Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber homer as Phillies take NLCS opener from Padres
SAN DIEGO — Bryce Harper homered again, Kyle Schwarber hit a jaw-dropping, 488-foot drive and Zack Wheeler was brilliant in throwing one-hit ball for seven innings to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Diego Padres, 2-0, on Tuesday night to open the all-wild card NL Championship Series. Wheeler and...
Stanton, Judge bash Yanks to 5-1 win, into ALCS vs AstrosVideo
NEW YORK — Gleyber Torres stepped on second base for the final out, swinging his arms back and forth, four times in all, while glaring at Josh Naylor and the Guardians dugout. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge rocked Cleveland with early homers, and Nestor Cortes and the New York Yankees...
Guardians-Yankees rained out, to play ALDS Game 5 on Tuesday
NEW YORK — The decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees was postponed by rain and rescheduled for Tuesday at 4:07 p.m. Both teams took batting practice Monday ahead of the scheduled 7:07 p.m. start. Major League Baseball announced a delay...
First Call: Bucs linebacker offers opinion on Steelers quarterbacks; Gerrit Cole, Clay Holmes keep Yankees alive
One of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gives his opinions on the Mitch Trubisky versus Kenny Pickett debate. A Carolina Panthers player gets kicked off the sideline. We look at the next opponent for the Pittsburgh Penguins. And Gerrit Cole keeps the Yankees alive in the American League Divisional Series. All...
Cole, Yankees save season, beat Guardians to force ALDS Game 5
CLEVELAND — Gerrit Cole gave New York what it needed, seven solid innings, and Harrison Bader hit a two-run homer as the Yankees saved their season and forced a decisive fifth game in the AL Division Series with a 4-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 4 on Sunday...
Jake Cronenworth, Padres rally to stun Dodgers to reach NLCS
SAN DIEGO — Jake Cronenworth hit a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs in the seventh inning and the San Diego Padres rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3, Saturday night to advance to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 1998. The Padres stunned the 111-win Dodgers...
Phillies beat Braves in Game 4, reach NLCS
PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer, and J.T. Realmuto lined an inside-the-park home run that sent the Philadelphia Phillies bolting headfirst into the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2010 with an 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 on Saturday. Realmuto became the...
Blake Snell, Trent Grisham lead Padres over Dodgers for NLDS lead
SAN DIEGO — Blake Snell pitched five-hit ball into the sixth inning and Trent Grisham homered at a festive Petco Park, helping the San Diego Padres top the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1, on Friday night for a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series. San Diego can clinch its first...
Spike This! Hoskins, Harper homer, Phils rout Braves in NLDS
PHILADELPHIA — Rhys Hoskins raised his arms in triumph, and then spiked his bat in celebration — a raw, emotional moment destined for Philadelphia’s rich sports history. Hoskins then trotted around the bases in front of a rabid crowd of 45,538 fans already in a tizzy over the Phillies’ first...
Guardians rally past Yankees 4-2 in 10 innings, tie ALDS 1-1
NEW YORK — Little hits turn into big wins for the Cleveland Guardians. José Ramírez hustled to reach third base leading off the 10th inning with a popup that dropped in left field, 200 feet from home plate. Oscar Gonzalez drove him in with the tiebreaking run on an even...
Bruce Sutter, Hall of Famer and Cy Young winner, dies at 69
Bruce Sutter, a Hall of Fame reliever and the 1979 Cy Young winner, has died. He was 69. Sutter was recently diagnosed with cancer and died Thursday night in hospice, surrounded by his family, one of Sutter’s three sons, Chad, told The Associated Press. The Baseball Hall of Fame said...
Manny Machado gets better of Clayton Kershaw as Padres even series with Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Manny Machado homered early and added an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and Jurickson Profar singled home the go-ahead run as the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3, on Wednesday to even their NL Division Series at one game apiece. The wild-card Padres beat...
Kyle Wright outduels Zack Wheeler, Braves blank Phillies
ATLANTA — Kyle Wright, baseball’s winningest pitcher, threw six brilliant innings to outduel Zack Wheeler as the Atlanta Braves evened their NL Division Series at one game apiece, blanking the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0, on Wednesday night. After persistent rain delayed the first pitch by nearly three hours, Wright surrendered just...
