Major League Baseball News and Rumors
Call it calendar management for Joe Girardi as Yankees' skipper is at his best when looking at the big pictureHe’s not your lovable Uncle Joe. Joe Girardi will never be Joe Torre, no matter how many silly, infantilizing nicknames he employs for his players. |
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Reporter who said Cano used PEDs apologizesOct 4, 2012
Andrew Marchand, ESPN.com A reporter for a North Carolina TV station that falsely accused New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano of failing a performance-enhancing drug test has publicly apologized. |
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy plans to start a pair of 16-game winners in the first two games of the National League division series. After that, he says he's not sure what he'll do. |
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Rangers, Orioles on opposite emotional planesOct 4, 2012
Richard Justice, MLB.com Beyond the numbers and the matchups, emotion could play a huge role in Friday's Orioles-Rangers American League Wild Card Game. |
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Cubs help present grants and scholarshipsOct 4, 2012
Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations, helped present grants and scholarships to a Chicago-area student and Christopher House during a ceremony at Wrigley Field this week. |
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Hoyer gets new assistant GM in RehmanOct 4, 2012
The Cubs promoted Shiraz Rehman to assistant general manager, reporting to GM Jed Hoyer, on Thursday. |
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Wrigley Field to add seats behind home plateOct 4, 2012
Wrigley Field will get some extra seats behind home plate and may be able to host football games in the future. |
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Ichiro has unfinished business in postseasonOct 4, 2012
Steven Miller, MLB.com Ichiro Suzuki is back in the postseason for the first time since the Yankees advanced to the 2001 World Series with a 12-3 Game 5 win over the Mariners, ending the outfielder's historic first season in the United States. |
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Twins reassign Vavra in coaching staff shakeupOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The Minnesota Twins have fired three coaches and their head athletic trainer in the wake of a second straight last-place finish in the AL Central. |
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The 2012 season is the greatest seasonOct 4, 2012
Marty Noble, MLB.com The superlative makes me uncomfortable unless it can be mathematically measured. I accept the tallest, longest, fastest, heaviest, et al. Subjective assessments, though -- the greatest game, best shortstop, funniest reliever, quickest bat -- routinely b… |
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Bochy unsure of Giants' NLDS Game 3 starterOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy plans to start a pair of 16-game winners in the first two games of the National League division series. After that, he says he's not sure what he'll do. |
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Five keys for Giants in postseasonOct 4, 2012
Chris Haft, MLB.com The Giants lost four of the seven regular-season games they played against their National League Division Series opponent, the Cincinnati Reds. But Cincinnati will face a very different San Francisco ballclub. |
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Minn. lawmakers want Lou Gehrig med recordsOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Some Minnesota lawmakers hope to force the release of Lou Gehrig's medical records, saying they might provide insight into whether the Yankees star died of the disease that came to take his name or whether repetitive head trauma played some kind of role… |
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Baseball offenses increased slightly this seasonOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Offense in the major leagues increased slightly this season after five consecutive years of drops, while strikeouts reached a record high and walks dropped to their lowest level since 1968. |
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Washington lets Hamilton issue dropOct 4, 2012
Don't expect another conversation between Rangers manager Ron Washington and center fielder Josh Hamilton concerning his error on a dropped fly ball in Wednesday's loss to Oakland that helped the A's win the American League West title. |
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Nats' Gonzalez wins Spahn Award as best leftyOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez has won the 2012 Warren Spahn Award in a tiebreaker over Tampa Bay's David Price. |
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Momentum is a myth for playoff-bound teamsOct 4, 2012
The Rangers are limping into the postseason. The A's and Tigers couldn't be much hotter. But even with baseball's new October format, Jay Jaffe says a playoff spot is like a parking spot. |
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Phils add Sandberg to staffOct 4, 2012
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ryne Sandberg is back in the big leagues. |
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Five keys for Yankees in postseasonOct 4, 2012
Bryan Hoch, MLB.com The Yankees stand as American League East champions for the 13th time since 1996 and for the 18th time in franchise history, ready to enjoy a well-earned brief respite after battling into the season's final day. |
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Concession Speech: 2012 Milwaukee BrewersOct 4, 2012
