How an old-school pitch went from ridiculed to back in fashion
These days, every season seems to have a trendy new pitch: the high-spin four-seamer a while back, the sweeper two years ago, the splitter last year, the kick change this year ... presumably some kind of knuckle-fastball next year, if Justin Martinez has anything to say about it. That tells
Hendriks activated off IL by Sox, returns to Majors after nearly 2-year hiatus
Liam Hendriks is back in the bigs. The Red Sox activated the right-handed reliever before Saturday's game against the White Sox. The three-time All-Star, American League Reliever of the Year from 2019-20 and AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023 has spent much of the last three years rolling
¡®Grandson of the Wind¡¯ taking center stage in San Francisco
The ¡°Grandson of the Wind¡± is blowing through MLB this season. Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee descends from Korean baseball royalty. His father, Jong Beom Lee, called the ¡°Son of the Wind,¡± was a Korean Baseball Organization MVP, six-time Golden Glove winner, 13-time All-Star and two-time Korean Series MVP
MLB has highest attendance for a Friday in April in 17 years
A ticket to an MLB game was a hot item on Friday.
Most runs EVER in an inning at Wrigley? That's just the start from Friday's craziness?
You truly never know what you¡¯re going to see on any given day at the ballpark. That mantra was on full display at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon in front of 39,109 fans and all of us watching at home. The Cubs entered the top of the eighth up 7-1.
After 2024 breakout, Hunter Greene taking it to a new level
Is Hunter Greene reaching his full potential? The early returns in 2025 are encouraging. Long on the baseball radar -- he was a two-way star at a California high school before the Reds took him No. 2 overall in the 2017 Draft -- Greene broke out last season with a
Something has shifted in the Blue Jays' clubhouse
TORONTO -- It was whispered all spring, as if speaking it out loud would jinx the whole thing. The Blue Jays had a good feeling, which began to drip out slowly. The odd player would mention a tighter clubhouse, maybe a stronger relationship with the coaching staff. That¡¯s the same
With stage set, stoic Lindor walks it off with stone-cold reaction
NEW YORK -- Francisco Lindor¡¯s reaction, if it can be called that, was one of pure stoicism. Lindor swung his bat and dropped it in an eyeblink, giving the ball a token glance as it soared upward. He didn¡¯t bother watching it land in the second deck in right. Instead,
Ridiculous play somehow occurs TWICE -- identically -- in the same inning
You're seeing double, eh? No, you're seeing Double-A. Thursday night's game between Boston's Portland Sea Dogs and Colorado's Hartford Yard Goats produced a glitch-in-the-matrix moment so surreal you won't believe it until you see it. And even then, you're going to do a double take. With one out in the
?Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez placed on IL with elbow inflammation
BOSTON ¨C The Chicago White Sox placed left-handed pitcher Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation and recalled left-hander Jared Shuster from Class AAA Charlotte. Shuster, 26, is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA (2 ER/11.1 IP), one hold and 15 strikeouts over six relief appearances
Yamamoto outduels deGrom with 10-K scoreless gem
ARLINGTON -- With the way Yoshinobu Yamamoto has looked early on this season, the Dodgers are already envisioning him adding some hardware to a trophy case that's already pretty full. "There's a lot of time, but I do think that right now, he's the best pitcher in the National League,"
Pitching and defense the recipe for Yankees' 5th straight win
TAMPA ¨C All offseason, the Yankees quietly bristled as their defensive shortcomings were re-examined, a frequent topic in dissecting why a long-awaited return to the World Series didn¡¯t go their way. Run prevention was a buzzy topic among decision-makers, along with a promise that efforts would be more buttoned-up in
Harper achieves offensive premonition to back Wheeler's 13-K start
PHILADELPHIA -- Nobody knows Bryce Harper's swing better than himself. In the visitors¡¯ clubhouse on Sunday in St. Louis, he talked about the Phillies¡¯ offensive struggles on a 2-4 road trip, when the conversation turned to his own play. Harper was hitting .250 with a .766 OPS, but he had
Story of the night? Red Sox shortstop's pair of 3-run HRs
BOSTON -- For the past three seasons, the Red Sox pondered what life could have been like with a healthy Trevor Story. Could the club have made the postseason in at least one of those years?
Baldwin ready for moment, caps Braves' comeback with PH single
ATLANTA -- Braves manager Brian Snitker wasn¡¯t willing to commit to Drake Baldwin staying at the big league level as a backup catcher for an extended period. But he appreciated having the chance to bring his team¡¯s top prospect off the bench during the thrilling five-run eighth that provided an
Precocious prospect Smith (2 HRs) puts himself in Yordan's company
HOUSTON -- The Astros have been wanting, and waiting for, rookie right fielder Cam Smith to start pulling the ball more. Of his first nine hits in the big leagues, only two were hit to left field, including his first career home run a week ago. Smith clearly has shown
1, 2, 3! Barger puts on outfield clinic with trio of assists
TORONTO -- Seven pitchers combined to throw the ball 230 times on Friday night at Rogers Centre, but none of them touched Addison Barger's fastest throw on the radar gun. Barger completely took over the Blue Jays¡¯ 3-1 win over the Mariners with his cannon from right field, and that
Reds right the ship behind emphatic 3-run blasts
BALTIMORE ¨C Elly De La Cruz and the Reds were walking, talking, homer-hitting examples of why the daily grind of a Major League Baseball schedule can also be restorative. One night after a disastrous, error-filled loss to the Mariners that featured blowing a lead in the ninth inning, the Reds
deGrom in vintage form, but takes loss in pitchers' duel vs. Yamamoto
ARLINGTON -- It was an old school pitchers¡¯ duel in the Rangers' 3-0 loss to the Dodgers at Globe Life Field on Friday night, with two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom taking the mound opposite one of baseball¡¯s most electrifying young pitchers in Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Was it fair or foul? Dodgers clinch shutout over Rangers on confusing final play
ARLINGTON -- Nothing, it seemed, went right for the Rangers on Friday night in a 3-0 loss to the Dodgers.
Jobe's 'great adjustment' helps rookie outlast Royals' All-Star lefty
DETROIT -- The 10th pitch of Friday night from Jackson Jobe registered at 99.1 miles per hour to Royals slugger Vinnie Pasquantino, according to Statcast. It was the kind of power fastball Tigers fans have come to anticipate from Detroit¡¯s top prospect ever since he hit triple digits in his
Chisholm suspended 1 game for in-game social media post, but will appeal
TAMPA -- Jazz Chisholm Jr. lost his cool after being rung up on a called third strike in the seventh inning on Thursday evening, prompting an on-field outburst that resulted in an ejection. Ushered toward the Yankees¡¯ clubhouse, the infielder still had more to say. Chisholm tapped out a social
Two grand slams. 16 combined runs in the 8th. The D-backs-Cubs opener was a wild one
CHICAGO -- After the baseball caromed off a video board beyond Wrigley Field¡¯s famous brick wall in right field and bounced back into the outfield, delirium took over in the stands as Kyle Tucker settled into his home run trot. The decibel level remained on the edge of deafening when
Shohei placed on paternity list with 1st child on the way
ARLINGTON -- Shohei Ohtani wasn't with the Dodgers when they opened their road trip against the Rangers at Globe Life Field on Friday night, and for good reason: He stayed back in Southern California with his wife, Mamiko, who is due to give birth to the couple's first child in
Stolen-base machine Chandler Simpson called up by Rays: 'I've proved it'
TAMPA -- The fastest man in baseball had to hurry to George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday night.