Dodgers start fast, hold off Padres in series opener
LOS ANGELES — The well-rested Los Angeles Dodgers raced out to a big lead early and hung on against the upstart San Diego Padres. Trea Turner homered and doubled as the Dodgers won 5-3 on Tuesday night in the NL Division Series opener. Behind 17-game winner Julio Urías, the Dodgers...
Behind solid start from Gerrit Cole, Yankees take opener from Guardians
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole dreamed of this moment growing up in California, winning a postseason game in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium. Harrison Bader had a similar fantasy while sitting in the first base seats as a 15-year-old and watching New York’s last championship team. They combined to make each...
Yordan Alvarez hits walk-off, 3-run HR as Astros beat Mariners in Game 1 of ALDSVideo
HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez smashed a game-ending, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Robbie Ray, wrecking Seattle’s strategy of using a Cy Young Award winner in a rare relief role and vaulting the Houston Astros over the Mariners, 8-7, on Tuesday in their playoff opener. Trailing...
Nick Castellanos drives in 3 as Phillies hold off Braves in NLDS Game 1Video
ATLANTA — Nick Castellanos drove in three runs and made a potentially game-saving catch in the ninth inning, lifting the Philadelphia Phillies over the reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves, 7-6, in the opener of their NL Division Series on Tuesday. The Phillies have won three straight games to begin...
Ex-Angels employee gets 22 years in Skaggs overdose death
FORT WORTH, Texas — A former Los Angeles Angels employee was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison Tuesday for providing Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs the drugs that led to his overdose death in Texas. Eric Kay, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with handcuffs and leg shackles, didn’t react when...
MLB playoff primer: Aaron Judge, Justin Verlander join fray as 8 teams remainVideo
Major League Baseball’s first foray into a best-of-three wild-card round provided its share of memorable moments. A 15-inning, 432-pitch game. A seven-run comeback win. Joe Musgrove’s ears. Now it’s on to the division series, which is business as usual with a best-of-five format. The four matchups are Braves-Phillies, Padres-Dodgers, Mariners-Astros...
Rob Thomson signs 2-year deal to remain as Phillies managerVideo
After guiding the Philadelphia Phillies to their first playoff series victory since 2010, manager Rob Thomson had the interim removed from his title Monday. The Phillies announced they have signed Thomson to a two-year contract to remain as their manager through 2024, rewarding him for a turnaround that earned Philadelphia...
Braves sign rookie pitcher Spencer Strider to $75 million, 6-year contractVideo
ATLANTA — Even as they prepare for another postseason, the Atlanta Braves are stocking up for the future. The reigning World Series champions signed rookie right-hander Spencer Strider to a $75 million, six-year contract on Monday, the latest in a series of long-term deals for their young core. The signing...
Joe Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets and into NLDSVideo
NEW YORK — Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!” after a bizarre spot check by umpires on the mound, pitching his hometown San Diego Padres into the next round of the playoffs Sunday night with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets....
Mariners erase 7-run deficit, sweep Blue Jays in wild card
TORONTO — Adam Frazier hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth inning, and the Seattle Mariners erased a seven-run deficit while topping the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-9, on Saturday for a sweep of their AL wild-card series. It was the biggest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s...
Oscar Gonzalez’s 15th-inning HR leads Guardians past Rays for AL wild-card sweepVideo
CLEVELAND — The Guardians have won with comebacks and walk-offs for months, turning an unexpected season more special by the day. Cleveland wasn’t supposed to be this good, this fast. Baseball’s youngest team certainly has grown up. Rookie Oscar Gonzalez broke up the longest scoreless postseason game in history with...
Luis Castillo sharp, Mariners blank Jays in wild-card opener
TORONTO — Luis Castillo and Andres Munoz combined on a shutout, Cal Raleigh hit a two-run homer and the Seattle Mariners won in their first postseason game since 2001, beating the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, on Friday in their AL wild-card series opener. Eugenio Suarez had two hits and two...