Kevin Kaduk, yahoo.com With the regular season over, many teams are facing an offseason filled with golf rounds and hot-stove strategy. But we're not going to let them get off that easy. No sir. No way. In an attempt to bring some closure between franchise and follower, we're… |
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Indians interview Sandy Alomar Jr. for managerOct 4, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Over more than two decades, Sandy Alomar Jr. has been an All-Star player, coach and interim manager for the Cleveland Indians. |
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Bobby Valentine Bicycles Off Into The SunsetOct 4, 2012
Samer Kalaf, deadspin.com Here's Bobby Valentine making his great bike escape from Boston reporters today. He was nice enough to hold an impromptu press conference after reporters caught up to him. And then he pedaled on, bicycle against the traffic, borne back ceaselessly into … |
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Mark Townsend, yahoo.com In news we could see coming for the past couple of months, the Arizona Diamondbacks officially relieved indefinitely suspended play-by-play man Daron Sutton and color analyst Mark Grace of their announcing duties on Thursday after both finished the 2012… |
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Dan Gartland, deadspin.com Attendance is up, but local TV ratings were down six percent across Major League Baseball in 2012. Sports Business Daily has the full rundown of winners and losers. The Tigers were tops in average rating, with 9.13 percent of Detroit televisions tuned t… |
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Epstein remains excited about Cubs' futureOct 4, 2012
Carrie Muskat, MLB.com The 2012 season was obviously a disappointment in terms of the final record, but Theo Epstein said he was encouraged by how the Cubs established a better culture, as well as some of the team's additions. |
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Farrell, Bogar likely options for Boston skipperOct 4, 2012
Ian Browne, MLB.com GM Ben Cherington is not ready to name specific targets in his search for a new manager, but some of the candidates who will likely end up on his radar are John Farrell, Tim Bogar and longtime Boston captain Jason Varitek. |
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Alomar interviews for Indians managerial jobOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Over more than two decades, Sandy Alomar Jr. has been an All-Star player, coach and interim manager for the Cleveland Indians. |
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To the surprise of pretty much no one in baseball, the Red Sox announced Thursday afternoon that embattled manager Bobby Valentine was fired after only one season at the helm. |
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Mariners fire hitting coach Chris ChamblissOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The Seattle Mariners will not retain hitting coach Chris Chambliss for 2013 after another season during which their offense was among the worst in baseball. |
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GM: Hamilton not to blame, but not at his bestOct 4, 2012
Richard Durrett, ESPN.com While the Texas Rangers are ready to move on after Josh Hamilton's error, general manager Jon Daniels confirmed Thursday that his star slugger didn't play his best down the stretch. |
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Orioles tab Saunders as wild-card game starterOct 4, 2012
Richard Durrett, ESPN.com Baltimore Orioles veteran Joe Saunders will start Friday's American League wild-card game against the Texas Rangers, manager Buck Showalter announced Thursday. |
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MLB attendance rises to highest level since 2008Oct 4, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball's average attendance rose 1.8 percent this year to its highest level since 2008. |
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Seasoned Verlander eager to resume playoff questOct 4, 2012
Jason Beck, MLB.com Jim Leyland couldn't have predicted the kind of season that would land the Tigers back in the postseason for a second consecutive year. He could predict the encore of his reigning American League Most Valuable Player Award winner. |
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Sam Page, deadspin.com The BBC headline (above) describes Miguel Cabrera's triple crown in just about the most British way possible. Despite Venezuelans playing in Major League Baseball since 1939, and Venezuela's finishing ahead of the U.S. in the last World Baseball Classic… |
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Konerko undergoes successful wrist surgeryOct 4, 2012
The White Sox announced that first baseman Paul Konerko underwent successful surgery on Thursday morning at RUSH University Medical Center to remove a loose body from his left wrist. |
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Konerko undergoes successful wrist surgeryOct 4, 2012
The White Sox announced that first baseman Paul Konerko underwent successful surgery on Thursday morning at RUSH University Medical Center to remove a loose body from his left wrist. |
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling might have to sell the famed blood-stained sock he wore during the 2004 World Series to cover millions of dollars in loans he guaranteed to his failed video game company. |
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Tyler Kepner, nytimes.com The Orioles and Rangers both finished with the same record to land in the American League wild-card game, but from entirely different directions. |
