep Wednesday night against the Baltimore Orioles just hours after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Noel launched a 1-1 pitch from Grayson Rodriguez in the second inning to put the...
Mariners minor leaguer Hogan Windish has 4 homers, 9 RBIs in Double-A game
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Hogan Windish, a 25-year-old prospect in the Seattle Mariners’ minor league system, had four homers and nine RBIs for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in a 9-4 win at the Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League on Tuesday night. Windish became only the second professional with nine RBIs...
Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo goes on 15-day injured list with blister on finger
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds placed left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a blister on a finger of his pitching hand. The move is retroactive to June 24. “It’s definitely the right decision,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I think he can come back...
1-3-5: Phillies complete ultra rare triple play in win over TigersVideo
It is a feat so rare that very few people alive could have even witnessed it the last time it occurred. The Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night turned a 1-3-5 triple play in the third inning en route to an 8-1 win over the Detroit Tigers. It was the first...
Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. placed on IL with stress reaction in thigh bone
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a stress reaction in his right thigh bone. Tatis has been dealing with what had been described as a quadriceps injury for some time. Manager Mike Shildt said the...
Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw shut down with lingering soreness
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been shut down for a week after experiencing lingering soreness in his comeback from left shoulder surgery. Kershaw, 36, had an MRI that “showed no new incidents,” manager Dave Roberts said before Monday night’s game at the Chicago White Sox. “You...
Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?
All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel...
Mets closer Edwin Díaz faces a 10-game suspension after being ejected for foreign substance on hand
CHICAGO — New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz is facing a 10-game suspension after being ejected from the team’s 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday night for having a foreign substance on his hand. Díaz would be the eighth pitcher suspended for sticky stuff since MLB cracked down...
Orelvis Martinez gets 80-game drug suspension 2 days after MLB debut
NEW YORK — Toronto Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez was suspended for 80 games by MLB on Sunday following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug Clomiphene, an announcement made two days after his major-league debut. Martinez, 22, has been on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster since November 2022. He...
Braves’ turnaround coincides with arrival of ‘Snitbear’ in dugout
NEW YORK — The Atlanta Braves have a new furry friend in the dugout to coincide with their turnaround. “Snitbear” has become a regular presence on the Braves’ bench since being given to slugger Marcell Ozuna by manager Brian Snitker. The cuddly, brown stuffed animal has a red bandana around...
Reds, Brewers, Nationals on pace to post highest stolen-base totals of any MLB team since 1990s
MILWAUKEE — Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz understands how much of a distraction he causes to opposing pitchers whenever he gets on base. “It seems like they get a little bit nervous right there when I go out there,” De La Cruz, who has a major league-leading 37 steals, said...
Willie Mays was baseball’s greatest living Hall of Famer — and the heir apparent isn’t obvious
Amid all the tributes and memories about the legendary Willie Mays, consider this perspective on his greatness: He may have been baseball’s greatest living Hall of Famer — not just at the time of his death this week, but from the moment he was inducted in 1979. Mays’ combination of...
Willie Mays inspired generations of baseball players with talent, exuberance
SAN FRANCISCO — Long after “The Catch” and his 660 home runs, and the daring sprints around the bases with his hat falling off, Willie Mays could still command a room like no other. Mays was a frequent visitor to the downtown ballpark in San Francisco at 24 Willie Mays...
Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ dies at 93Video
NEW YORK — Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93. Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the...
MLB switching to challenge system full-time for robot umpires experiment at Triple-A
NEW YORK — Baseball’s top minor leagues are switching to a challenge system full-time for their test of robot umpires. Major League Baseball has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019. It has been used at all Triple-A ballparks this year for the second...
Dodgers star Mookie Betts suffers broken left hand after getting hit by pitch
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch during the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star was drilled in the hand by a 97.9 mph fastball from Dan Altavilla (Elizabeth...
The Giants scratch lefty Kyle Harrison from his start and place him on injured list
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Giants placed left-hander Kyle Harrison on the injured list with a right ankle sprain just hours before he was scheduled to start on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels. Harrison rolled his ankle working out in the weight room on Saturday and was unable...
Braves leadoff hitter Michael Harris II headed to IL with hamstring injury
ATLANTA — Atlanta leadoff hitter and center fielder Michael Harris II will be placed on the 10-day injured list after leaving the Braves’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night with tightness in his left hamstring. Harris led off the first inning with a single off right-hander Zack...
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole fans 10 for Scranton-Wilkes Barre in 3rd rehab start
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Gerrit Cole struck out 10 in 4⅓ innings for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre on Friday night, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner’s third rehab start and the latest step toward returning to the New York Yankees’ rotation. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed a double in the first inning...
