PHILADELPHIA — His hand was stinging, but Greg Dobbs did not mind. He went undrafted six years earlier, signed for $30,000, spent four years in the minors, reached the majors, and then was waived by Seattle after playing sparingly over three seasons. Perhaps, Dobbs thought, that was it.

So imagine how Dobbs felt nine months later circling the...Read more

The Detroit Tigers defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-3 in the first of a four-game series, thanks in large part to an excellent performance from pitcher Tarik Skubal and a productive night from the offense.

Skubal was sharp on the mound from the jump. He knifed through Oakland’s batting order, racking up 10 strikeouts and allowing just a pair ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dave Roberts climbed the dugout stairs, walked across the infield and, for the seventh time in his eight years as the Dodgers manager, took the ball away from a starting pitcher who had yet to give up a hit.

For perhaps the first time in the now-notorious trend, there were almost no dissenters to the decision.

In what was a ...Read more

NEW YORK — Likely pitching his final game in the Bronx this season, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole flirted with perfection Thursday night against the Blue Jays and again bolstered his case for his first-ever Cy Young Award.

The right-hander dominated Toronto over eight innings, surrendering only one run on two hits while striking out nine in the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Mark Vientos keeps hitting home runs and Jeff McNeil has continued his power surge, but the Mets were out-pitched by the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener. They fell 5-4 on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park in the first game of a four-game series, despite the best efforts of some of the New York hitters.

McNeil came...Read more

CLEVELAND — Orioles manager Brandon Hyde did not hide his rooting interests after watching the Tampa Bay Rays rally for an afternoon victory against the Los Angeles Angels.

“We just came up a little short,” Hyde quipped, as if he or his players had any role to play in the Angels blowing a late lead to the team chasing Baltimore in the ...Read more

In the end, the Red Sox were exactly who we thought they were.

Entering the season, the prevailing opinion among outside observers was the Red Sox were an average club who might show improvement from 2022’s last place showing, but ultimately one that wasn’t good enough to take a meaningful leap towards contention.

Now officially eliminated...Read more

CHICAGO — Whenever Chris Getz hears Lorde sing “Royals,” he must feel compelled to sing along at the top of his lungs.

On his first day as Chicago White Sox general manager, Getz revealed manager Pedro Grifol, his former coach with the Kansas City Royals, would be retained. Among his first front office hires, Getz is reported to be ...Read more

The Kansas City Royals were active in the trade market this year, making multiple trades to reshape their overall roster for the future.

The Royals acquired stalwart pitcher Cole Ragans from the Texas Rangers, for instance. They also picked up outfielder Nelson Velázquez and relief pitchers James McArthur and Taylor Hearn.

“That was a ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas couldn’t stop the slide that started after the club got Adam Wainwright to his historic milestone, and he received no offensive support in his quest to right the ship as the Cardinals suffered a series-clinching loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Mikolas gave up six runs in five innings, and the ...Read more

It's a bizarre twist. A win for an MLB pitcher has never held more value precisely because its value has plummeted.

Adam Wainwright logged his 200th victory Monday and was widely celebrated for reaching a milestone that would have elicited yawns years ago.

The win came via an unexpectedly outstanding performance by the 42-year-old St. Louis ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In the Rays’ increasingly more challenging bid to win the American League East, they know they are going to need some help from teams beating the first-place Orioles.

But they also have to help themselves.

It took a while, but they finally did so Thursday, rallying in the ninth inning for a 5-4, walkoff win over the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The moment produced pause, puns and fun on the fly. Oh, and reminders of a similar intrusion that immediately preceded the Dodgers' demise in last year's National League Division Series.

David Peralta lifted a towering fly ball down the left-field line in fowl, er, foul territory Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers that nearly ...Read more

I wish I had not been startled by the words. Alas, the modern announcer has been trained to be inoffensive above all.

Seldom is heard a discouraging word, at least about the home team. Tell it like it is, unless it might upset team executives or players.

Not that Charley Steiner or Rick Monday, the Dodgers' radio broadcasters, much care. The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Tigers didn’t leave L.A. quietly.

They managed to avoid getting swept by the N.L. West champion Dodgers Wednesday night with a plucky 4-2 win.

Carson Kelly, Tyler Nevin and Kerry Carpenter each had two hits. Kelly and Andy Ibanez delivered clutch two-out RBI hits and a very taxed Tigers’ bullpen managed to lock down the...Read more

NEW YORK — Jasson Domínguez underwent Tommy John reconstruction surgery as expected on Wednesday, the Yankees announced. The procedure also included the addition of internal bracing, a newer method for repairing torn ulnar collateral ligaments.

“Officially bionic,” Domínguez, already known as The Martian, wrote in an Instagram post ...Read more