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Tyler Kepner, nytimes.com The Braves hope Kris Medlen's winning streak lasts at least one more game: the National League wild card matchup against St. Louis. |
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Mark Newman, MLB.com It really is hard to believe after watching the NL go 13 consecutive summers without winning the All-Star Game, but in 2013 the senior circuit will try to make it four victories in a row. |
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Bill Chastain, MLB.com Joe Maddon's wife, Jaye, has taken the brunt of any disappointment the Rays manager has felt since the elimination of his team early Tuesday morning. |
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David Roher, deadspin.com The Athletics and the Yankees clinched their respective division titles on the same day, but the paths they took to get there were very different. The A's budget freight train slammed through a Rangers squad that had sat atop the AL West for over 170 co… |
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Follow the leader: Cain can set tone for GiantsOct 4, 2012
Chris Haft, MLB.com Asked early in 2011 to identify his most enduring memory of the previous year's Division Series triumph, Matt Cain cited Tim Lincecum's two-hit, 14-strikeout classic in Game 1. That was the Giants' first postseason victory en route to their World Series… |
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Touching moments for Miggy, Leyland follow CrownOct 4, 2012
Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com The encounters were between two professionals -- a manager and player. Yet the experiences were so personal they were characteristic of father-and-son moments. |
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Theo open to Soriano trade but price has risenOct 4, 2012
Doug Padilla, ESPN.com The Chicago Cubs are willing to explore a trade of Alfonso Soriano this winter, although it won't be at the same bargain-basement price they would have moved him for last offseason. |
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Dedicated Brewers fan attends all 162 gamesOct 4, 2012
David Brown, yahoo.com Raise your steins and beer mugs, because Ben Rouse has made it. The Milwaukee Brewers fan from Madison, Wis., attended every single game played by his favorite team this season, completing his journey at Miller Park on Wednesday. We're not just talking… |
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Ross gets nod over McCann in Wild Card gameOct 4, 2012
Mark Bowman, MLB.com In an effort to keep the Cardinals' running game in check, the Braves will go with David Ross behind the plate in the NL Wild Card game rather than Brian McCann, who has been plagued by shoulder discomfort all year. |
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Brian Kenny, MLB.com Runs and wins count for exactly the same regardless of when they happen, so don't let "clutch" performance factor into the argument for any personal awards. |
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Royals dismiss Seitzer as hitting coachOct 4, 2012
Dick Kaegel, MLB.com Former Royals star Kevin Seitzer, after four years as hitting coach, was dismissed by the Kansas City club on Thursday. The rest of manager Ned Yost's coaching staff will return -- bench coach Chino Cadahia, pitching coach Dave Eiland, first-base coach … |
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Mets Wave Good-Bye, Leaving Fans to Sort It OutOct 4, 2012
Jay Schreiber, nytimes.com Mets fans are left to mutter about another season that didn't really go anywhere. But there's always next year. |
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Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com Baseball celebrations make for great, out-of-context photos, and Joba Chamberlain pouring some (possibly frigid?) champagne down Ichiro's back after the Yankees clinched the American League East title last night is another excellent entry, especially wh… |
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Phillies add Ryne Sandberg to coaching staffOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com The Philadelphia Phillies have promoted Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg to their coaching staff as third-base coach and infield instructor. |
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Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com Any good championship run needs a catchy theme song. Unfortunately, it often derives from some iteration of "Don't Stop Believin'," either the original form (see: White Sox, Chicago, 2005) or some customized version, like the San Francisco Gia… |
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Kevin Kaduk, yahoo.com He may have been overshadowed by another Venezuelan (Miguel Cabrera) and another retiring infielder (Chipper Jones), but Omar Vizquel deserves some attention for playing in his final game on Wednesday. The 45-year-old web gem wizard threw out the first … |
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Erik Malinowski, deadspin.com The Miami Marlins opened their new ballpark in April to much pomp and fanfare and cringe-inducing spectacle, and there were great hopes that the empty orange seats that had come to represent the very idea of baseball in South Florida would fast become b… |
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Leading Off: A Final Day to RememberOct 4, 2012
Lynn Zinser, nytimes.com The Yankees, the A's and baseball's first triple crown since 1967 gave sportswriters a lot to write about on the season's final day. |
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A's Pitcher Pat Neshek's Newborn Son Has DiedOct 4, 2012
