Yankees top Forbes’ list of richest MLB clubs

Major League Baseball may lose billions to the coronavirus shutdown, but its clubs appear to be on
firm footing according to Forbes’ latest list of franchise values released Thursday.

The financial publication estimated that 28 of 30 MLB clubs appreciated in value in 2019.


The New York Yankees once again top the list, appreciating 9% to $5 billion in total value.

According to Forbes, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, worth an estimated $5.5 billion, are the only sports franchise in the world worth more than the Yanks.

Forbes predicted that strong recent profits will “help offset any downturn from the delayed season.”

MLB has indefinitely postponed the 2020 campaign, which had been scheduled to start on March 26, as health authorities urge social distancing to slow the spread of deadly COVID-19.

Until the setback, Forbes said, MLB profits were at record highs thanks to flat player costs and increased revenue of $16 million per team on average.

Forbes calculated that the Yankees generated $683 million in revenue in 2019.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were rated the second-most valuable team at $3.4 billion, and also posted the second-highest revenue, Forbes said.

The Boston Red Sox clocked in at third at $3.3 billion, followed by the Chicago Cubs ($3.2 billion), San Francisco Giants ($3.1 billion), New York Mets ($2.4 billion), St. Louis Cardinals ($2.2 billion) and Philadelphia Phillies ($2 billion).

Only the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins dropped in value, the Pirates by 1% and the Marlins by 2%.

Only the Marlins, valued at $980 million, were outside the billionaire club, according to the calculations by Forbes.

Agence France-Presse

Washington Nationals to Attend White House Ceremony

The Washington Nationals will attend a White House reception on Monday, just over a week after the baseball team’s fans booed President Donald Trump during his World Series appearance at Nationals Park.

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere confirmed the Nationals’ attendance in a post on Twitter.

“On Monday, @POTUS @realDonaldTrump will welcome the #WorldSeries Champion Washington @Nationals to the @WhiteHouse! #STAYINTHEFIGHT,” Deere wrote.

Trump has had an uneasy relationship with the sports world since taking office, with several championship-winning teams including the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles opting to skip the tradition of visiting the White House after their victories.

Most recently, Trump crossed swords with the World Cup-winning US women’s soccer team, clashing publicly with star Megan Rapinoe during the tournament.

Although Trump has not formally extended an invitation to the team yet, Rapinoe said after the squad’s victory she would boycott any reception.

The Nationals received their White House invite after clinching a dramatic World Series finale in game seven in Houston on Wednesday.

Last Sunday however, Nationals fans had rounded on Trump when the US leader attended game five at Nationals Park.


After the game’s third inning, the stadium’s video display showed military members in attendance — but then quickly cut to Trump.

The cheering crowd immediately switched to loud and sustained boos.

When the display cut back to the soldiers, the booing died down, but fans soon took up a chorus of “Lock him up!” — a play on the chant frequently heard at pro-Trump rallies against Hillary Clinton.

Demonstrators sitting behind the home plate also unfurled “Veterans for Impeachment” banners during the game, in reference to the House of Representatives investigation into whether Trump abused power by withholding military aid to Ukraine.

source: usa.inquirer.net

Yankees clinch 1st AL East title since 2012, reach 100 wins

NEW YORK — Aroldis Chapman got Albert Pujols to swing over a slider in the dirt, and the New York Yankees jogged to the infield to exchange handshakes and hugs after clinching their first AL East title since 2012.

No wild celebration, not this year.

Hours after the startling news that pitcher Domingo Germán was placed on administrative leave under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy, the homer-happy Yankees routed the Los Angeles Angels 9-1 Thursday night to wrap up first place and breeze to their 100th win.

DJ LeMahieu hit a go-ahead, three-run homer for yet another big moment in his first year with New York and old mainstay Brett Gardner homered and had three RBIs.

Players decided it was not a night for dogpiles, not given how many already have gotten hurt, some in bizarre mishaps.

“We’re just trying to avoid injuries,” LeMahieu said.

A day after wasting a chance to clinch first place, the Yankees went ahead when LeMahieu went deep in the second inning.

Gardner, among just two holdovers from their last World Series championship team in 2009, added a solo shot in the fourth and then hit a two-run double in the sixth. Cameron Maybin and Clint Frazier homered for good measure in the eighth.

“You got a team full of savages,” slugger Aaron Judge said, invoking the word manager Aaron Boone made famous during his mid-summer rant at an umpire. “It’s been a long season, a lot of ups and downs. We’re going to celebrate and enjoy tonight, but we got a lot more baseball to play.”

Despite putting 30 players on the injured list this year, New York (100-54) made Boone the first manager to win 100 games in each of his first two major league seasons.

“We got a lot bigger fish to fry, but this is the first step along the way,” Boone said. “Nothing has got in their way. Whatever has come adversity-wise, they faced it and powered right through it.”

The Yankees open the playoffs on Oct. 4, likely against Minnesota, which leads the AL Central, or the wild-card winner.

Germán’s status for the postseason is uncertain after a breakout season. He is the Yankees’ top-winning pitcher at 18-4.

Boone and general manager Brian Cashman spoke with players before the game.

“It’s a difficult situation that none of us really know that many details about, so you just try and lay it out,” Boone said. “Sometimes things come up over the course of the season that you’re not necessarily prepared for and you just try and talk through it the best you can.”

Masahiro Tanaka (11-8), in line to start the playoff opener, allowed Kole Calhoun’s homer leading off the fourth. The Angels had just four hits in seven innings off Tanaka, who struck out six and walked one.

New York’s 19th AL East title was its first following a run of 13 in 17 years that started in Derek Jeter’s rookie season. The Yankees, led by Judge, Gary Sánchez and Gleyber Torres, will be making their 21st postseason appearance in 25 years and 55th overall — 22 more than any other team.

And they will head to the October following their 21st 100-win season, their first in back-to-back years since 2002-04.

New York moved into sole possession of the lead for good on June 15 with the start of an eight-game winning streak, beginning a spurt of 13 victories in 14 games that ended the month. The Yankees led by 6 1/2 games at the All-Star Game, won seven of their first nine after the break and have led by seven to 11 1/2 games since. And they achieved their success despite the most players on the injured list for any big league team since at least 2004.

After Wednesday’s 3-2 loss, the Yankees waited in their clubhouse for three hours until just before 1 a.m., hoping second-place Tampa Bay would lose at Los Angeles and ensure the division title for New York. But the Rays rallied in the ninth and defeated the Dodgers in 11 innings.

Protective plastic remained overnight wrapping the six large-screen televisions in the Yankees clubhouse, a sign that the bubbly celebration was not too far off. There was plenty of spraying — but non-vintage Laurent Perrier Brut. The good stuff is saved for late October.

LeMahieu’s homer off Andrew Heaney (4-6), which followed a rare infield hit by slow-legged catcher Austin Romine with two outs, landed about three rows over the scoreboard in right-center, giving him career bests of 25 homers and 97 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees. Gardner also set career highs for homers (26) and RBIs (69), and New York extended its team record with 292 long balls, one shy of major league-leading Minnesota.

“Hopefully the beginning of something special,” Gardner said.

STANTON

DH Giancarlo Stanton was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts as a designated hitter his second game back from a layoff of nearly three months.

STAR TURN

Pujols had a .328 career batting average when he left St. Louis after 11 major league seasons and joined the Angels for 2012. His career average dipped to .29995 with an 0 for 4 night. His average had not been below .300 at the end of a game since a 4-for-14 start as a rookie in 2001, according to the Elias Sport Bureau.

“Not all the greatest players hit over .300,” Pujols said. “Hitting .300 would be great, but definitely, for me more important is hopefully I can win a championship before I’m done with my contract, because that’s why the front office brought me here.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: RHP Dellin Betances has been told surgery is not recommended for the partially torn left Achilles tendon that ended his season after eight pitches. Manager Aaron Boone said the foot will be in a walking boot for another four weeks. … Judge was given a day off after he landed on his right shoulder during an attempt for a diving catch Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Jamie Barria (4-8) will be on the mound at Houston, opposed by Zack Greinke (6-1).

Yankees: LHP J.A. Happ (12-8) starts Friday’s series opener against Toronto, his former team.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Rangers snap Yankees’ 220-game scoring streak

Mike Minor rebounded from a pair of rocky outings to pitch 7 1/3 innings as the Texas Rangers posted a 7-0 win over the New York Yankees, who failed to score a run for the first time in 14 months.

The start of Monday’s game was delayed almost three hours because of rain as the Rangers won for the fourth time in six games and ended the Yankees’ modest two-game win streak.


