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Anthony Rizzo won't make Yankees' ALDS roster, hopes to return later this postseason
NEW YORK — The two broken fingers on Anthony Rizzo’s right hand no longer had a protective brace or a wrap around them when he spoke to reporters on Friday night, but that didn’t stop the first baseman from announcing that he will not be on the Yankees’ ALDS roster.
“I feel good. I feel a lot better than I did six days ago,” said ...Read more
Freddie Freeman says his ankle sprain is worst injury he's ever tried to play through
LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman prides himself on his durability, the Dodgers first baseman having played all 162 games twice and 157 games or more six other times, a resolve that has required him to play through numerous injuries throughout his 15-year career, including a broken right-middle finger in August.
But Freeman has never fought ...Read more
Padres coy about how they plan to stop Shohei Ohtani: 'I'm not telling you'
LOS ANGELES — The first laugh line of this National League Division Series came on Friday afternoon, when San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt was asked how his club planned to attack Shohei Ohtani.
“I’m not telling you,” Shildt responded with a chuckle, one reciprocated by the mass of media members before him at his pre-NLDS news ...Read more
Bryce Miller: Sheel Seidler says late Padres owner wanted World Series with 'every cell in his body'
SAN DIEGO — Amid the rumble and roar of Petco Park after the Padres stiff-armed the Braves in a wild-card playoff series Wednesday, Sheel Seidler paused in a tunnel next to the dugout. The emotions hit in flashes, blurring into something unexpected, knotting up both her head and heart.
There was a complicated jumble of happiness, relief and ...Read more
Bill Shaikin: In yet another Dodgers-Padres NLDS matchup, Steve Garvey can't lose
LOS ANGELES — You can buy an autographed baseball in a million places, but you can buy a $75 autographed baseball from a U.S. Senate candidate in one place.
The candidate, of course, is Steve Garvey, who is a household name in California not because of a life spent in politics, but because of a distinguished career for the Dodgers and San ...Read more
Yankees not sweating Michael Wacha's success vs. Aaron Judge before ALDS Game 1 vs. Royals
NEW YORK — For most of the past decade, Michael Wacha has been a dependable MLB pitcher.
But against Aaron Judge, the Royals right-hander has been at another level.
Judge, the AL MVP favorite, enters the Yankees‘ ALDS matchup with Kansas City just 1 for 18 with 11 strikeouts and three walks in his career against Wacha, the Royals’ Game 1...Read more
Mets geared up to face Phillies ace Zack Wheeler in Game 1 of NLDS: 'It's supposed to be a battle'
PHILADELPHIA — Shockingly, J.D. Martinez has never faced Zack Wheeler.
Of the hundreds of pitchers Martinez has faced in his 14 years in the big leagues, Wheeler, the former Mets right-hander, isn’t one of them. That could change Saturday when the Philadelphia Phillies and the Mets begin the NLDS at Citizens Bank Park.
Wheeler, who signed ...Read more
After 'season of perseverance,' Gerrit Cole leads Yankees into ALDS vs. Royals
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole flashed a smile.
On the eve of Game 1 of the ALDS, the Yankees ace considered his answer to a short, but not necessarily simple, question: What would winning the World Series mean to him?
“I’ve been trying to do that for a long time,” Cole, 34, said with a laugh. “That would be great. That would be amazing. We�...Read more
Who has the edge? A position-by-position breakdown of Tigers vs. Guardians in ALDS.
DETROIT — Here's a position-to-position breakdown of the Tigers-Guardians American League Division Series, which gets under way at 1 p.m. Saturday in Cleveland:
Catcher
If you haven't paid much attention to the Tigers, it's easy to dismiss catcher Jake Rogers, because of the barely .600 OPS. But he's a big part of the heart and soul of this ...Read more
Dylan Hernández: Dodgers have the same problem that derailed their last two playoff appearances
LOS ANGELES — This time, they aren't overthinking. This time, they don't have a choice.
The Dodgers will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the opening game of their National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres on Saturday but not necessarily because they trust him more than Jack Flaherty.
In the regular season, Yamamoto never once ...Read more
Vahe Gregorian: Why Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes is a fan of Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When the Royals signed Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year contract worth nearly $300 million in February, the superstar shortstop noted that a “pretty fired up” team investor had texted him to say that he “can’t wait to see what you do for this city and what’s to come.”