Tom Ley, deadspin.com On Monday, the Oakland Athletics clinched a playoff spot, and just a few hours later pitcher Pat Neshek's wife went into labor. Neshek flew to Florida and was with his wife when she gave birth to a baby boy. More » |
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Boston couple plays 'Bucks on the Pond' on dateOct 4, 2012
Mark Newman, MLB.com When a Boston couple went to a recent Red Sox home game on a ballpark date, and at first they weren't sure what to think when the "Bucks on the Pond" crew approached them during the third inning. New episodes of the hit MLB.com game show are b… |
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David Brown, yahoo.com There's no question this play doesn't happen if Minnesota Twins left-hander Scott Diamond isn't Canadian and wasn't making his first career start in his home country against the Toronto Blue Jays. Diamond, like any person born in the Great White North, … |
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Texas benefits from Nathan's return to formOct 4, 2012
Eric Gilmore, MLB.com Two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Joe Nathan converted 37 of 40 save opportunities this season, his first with the Rangers. He had a career-high 31 consecutive saves from April 15-Sept. 12 and made his fifth All-Star team. |
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David Brown, yahoo.com The Juice has concluded its fifth season of fun! Remember to stop by each weekday next season for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights. Easier this way: Even if the Orioles hadn't fallen at Tampa Bay ea… |
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Tigers witness Miggy's greatness firsthandOct 4, 2012
Vinnie Duber, MLB.com First baseman Prince Fielder and the rest of the Tigers appreciate having witnessed Miguel Cabrera's historic run to the first Triple Crown in 45 years on Wednesday night. |
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No cause for disappointment in BaltimoreOct 4, 2012
Hal Bodley, MLB.com On Wednesday night the Orioles' slim chance of winning the American League East went up in flames. But shed no tears for this giddy band of overachievers. Applaud their Herculean achievement. They need not pop corks to celebrate this remarkable season. |
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Crown him: Cabrera is king of native VenezuelaOct 4, 2012
Jesse Sanchez, MLB.com In the annals of baseball history in Venezuela, it is Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera who might be remembered as the greatest hitter to ever come from the country. |
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Royal celebration: Cabrera enjoys classy momentOct 4, 2012
Jason Beck, MLB.com Miguel Cabrera threw his hands out when Ramon Santiago came out to replace him with two outs in the fourth inning. He wanted to know why he was getting replaced in the middle of an inning. The standing ovation that followed explained why. |
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You walked into a locker room swathed in clear plastic, and the first thing you saw was one future Hall of Famer, Ichiro Suzuki, pouring a bottle of Mumm Napa Brut Champagne over the AL playoffs cap of another future Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter. |
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Posey, Kershaw and Braun among best in NLOct 4, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (batting average) and Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (ERA) are among the NL award winners with the regular season now complete. |
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Berkman receives ovation from Cardinals faithfulOct 4, 2012
Unless he makes an unexpected appearance on a postseason roster, Lance Berkman's career in St. Louis is likely over. He received a standing ovation Wednesday in the seventh inning for his pinch-hit appearance. |
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New postseason format spices up racesOct 4, 2012
Zack Meisel, MLB.com Major League Baseball added a second Wild Card to both the American and National Leagues this season. The result was a bounty of drama over the past few weeks as the playoff schedule came together. |
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David Brown, yahoo.com Kids today don't understand, but the Houston Astros used to be a sound franchise. They used to have great players. They used to win games. They even went to the World Series once. Any more, the Astros are bottom-dwellers, hopefully heading toward an upt… |
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Adam Berry, MLB.com Evan Longoria's three-homer performance in this year's season finale may not have meant as much from a team perspective, as the Rays had been eliminated from playoff contention on Monday, but it might have been equally impressive on a personal level. |
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O's fall, will play wild-card game vs. RangersOct 4, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Evan Longoria homered three times and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Baltimore 4-1 Wednesday, ending the Orioles' bid to force a one-game tiebreaker for the AL East title. |
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Waiting for the Dodgers' Eventual DoomOct 4, 2012
On Monday in Los Angeles, the sun was just starting to set after a 92-degree day, but the Short Stop bar was already glowing like a jack-o'-lantern. W... |
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It Wasn't All Your Fault, Bobby VOct 4, 2012
Here's the thing about Bobby Valentine's miserable season running the Red Sox: It probably wouldn't have gone much better for anyone else. You can ta... |