New York, who trailed 4-0 after seven innings before rallying to beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 on Saturday, saw their 220-run scoring streak snapped.

The last time they were shut out was June 2018 against the Boston Red Sox. It was the second-longest streak of scoring a run since 1900, behind a 308-game streak by New York from August 1931 to August 1933.

Minor allowed five hits, striking out five and walking just one while throwing 111 pitches in front of a crowd of 40,000 at Yankee Stadium.

Minor struggled in his last two outings against the Los Angeles Angels.


But the Tennessee-born left hander has now completed at least seven innings for the 13th time and delivered his seventh scoreless performance this season.

He was lifted after allowing two singles in the eighth. Shawn Kelley came on and quickly ended the inning. Emmanuel Clase closed it out in the ninth.

Yankees’ starter Masahiro Tanaka gave up two runs in six innings and dropped to 10-8 on the season.

The Rangers tacked on five more runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

Tanaka, of Japan, finished with five strikeouts but walked two batters.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Pitcher discovered on social media lands chance with Oakland A’s

OAKLAND, Calif. — Nathan Patterson never even made the varsity baseball team as a middle infielder during high school back home in Kansas.

In fact, he’d strayed far from the game — running his own landscaping business and working various other jobs that included sales and software — before baseball came back into his life when he least expected it.


If that was the whole story, Patterson’s journey to the Oakland Athletics’ rookie ball team would have been remarkable, yet the way the pitcher got discovered made it even crazier yet: He became an instant social media sensation.

In Colorado for a family reunion to celebrate his grandmother’s 80th birthday last month, Patterson wound up at a Rockies game with time on his hands because of a rain delay. He and his brother tried out the speed-pitch challenge cage at Coors Field just for fun. His brother, Christian, hit 83 mph and the booth operator congratulated him on the top speed of the day.

Then Patterson took his turn, spending about $5 total for all the tosses.

The radar gun read: 90-94-94-96-95-96.


He might have even had a couple of beers in his system.

His brother’s video of the throws quickly took off on social media.

“Guys, we were just chillin at a @rockies baseball game, and my brother decided to step into a speed pitch challenge…he hit 96 mph ?? @MLB Let’s get him signed!” Christian posted on Twitter with the video.

Then, Christian sent a social media update that read, “And 2 weeks later…he’s now a professional athlete” featuring photos of Patterson signing his contract in full green and gold A’s gear.

“It’s become more and more real now,” the 23-year-old Patterson said. “There’s kind of a misconception that I threw a ball … almost a month ago and got signed, a misconception that there was no work or sacrifice that went into it when in reality there was a ton of work and a lot of sacrifices over the last year that got me to being where I am today.”



An elbow fracture discovered when Patterson was playing on a showcase team the summer before his senior year in high school kept him from playing baseball that final season at Blue Valley High in Overland Park, Kansas. Just 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds when he graduated, Patterson is now 6-1, 185 pounds.

There were also complications that derailed his rehab. He “wasn’t ever able to really get 100%” healthy, so Patterson pushed aside any college baseball hopes and enrolled in community college courses. He lasted only two months before dropping his four classes to run the landscaping business that took off and became so busy that he and a friend needed to hire employees.

When Patterson realized about a year later in June 2015 that “sun up to sun down” lawn care and landscaping wasn’t his life path and he wanted to “go experience the world,” he used Google to determine where he would go next. Austin, Texas, came up as No. 1 when he searched for “coolest places to live when you’re young and single,” so he told his friends and family that’s where he would move.

He met his girlfriend in Austin. Fast forward and she was promoted and they wound up moving to Nashville, where Patterson was able to work remotely for the software company he had joined. Last summer, his family visited and they went to a Nashville Sounds Triple-A game, with the ballpark close to where Patterson lived. That’s when he initially tried out one of those pitch-speed booths, hit 96 mph on his final throw and realized he had quite an arm — even with his background being as an infielder.

“Blew my own mind, honestly,” he said.

A coach saw him and immediately encouraged Patterson to play baseball, if not collegiately then in the pros. So a couple of weeks later Patterson began contemplating the idea of chasing a lost dream once more, as a pitcher.

But last December, Patterson’s plan to resume baseball was stalled again when he got hit by a car while riding his electric longboard. He broke the wrist on his left, non-throwing hand and needed surgery.

“It was a very, very sad day, like all this work over the last two months was for nothing,” he recalled.

Patterson returned to Kansas City for two weeks at Christmas last year and his family urged him to push on. By January he was throwing off a mound again in Nashville with a cast on the other hand, and that’s when about 20 colleges came calling along with a handful of major league organizations. Patterson hired an agent.

He also began working closely with Jarrod Parker, who played for the A’s before a pair of Tommy John surgeries forced him out of the game. Parker opened Parker Sports Performance last September in Nashville, and Patterson was one of the first athletes to participate in a regular training program at the center.


“Lucky enough to have him walk through the door first of all,” Parker said. “Rarely do people get that kind of chance. Usually it’s kind of that pipe dream. He came in and put his nose to the ground. We threw so much at the kid when he was here to prep him for the situation.”

The A’s signed Patterson, who struck out the side in order during his first pro appearance Aug. 15. His second outing wasn’t as smooth with Patterson giving up three runs on two hits in two innings. Then Sunday night, in his final start before the rookie ball season concludes Monday, Patterson struck out two and retired the first eight hitters he faced before being pulled after a two-out single in the third.

Now, Patterson gets stopped for photos or to sign a baseball — “You’re that guy,” people will say.

“What guy?” Patterson responds.

He knows there’s plenty still to do on the way to his goal of pitching in the big leagues one day.

“The first few days, weeks, it was just surreal,” Patterson said. “But talking with my family, my dad, he’s like, ‘Nathan, this isn’t surreal any more, this is real, you are living this, you are an athlete, you are good, you are talented, you are athletic, just live this, enjoy it, absorb every single day.’”

source: sports.inquirer.net

MLB roundup: Leake takes perfect game to 9th as Mariners beat Angels 10-0

SEATTLE  — Mike Leake of the Seattle Mariners lost his bid to pitch a perfect game on a leadoff single in the ninth inning by rookie Luis Rengifo, then finished off the Los Angeles Angels for a 10-0 win Friday night.

A week after the worst start of his career, Leake almost achieved baseball immortality.


The Angels hadn’t come close to a hit and Leake hadn’t gone to a three-ball count before Rengifo grounded a clean hit to right field on Leake’s 79th pitch.

The fans gave Leake a standing ovation and he quickly waved to acknowledge their cheers.

After a walk, Leake (8-8) retired the next three batters for a one-hitter, striking out Mike Trout on a full-count pitch to end it. Leake fanned six overall and walked one.

Leake’s second career shutout came exactly a week after he was tagged by the Angels in his previous start, giving up seven runs on eight hits and a walk while getting just two outs. The Angels pitched a combined no-hitter that night in Anaheim while the entire club wore jerseys honoring late teammate Tyler Skaggs.


Daniel Vogelbach hit two homers and drove in six runs as Seattle stopped a six-game losing streak.

BRAVES 4, NATIONALS 3

ATLANTA— Josh Donaldson’s bases-loaded single off Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning lifted Atlanta over Washington after Luke Jackson allowed a tying, two-run homer to Victor Robles in the top half.

Ronald Acuña Jr., who had three hits, led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk off Rodney (0-3) and took second on Dansby Swanson’s single. Freddie Freeman walked on four pitches, loading the bases.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez brought in left fielder Juan Soto as a fifth infielder, including three on the left side against the right-handed hitting Donaldson.

Donaldson hit a 2-0 pitch over Robles to center-field warning track, and the Braves boosted their NL East lead to 6½ games over the second-place Nationals. Atlanta had lost its previous five home games against Washington.

YANKEES 8, ROCKIES 2

NEW YORK — Edwin Encarnación hit a go-ahead grand slam, a trio of ex-Rockies beat up on their former team and New York defeated Colorado.

Encarnación lined his 12th career slam in the third inning off Kyle Freeland, and first-year Yankees DJ LeMahieu, Adam Ottavino and Mike Tauchman poured it on in their first games against their old club. LeMahieu had two hits and two RBIs, Ottavino struck out the side in a perfect relief inning and Tauchman had a career-high three hits, a stolen base and threw out a runner at home plate from left field.

Aaron Judge added a two-run homer, and J.A. Happ (8-5) struck out eight while pitching two-run ball over five innings for the Yankees. New York came from behind to win for a fourth straight game and improved to a major league-best 63-33 — 30 games over .500 for the first time this season. The Yankees lead second-place Tampa Bay by a season-high nine games in the AL East.

