Former Plum star Kirilloff off to hot start for Minnesota Twins’ Double-A affiliate
A wrist injury kept Alex Kirilloff out for the entire month of April. His performance since his return is backing up his breakthrough 2018 season. The former Plum baseball star is hitting .412 (7 for 17) in the five-game small sample size since his debut last week for the Pensacola...
Red Sox manager Alex Cora won’t visit White House
CHICAGO — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will not attend the ceremony at the White House on Thursday honoring the 2018 World Series champions. Cora cited the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico as the reason for his decision. “The government has done some...
Skye’s the limit for A’s outfield prospect Bolt
Mike Bolt knew he was setting the bar pretty high when he decided to name his son “Skye.” “He had a lot of pressure right out of the gate,” Mike Bolt said with a laugh. Now, Skye is very much at the limit. The Oakland Athletics called up the switch-hitting...
Kyle Hendricks shuts out Cardinals on just 81 pitches in Cubs’ 4-0 win
CHICAGO — The sun was out at Wrigley Field for Friday’s series opener between the Cubs and Cardinals, though a cold, 12-mph wind was blowing in from left field, making it a pitchers’ day. Kyle Hendricks made the most of the elements, throwing a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 win....
First Call: What will Baltimore do with Trace McSorley?, Gronk’s acting, a monster homer
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Gronk’s acting debut. What the future holds for Trace McSorley in Baltimore. A bad break in Cleveland. And a bad fate for the Islanders? McSorley mash-up So, what are the Baltimore Ravens going to do with former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley? It sounds like …...
Phil Rosenthal: For Cubs’ Addison Russell, Iowa a fitting purgatory
Iowa. That place where, in the movies at least, baseball players dead to the outside world briefly emerge from a purgatorial cornfield to play before vanishing again. Seems like the right spot for Addison Russell, whose 40-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic-violence policy concludes this week. The Cubs, who continue...
Norwin graduate JJ Matijevic suspended 50 games by minor league baseball
Houston Astros prospect JJ Matijevic has been suspended 50 games under baseball’s minor league drug program following a second positive test for a drug of abuse. Selected by Houston with the 75th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 amateur draft, the 23-year-old Norwin graduate was hitting .240...
Braves acquire pitcher Jerry Blevins from A’s for $1
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves acquired left-hander Jerry Blevins from the Oakland Athletics on Sunday for $1. The 35-year-old Blevins made his Braves debut in Sunday’s 8-7 win over the Colorado Rockies, recording one out and walking one in the seventh inning. The Braves needed a left-hander for their bullpen...
First call: Steelers take CB in this mock draft; Marc-Andre Fleury to Game 7; wild MLB plays
In “First Call” Monday, the NFL Network has the Steelers thinking cornerback in Round 1. Three head-scratching plays over the wall across baseball on the same afternoon. And Marc-Andre Fleury falters in double overtime. Maybe Murphy The NFL Network had a big mock draft party over the weekend. Network host...
MLB all in on ‘letting the kids play,’ to dismay of some
When Tim Anderson spiked his bat and yelled toward his White Sox teammates, MLB’s self-described “spicy” Twitter account was among the first to weigh in. “LET THE KIDS PLAY,” proclaimed Cut4 , the offbeat arm of MLB’s social media portfolio with nearly 1 million followers. The tweet Wednesday included video...
Orioles’ Chris Davis ends 0-for-54 streak with big game
BOSTON — Chris Davis definitely kept the souvenir ball from this most elusive hit. Davis ended his record slump at 0 for 54 and drew applause from rival fans at Fenway Park, lining a single and two doubles while driving in four runs as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston...
Royals’ Billy Hamilton drops jaws on score from second base off sac fly
There’s fast and then there’s fast. Kansas City Royals outfielder Billy Hamilton showcased his motor to the baseball world Tuesday night when he scored off a sacrifice fly from second base. In the bottom of the third inning, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi belted a fastball from Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales to...
Chris Davis sets record by going hitless in 47 straight at-bats
BALTIMORE — Chris Davis set the major league record for the longest hitless streak by a position player, going 0 for 47 during an unproductive run that began last year. Baltimore’s highly paid first baseman was retired in his first three trips to the plate Monday night against Oakland, leaving...
Cleveland blows no-hitter in 9th inning
The Cleveland Indians on Thursday night waited until the final inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays to sabotage what would have been the team’s first no-hitter in 38 years. Blue Jays shortstop Freddy Galvis said “No” to the no-no via a single to center field to start...
Indians give manager Terry Francona extension through 2022
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians may have some injury issues, bullpen worries and payroll problems. They’re set at manager. The club signed New Brighton native Terry Francona to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday through the 2022 season, giving him more security and a chance to become the longest tenured...
Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff, Brendan McKay to start year in Double-A
Former WPIAL stars Alex Kirilloff and Brendan McKay, two of the top prospects in minor league baseball, will begin the 2019 season in the same league as they continue their path to the majors. Kirilloff, a former Plum star and the Minnesota Twins’ 2016 first-round pick, was assigned Monday to...
Brewers’ Yelich ties MLB record, hits walk-off winner against Cardinals
MILWAUKEE — Christian Yelich led the way for the Milwaukee Brewers, from his first swing to the last one of the game. So it was a pretty typical day for the reigning NL MVP. Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth,...
MLB teams putting extra value on versatility
LAKELAND, Fla. — In his rookie season with the Detroit Tigers, Niko Goodrum spent time at first base, second base, third base, shortstop and both corner outfield spots. The next logical step was to try him in center field, and manager Ron Gardenhire did that during spring training this month....
Scherzer highest-paid player, Red Sox top payroll list again
NEW YORK — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball’s highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport’s biggest spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by...
Brewers’ Lorenzo Cain takes away HR for final out against Cardinals
MILWAUKEE — Lorenzo Cain fired the ball high into the air and jumped up and down in the outfield, yelling and shaking his head from side to side. “I let them know. Not today,” a grinning Cain said. Not today, indeed. Cain soared above the wall to rob Jose Martinez...
Bryce Harper overtakes Aaron Judge for MLB’s top-selling jersey
NEW YORK — The new No. 3 is the new No. 1. Major League Baseball says that Bryce Harper has the sport’s top-selling jersey, ending a two-year reign for Aaron Judge’s No. 99. Harper signed a $330 million, 13-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies this spring, and his new No....
Andrew McCutchen homers in 1st at-bat with Phillies in rout over Braves
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper struck out twice in green Phanatic cleats in his $330 million debut and bowed to thousands of fans in No. 3 jerseys who gave him rousing standing ovations in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. The other NL MVP pickup this...
Mets’ Jacob deGrom outduels Nationals’ Max Scherzer in opener
WASHINGTON — On a day that Jacob deGrom struck out 10 in six scoreless innings and Max Scherzer fanned 12, it was New York Mets newcomer Robinson Cano who decided the outcome with a homer, an RBI single and head’s-up throw to the plate. Interrupting a pair of performances befitting...
MLB moves into new era: No players left from 20th century
Four-man outfields. High-tech anti-spying rules. A starting pitcher facing just one batter in a playoff game. But beyond all the shifts, analytics and social media outreach, here’s the best way to tell MLB has zoomed into a new era: There’s not a single active player left from the 20th century....
MLB hopes to gain control of local broadcast deals
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball hopes to gain control of local broadcasting agreements involving its teams, the reason behind its bid to purchase regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. Disney acquired 22 RSNs as part of its $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment business this...
