Red Sox dogged by claims of racism, sexual abuse
NEW YORK — Last month, when former Major League All-star Torii Hunter said he’d been called the N-word “a hundred times” at Boston’s storied Fenway Park, the Red Sox were quick to back him up with a promise to fight racism. “Torii Hunter’s experience is real,” the team said in...
Nationals, Astros call off workouts because of covid testing delaysVideo
WASHINGTON — Baseball’s two World Series finalists canceled workouts Monday because of covid-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the baseball season. The defending champion Washington Nationals and reigning American League champion Houston Astros called off their training camp practices after not receiving test results from Friday. The...
Ex-MLB pitcher Tyson Brummett, 3 others die in plane crash
AMERICAN FORK, Utah — A former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher and three others died in a plane crash in rural Utah. Ex-pitcher Tyson Brummett, 35, of Salt Lake City, was flying the small plane, which left from the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan and crashed near Box Elder Peak...
Braves’ Felix Hernandez opts out of season due to pandemicVideo
ATLANTA — Former Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez has opted out of the 2020 season, at least temporarily ending his bid to revive his career with the Atlanta Braves. Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday that Hernandez, 34, opted out due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision was made after...
Indians manager Terry Francona favors nickname change for clubVideo
CLEVELAND — Cleveland manager Terry Francona won’t sidestep the hot-button topic any longer. He believes the Indians need to change their contentious nickname. “I think it’s time to move forward,” Francona said Sunday. The New Brighton native’s comments came two days after the Indians, amid a nationwide movement to erase...
Atlanta Braves give no indication of considering name change
ATLANTA — With teams in two sports taking a second look at names deemed offensive to Native Americans, the Atlanta Braves on Saturday gave no indication they are willing to consider a similar change. The Cleveland Indians said Friday they’re reconsidering their nickname following the furor over the NFL Washington...
Dodgers’ David Price won’t play this year because of virusVideo
Dodgers pitcher David Price will not play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year. The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July...
Braves star Freddie Freeman, 3 teammates test positive for covid-19Video
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith and two teammates tested positive for the coronavirus, a jarring hit to the NL East champions less than three weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed season. “It will be a while before we can get him back,”...
Cleveland Indians look into changing name amid pressureVideo
CLEVELAND — They’ve been known as the Cleveland Indians since 1915. Those days could be over. Amid new pressure sparked by a national movement to correct racial wrongdoings, the Indians said Friday night they will review their long-debated nickname which has been in place for 105 years. “We are committed...
Rays pitcher Blake Snell puts comments behind, gets back to workVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell reported for work, after all. The 27-year-old Snell made headlines in May when he said he opposed the idea of players taking further pay reductions to start the season during a pandemic — that it was not worth the health...
31 MLB players, 7 staff test positive for covid-19, or 1.2%Video
NEW YORK — Thirty-one MLB players and seven staff members tested positive for covid-19 during intake for the resumption of training, a rate of 1.2%. MLB and the players’ association announced the results Friday as teams resumed workouts for the first time since the coronavirus interrupted spring training March 12,...
AL MVP Mike Trout still doesn’t feel comfortable about this yearVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Reigning American League MVP Mike Trout participated in the Los Angeles Angels’ first workout of summer camp, but said before Friday’s practice that he hasn’t made a final decision on playing this year. Trout and his wife, Jessica, are expecting the couple’s first child in August. The...
Indians OF Delino DeShields Jr. tests positive for coronavirus, quarantinedVideo
Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. has tested positive for the coronavirus and is being quarantined from his teammates. Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, said DeShields tested positive before coming to Cleveland. The Indians held their first workout at Progressive Field on Friday. Antonetti said DeShields is doing...
Back on the bump: New dad Gerrit Cole sets sights on Yankees titleVideo
NEW YORK — Getting ready for a high-profile New York Yankees debut at World Series champion Washington on July 23, Gerrit Cole explained his mindset. “There is only going to be only one coronavirus World Series champion, and so that’s unique in and of itself,” he said Friday. “I don’t...
MLB cancels All-Star Game for 1st time since 1945
LOS ANGELES — Dodger Stadium’s 40-year wait to host the All-Star Game is going to last even longer. The game scheduled for July 14 was canceled Friday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Dodger Stadium was awarded the 2022 Midsummer Classic. The 2021 game is set for Atlanta’s Truist Park,...
Zooming in to start unprecedented MLB summer camp amid virusVideo
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward was going to address his entire team before the start of MLB’s unprecedented summer training camp, just like he did when spring training opened about 4 1/2 months ago. It was on a Zoom call instead of in person this time. When the New York...
Teams not able to disclose who goes on IL due to coronavirusVideo
Trying to find out the status of a baseball player coming back from an ankle injury definitely will be easier than learning whether someone tested positive for the coronavirus. Major League Baseball said Tuesday a team will not specifically announce a covid-19 injured list placement for a player who is...
Former MLB MVPs believe time has come to remove Landis’ name from awardVideo
NEW YORK — Something still bothers Barry Larkin about his MVP award. The other name engraved on the trophy: Kenesaw Mountain Landis. “Why is it on there?” said Larkin, the Black shortstop voted National League MVP in 1995 with the Cincinnati Reds. “I was always aware of his name and...
Organizational depth, creativity will be important for MLB teamsVideo
PHOENIX — The Minnesota Twins shuffled their on-field staff to protect the health of some of their older coaches. A trio of players, including Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake and Nationals slugger Ryan Zimmerman, announced they won’t be playing in the upcoming 60-game season. As MLB lurches toward a late-July start...
Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross opting out of MLB seasonVideo
The Washington Nationals will try to defend their World Series title without at least two holdovers from last year’s team, including one of the faces of the franchise. Longtime infielder Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross elected not to play this season, the team announced Monday. Amid the covid-19 pandemic,...
Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake opts out of seasonVideo
PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Leake opted out of the 2020 season because of concerns about the coronavirus. Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen did not elaborate on Leake’s decision during a Zoom call Monday, but the pitcher’s agent issued a statement saying he made a personal decision not to...
A long-overdue ‘Tip of the Cap’ to baseball’s Black pioneersVideo
Barack Obama tipped his cap. So did three other former U.S. presidents and a host of prominent civil rights leaders, entertainers and sports greats in a virtual salute to the 100-year anniversary of the founding of baseball’s Negro Leagues. The campaign launched Monday with photos and videos from, among others,...
Norwin’s Max McDowell inks deal with YankeesVideo
Catcher Max McDowell made headlines last summer when he helped turn a rare triple play while playing in the minor leagues. On Sunday, he pulled off another game-changing highlight for his career, and with it, two words: “Play ball.” McDowell, a former Norwin standout, signed a free agent deal with...
Yankees, Gerrit Cole to face defending champs in DC on MLB’s opening day
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole could make his New York Yankees debut in a tasty opening-day treat for fans, facing Juan Soto and World Series champion Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. The Yankees and Nationals are set to meet when the virus-delayed season begins next month, a person familiar with...
Dodgers’ Andrew Toles jailed in Florida on trespass chargeVideo
KEY WEST, Fla. — Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles was in jail Saturday and charged with trespassing property. The 28-year-old player was detained this week at the airport in Key West, Fla., by a Monroe County sheriff deputy. The Miami Herald reported he was found sleeping behind a Federal...