ASTROS 4, RANGERS 3

HOUSTON — Justin Verlander struck out 12 in six solid innings, four Houston players hit solo home runs and the Astros held on to beat Texas.

Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez led off the third inning with consecutive home runs to extend Houston’s lead to 4-0. Altuve hit his homer to left-center field, and Bregman sent his to left on the next pitch before Alvarez hit a 474-foot monster shot into the second deck in right field.

It was the first time the Astros had hit three straight homers since June, 20, 2018, against Tampa Bay.

Yuli Gurriel led off the second with a solo shot to left. 



Verlander (12-4) allowed two runs and eight hits. The right-hander struck out at least 11 for the fourth time this season.

ATHLETICS 5, TWINS 3

MINNEAPOLIS — Marcus Semien led off the game with a home run and later tripled and doubled as Oakland kept rolling, topping Minnesota on a sweltering night.

The temperature at first pitch was 94 degrees on a humid, muggy evening. It was tied for the second-hottest start in Target Field’s 10-year history, trailing only a 97-degree reading on July 16, 2012.

Khris Davis hit a pair of RBI singles as the A’s won for the 20th time in 26 games. The AL Central-leading Twins have lost four of five.

Chris Bassitt (7-4) allowed two earned runs in five innings. Liam Hendriks earned his seventh save by retiring the final five batters.

DODGERS 2, MARLINS 1

LOS ANGELES — Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched seven strong innings and combined with Kenta Maeda and Kenley Jansen to help Los Angeles beat Miami.

Playing at Dodger Stadium for the first time since the All-Star break, the NL West leaders turned a Miami error into the go-ahead run in the sixth.

Ryu (11-2), who started for the National League in the All-Star game, gave up one run on four hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. 



Maeda took over for Ryu in the eighth, his first relief appearance this season. Maeda is expected to return to the rotation, but he was used out of the bullpen this time after a 35-pitch, rain-shortened start Wednesday at Philadelphia.

GIANTS 1, METS 0, 10 INNINGS.

SAN FRANCISCO — Alex Dickerson raced home from first on a botched fly ball to shallow left field with two outs in the 10th inning and San Francisco won its season-high seventh straight game.

On a night dominated by starting pitchers Jacob deGrom of New York and Tyler Beede of San Francisco, it took a misplay in the field to score the only run of the game. Pablo Sandoval hit a fly ball off Jacob Rhame (0-1) that looked like it would be a routine out to end the inning. But left fielder Dominic Smith came in and misplayed the ball for an error, perhaps distracted by shortstop Amed Rosario.

Dickerson never stopped running and scored when cutoff man Todd Frazier’s throw home was off target, sending the Giants pouring out of the dugout in celebration. The victory lifted the Giants’ record to 49-49, the first time they have been at .500 since the start of the season.

Sam Dyson (4-1) pitched a perfect 10th for the win.

DIAMONDBACKS 10, BREWERS 7

PHOENIX— Christian Walker hit a two-run homer to cap the first natural cycle in Arizona’s history, lifting the Diamondbacks over Milwaukee.

The Diamondbacks broke open the game with six runs in the third inning against Jhoulys Chacin (3-10), punctuated by hitting a single, double, triple and home run in four straight at-bats.

Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar homered and had a run-scoring triple, and All-Star Ketel Marte had two RBIs for a career-high 60.

Archie Bradley (3-4) allowed a hit in 1 1/3 innings and Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.

Christian Yelich hit a two-run homer, his majors-leading 35th, and Lorenzo Cain hit a solo shot for the Brewers, who scored three runs in the seventh inning to pull within 10-7.

WHITE SOX 9, RAYS 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Leury García had four hits, including three doubles, Reynaldo López won for the first time in six starts and Chicago stopped a seven-game losing streak by beating slumping Tampa Bay.

García became the first White Sox player to have three doubles in a game since Adam Eaton against Minnesota on Aug. 2, 2014.

López (5-8) gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings with eight strikeouts. He had been 0-2 with a 5.34 ERA since beating Kansas City on June 9.

Tampa Bay dropped a season-high nine games behind the AL East-leading Yankees after arriving about 3:30 a.m. following a doubleheader loss in New York. The Rays have dropped behind Cleveland and Oakland for the two AL wild-card spots. The Rays held an eight-game lead over the third-place team in the wild-card race at the start of play on June 11 but have lost 20 of 35 since.

Rays rookie Brendan McKay (1-1) lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his fourth start, allowing six runs — five earned — and nine hits as his ERA doubled from 1.69 to 3.72.

ORIOLES 11, RED SOX 2

BALTIMORE— Anthony Santander and Keon Broxton homered off David Price, and Baltimore got six solid innings from rookie right-hander John Means in a rout of Boston. 



Price (7-3) allowed six runs, eight hits and a walk in four innings to take his first loss in 13 starts since April 27. The left-hander was 8-0 at Camden Yards and 16-5 lifetime against the Orioles before turning in a surprisingly ineffective performance in 96-degree heat against the team with the worst record in the big leagues.

Sam Travis homered for the Red Sox, who had won 14 of their previous 16 road games.

Boston leadoff hitter Mookie Betts had his streak of scoring in 13 straight games come to an end, one short of breaking the franchise record he now shares with Ted Williams (1946).

Means (8-5), the Orioles’ lone representative on the AL All-Star team, gave up two runs and four hits.

CARDINALS 12, REDS 11

CINCINNATI  — Jose Martinez homered and singled during a 10-run rally in the sixth inning and St. Louis overcame a seven-run deficit for a wild win over Cincinnati.

Down 7-0, the Cardinals put together their biggest inning of the season on the way to their sixth win in seven games.

Jesse Winker hit a two-out, two-run single in the ninth off Cardinals closer Carlos Martinez. But Joey Votto grounded out with runners at the corners to give Martinez his seventh save.

Journeyman catcher Ryan Lavarnway hit two homers, doubled and drove in a career-high six runs for Cincinnati in his first game in the majors this season.

BLUE JAYS 12, TIGERS 1

DETROIT — Marcus Stroman breezed through seven scoreless innings, and Toronto batted around in both the fourth and the sixth on its way to a rout of Detroit.

Teoscar Hernandez homered for Toronto, which scored four runs in the fourth and five in the sixth, sending 10 batters to the plate in each inning. The Tigers lost for the 26th time in their last 29 home games. That does not include a May 19 game in which Detroit was also losing when the contest was suspended.

Stroman (6-10) allowed six hits. The All-Star right-hander struck out five with no walks in what was his first career start at Detroit.

Jordan Zimmermann (0-7) is now winless in his last 16 starts.

PHILLIES 6, PIRATES 1

PITTSBURGH — Bryce Harper’s go-ahead RBI single was one of 15 hits Philadelphia used to beat Pittsburgh.

Harper hit a seventh-inning single off Pirates reliever Richard Rodríguez (3-4) that scored pinch-hitter Brad Miller to give the Phillies their first lead of the game.

Rookie outfielder Adam Haseley added a solo homer to start the scoring and a run-scoring double to cap it for the Phillies. The rally made a winner of Juan Nicasio (2-3), who pitched one-third of an inning in relief of starter Jake Arrieta.

INDIANS 10, ROYALS 5

CLEVELAND — Rookie Oscar Mercado went 5 for 5 and drove in two runs as Cleveland won its sixth straight game, beating Kansas City. 



Mercado had an RBI double in the third inning and a run-scoring single in the sixth. He also scored twice.

Mercado is batting .423 (11 for 26) with three home runs and eight RBIs over the last eight games. He was called up from Triple-A Columbus on May 14 and became the 12th Indians rookie since 1913 to have at least five hits in a game.

Shane Bieber (9-3), making his second start since being named MVP of the All-Star Game held at Progressive Field, allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

CUBS 6, PADRES 5

CHICAGO — Anthony Rizzo hit a grand slam and Chicago overcame an early home run by Manny Machado to beat San Diego.

Javier Báez also homered for the NL Central-leading Cubs, who have won six of seven since the All-Star break.

Josh Naylor tied the score 5-5 in the eighth inning against Pedro Strop (2-3) with his first career pinch homer, but the Cubs went back ahead in the bottom half.

