MLB goes ahead with 3-batter minimum, roster changes
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball went ahead with its planned rules changes for this season, including the requirement a pitcher must face at least three batters or end the half-inning, unless he is hurt. The changes were agreed to by MLB and the players’ association last March 8, subject...
Ron Roenicke named interim manager of Boston Red SoxVideo
FORT MYERS, Fla. — It took Ron Roenicke almost five years to get another chance as a major league manager. He will need to wait at least until next week for “permanency.” The Boston Red Sox made Roenicke their interim manager Tuesday, promoting the former Milwaukee Brewers skipper to replace...
AP source: MLB considering expanding playoffs to 14 teams
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is considering expanding the playoffs to nearly half the 30 teams and allowing higher-seeded wild-card teams to choose opponents. The playoffs would grow from 10 clubs to 14 under the plan, first reported Monday by the New York Post. There would be four wild...
‘Smart mound’ can help analyze efficiency of pitchersVideo
FARMINGTON, Conn. — Central Connecticut pitcher Michael Delease was throwing fastballs inside the Center for Motion Analysis and wasn’t getting much movement on his pitches. His problem was quickly diagnosed by coaches and scientists looking at data gathered by the instrumented pitching mound from which he was throwing, the electrodes...
Ex-Blue Jays reliever sues Astros in sign-stealing scandalVideo
LOS ANGELES — Former major league pitcher Mike Bolsinger sued the Houston Astros on Monday, claiming their sign-stealing scheme contributed to a poor relief appearance in August 2017 that essentially ended his big league career. Bolsinger’s suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeks unspecified damages for interfering with and...
Unfiltered: Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Penguins’ weekend, Minkah Fitzpatrick comments, MLB newsVideo
TribLIVE columnists Tim Benz and Mark Madden recap a bunch of news from the weekend. The Penguins lost one game and won another in Florida, but another injury is going to hurt the team. Minkah Fitzpatrick made some interesting comments about how he thinks he should be used in the...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Penguins injuries, Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick quotes, MLB news
We are all over the map when it comes to our “Madden Monday” podcast this week. Mark Madden and I touch on the Penguins, Steelers, Pitt football and two major baseball issues. We start with the Penguins splitting two games in Florida and how they will deal with their latest...
Ex-Pirate Morton says he regrets not trying to stop Astros from stealing signsVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two-time All-Star pitcher Charlie Morton said he regrets not doing anything to try to stop the Houston Astros from illegally stealing signs and relaying the information to their hitters during the team’s 2017 World Series championship season. Morton, who pitched seven seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates...
Fantasy sports podcast: Impact of the Mookie Betts trade, Josh Bell’s future, quarterback movement
Hey, Red Sox fans. Welcome to how the other half lives. OK, maybe not the other “half.” How about the bottom of the lower third? Whatever. This is what it is like to be a small market team, Boston. Selling off your best players in the prime of their careers....
MLB mulls limits to live video, other issuesVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Major League Baseball intends to impose new limits on what live video is available to teams, and commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to complete his investigation into alleged electronic sign stealing by the Boston Red Sox before spring training camps open next week. “I think you should assume...
Red Sox head into spring minus Mookie Betts, David Price, managerVideo
BOSTON — Well, that escalated quickly. In the 15 months since winning the World Series, the Boston Red Sox have traded away MVP winner Mookie Betts and onetime ace David Price, lost manager Alex Cora in a cheating scandal and fired the baseball boss who put together the greatest team...
Pete Rose asks for reinstatement, cites Astros and steroids
ORLANDO, Fla. — Pete Rose again asked Major League Baseball to end his lifetime ban, saying the penalty is unfair compared with discipline for steroids use and electronic sign stealing. Rose’s lawyers submitted the application Wednesday to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, who in December 2015 denied the previous request by...
Scandal-ridden Astros hire Rays exec James Click as new general managerVideo
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros hired James Click as their new general manager Monday, taking the Tampa Bay Rays executive and putting him in charge of the scandal-ridden team a week before the start of spring training. Click succeeds Jeff Luhnow, who along with manager AJ Hinch was suspended by...
Padres’ Jacob Nix pleads guilty to trespassing in doggy door breachVideo
Jacob Nix this week pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal trespassing following his October arrest for attempting to crawl through a doggy door of a home near the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. Nix received 18 months of probation as part of a plea agreement. The 24-year-old pitcher also...
Report: Astros working on deal to bring in Dusty Baker as managerVideo
HOUSTON — Dusty Baker is working to finalize an agreement to become manager of the Houston Astros, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told yhe Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been completed. The 70-year-old Baker becomes the...
House resolution proposed against minor league contraction
WASHINGTON — Four members of the House of Representatives introduced a resolution Wednesday urging Major League Baseball not to follow through with its proposal to eliminate 42 current minor league teams. MLB made the proposal last year to the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the governing body of the...
Several Dodgers go public, peeved by Astros’ cheating scamVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers would rather earn a World Series trophy on their own than accept any scraps from the Houston Astros or Boston Red Sox, the teams that beat them in 2017 and ‘18. Despite being eager to focus on the upcoming season, several Dodgers publicly...
Johan Camargo determined to seize second chance at 3B for BravesVideo
ATLANTA — Johan Camargo has a second chance to be the Atlanta Braves’ starting third baseman. Camargo’s renewed motivation to make the most of this opportunity comes after hard lessons learned in a demotion to the minors last season. It shows with a renewed commitment to conditioning this offseason that...
Sign-stealing whistleblower Mike Fiers wants to focus on upcoming seasonVideo
OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers didn’t have any more to say regarding his role as a whistleblower. Fiers declined Friday to answer questions about revealing the sign-stealing scam that has engulfed Major League Baseball, instead saying he simply wanted to focus on the future. He spoke a...
U mad, bro? Prickly Pitt fans, Matt Murray defenders, Barry Bonds debaters sound off
How are we going to start this week’s “U mad, bro?” With me being mad. That’s how. I was mad because I got locked out of my email. My stupid password expired. Why do they make me update that thing so often?! So I couldn’t get to my usual material...
Phillies sign ex-Pirates Neil Walker, Francisco Liriano to minors dealsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday signed former Pittsburgh Pirates Neil Walker and Francisco Liriano to minor league contracts with invitations to attend major league spring training Walker, a Pine-Richland graduate who was selected 11th overall in 2004, batted .261 with a .344 on-base percentage, eight homers and 38...
Mets tab Luis Rojas to replace Carlos Beltrán as manager
NEW YORK — The New York Mets are finalizing a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas to make him the team’s new manager, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday. Rojas would replace Carlos Beltrán, who left the team last week before managing a single game as part...
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker elected to Baseball Hall of FameVideo
NEW YORK — Derek Jeter came within one vote of being a unanimous pick for the Hall of Fame, and Larry Walker also earned baseball’s highest honor Tuesday. Jeter, the longtime New York Yankees captain, appeared on 396 of 397 ballots cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, falling...
L.A. City Council says Dodgers should be awarded World Series titles
LOS ANGELES — With Los Angeles fans reeling from news that two of the Dodgers’ recent World Series opponents were linked to a cheating scandal that tipped off batters to what pitch was about to be thrown, the City Council voted Tuesday to ask Major League Baseball to strip the...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Penguins beating Bruins, Super Bowl matchup, Astros scandal
This week’s “Madden Monday” with Mark Madden features three big topics: • The Penguins comeback win Sunday against the Boston Bruins • The AFC and NFC championship games • The Houston Astros cheating controversy We start with the Penguins. How big of a deal is it that they got at...
