No new positive tests for Marlins; 2B Isan Diaz opts out
MIAMI — The Miami Marlins received no new positive results in their latest round of coronavirus testing, a person familiar with the situation said Saturday, but second baseman Isan Diaz decided to opt out of the season. The person confirmed the test results to The Associated Press on condition of...
Vagabond Blue Jays stuck on the road with no one to playVideo
Toronto general manager Ross Atkins says life has been difficult for the vagabond Blue Jays at the beginning of a baseball season like no other. The Blue Jays haven’t had a real home game yet and still don’t have a stadium fit to host them. They played twice as the...
Cardinals-Brewers game off after St. Louis positives
NEW YORK — The coronavirus forced another change in Major League Baseball’s schedule, bringing the league’s total to eight teams affected in the first nine days of the season. Friday’s game between St. Louis and Milwaukee was postponed after two Cardinals players tested positive for the coronavirus. The league announced...
Blue Jays manager: Series at Phillies off because of covid-19Video
NEW YORK — Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Thursday his team’s series at Philadelphia scheduled for this weekend was called off because of concerns about the coronavirus after two Phillies staffers tested positive. “Our plans right now are to stay put and let MLB work through whatever they’re...
17th Marlins player tests positive for virusVideo
NEW YORK — Another player with the Miami Marlins has tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the team’s outbreak total to 17 players, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because test results were not announced. The Marlins...
MLB hitters slow out of the box to start 60-game season
NEW YORK — Two-time defending NL batting champion Christian Yelich has a long way to go if he wants a three-peat. The Milwaukee Brewers star is 1 for 28 to start the season, an .037 average that’s worst among qualified hitters. Not by much. Houston’s George Springer is batting .048,...
MLB doubleheaders could get shortened to 7-inning gamesVideo
NEW YORK — Ernie Banks famously said, “Let’s play two.” Baseball players just might not want to play nine innings twice in one day during this pandemic-delayed season. While Cleveland swept the Chicago White Sox in the first doubleheader of the season Tuesday, union head Tony Clark called deputy commissioner...
John McNamara, manager of ill-fated ’86 Red Sox, dies at 88Video
BOSTON — John McNamara, who managed the Boston Red Sox to within one strike of a World Series victory in 1986 before an unprecedented collapse on the field extended the team’s championship drought into the new millennium, died. He was 88. McNamara died Tuesday at his home in Tennessee, his...
Dodgers’ Kelly suspended 8 games for buzzing, mocking AstrosVideo
HOUSTON — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was suspended for eight games by MLB on Wednesday, a day after throwing a fastball near the head of Houston’s Alex Bregman and taunting Astros star Carlos Correa. Benches cleared after Kelly’s actions during the sixth inning of Los Angeles’ 5-2 win...
Mark Madden: Covid-19 chaos is spreading from MLB to NFLVideo
MLB is imploding, and not just the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bullpen. As of this writing, 18 Miami Marlins have tested positive for covid-19. This past Sunday, when the outbreak began via three players testing positive, the Marlins players voted to play that day anyway. Memo to morons: You can’t rub dirt...
In wake of Houston’s sign-stealing scandal, benches clear as Dodgers beat Astros
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are trying to put their sign-stealing scandal behind them. It seems as if the Los Angeles Dodgers have their own thoughts on the matter. Benches cleared Tuesday night during the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the Astros in the first game between the teams since it...
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes becoming part owner of Kansas City RoyalsVideo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals announced the addition of Mahomes, the star quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title last season, Tuesday. Mahomes is a former baseball prospect and...
AP source: Yankees-Phillies postponed for 2nd straight day
PHILADELPHIA — The New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies games was postponed Tuesday for the second straight day, according to a person familiar with the league’s decision. The Phillies were waiting for complete results from their covid-19 tests following an outbreak among the Miami Marlins, who played a weekend series in Philadelphia....
MLB temporarily suspends Marlins season through the weekend
MIAMI — MLB temporarily suspended the Miami Marlins’ season through Sunday because of their worsening coronavirus outbreak, and the three remaining games in this week’s New York Yankees-Philadelphia Phillies series were postponed Tuesday. In a statement, MLB said it wanted to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care...
Rangers’ Kluber could be done for year with shoulder injuryVideo
Two-time AL Cy Young winner Corey Kluber could be done for the season. He is headed to the injured list after working just one inning in his debut as a Texas Rangers starter. He has a tear in a small muscle in his right shoulder and is not expected to...
Josh Harrison signs with Nationals after release by Phillies
WASHINGTON — Utility player Josh Harrison signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals and was added to their 30-man active roster Monday, less than a week after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies. The 33-year-old Harrison is a two-time All-Star and a right-handed hitter who has started games...
2 MLB games postponed as Marlins deal with virus outbreak
MIAMI — Two major league games scheduled for Monday night were postponed after more than a dozen Miami Marlins players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that stranded the team in Philadelphia. The Marlins’ home opener against Baltimore was called off, as was the New...
MLB returns with thrills; red flags remain after 1st weekend
NEW YORK — The World Series champion Washington Nationals stood six feet apart along the first base line and watched as a banner commemorating their title was raised, then took a knee alongside the New York Yankees in a call for social justice. Star slugger Juan Soto wasn’t there —...
Astros’ Verlander out at least two weeks with forearm strainVideo
HOUSTON — Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander has a strained right forearm and will be shut down for at least two weeks. Astros manager Dusty Baker announced the injury after Houston’s 7-6 loss to the Mariners on Sunday. Baker denied a report that said the injury would...
Trump says he won’t throw out first pitch at Yankees game
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump won’t be throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium next month after all. Trump tweeted Sunday that he won’t be able to make the trip because of his “strong focus” on the coronavirus, vaccines and the economy. Trump said in the tweet: “We will...
Indians wear road jerseys in home opener to honor minoritiesVideo
CLEVELAND — For their delayed home opener, the Indians elected to wear their blue road jerseys with “Cleveland” on the front as a unified statement of solidarity for minorities as the team contemplates a name change. Owner Paul Dolan recently announced the franchise is considering changing its name from Indians,...
With no crowds, Wrigleyville has different feel for CubsVideo
CHICAGO — Laurie Shaw heard the roar of the crowd and let out a laugh. The Chicago Cubs were about to open their season at long last against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, and it sure sounded like a packed house at Wrigley Field. Of course, no fans were allowed...
Giants pitcher Sam Coonrod explains why he didn’t kneel during Black Lives Matter moment of unityVideo
LOS ANGELES — Citing his faith as a Christian man and his desire to remain consistent in his beliefs, Giants reliever Sam Coonrod explained why he didn’t kneel during a pregame moment of unity at Dodger Stadium Thursday. “I meant no ill will by it,” Coonrod said. “I don’t think...
MLB opener was most-viewed regular-season game in 9 yearsVideo
BRISTOL, Conn. — The pandemic-delayed Major League Baseball opener was the sport’s most-watched regular-season game on any network in nine years. The New York Yankees’ rain-shortened 4-1 win at the Washington Nationals on Thursday night averaged 4 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen fast national ratings. The game peaked...
Blue Jays to play in Buffalo minor league park amid pandemic
TORONTO — The displaced Toronto Blue Jays will play in Buffalo, N.Y., this year amid the pandemic. The Blue Jays said in a statement Friday that the greater part of their home schedule will be played at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, home of the club’s Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons. General...