Anthony Rizzo singled off Craig Stammen (6-5), rookie shortstop Fernandez Tatis Jr. threw Addison Russell’s grounder into center field for an error, Jason Heyward was intentionally walked and David Bote hit a grounder to third. Machado threw home for a forceout and catcher Francisco Mejia threw to first, even though he didn’t have a play on Bote. The ball hit off the glove of first baseman Eric Hosmer and bounced into short right field as Rizzo scored on Hosmer’s error.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Mike Trout hits milestone homer to lead Angels over Royals

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout’s 250th home run was memorable in more ways than one.

Trout’s solo shot to left-center off traveled 473 feet and made him the sixth AL player to reach 250 homers before his 28th birthday as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 on Saturday night.

The first-inning blast off Royals starter Jakob Junis (3-5) was also his second-longest since Statcast began measuring them in 2015 and the third-longest in the majors this season.

“I didn’t see it land. I stopped watching,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “As soon as he hit it, I knew it was gone.”

Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Griffin Canning pitched seven shutout innings as the Angels got their fourth win in five games this season against the Royals.

Ohtani’s two-run homer to right in the sixth was his second of the season. Last season’s AL Rookie of the Year missed the first 34 games following Tommy John surgery.

After going hitless in first seven at-bats, Ohtani has gone 12 for 35 with two home runs and has a six-game hitting streak.

“I’m getting better each at-bat I get. It is not 100, but getting closer and closer,” Ohtani said through a translator.

Canning (2-1) is only the second Angels starter to go at least seven innings, which is worst in the majors. The rookie right-hander retired the first 12 Royals he faced and allowed three hits with five strikeouts. Ty Buttrey worked the final 1 2/3 innings for his second save.

“I wasn’t being super tentative and let my stuff work in the zone,” he said.

After Trout’s homer, the Angels added another run in the second when Kole Calhoun led off with a double and scored on Jonathan Lucroy’s single.

Los Angeles added three in the sixth. Trout walked with one out before Ohtani clubbed a two-run shot over the right field wall for his first home run at Angels Stadium this season. Andrelton Simmons followed with a double to left and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on Calhoun’s sacrifice fly to center to make it 5-0.

Kansas City got on the board with three in the eighth off Taylor Cole. Whit Merrifield had a two-run double and scored on Adalberto Mondesi’s bloop single.

Lucroy, who had two hits, singled in Simmons in the eighth inning to extend the Angels’ lead to three runs.

Junis also went seven innings and yielded five runs (four earned) on six hits with six strikeouts.

“I thought he threw the ball well. He’s just not pitching with a lot of luck right now,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Junis. “Every once in a while, you will throw a fastball down the middle and they will either foul it off or pop it up. That isn’t happening. Just got burned on a couple of mistakes.”

TRACKING TROUT

Trout joins Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Juan Gonzalez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as the only AL players to hit 250 or more home runs before their age 28 season.

He is also the 13th player to accomplish that milestone overall. Teammate Albert Pujols, Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Andruw Jones and Giancarlo Stanton reached it while playing in the NL.

Eight of Trout’s 10 homers this season have come at home. The tape-measure shot fell 4 feet shy of his career best, which came at Coors Field off Colorado’s Chris Rusin in 2015.

ROUGH STARTS

Junis has allowed nine runs in the first inning 10 starts this season. Teams are hitting .333 against him in the opening frame (14 for 42), including four home runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Kansas City has requested release waivers on Frank Schwindel, who was designated for assignment Tuesday. Schwindel was the opening day first baseman but had just one hit in 15 at-bats in six games. There is a possibility he could be re-signed to a minor league contract.

Angels: OF Justin Upton (turf toe) is doing some throwing and hitting, but the only running he is doing is on a treadmill. He is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list near the end of the month but said that it will “be a while” before he returns.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (2-1, 3.97 ERA) has won his last two starts. He is 2-2 in seven career outings against the Angels, including a 5-1 loss on April 26 when he allowed three runs on five hits in five innings.

Angels: LHP Tyler Skaggs (4-3, 5.05 ERA) has won three of his four starts since returning from the injured list (left ankle sprain). Teams have a .268 batting average against him, which is the highest among LA’s starting staff.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Red Sox pinch-hitters come up clutch again in World Series

LOS ANGELES — Boston’s bench is a big reason why the Red Sox are one win from their fourth World Series title since 2004.

With the Red Sox regulars being held in check by the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was pinch-hitters Mitch Moreland and Rafael Devers who came up with huge at-bats as Boston rallied for a 9-6 victory Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the Series.

Moreland hit a three-run homer off Ryan Madson in the seventh inning and Devers singled home Brock Holt with the tiebreaking run in the ninth.

Boston’s pinch-hitters have come up big all Series. Through the first four games, they are 6 for 18 (.333) with two home runs and seven RBIs. The Red Sox are batting .218 overall.

“The bench has been the key to our entire playoffs,” slugger J.D. Martinez said. “The guys that no one expects are the ones who are delivering. It is unreal.”

Moreland’s homer to right field on a first-pitch changeup from Ryan Madson was Boston’s second pinch-hit homer in the World Series. The 1959 Dodgers and 1975 Red Sox are the only other teams with multiple pinch-hit home runs in the same Fall Classic. Not bad for a team that hit only two pinch-hit homers during the course of a 162-game regular season.

Moreland joins Bernie Carbo (who had two in 1975), Bobby Kielty (2007) and Eduardo Nunez (Game 1 this year) as Boston players who have homered in a World Series game as pinch-hitters.

“With the way we play, we’re constantly trying to get some guys on base, put pressure on the other side. So we got that chance right there,” Moreland said after hitting his third World Series home run. “I saw him throw a couple of changeups to Jackie (Bradley Jr.) up in the zone. I decided, why not sit on that one first pitch? And when he threw it, I saw it pretty good, and put a good swing on it.”

It was Moreland’s fourth career postseason homer but first as a pinch-hitter. Prior to that swing, Moreland was batting .250 this postseason (4 for 16) but was 1 for 6 in a pinch-hitting role.

Devers was batting .276 (8 for 29) for the postseason, and Saturday night was only the third time he has been brought in off the bench. After Holt doubled off Dylan Floro with one out, Devers laced a 2-0 changeup to center, scoring Holt for a 5-4 lead, and the Red Sox went on to score five runs in the ninth.

The third baseman, who turned 22 on Wednesday, became the youngest player in World Series history to have a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning or later. The last player younger than 23 to deliver a pinch-hit RBI in the Fall Classic was Pittsburgh’s Milt May in 1971 against Baltimore.

“I was just ready for my moment to come, whenever that may be,” Devers said. “Being in the National League, you’ve got to be ready from the first inning with obviously the pitchers hitting. So I just wanted to be ready for whatever the situation was.”

Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers said Boston’s bench success can mostly be attributed to first-year manager Alex Cora and the way he has been able to keep everyone involved by always communicating to players about when they will be used during a game.

“He just has a way of giving them confidence by telling them, ‘I am going to use you here, be ready, be prepared’ and then it happens,” Hyers said. “They are prepared and have confidence when they walk out to the batter’s box because the manager has prepared them to go out and show.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Dodgers’ Machado stands out for lack of hustle again

LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado’s lack of hustle is starting to stand out more than his offense this postseason.

The star shortstop had a little too much self-confidence in the sixth inning Friday night when he thought he homered for the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Instead, Machado ended up admiring what turned out to be a 368-foot single as it bounced off the wall in left field.


Had Machado run it out, it might have been a double. It also turned out to be his only hit as he went 1 for 7 in the Dodgers’ 3-2 win in 18 innings early Saturday that trimmed their Series deficit to 2-1.

“I looked up at first and thought it wasn’t going and then I saw it take up and thought it was going to go out,” Machado said. “That was very, very, very, very, very poor baserunning by me.”

It is not the first time this postseason that Machado’s effort level has become an issue. He was criticized for not hustling during a groundout in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against Milwaukee.

Machado said in an interview on FS1 during the NLCS that he’s well aware he’s not going to be known as a hustling type of player, but that is how he has played throughout his career.

He was much more critical of himself after Friday night’s game.

“I probably wasn’t going to be on second base but that was very embarrassing,” he said.

Things didn’t get much better for Machado in the eighth when he struck out on Matt Barnes’ high fastball on a full count with a runner on first. Two innings later he popped out to shortstop Xander Bogaerts after Max Muncy doubled with two outs. That dropped Machado to 0 for 9 in his career against Boston closer Craig Kimbrel.

Machado also flied out in the 13th after Muncy walked leading off the inning.

The 26-year-old Machado can become a free agent this offseason and is expected to command a large contract. He drew the ire of Milwaukee players and fans — not to mention a fine — for kicking Brewers first baseman Jesus Aguilar near the ankle as he jogged out a groundout during the NLCS.

