Got to Category

MLB category

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Phillies closer José Alvarado suspended for 80 games for positive drug test
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies closer José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games on Sunday following a positive test for external testosterone under Major League Baseball’s drug-testing program. Alvarado, among the hardest-throwing relievers, became the second player suspended this year under the big league testing program after Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar....
White Sox to unveil a graphic installation honoring Pope Leo XIV
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox plan to unveil a graphic installation on Monday that honors Pope Leo XIV. Robert Prevost became the first pope from the U.S. in the history of the Catholic Church when he was elected on May 8. The Chicago-born missionary, who took the name Leo...
Phillies put struggling Aaron Nola on 15-day IL with right ankle sprain
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a sprained right ankle. The 31-year-old veteran has struggled this season and is coming off an outing against St. Louis on Wednesday in which he allowed 12 hits, nine runs and three homers —...
Right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga returns to Yankees, less than 13 months after Tommy John surgery
NEW YORK — Right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga was activated from the 15-day injured list by the New York Yankees on Friday, less than 13 months after Tommy John surgery. The Yankees designated left-hander Tyler Matzek for assignment ahead of the Subway Series opener against the Mets. A 30-year-old reliever, Loáisiga had...
White Sox acquire right-hander Miguel Castro in a trade with the Astros
CHICAGO — Miguel Castro and Vinny Capra joined the Chicago White Sox on Friday, giving manager Will Venable a different option for his bullpen and on his bench. Castro, 30, was acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros for $500,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation. He went 3-0...
Mark Madden: Pete Rose deserved his Hall of Fame shot when he was alive
I wish MLB had ruled before Pete Rose passed away that he’d be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame after he died. Rose could have faked his own death, resurrected upon his induction, then charged more money to sign autographs at memorabilia shows. Maybe, before he expired, Rose inscribed...
Royals sign former Pirates pitcher Rich Hill to minor-league deal 
HOUSTON — The Kansas City Royals are giving former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Rich Hill another chance to pitch in the big leagues. The Royals signed the 45-year-old left-hander to a minor-league deal Tuesday, and he will report soon to the club’s spring training facility in Surprise, Ariz. Once he gets...
MLB reinstates Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson, making them Hall of Fame eligible
NEW YORK — Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson were reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport’s Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals. Rose’s permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and came a day...
Rockies chart a new course under a new manager after one of worst starts in major league history 
DENVER — All the losing nearly reduced lefty Kyle Freeland to tears as he recently chatted about the woeful state of his hometown Colorado Rockies. It’s a gloomy situation with the Rockies, whose 7-33 record is one of the worst in major league history and led to the dismissal of...
Greensburg Central Catholic alum Warren Schaeffer named interim manager of Rockies
The Colorado Rockies’ firing of longtime manager Bud Black means a former WPIAL product will try to get the club back on track. Warren Schaeffer, a native of Vandergrift and a Greensburg Central Catholic alum, was named interim manager Sunday. He had been the third base coach since 2023. Schaeffer,...
Red Sox owner John Henry flies to Kansas City to meet with disgruntled slugger Rafael Devers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rafael Devers made his feelings known Thursday. On Friday, it was Boston Red Sox owner John Henry’s turn to share his opinions with the disgruntled slugger. A day after Devers told reporters about his refusal to play first base, Henry, team president Sam Kennedy and chief...
Reds rookie Tyler Callihan expected to miss at least 2 months after surgery to repair forearm fracture 
ATLANTA — Cincinnati Reds rookie left fielder Tyler Callihan is expected to miss at least two months following surgery Tuesday to repair his fractured left forearm suffered while attempting a sliding catch a night earlier. Reds manager Terry Francona said Callihan will have no baseball activities for six to eight...
Tim Benz: A ‘thank you’ note to sports moments outside of Pittsburgh for filling the void
I turned on the computer to write Tuesday’s posts, and I had nuthin.’ I looked at a blank document, and it looked right back at me and shrugged. “I can’t help you, pal. Just start pounding keys and see what comes ‘aht,” it said. Well, at least that’s what I...
Guardians’ José Ramírez leaves game after being hit by throw, stumbling over first base
TORONTO — Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez left Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning after being hit by a throw from pitcher Chris Bassitt and stumbling awkwardly over first base on an infield single. With Steven Kwan at first base and two outs, Ramírez hit...
Blade Tidwell to make big league debut for Mets
ST. LOUIS — Pitching prospect Blade Tidwell will be called up by the New York Mets to make his major league debut as the starter Sunday at the St. Louis Cardinals, manager Carlos Mendoza said Friday. The Mets are in a stretch of playing on 13 consecutive days, and promoting...
Orioles GM takes heat for starting rotation collapse: ‘That’s my responsibility’
BALTIMORE — If the second half of 2024 was a reality check for the Baltimore Orioles — their first real stretch of mediocrity since they became contenders again — the start of this season is a near-crisis. This young Baltimore team experienced very little failure while winning 101 games in...
Mike Trout is going on the injured list again with a bone bruise in his left knee 
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is headed back to the 10-day injured list because of a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee. Angels manager Ron Washington made the announcement late Thursday night after a 10-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The team said there...
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. put on injured list because of strained right oblique
NEW YORK — Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday because of a strained right oblique, three days after getting hurt during a swing in a game at the Baltimore Orioles. Before the Yankees opened a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays,...
Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. to make long-awaited return to the mound on Sunday
HOUSTON — Lance McCullers Jr. is to start Sunday for the Houston Astros against the Chicago White Sox in his first major league appearance since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series in Philadelphia. “I’m really excited to have him on the mound on Sunday,” Astros manager Joe Espada said...
Heliot Ramos’ wild Little League homer punctuates walk-off win for Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — Heliot Ramos thought he’d just leg out an infield single to lead off the ninth inning in a tie game. He wound up circling the bases to win the game, capping his mad dash by diving across home plate in dramatic fashion. Ramos’ infield single followed by...
Cleveland fan ejected for heckling Red Sox star Jarren Duran, who revealed suicide attempt 
CLEVELAND — Jarren Duran has found plenty of support from his Boston Red Sox teammates and others outside baseball since he revealed in a Netflix documentary that he attempted suicide three years ago. His openness has also exposed him to hecklers, though. Duran said a fan in the front row...
Manfred eager to see how many fans turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Major League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Now baseball is eager to see how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track. And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people. It’s part...
Aaron Judge, Yankees angry over home run that wasn’t
TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees were angry over the home run that wasn’t. Judge drove a changeup from Tampa Bay’s Eric Orze deep down the left-field line, high above the foul pole at Steinbrenner Field. Umpires called the ball foul, a decision upheld in a...
Ronald Acuña criticizes Braves manager Snitker’s response to Kelenic failing to hustle on long drive 
ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. watched with interest when Jarred Kelenic was thrown out at second base after failing to hustle out of the batter’s box on a long drive in the Atlanta Braves’ 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. Acuña went to social media to criticize the way manager...
Shohei Ohtani returns to Dodgers’ lineup with ‘dad strength’ after birth of daughter in California
ARLINGTON, Texas — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup Sunday for the series finale against the Texas Rangers, activated off the paternity list after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child in Southern California. The 30-year-old Ohtani, who didn’t address the media before...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >