MLB umpire apologizes after ejecting Madison Bumgarner
PHOENIX — MLB veteran umpire Dan Bellino issued an apology after ejecting Arizona Diamondbacks star pitcher Madison Bumgarner from a game in Miami this week. The Diamondbacks said Friday they received a copy of Bellino’s apology from MLB. “I would like to address my actions on May 4th involving Madison...
Young Yankees fan given Judge HR ball meets his heroVideo
TORONTO — The young Yankees fan who became a viral sensation this week shed more tears of joy on Wednesday when he met his hero, New York slugger Aaron Judge. It came hours after cameras captured Derek Rodriguez, 9, tearfully hugging Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzillotta after Lanzillotta snagged Judge’s...
Mets cut slumping Canó with almost $45 million left on deal
NEW YORK — Robinson Canó was cut Monday by the New York Mets with nearly $45 million remaining on his contract, ending an ill-fated marriage and perhaps signaling the end of his decorated major league career. The slumping Canó was designated for assignment in a move announced about an hour...
5 Mets pitchers combine to no-hit Phillies
NEW YORK — Tylor Megill and the New York Mets bullpen kept throwing and throwing, the crowd growing louder with every toss. A 159-pitch gem, it was. Megill and four relievers combined on the first no-hitter of the Major League Baseball season, teaming up to lead the Mets over the...
Bad baseballs? New York Mets angry after rash of HBPsVideo
PHOENIX — New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt has a theory about why his bat-swinging teammates have turned into targets at the plate during the season’s first month. Bad baseballs. “The MLB has a very big problem with the baseballs. They’re bad,” he said Tuesday. “Everyone knows it. Every pitcher...
First Call: Odds to land Deebo Samuel have Steelers in top 10; Alex Ovechkin injured; MLB player explodes at ump
Monday’s “First Call” puts the Pittsburgh Steelers into the mix for Deebo Samuel. We also look at the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings and an injury to Alex Ovechkin. Plus, one MLB player in Philadelphia has an all-time classic meltdown over balls and strikes. In the hunt? What are the odds...
Tigers’ Cabrera gets 3,000th hit; 33rd player to reach mark
DETROIT — Tigers star Miguel Cabrera delivered the 3,000th hit of his decorated career Saturday, becoming the 33rd major leaguer to reach the mark and the first player from Venezuela to accomplish the feat. Still an imposing presence at 39, Cabrera made history by grounding an opposite-field single to right...
Tigers fans boo as Miguel Cabrera draws intentional walk with 2,999 career hitsVideo
DETROIT — Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked in the eighth inning with 2,999 career hits, setting off a loud chorus of boos and derisive chants at Comerica Park as the Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees, 3-0, on Thursday. Cabrera was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts, forcing him...
Norwin grad JJ Matijevic gets call up to major leagues with AstrosVideo
JJ Matijevic’s ascent through the minor leagues hit the ceiling Wednesday when he was called up to join the Houston Astros. For the first time, he is a major leaguer — at least for now. The Astros brought him up to replace infielder Jose Altuve, who is on the 10-day...
Padres 1st MLB team to reach uniform ad deal, with Motorola
NEW YORK — There will be a new pitch on MLB fields next season. The San Diego Padres became the first team to announce a deal for ads on their uniforms, saying Tuesday that patches with a Motorola logo will be worn on the right sleeves of their jerseys. The...
First Call: Kenny Pickett won’t attend NFL Draft bash in Vegas; ex-Pirates pitching battle; Penguins get help in standings
In Friday’s “First Call,” we reveal the players who will be at the NFL Draft in Las Vegas at the end of the month. The Pittsburgh Penguins got some favorable results on Thursday, beyond their own victory. We also celebrate an anniversary for the team that history occasionally overlooks. And...
MLB average salary up 5.9% after lockoutVideo
NEW YORK — The average salary in the major leagues rebounded to $4.4 million on Opening Day, boosted by a frenzy of free-agent signings before and after the 99-day lockout, according to a study of baseball contracts by the Associated Press. New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer set a season...