There was also a pair of hard slides into Orlando Arcia in Game 3 while the Milwaukee shortstop was attempting to turn double plays. The antics led Brewers star Christian Yelich to call Machado “a dirty player,” but the Dodgers slugger has seemed to embrace the role of villain this October.

The baserunning gaffes are overshadowing what has been a productive month for Machado, acquired from Baltimore on July 19. He is batting .255 in the postseason but leads the Dodgers in home runs (three) and RBIs (11).

Machado is 3 for 14 in the World Series but thinks the Dodgers have momentum after their dramatic win.

“This is huge. We were grinding until the last run came across the board. We’re 2-1 in the Series, which we needed,” he said. “We’ll get some rest and get back at it.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Colon notches 2,500th career strikeout vs Dodgers

LOS ANGELES — Bartolo Colon recorded his 2,500th career strikeout against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 45-year-old right-hander retired second baseman Max Muncy in the first inning on Tuesday night.

That made Colon the 34th pitcher in history to reach the 2,500th plateau, according to Elias Sports Bureau.


He is tied with Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for most wins by a pitcher from the Dominican Republic with 243.

Now in his 21st major league season, Colon left the game in the fourth inning with the Rangers trailing 7-2. He gave up home runs to Joc Pederson, Muncy and Yasiel Puig.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Red Sox off to best start in 118-year history

BOSTON — Red Sox rookie manager Alex Cora cracked a smile when asked how he felt when he learned it was the best start in team history.


“I just heard it for the first time,” Cora said after Boston beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 on Saturday to get to 12-2.

In 118 years, the Red Sox had never reached 10 games over .500 that soon. Only once — in 1918 — had Boston started 11-2.


“I’ve been saying it for a while — we’ve been playing good baseball for a while, regardless of spring training,” Cora said. “We’re playing clean and fast and pitching. We’re proud of what they’re doing.”

Hanley Ramirez hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, Andrew Benintendi had a two-run single and an RBI double, and J.D. Martinez homered for the Red Sox.

“Our offense is doing what it’s doing, and our pitching and our defense is consistent. We’re dangerous,” Benintendi said.

Alex Cobb (0-1) was roughed up in his Orioles debut, giving up eight runs — seven earned — in 3 2/3 innings. He signed a $57-million, 4-year deal as a free agent on March 21 after spending all 11 years of his professional career in Tampa Bay’s organization.

“Just a little rusty,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “Physically, he’s in good shape. He’s only going to get better. Tough conditions and a really good-hitting club swinging the bat well right now.”

Pedro Alvarez had a two-run homer for Baltimore, which has lost four of five.

Cobb felt he was ready and gave credit to Boston’s hitters.

“We did all we could do,” he said. “There is no replicating this. This is the best team in the world hitting right now, and you’re never going to get ready for that.”


Hector Velazquez (2-0) gave up two runs in five innings. Marcus Walden pitched the final three innings for his first big-league save.

The Red Sox started fast as they’ve done frequently this season. They scored three in the first before making an out.

Mookie Betts opened with a walk and raced around to score on Benintendi’s double off the Green Monster, sliding ahead of a relay throw.

Ramirez then followed with his homer into the Monster seats, making it 3-0.

Martinez homered into Baltimore’s bullpen in the third.

Boston broke it open and chased Cobb with four more, making it 8-0 in the fourth. Benintendi hit his two-run single. Ramirez added an RBI double and scored on shortstop Manny Machando’s throwing error — his second of the game.

“We’re doing everything right and having fun,” Ramirez said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: 2B Jonathan Schoop was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right oblique. Showalter said it happened on his last at-bat in Friday’s loss. “If you look at it, it was a little awkward,” he said. … Showalter also said OF Colby Rasmus (strained left hip flexor) likely won’t be ready to come off the DL when he’s eligible this week.

Red Sox: Betts bruised his left foot in a collision with catcher Chance Sisco’s left shin guard when he scored in the first. He came out a few innings later. The team said X-rays were negative, but Cora said Betts will likely have Sunday off. … Cora also said LHP Drew Pomeranz, recovering from a strained left forearm flexor since spring training, felt good after his second rehab start on Friday and could return to the rotation Thursday or Friday.

EAGER TO GO

Ramirez was back in the lineup after missing Friday’s game with a bruised right wrist from getting hit by a pitch a night earlier.

“He actually beat me to the ballpark. That’s a good sign,” Cora joked.

SWITCH, NO PROBLEM

Jackie Bradley Jr. usually is Boston’s center fielder. When Betts got hurt, he moved to right and made a headlong diving grab on Adam Jones’ liner.

“Just saw it was pretty low and the only way I was going to catch it was if I left my feet,” he said.

PICK SIX

The Red Sox have scored six or more runs in six straight games.

“We’ve got a lot of sluggers in that lineup,” Cora said.

UP NEXT

Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (0-1, 1.35 ERA) is set to pitch Sunday. He’s given up just three earned runs in his first three starts, but Baltimore has scored only five total on the days he’s pitched.

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (1-0, 1.06) looks to continue to his strong start, having allowed only two runs in 17 innings.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Moreland remains with Red Sox, agrees to $13M, 2-year deal

BOSTON — First baseman Mitch Moreland has agreed to a $13 million, two-year contract to return to the Boston Red Sox and play for former teammate Alex Cora.


“He’s a great baseball guy,” said Moreland, who was on the Texas Rangers when Cora made a brief appearance there in 2010. “He was a great teammate then, and I don’t expect anything different from him as a manager.”

Moreland, 32, spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Rangers. The 32-year-old left-handed batter hit .246 with 22 homers 79 RBIs in his first season with the team last year. His home run total was just behind Mookie Betts (24) and Hanley Ramirez (23) on the Red Sox, who hit an AL-low 168 for the season.

“I love playing here, love the guys, everything about it,” Moreland said in a conference call with reporters. “Looking forward to being back and maybe taking care of some unfinished business.”

Moreland broke his toe last year, but never went on the disabled list, playing in a career-high 149 games.

“I don’t like to point fingers at things. I know it didn’t feel good,” he said. “That’s who I am, I’m trying to go out there and play. … I’m not planning to break my toe this year, so hopefully we can stay out of that.”

Moreland gets $6.5 million in each of the next two seasons as part of the deal announced Monday. He can earn $500,000 annually in performance bonuses: $250,000 each for 500 and 550 plate appearances.

Red Sox baseball boss Dave Dombrowski said the team wanted to look around before bringing Moreland back. When Carlos Santana signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, that removed one of the big options.

“We jumped in at that point,” Dombrowski said. “We figured we would move forward at that time.”

Moreland’s return could reduce playing time for Ramirez, who could be traded. Ramirez’s contract includes a $22 million option for 2019 that would become guaranteed if he has 1,050 plate appearances in 2017 and ’18 combined and passes a physical at the end of next season. Ramirez had 553 plate appearances last season.

Ramirez started 108 games at designated hitter and 17 at first base last season, when he was slowed by a left shoulder injury that required surgery in October. Bryce Brentz and Blake Swihart are DH options against left-handed pitchers.

“Hanley will be capable of playing first base this year,” Dombrowski said. “If we open the season as we are right now with no other additions, I’m really not sure how that would split.”

Moreland won a Gold Glove in 2016 and was a finalist for the award last season. Dombrowski said his defense makes him more valuable than he may appear.

“There are a couple of guys that hit more home runs, that from an offensive perspective might be more appealing,” Dombrowski said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Tigertown: Morris, Trammell elected to baseball Hall of Fame

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Fittingly, Jack Morris reached the Hall of Fame in extra innings.


Morris was elected to the Hall by its Modern Era committee on Sunday along with former Detroit Tigers teammate Alan Trammell, completing a joint journey from Motown to Cooperstown.

The big-game pitcher and star shortstop were picked by 16 voters who considered 10 candidates whose biggest contributions came from 1970-87. Morris got 14 votes and Trammell drew 13, one more than the minimum needed.

They will be enshrined on July 29, and fitting they’ll go in together. They both began their big league careers in 1977 with Detroit and played 13 seasons alongside each other with the Tigers.

“The time that I’ve spent wondering if this day would ever come seems to be vanished and erased right now because it did come, and it’s amazing,” the 62-year-old Morris said during a conference call.

Trammell felt overwhelmed.

“I came to realization that it might not happen, and I was OK with that. I really was,” he said. “If people thought it was a tad short, I could live with that.”

