Covering the bases: Fenway Park expected as voting venue
BOSTON — There’s the windup, the pitch — and the vote. Election officials in Boston are expected to approve Fenway Park as an early voting venue when they meet Thursday, after Red Sox owner John Henry offered the storied ballpark for voters hesitant to cast ballots indoors. City officials toured...
Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons opts out in final week of seasonVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has opted out of the remainder of the Los Angeles Angels’ season. The Angels announced the four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop’s decision Tuesday before they faced the San Diego Padres. Los Angeles (24-31) still is technically in the playoff race with five games left in...
Fox accidentally shows Pittsburgh skyline during Cincinnati Reds game
Pittsburgh made a surprise appearance on Fox Saturday night during a nationally televised Cincinnati Reds’ game. The network accidentally showed a shot of Pittsburgh’s skyline — not Cincinnati’s — along with text that read “Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati Reds,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer blasted...
Astros ace, reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander to have Tommy John surgeryVideo
HOUSTON — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner announced the news Saturday on his Instagram account in a 1½-minute video. “In my simulated game a couple days ago, I felt something in...
World Series at Arlington, first time at one site since 1944
NEW YORK — The World Series will be played entirely at the Texas Rangers’ new ballpark in Arlington, Texas, as part of a bubble agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association, the first time the sport’s championship will be played entirely at one site since 1944. As part...
Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen agrees to buy MetsVideo
NEW YORK — Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen agreed to buy the New York Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families. The team announced the agreement Monday. The deal is subject to the approval of MLB owners. Cohen also entered negotiations to buy the Mets last year, but the...
Cubs’ Mills throws MLB’s 2nd no-hitter in 12-0 win over Brewers
MILWAUKEE — From college walk-on to major league starter, Chicago Cubs right-hander Alec Mills had to earn most every break he got. On the brink of big league history, he was happy to welcome this bit of luck: expecting to see two-time batting champion Christian Yelich in the on-deck circle,...
First Call: Steelers, Giants face O-line questions; Matt Murray and NHL goalie pool; Pitt star shines in NBA playoffs
Wednesday’s “First Call” looks at a shared concern for both the Steelers and the New York Giants in advance of Monday Night Football. A former Pitt basketball player is emerging in the NBA playoffs. And the NHL goalie rumor mill may have one less name in the hopper. So what...
First Call: T.J. Watt hears some trash talk from J.J. Watt; head-scratching Antonio Brown anniversary
“First Call” is back after a long holiday weekend. Steelers star T.J. Watt is on the receiving end of some trash talk from his brother, J.J. We investigate how Jadeveon Clowney almost became a Baltimore Raven. We check up on Charlie Morton’s comeback. And it’s been a year since Antonio...
Hall of Fame outfielder Lou Brock dies at age 81Video
NEW YORK — Hall of Famer Lou Brock, one of baseball’s signature leadoff hitters and base stealers who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win three pennants and two World Series titles in the 1960s, has died. He was 81. Dick Zitzmann, Brock’s longtime agent and friend, confirmed Brock’s death Sunday,...
Mets honor Seaver with salute, jersey and dirt-smudged kneeVideo
NEW YORK — Far too young to remember Tom Seaver’s glory days, Pete Alonso found a perfect way to pay tribute to the greatest player in New York Mets history. Starting pitcher Robert Gsellman, his right knee already dirtied, led the Mets from the dugout onto the diamond at Citi...
Tom Seaver, heart and mighty arm of Miracle Mets, dies at 75Video
NEW YORK — Tom Seaver, the galvanizing leader of the Miracle Mets 1969 championship team and a pitcher who personified the rise of expansion teams during an era of radical change for baseball, has died. He was 75. The Hall of Fame said Wednesday night that Seaver died Monday from...
First Call: Jim Rutherford keeps trade talk open on Evgeni Malkin, Matt Murray. Bounce back for JuJu? Marte Par-tay in Miami.
The trade action could be swift on Penguins goalie Matt Murray, and general manager Jim Rutherford is letting speculation linger about Evgeni Malkin. That’s how we start Wednesday’s “First Call.” Meanwhile, former Pirates outfielder Starling Marte has started his new chapter in Miami with a bang. Someone is thinking JuJu...