U mad, bro: Penguins fans are getting cranky with late-season stumbles; Pirates fans won’t fake optimism
For once, it appears that the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be dominating “U mad, bro?” Very few gripes or complaints from football fans lashing out this week. The Steelers seem done — or close to it — in free agency. The draft is still a few weeks away. “Who will the...
Twins put left fielder Kirilloff on IL with wrist flare-upVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins placed left fielder Alex Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list with inflammation in his surgically repaired right wrist Wednesday. Kirilloff, a Plum grad, was scratched from the lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, replaced by Nick Gordon. Outfielder Trevor Larnach was recalled from Triple-A St....
Giants’ Alyssa Nakken becomes 1st MLB female coach on field
SAN FRANCISCO — Alyssa Nakken was hard at work in the batting cage, just a few steps from the dugout, when suddenly the call came: The San Francisco Giants needed her to coach at first base. She quickly pulled off her sweatshirt, grabbed her No. 92 jersey and found a...
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gifts players headphones as lockout peace offeringVideo
NEW YORK — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred gifted major league players Bose headphones on opening day as a peace offering after a bitter 99-day lockout that delayed the start of the season. Major League Baseball confirmed that headphones and a letter signed by Manfred were left at the locker of...
Rachel Balkovec cheered, wins debut managing Yankees Single-A affiliateVideo
LAKELAND, Fla. — Cheered by many fans who came just to see her make history, Rachel Balkovec debuted with a win Friday night as the first woman to manage the affiliate of a Major League Baseball team. Balkovec guided the New York Yankees’ Single-A Tampa Tarpons over Lakeland, 9-6. “I’ve...
Nationals, Mets benches, bullpens clear after Francisco Lindor bean
WASHINGTON — Benches and bullpens emptied, and the New York Mets and Washington Nationals confronted each other on the infield grass after Francisco Lindor was struck by a pitch from Steve Cishek in the fifth inning Friday night. New York manager Buck Showalter led the charge after one of his...
Aaron Judge, Yankees fail to agree to long-term contract
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge began what could be his last season with the New York Yankees after failing to agree to a long-term contract by the slugger’s opening-day deadline to reach a deal. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team offered an eight-year contract worth $230.5 million to...
Clemente Award winners wear ’21’ on caps
WASHINGTON — Washington Nationals designated hitter Nelson Cruz pulled his gameday hat off a hook by his clubhouse locker Thursday to show a “21” patch was stitched onto the back to honor Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Like other winners of the humanitarian award named in memory of Clemente, Cruz...
Andrew McCutchen 1st hit of MLB season, with No. 21 patch, as NL DH
Andrew McCutchen of the Milwaukee Brewers got the first hit of the 2022 MLB season. As a National League designated hitter. Wearing a Roberto Clemente No. 21 patch, too. New season, new look across the majors on Opening Day. McCutchen sliced a double in the second inning into the right-field...
Is winning the offseason worth it in baseball? Depends on the yearVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees once made a habit of winning the offseason. Not coincidentally, they won a lot of titles, too. It hasn’t happened since 2009, when splashy signings CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira helped New York “buy” its 27th World Series championship. “The...
Free-agent frenzy sends familiar faces to new places in MLBVideo
Many familiar faces with impressive resumes are in new places after one of major league baseball’s wildest free-agent frenzies. Max Scherzer and Corey Seager got megadeals before the lockout. Freddie Freeman had to wait until spring training to get his lucrative contract. Trevor Story jumped leagues and changed positions. Nick...
Cardinals duo Wainwright, Molina keep chasing history, face Pirates in openerVideo
JUPITER, Fla. — Primed to become the most prolific battery in baseball history, St. Louis Cardinals stars Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina didn’t always agree on everything. During one of their earliest outings at Triple-A Memphis, Wainwright kept shaking off Molina’s signs. “He came out to the mound, and he...
Nationals star Juan Soto set for new spot in batting orderVideo
WEST PALM BEACH , Fla. — To the Washington Nationals, too many games ended last season with star Juan Soto watching from the on-deck circle instead of swinging in the batter’s box. Nationals manager Davey Martinez hopes to limit the number of times that occurs this season by moving Soto...