Former catcher Ted Simmons fell one vote shy, and former players’ union head Marvin Miller was five short of the 12 needed.

“It’s not a big surprise,” Miller’s son, Peter, said from Japan. “I think my father’s place in history is understood by all baseball players, all baseball fans and the general public.”

Morris had 254 wins and seven more in the postseason, including his 10-inning shutout in a 1-0 win for Minnesota over Atlanta in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

“No question it was my defining moment in baseball,” Morris said. “I never thought I was in trouble and I knew I could get out of it if I was. So I had the best mindset I’ve ever had in my entire on that night.”

Morris also pitched for World Series winners in Detroit — with Trammell, in 1984 — and Toronto in 1992. His 3.90 career ERA tops Red Ruffing’s 3.80 as the highest of any pitcher in the Hall.

“For years my earned run average has been an issue for a lot of people that thought it was not good enough for Hall of Fame honors, but I never once thought about pitching for an ERA. I always thought about completing games, starting games, eating up innings and trying to win games more importantly than anything else,” he said. “Today’s generation is different. In my heart of hearts I don’t think for a second that guys that are pitching, the elite guys especially that are pitching in the game today, could not do what we did. I know they could. But they haven’t been conditioned to it, both physically and mentally.”

His 175 complete games included 20 in 1983. The entire big league total this year was 59, and no pitcher had more than five. He said sabermetrics should not be used to evaluate his era.

“Now I’m getting analyzed by a bunch of numbers and things that didn’t exist when I played, he said. “Had they existed maybe I would have had a better understanding of what it would have meant to not pitch through pain, to not go deeper into games on nights that I told my manager, ‘I’m fine’ when I wasn’t. But I don’t regret doing that, because if you go to the wall and never try to push down the wall, you’ll never know if you can.”

Now 59, Trammell was a steady presence in the middle of the diamond while playing all 20 of his seasons in Detroit, 19 of them next to double-play partner Lou Whitaker.

Trammell was the 1984 World Series MVP, hitting .450 as the Tigers trounced San Diego in five games and finished off a season in which they started out 35-5.

A six-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover, Trammell scored 1,231 runs and drove in 1,003. He batted .285 with 185 home runs and a .352 on-base average — he walked 850 times and struck out 874.

Trammell never came close to election during his 15 tries in Hall voting by Baseball Writers’ Association of America members, peaking at 40.9 percent in 2016. Starting at 22 percent in his first Hall ballot appearance in 2000, Morris reached at high of 67.7 percent in 2003, his next to last appearance.

Trammell’s next visit to the Hall will certainly last longer than his first trip to the shrine in upstate New York. That was in 1995, when the Tigers played the Cubs in the Hall of Fame exhibition game.

Wearing his No. 3 jersey, Trammell jogged the couple blocks and hurried through the Hall in 30 minutes while the teams were limbering up at Doubleday Field.

“I definitely want to come back some day,” he said that afternoon, “but I probably wouldn’t go through it in my uniform.”

Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant also were on the ballot.

Miller, who headed the players’ union from 1966-82 was on the ballot for the seventh time. Miller sent a letter to the BBWAA in 2008, four years before he died, saying he didn’t want to be considered anymore.

The BBWAA annual vote on players will be announced Jan. 24. Chipper Jones, Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel are among 19 first-time candidates, and Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are among the holdovers.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Worth shouting about: George Springer wins World Series MVP

LOS ANGELES — George Springer hit so many clutch home runs, he was a clear pick for World Series MVP.
He often was the Most Vocal Person, too — and that might be the most remarkable part of his story.

The Houston leadoff man hammered his way to the award, homering and doubling Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) to boost the Astros to their first championship with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7.

He launched a Series record-tying five homers, including shots in each of the final four games, and celebrated those Springer Dingers by hollering around the bases.

Many years ago, that type of trip would’ve been hard to believe. Impossible, really.

As a kid, Springer stuttered so severely that he frequently fell silent, unless he was around his family or close friends. Over time, he’s improved so much that he graciously grants interviews, even on national television, and never seems to shy away from the spotlight. He even wore a live mic in center field during the All-Star Game in July.

Watch closely and you can see Springer, just for a moment, still begins to stumble over words sometimes. So he will calmly slow himself down, or pause for a second, before gathering himself and continuing on eloquently.

At 28, the All-Star center fielder has taken every chance he’s gotten this postseason to talk about Camp SAY — that’s the Stuttering Association for the Young.

Springer is a spokesman for the two-week summer camp that benefits kids and teens who stutter. He also runs a charity bowling event, raising money to help people attend the program.

“I hope there’s somebody somewhere out there that is impacted and can learn to just go be who you are and not let any stage or any place stop you,” he said last week.

On baseball’s big stage, the Dodgers couldn’t stop him.

Springer tied Reggie Jackson (1977) and Chase Utley (2009) for the most home runs in a Series. The UConn product became the first hitter to homer four games in a row during a single Series, and also set the mark with eight extra-base hits.

“This is a dream come true,” he said.

He bounced back fast from a tough start, when he struck out all four at-bats in the opener, extending his slump to 3 for 30. He looked lost at the plate facing Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, but manager A.J. Hinch firmly said Springer would stay atop the lineup.

Good move. Springer went 11 for 25 the rest of the way.

He hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the 11th inning of a Game 2 win at Dodger Stadium. He doubled during a victory in Game 3, and homered again in a Game 4 loss.

He connected for a huge homer in Game 5, moments after an ill-advised dive for a sinking liner that skipped past him. He later drew a two-out walk in the 10th that set up the winning run at Minute Maid Park.

Springer hit a solo home run in Game 6 that put the Astros ahead in a game they eventually lost 3-1.

His final Series line: a .379 average, seven RBIs and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

Springer rallied from a rugged showing in the AL Championship Series, when he batted just .115 (3 for 26) without an extra-base hit or RBI in seven games against the Yankees.

That came after his fourth and most productive season in the majors, when he set career highs by hitting .283 with 34 home runs and 85 RBIs.

His production follows his pedigree.

Drafted 11th overall by the Astros out of Connecticut in 2011, George Chelston Springer III comes from a family of athletes. His dad pitched in the Little League World Series, his mom was an accomplished gymnast, and his two sisters played softball in college.

In fact, Springer wears No. 4 to represent the four members of his immediate family. Engaged to be married in January, Springer won’t be able to bump up to No. 5 — the Astros retired that jersey for Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Dodgers beat Astros 3-1, force World Series to Game 7

LOS ANGELES— Joc Pederson sliced a drive over the left-field wall, pounded his chest and danced around the bases, taking as many twists and turns as this World Series itself.

Of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers forced the Houston Astros to Game 7.

Chris Taylor hit a tying double off Justin Verlander during a two-run rally in the sixth inning, Corey Seager followed with a go-ahead sacrifice fly and the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 on Tuesday night to push this dramatic Fall Classic to the ultimate game.

Pederson homered in the seventh against Joe Musgrove, connecting off the right-hander for the second time in three games and making it a record 24 long balls that have been hit in this Series. Pederson pranced all the way to the plate, pointing at the Dodgers’ dugout and rubbing his thumbs and index fingers together to indicate what a money shot it was.

“You kind of black out in a situation like that. So I’m going to have to re-watch it to see what I did,” Pederson said.

It was the third home run of the Series for Pederson, who was demoted to the minors from mid-August until early September, then left off the NL Division Series roster. He had hit just one previous big league opposite-field homer this season, and teammates offered to pay him to go the other way.

“People are trying to get me encouraged to using the whole field,” he said. “I’m not very good at it.”
Yu Darvish starts Wednesday for the Dodgers, trying to win their first title since 1988, and Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw will be ready in the bullpen after getting knocked out in the fifth inning of Game 5.
“I can give you 27 innings,” Kershaw said. “I’ll be ready to go, whatever they need.”

Lance McCullers Jr. gets the ball for the Astros in the first World Series Game 7 ever at Dodger Stadium.
Darvish was chased in the second inning of Game 2, when McCullers pitched Houston to a 5-3 victory.

“You’ve got two teams with a bunch of dogs in the clubhouse. No one is afraid,” McCullers said.

Two nights after a 13-12, 10-inning slugfest under the roof at Minute Maid Park, pitching dominated.

George Springer’s third-inning home run against starter Rich Hill had given a 1-0 lead to Verlander and the Astros, trying for the first championship in their 56-season history. On Halloween night, a title for a team with orange in its colors seemed appropriate.

But it served only to set up the 10th blown lead of the Series, the fifth by Houston, as Verlander fell to 9-1 with the Astros.

