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Rockies drubbed in historic fashion by Diamondbacks in opening night disaster

Sports / Baseball /

PHOENIX — If Thursday night’s performance at Chase Field had been a Broadway play, the Colorado Rockies’ show would have closed after one performance. Before the reviews even came out.

That’s how bad opening night was for the Rockies, whose third-inning pratfall set a bushel of records and set the stage for a 16-1 loss to the defending ...Read more

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Guardians 8, Athletics 0: Sparse crowd ushers in Oakland's 57th (perhaps final) season

Sports / Baseball /

OAKLAND – One of the smallest Opening Day crowds in the Oakland A’s 57-year history showed Thursday night for possibly their final season debut at the Coliseum — an 8-0 shutout loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

While some fans bunkered in the parking lot to protest the A’s planned relocation to Las Vegas, there wasn’t much for the home...Read more

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Luis Castillo and the Mariners can't find rhythm in opening day loss to Red Sox

Sports / Baseball /

SEATTLE — The normally cool facade that Luis Castillo operates with on the mound was interrupted at times Thursday night. There were second glances at home plate umpire Larry Vanover following unfavorable calls on borderline pitches. And more than a few frustrated head shakes at pitches that simply didn’t go to their intended locations.

It ...Read more

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Dylan Hernández: Shohei Ohtani shows no hint of scandal distracting him in his Dodgers home debut

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Scandal? What scandal?

Shohei Ohtani might as well have been talking about a television show he watched the night before or his commute to the Dodger Stadium in the morning.

He was calm, even welcoming, when I approached him on Thursday before the Dodgers’ 7-1 home-opening victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Ohtani nodded ...Read more

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Jared Triolo delivers as Pirates outlast Marlins for wild, 12-inning victory on opening day

Sports / Baseball /

MIAMI — Through 11 innings Thursday, Jared Triolo had a first opening day that he would probably rather forget, one that included a rare error, two strikeouts and five largely unproductive trips to the plate.

At least it ended well.

In the top of the 12th inning, Triolo’s flare of a single into right field scored Ke’Bryan Hayes from ...Read more

Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Opening day optimism lasts only so long as Rays beat up by Blue Jays

Sports / Baseball /

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Opening day is about renewal, festivities, pomp and some circumstance. And optimism. Maybe more than anything else, optimism.

The Rays went into the afternoon with plenty.

Manager Kevin Cash spoke of the deep belief the team has in the returning and new talent on its roster. Principal owner Stuart Sternberg talked ...Read more

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Scott Boras defends his work negotiating Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell contracts

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — No matter how high the projected contracts or reported bids for outfielder Cody Bellinger or pitcher Blake Snell might have been last winter, the agent for both players said he was aware early on that the players would have to choose between a high annual salary over the short term or a lower annual salary over the long term.

"...Read more

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After a week of drama, Dodgers get back to the familiar and win their home opener

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — To Dave Roberts, Thursday afternoon felt nostalgically, longingly, thankfully familiar.

The afternoon start time. The red, white and blue bunting. Even the traffic clogging up Vin Scully Avenue on the first of his 80 commutes, at least, into Chavez Ravine this year.

“You feel the buzz,” said Roberts, entering his ninth year...Read more

Twins open season with 4-1 victory over Royals

Sports / Baseball /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Twins hope to repeat as AL Central champions this year. Except for the first batter he faced, Pablo López did his part Thursday by duplicating the near-perfect start to the 2023 season.

López surrendered a leadoff home run to Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia, but then smothered Kansas City for seven solid innings, ...Read more

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Orioles crush Angels, 11-3, on opening day as Corbin Burnes stars in debut

Sports / Baseball /

BALTIMORE — This week proved how unpredictable the world can be. When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, it left two construction workers dead and four others presumed dead, a city shocked and a community grappling with tragedy.