First Call: Someone may want Nick Bjugstad? Someone signed Donte Moncrief? Cole vs. Glasnow.
Tuesday’s “First Call” examines some potential Penguins roster movement. An ex-Steeler has a new home. Leonard Fournette gets a swift kick on the way out of Jacksonville. And we look at how Glasnow vs. Cole Round 3 turned out. Bjugstad or Bonino Buffalo-bound? Looking for a team that might absorb...
Marlins get former Pirates outfielder Starling Marte in trade with D-backsVideo
PHOENIX — Miami acquired outfielder Starling Marte in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, giving the Marlins a versatile hitter and defender as they try to make a surprising push for the playoffs. The Diamondbacks received pitchers Caleb Smith, Humberto Mejia and a player to be named. The...
Padres make another splash, acquire Mitch Moreland from Red Sox
DENVER — The San Diego Padres made another big move to try and end their playoff drought, acquiring slugger Mitch Moreland in a trade Sunday with Boston. The Padres haven’t been to the postseason since 2006. They currently have the second-most wins in the NL, trailing only division rival Los...
A’s announce positive covid-19 test, game vs. Astros postponedVideo
HOUSTON — A member of the Oakland Athletics organization tested positive for the coronavirus, causing MLB to postpone the team’s game Sunday against the Houston Astros. The finale of the A’s three-game series at Minute Maid Park was called off less than four hours before the scheduled first pitch. The...
MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson, calls for justice continue
PHOENIX — Major League Baseball observed a Jackie Robinson Day like no other Friday, with teams celebrating a man who broke the sport’s color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 while the racial reckoning continued. Ten baseball games were postponed over two days as some teams joined other sports...
3 MLB games postponed, several players sit out in wake of Wisconsin shootingVideo
MILWAUKEE — Three Major League Baseball games were postponed Wednesday as players across the sports landscape reacted in the wake of the weekend shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin. Games between the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers in Milwaukee, Seattle Mariners and Padres in San Diego...
Unusual MLB season creates ‘really unique’ trade deadlineVideo
MILWAUKEE — The unusual circumstances surrounding the abbreviated baseball season are creating plenty of questions for teams looking to upgrade their rosters before Monday’s trade deadline. The expanded playoff format reduces the number of teams eager to write off the season and make moves aimed at the future. The lack...
Cal Ripken says he’s cancer free after March surgery
Cal Ripken Jr. revealed Thursday he is cancer free after surgery in March to remove a tumor from his prostate. Known as “The Iron Man” for his record streak of playing in 2,632 consecutive games, the Hall of Famer for the Baltimore Orioles was diagnosed with cancer in February. He...
Thom Brennaman leaves Reds broadcast after on-air gay slur
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman used an anti-gay slur on air during Cincinnati’s game Wednesday night and later left the broadcast after apologizing. Brennaman used the slur moments after the Fox Sports Ohio feed returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning...
Knee injury ends year for Astros’ Yordan Alvarez, 2019’s top rookie
DENVER — Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, last season’s AL Rookie of the Year, will miss the rest of the season because of a partially torn right patellar tendon that requires surgery, manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday. Alvarez hit 27 homers in 313 at-bats last season but appeared in...
Mark Madden: Baseball’s old-school, unwritten rules handcuff game
Taylor Twellman made 30 appearances for the U.S. men’s national soccer team and now analyzes that sport for ESPN. But he might understand baseball better than soccer. “(Baseball) is exhausting and so self-righteous, it drives young fans away,” he said. That’s right on the money, and it’s what Twellman tweeted...
Rays’ 2-way player McKay to have season-ending surgeryVideo
NEW YORK — Tampa Bay Rays two-way rookie Brendan McKay will have season-ending surgery on his left throwing shoulder Wednesday. The 24-year-old McKay, a Blackhawk graduate, tested positive for the coronavirus in early July and missed most of the club’s preseason camp. He was cleared to resume activities July 31...