Dodgers relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Morrow retired Alex Bregman on a grounder to strand the bases loaded in the fifth, winner Tony Watson got Marwin Gonzalez to fly out with two on and two outs in the sixth, and Kenta Maeda escaped two-on trouble in the seventh when third baseman Justin Turner gloved Jose Altuve’s grounder and made a short-hop throw that first baseman Cody Bellinger scooped just in time.

After wasting a ninth-inning lead in Game 2 and losing Game 5, Kenley Jansen retired six straight batters (on 19 pitches) for the save and ended it by striking out 40-year-old pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran.

This will be the third World Series Game 7 in four years. The road team has won the last two after home teams had won every one since 1979.

Ten of the last 12 teams that won Game 6 to force a seventh game also won the title, but the Dodgers lost the previous six World Series in which they trailed 3-2. They have won just one of their six championships at home, in 1963.

A heat wave over and the skies overcast, the temperature dropped to 67 degrees at game time from 103 for last week’s opener, and there was a slight drizzle in the middle innings.

Los Angelenos with a laid-back reputation were on their feet for two-strike counts against Astros batters, a wave in Pantone 294 — also known as Dodger blue.

“We feed off the crowd, for sure,” Taylor said. “We feel we have a huge home-field advantage.”

Yuli Gurriel, who made a racist gesture toward Darvish in Game 3, was booed loudly during introductions and each time he batted, and Hill stepped off the rubber to allow the crowd extra time to jeer.

Verlander has 11 postseason wins but dropped to 0-4 in the Series with Detroit and Houston, which acquired him from the Tigers on Aug. 31 to win on nights like this. He allowed just one baserunner before Austin Barnes singled leading off the sixth. Verlander bounced a pitch that hit Chase Utley on the front of his right foot, and Taylor sent a 97 mph fastball down the right-field line as Barnes came home. Seager followed with a sacrifice fly to the warning track, a ball that likely would have landed in the pavilion in last week’s hot air.

Verlander prevented more damage when Turner fouled out and the right-hander fanned Bellinger, who struck out four times for the second time in the Series.

Springer homered for the third straight game and fourth time in the Series, one shy of the record set by
Reggie Jackson in 1977 and matched by Utley in 2009.

Brian McCann singled leading off the fifth and Gonzalez doubled past Turner and down the left-field line.
Hill struck out Josh Reddick and Verlander, and Springer was intentionally walked to load the bases.

Morrow relieved as the crowd booed manager Dave Roberts’ decision, and Hill slapped at four cups of liquid in the dugout, sending them spraying against the wall

“With Verlander on the mound, that was going to be the game,” Roberts said.

Appearing in his sixth straight Series game, Morrow got Bregman to ground to shortstop on his second pitch.

Watson walked Reddick leading off the seventh, Evan Gattis pinch hit for Verlander and Maeda relieved. Gattis bounced to shortstop, just beating Utley’s throw from second to avoid a double play. Springer reached on an infield single that bounced off Seager’s glove at shortstop and into left field, and Bregman’s fly to deep center allowed pinch-runner Derek Fisher to tag up and advance to third, bringing up Altuve. Walking down the dugout steps after his groundout, Altuve slammed his helmet.

“The pick is big,” Hinch said.

Attention quickly turned to Wednesday.

“I think it seems fitting,” Roberts said. “These two teams mirror one another.”

Pederson sat in the interview room with his older brother, Champ, who has Down Syndrome.

“I have a feeling that everything is possible,” Champ said. “I’m not going to say they have it, but I’m just going to say they will find a way.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Giles falters again, Astros lose to Dodgers in Game 4

HOUSTON — This time, the Astros couldn’t save Ken Giles.

Houston’s hard-throwing closer faltered again in Game 4 of the World Series, taking the loss in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-2 victory on Saturday night.

Giles was charged with three runs without getting an out, inflating his postseason ERA to 11.75. He’s allowed at least a run in six of seven appearances — a staggering flop after posting a 1.14 ERA over his final 38 regular-season games.

Last time out, Giles gave up a solo homer to Yasiel Puig and a tying hit to Enrique Hernandez to blow a lead in the 10th inning of Game 2. Houston bailed him out, rallying for a 7-6, 11-inning win.

There was no such comeback after Giles’ Game 4 collapse.

With the game tied at 1 in the ninth inning, Giles allowed a leadoff single to Corey Seager and walked Justin Turner. Cody Bellinger then lined a double into left-center, bringing Seager home.

Manager A.J. Hinch pulled Giles at that point, but the closer was charged with two more runs when Turner and Bellinger later scored.

Boos rained down from the home crowd as Giles walked off.

The player nicknamed 100-miles-Giles has quickly become a liability. He has a pair of saves this postseason — in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against Boston and Game 1 of the AL Championship Series versus the Yankees after allowing a run in each game — but he had blown leads in two of his last three outings before Saturday.

Giles had a 2.30 ERA in 63 appearances in the regular season. His ERA in two World Series games is 27.00.

Hinch was keeping the faith, though, saying after Game 2 that he thinks “Ken Giles is going to get another save in this series. I think he’s going to get some really big outs.”

He added: “Just because somebody has a bad day at work, does not mean that they need to be condemned and sent away. … I’m going to keep putting him in and trusting him.”

After this latest performance, Hinch may need to find a new go-to at the back of the bullpen.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Hot World Series on deck: Altuve, Astros vs Kershaw, Dodgers

Big-time aces Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander. Playoff boppers Jose Altuve and Justin Turner.

A pair of 100-win teams for the first time in nearly a half-century. Hollywood Walk of Fame vs. Texans who wear the star. A little extra Magic, plus Nolan back in the fast lane.

This is one hot World Series — the Houston Astros, fresh off a Game 7 victory over the Yankees, taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers, well rested after a postseason romp.

Could be real steamy, too. It’s supposed to be almost 100 degrees at Dodger Stadium for the opener Tuesday night, maybe the hottest temperature ever at a World Series game.

At least the familiar October chill that makes players and fans shiver shouldn’t be an issue outdoors in sun-baked California or under the retractable roof at Minute Maid Park.

Not that young stars Cody Bellinger and Carlos Correa would mind, nor would old pros Carlos Beltran and Chase Utley, nor top starters Dallas Keuchel and Yu Darvish.
Because a chance to win a ring doesn’t come very often — these teams that have already played more than 700 games against each other over the years already know that.

The Astros have never won the crown. They’re playing for a whole region, with the Houston Strong patches on their uniforms representing an area hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.

The Dodgers haven’t been in the World Series since 1988, when Kirk Gibson’s bat, Orel Hershiser’s arm and Tommy Lasorda’s moves outdid Oakland for the crown.

Now with Lakers great Magic Johnson as a part-owner, this LA team that led the majors with 104 wins is hoping to bring back the glory days that began in Brooklyn.

“I just want to win a World Series,” Kershaw said after the Dodgers dethroned the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series. “I know more than anybody how hard it is to get there. So, I’m definitely not taking this one for granted.”
Said mercurial outfielder Yasiel Puig: “The trophy’s coming soon.”

The Astros, the major leagues’ highest-scoring team this year, have never even won a World Series game. They only time they made it this far was 2005, when a club that included Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte got swept by the White Sox.

In fact, a World Series prize is the one piece of hardware missing from the trophy case from the Lone Star State. Texas teams have won the Super Bowl and championships in the NBA, NHL, college football and men’s and women’s basketball, but never in baseball.

Under the leadership of executive Nolan Ryan, the Texas Rangers came within one strike in 2011 before losing to St. Louis. The Ryan Express, who once pitched a no-hitter for Houston against the Dodgers, is currently an Astros exec.

The Astros posted 101 wins this year — not since Baltimore (108) and Cincinnati (102) in 1970 has the World Series matched teams who reached triple-digits.

These teams last met in 2015, when the Astros swept a three-game series at home. But they’d seen a lot of each other in the past.

Overall, the Dodgers are 388-323 vs. the Astros. Houston debuted as the Colt .45s as a National League expansion team in 1962 and eventually moved to the AL in 2013.

That first year in the AL, the young Astros got pounded and lost 111 times. But with smart drafts and player development, Houston emerged as a power. Manager A.J. Hinch’s club capped its rise by beating Boston in the AL Division Series, then stopping the Yankees 4-0 Saturday night in Game 7 of the ALCS.

The Dodgers, with a major league-high $226 million payroll, won their fifth straight NL West title this year, then 7-1 in the playoffs against the Diamondbacks and Cubs under manager Dave Roberts.