Never mind that said investor, Patrick Mahomes, ...Read more
Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. says Derek Jeter 'was my guy' – despite Red Sox allegiance
NEW YORK — As Bobby Witt Jr. talked to a room full of reporters at Yankee Stadium on Friday, a larger-than-life Derek Jeter, pictured in a blown-up Sports Illustrated cover hanging on the wall, smiled in the young shortstop’s direction.
As Witt spoke, he revealed that “Jeter was my guy” growing up, even though he rooted for the Red Sox ...Read more
Mets' Kodai Senga named Game 1 starter vs. Phillies: 'He was the one wanting the baseball'
NEW YORK — The Mets pulled yet another rabbit out of their hat.
In a stunning turn of events, manager Carlos Mendoza announced on Friday that Kodai Senga would be their Game 1 starter against the Phillies in the NLDS on Saturday. A team that seemingly can do no wrong at the moment just got their ace back.
The 31-year-old has thrown just 5 1/...Read more
Twins part ways with general manager Thad Levine
MINNEAPOLIS — General manager Thad Levine is leaving the Twins, the team announced Friday.
Levine and Derek Falvey were hired eight years ago, and appeared together at news conferences regularly, appearing to work hand-in-hand.
But in recent seasons, Levine has been less visible, and Falvey was promoted from chief baseball officer to ...Read more
David Murphy: OK, maybe the Phillies should be a tiny bit scared of the Mets ahead of their NLDS matchup
PHILADELPHIA — Every now and then, during the course of baseball history, there comes along a team that is so weird, so counterintuitive, so inexplicable, that the rest of the postseason field can’t help but fear it.
The Mets officially reached that status in the ninth inning on Thursday night. They were down 2-0 and down to their last ...Read more
Padres' Joe Musgrove needs Tommy John surgery, won't pitch in NLDS
SAN DIEGO — Joe Musgrove’s elbow tightness will require Tommy John surgery, a procedure that likely bars him from pitching again until the 2026 season.
Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller provided the medical update after manager Mike Shildt said Musgrove would not be available to pitch in the National League Division ...Read more
'The Showman' owns the Bank stage. What does Bryce Harper have in store for another playoff run?
PHILADELPHIA — Twenty-one floors above the Las Vegas Strip, on a Saturday in January 2019, the Phillies made their first pitch to Bryce Harper.
John Middleton stressed his commitment to winning, a point the owner would hammer home a month later over dinner. Then-general manager Matt Klentak talked about the up-and-coming prospects in the ...Read more
Mookie Betts got 'lost in the process' this year. Can it lead to better playoff success?
LOS ANGELES — Twice last month, teams intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to face Mookie Betts instead. Both times, the eight-time All-Star and former MVP emphatically reacted after making them pay.
There was an extra-inning home run on Sept. 3 against the Angels, a game-sealing, three-run blast in which Betts pointed at the sky, emotionally ...Read more
Pete Alonso launches go-ahead home run in ninth inning as Mets eliminate Brewers, book NLDS matchup vs. Phillies
MILWAUKEE — Pete Alonso had yet to have a signature moment in the postseason. After six years with the only big league team he had ever known, it looked as though the Polar Bear was about to go out with a whimper.
Instead, he sent the Mets to the NLDS with a bang.
With the Milwaukee Brewers up 2-0 in the ninth inning, Alonso came up to the ...Read more
Analysis: Orioles GM Mike Elias appropriately humbled by club's postseason failure
BALTIMORE — Mike Elias could have leaned on context to dull the pain.
The postseason, with its tiny samples and outsized consequences, will always confound a baseball rationalist to some degree.
But the Orioles’ executive vice president and general manager did not pretend everything was OK Thursday, less than 24 hours after his team lost a...Read more
Popular Stories
- David Murphy: OK, maybe the Phillies should be a tiny bit scared of the Mets ahead of their NLDS matchup
- Twins part ways with general manager Thad Levine
- Mookie Betts got 'lost in the process' this year. Can it lead to better playoff success?
- Bill Shaikin: In yet another Dodgers-Padres NLDS matchup, Steve Garvey can't lose
- Padres' Joe Musgrove needs Tommy John surgery, won't pitch in NLDS