Amid the uncertainty Thursday was the consistency of baseball — opening day, a gem of a ballpark and one of ...Read more

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Tarik Skubal stars and bullpen holds as Tigers take 1-0 opening day win vs. White Sox

Sports / Baseball /

CHICAGO — Tarik Skubal more than validated his manager’s decision to give him the ball in the season opener.

Skubal bullied hitters for six scoreless innings, handing the baton to the bullpen to complete the task, as the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 1-0, on a sunny but crisp (50-degree) day at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It was the first ...Read more

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Newcomers Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo aid Yankees' opening day comeback against Astros

Sports / Baseball /

HOUSTON — The Yankees found themselves down early against the Astros on Thursday, but two newcomers helped the club overcome a 4-0 Opening Day deficit.

Juan Soto, the centerpiece of the Yankees’ offseason, started the scoring with a bases loaded, RBI single in the fifth. The slugger finished the game, a 5-4 Yankees win, 1 for 3 with a ...Read more

'Baseball gods' shine on Padres, who win Petco Park opener, 6-4, over Giants

Sports / Baseball /

SAN DIEGO — Stretching across the center-field grass and painted on the front of the press box and sewn on the back of the jacket his widow wore as she threw out the ceremonial first pitch were the initials "PS" inside a heart that will represent a franchise's tribute to their late beloved owner.

"I can feel his presence here today," Padres ...Read more

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Shohei Ohtani says he's cooperating with investigators. Yasiel Puig offers a cautionary tale.

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — The baseball star went into his first conversation with federal investigators assured he was "not a target."

The lead prosecutor on a sprawling sports betting case, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeff Mitchell, told the player's attorney that he didn't believe it was a federal crime to make payments to an illegal bookmaker, as the player ...Read more

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Royce Lewis exits with right quad injury after hitting home run in Twins' opener

Sports / Baseball /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a home run and a single so far, Royce Lewis is batting 1.000 for the 2024 season.

The Twins hope his batting average won't stay perfect for long.

Lewis, trying to score from first base on Carlos Correa's third-inning double, instead limped into third base and stopped, clearly bothered by a sudden leg injury. After ...Read more

Ivy Ceballo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

Rays' Wander Franco taken off 40-man roster

Sports / Baseball /

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wander Franco was taken off the Rays’ 40-man roster on Thursday and placed on administrative leave through June 1, the Tampa Bay Times has learned.

The decision was made in joint agreement by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association.

The move is really just a matter of paperwork, as the 23-year-old All-...Read more

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How the saga of Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter unfolded -- and why it's not over

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — The tip arrived two weeks ago, and it threatened to engulf Major League Baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, in scandal. The name of the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher had surfaced in a federal investigation of illegal sports gambling — millions of dollars in payments were allegedly made from his bank account to ...Read more

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Vahe Gregorian: How 3-time World Series champion Will Smith became linchpin of Royals' offseason

Sports / Baseball /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Before relief pitcher Will Smith sprouted into what he jokingly calls a “rabbit’s foot” good-luck charm, he long wondered if he was exactly the opposite: cursed never to play in any World Series, much less become the first player to win three in a row for three different franchises.

Before he earned his abiding sense ...Read more

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Orange County bookie at center of gambling scandal thought link to Shohei Ohtani would help business

Sports / Baseball /

As a gambler, Mathew Bowyer bet big, often unsuccessfully, listing nearly half a million dollars in losses to two Las Vegas casinos in his 2011 bankruptcy.

As bookmaker, the Orange County man wagered that a client’s relationship with baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani would pay off by boosting Bowyer’s reputation in the gambling world.

Bowyer, ...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Dodgers and Will Smith agree to a long-term contract extension

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — In what's been a week of uncertainty and speculation surrounding the Dodgers, the team secured some important long-term clarity Wednesday afternoon.

On the eve of their regular-season home opener, the Dodgers and catcher Will Smith agreed to a long-term contract extension for 10 years and $140 million, ensuring a key piece of ...Read more