The result? Their first pennant since 1988 — the year Kershaw was born.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Swing and a miss: Yankees in another 0-2 playoff hole

HOUSTON — Swing and a miss.

After striking out 27 times in Houston, the New York Yankees are down 0-2 in the playoffs again.

Maybe they just need to get to the potential elimination games — the Yankees don’t seem to lose those.

“We’ve been facing some tough pitchers and some tough games,” rookie slugger Aaron Judge said. “We’re just going to keep going out there and keep fighting.”

New York catcher Gary Sanchez was unable to come up with a short-hop relay throw from shortstop Didi Gregorius with Jose Altuve charging toward the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Astros won 2-1 Saturday for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series.

Sanchez said he simply dropped the ball on a play he’s used to making.

“The bottom line is if I catch that ball he’s going to be out,” Sanchez said through a translator.

New York has lost the first two games by the same tight score to Houston aces Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander, both former Cy Young Award winners. So just like in the Division Series, the Yankees are down 0-2 and headed back home.

“It’s not like we haven’t been here before,” said manager Joe Girardi, who turned 53 on Saturday. “But these are two tough losses.”

In their best-of-five set against the 102-win Cleveland Indians, the Yankees won three straight games when facing elimination to get to their first ALCS since 2012. And that was after winning a win-or-go-home wild-card game against Minnesota.

But after striking out 14 times in the ALCS opener, including 10 against Keuchel in his seven innings, the Yankees whiffed another 13 times Saturday against Verlander, who threw 124 pitches in a complete game.

Game 3 is Monday night at Yankee Stadium, with CC Sabathia scheduled to pitch for New York against Charlie Morton.

The Yankees have lost seven straight ALCS games dating to 2010.

Verlander was done by the time hard-throwing Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman entered in the ninth with a scoreless streak of 18 2/3 innings dating to the last time he gave up a run, on Aug. 25 against Seattle. But then Altuve hit a one-out single and scored when Carlos Correa lined a double into the right-center gap.

Judge cut off the ball at the edge of the warning track, but his throw went over the head of second baseman Starlin Castro to Gregorius on one hop at second base. Gregorius wheeled and, perhaps impeded a bit by Correa’s popup slide at second, short-hopped his throw to Sanchez.

The ball arrived in plenty of time to get Altuve, who raced all the way around from first, but Sanchez couldn’t make a clean pick and the ball squirted away as Altuve slid in safely with the winning run.

“If he comes up with it, it’s an out,” said Girardi, who quickly inquired with umpires as the Astros and their fans were starting a frenzied celebration. “I just wanted to make sure there was no interference. I didn’t see any interference at second. … It was a popup slide, that’s legal. You’re kind of hoping.”

Correa homered in the fourth for the Astros — a play that evoked memories of Jeffery Maier in the 1996 ALCS at Yankee Stadium — when a 12-year-old Houston fan reached for the liner just over the right-field wall. The ball appeared to already be beyond the reach of Judge, who was still moving toward the fence when the ball ricocheted off the boy’s glove on top of the wall and into the seats.

“I got back there a little late. He took a good swing on a ball off the plate,” Judge said. “I just wasn’t able to get back and get a good read to the wall and get up there and make a play.”

The 6-foot-7 Judge had a homer-robbing grab in Game 3 of the ALDS, when the Yankees won 1-0 to stay alive in that series.

A few pitches after Correa’s homer, Girardi and a trainer went out to check on starter Luis Severino when he uncharacteristically wound his pitching arm a few times. The 23-year-old right-hander stayed in the game then, and got the inning-ending out on a comebacker that appeared to strike the wrist of his non-pitching hand.

But Severino didn’t come out for the fifth, after the Yankees tied the game on back-to-back doubles by Aaron Hicks and Todd Frazier in the top of the inning. Severino threw only 62 pitches.

“I think it is my responsibility to protect this kid,” Girardi said. “I couldn’t take a chance.”

Girardi said Severino checked out fine with team doctors. The pitcher certainly didn’t agree with getting pulled so early.

“I told him I was good. They told me they saw something,” Severino said. “I told them that I was good and I wanted to go pitch. … I feel great. My arm feels great. I can go 20 or 30 innings more.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Make it 17: Indians win 17th straight, beat Orioles

CLEVELAND — The crowd of 30,459 stood and cheered as Cody Allen fanned Trey Mancini for the final out.

Make it 17 in a row for the Cleveland Indians.

Francisco Lindor homered and Allen finished off another impressive performance for Cleveland’s bullpen, helping the Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 on Saturday for their 17th straight victory.

“It’s one of crazy those things where you’re just playing good baseball,” said Allen, who earned his 25th save. “We’re not really thinking about it as much as you guys are.”

Cleveland’s franchise-record streak is the longest in the majors since Oakland won 20 straight in 2002. The longest streak in baseball history belongs to the New York Giants, who had a 26-game run in 1916, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Giants’ streak included a tie, which doesn’t count as a game in baseball.

Jay Bruce’s fourth-inning single put the Indians ahead to stay, and Josh Tomlin (9-9) pitched into the sixth to win his fifth consecutive decision.

“It’s kind of weird, but it’s also a lot of fun,” Tomlin said.

The Indians haven’t lost since Aug. 23. They have outscored their opponents 118-30 during the streak, but their latest win was a close one.

The Orioles jumped in front on Mancini’s infield hit in the first. It was the first time since Cleveland’s last loss that the Indians didn’t score first.

Tomlin was pulled after Tim Beckham’s 20th homer leading off the sixth. Five relievers then combined for four innings of one-hit ball.

“They’re a heck of a team, man,” Beckham said. “They have everything they need to win ballgames. You just give it your all and don’t waste any at-bats because you can’t afford to.”

Baltimore rookie Gabriel Ynoa (1-1), making his first start of the season, allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Orioles were three games out in the wild-card race entering play.

Giovanny Urshela’s third-inning double tied it at 1. Carlos Santana scored on Bruce’s single past a drawn-in infield, and then added an RBI double in the fifth.

Lindor hit his 28th homer in the seventh.

The Indians nearly pulled off two spectacular defensive plays in the first. Urshela, playing second base for the first time in the majors, made a diving stop behind the bag of Manny Machado’s ground ball. Throwing from his back, Urshela nearly got Machado at first.

Machado took third on Adam Jones’ single. Mancini hustled down the line to beat a strong throw from shortstop Lindor, who ranged behind second for his grounder.

The Indians went 11-0 on a road trip that ended Thursday. Cleveland extended the streak with a 5-0 win Friday in the opener of a 10-game homestand.

ROLLING ALONG

Cleveland slugger Edwin Encarnacion singled in the seventh and has reached base via a hit or walk in 32 consecutive games.

FOR STARTERS

Orioles right fielder Austin Hays made his first big league start, batting ninth and going 0 for 2. A third-round pick in the 2016 draft, Hays hit .329 with 32 homers and 95 RBIs before his promotion from Double-A Bowie.

NEXT MAN UP

Cleveland’s winning streak has come with a pair of 2017 All-Stars on the disabled list — ace reliever Andrew Miller (right knee tendinitis) and left fielder Michael Brantley (sprained right ankle). Second baseman Jason Kipnis (strained right hamstring) is also on the DL.

“I remember there was a day in here a while back and I said something about this could be our time to shine,” manager Terry Francona said. “Guys get chances that maybe wouldn’t of before.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: 2B Jose Ramirez (sore wrist) missed his third straight game. He hit seven homers and drove in nine runs during the team’s unbeaten road trip.

UP NEXT

Baltimore right-hander Jeremy Hellickson makes his eighth start since being acquired from Philadelphia on July 28. He is 2-3 with a 6.87 ERA with the Orioles. Cleveland right-hander Trevor Bauer seeks to extend his career-long winning streak to nine games. He is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in four career starts against Baltimore.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Extra! Extra! Red Sox once again playing a lot of innings

BOSTON — No rest lately for Dustin Pedroia and these Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox kept up their recent rash of playing extra extra innings when they went into the 15th early Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was past 1 a.m. at Fenway Park with the AL East leaders and Toronto tied at 4. The start was delayed for more than an hour by rain, and Pedroia and Chris Young homered for Boston.

Both teams scored a run in the 11th to keep it going. In the middle of the 14th, there was a second seventh-inning stretch, with “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” again playing at the ballpark.

The Red Sox lost in 16 innings to the New York Yankees on Saturday. Boston and the Yankees then split a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

Boston lost to Toronto 4-3 on Monday night — albeit in just nine innings.

source: sports.inquirer.net