NEW YORK — Alex McFarlane decided to challenge him.

The rookie reliever had inherited a runner from Cristopher Sánchez in the seventh, and had then allowed two singles to flip the Mets’ lineup back over. To get out of the jam, he now had to contend with New York’s biggest power threat: Juan Soto.

But in the two months that McFarlane has...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — In the penultimate home game of a miserable season, the Angels gave the Fan Appreciation Night crowd something to celebrate.

Down by three runs in the eighth inning, the Angels scored the winning run on Christian Moore’s infield hit to beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5, in 11 innings on Saturday night.

The Angels scored two ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this week that the best was yet to come, his expectations were centered on the offense.

In the Dodgers’ 10-4 rout of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, that better version of the offense was on display, putting together a pair of three-run rallies in back-to-back ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen asked Mason Miller to fetch five outs Saturday night.

The well-rested closer was not quite up to the task, but the Padres aren’t flinching much lately.

Miller served up a game-tying homer in the ninth inning, but David Morgan stranded the automatic runner in the 10th and rookie Ethan Salas...Read more

DENVER — Colorado’s most joyous baseball moment is immortalized in bronze.

The Rockies unveiled the Todd Helton statue on Saturday at 20th and Blake outside Coors Field, a freeze-frame of the Hall of Famer celebrating at first base after catching the final out that sent the club to its lone World Series in 2007.

Helton, who was enshrined ...Read more

DENVER — The outline to the Seattle Mariners’ 5-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies felt familiar because it followed one that’s been far too common this season.

— The Mariners grab an early lead against the starting pitcher then fail to add runs in the innings that follow.

— Seattle’s starter doesn’t provide a quality start, forcing ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — One two-run homer wasn’t enough. Two wasn’t either. Brandon Lowe offered a third.

Lowe blasted a two-run homer, the Pirates’ third of the game, in the eighth inning, leading the Pirates to a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night at PNC Park.

Lowe has homered four times in his last ...Read more

PHOENIX — The Yankees continued to treat Aaron Judge’s calf strain like classified CIA intel on Saturday, as neither the back-to-back MVP nor manager Aaron Boone shared a grade for the injury.

Actually, both claimed that they don’t even know the answer to that question before the Yankees played the Diamondbacks.

“I gotta talk to the ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers appeared to tie the score in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against the Chicago White Sox.

A Sean Burke pitch skipped away from catcher Kyle Teel on a swinging strike, and Riley Greene raced home safely.

Something about the sequence looked off to the Sox, who asked for a review.

“Just kind of ...Read more

NEW YORK — Bryson Stott flung his helmet to the ground, hard enough that part of it broke off and bounced away on the grass beyond first base.

He had hit a rollover ground ball to second base to end the top of the seventh inning, stifling the rally the Phillies had been brewing without a run to show for it.

The Phillies came through with ...Read more

BALTIMORE — In what could be his last start as an Oriole at Camden Yards, Trevor Rogers pitched like someone other MLB teams will want this offseason — and like someone Baltimore could certainly use in 2027 and beyond.

With the Orioles’ season hanging in the balance, Rogers shut down the National League-best Milwaukee Brewers at Camden ...Read more

NEW YORK — Carlos Beltrán still recalls the conversations with his wife.

After signing what was then the biggest contract in Mets history — a seven-year, $119 million mega-deal that began with the 2005 season — the star center fielder got off to a difficult start in Queens.

And the fans let him hear it.

“I was lucky enough to have a ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox have caused the Rays some problems this season, sweeping four games in Boston in the first series after the All-Star break and then taking the opener of the current series on Friday night.

Saturday evening, the Rays struck back.

Richie Palacios blooped a single to shallow right field to score Junior ...Read more

NEW YORK — Yankees legend Bernie Williams is bound for Broadway.

Williams, who is also a Latin Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist, is joining the band of “Buena Vista Social Club” at Schoenfeld Theatre on Broadway for a limited run, stretching from Oct. 22 to Nov. 29.

“I am excited about the opportunity to join ‘Buena Vista Social Club�...Read more

CHICAGO – Try as they might, the Detroit Tigers could not avoid their first losing season since 2023.

The Chicago White Sox, with their 3-1 win Saturday, slapped loss No. 82 on them at Rate Field.

And with the loss, the Tigers’ tragic number in the Central Division is down to one with the White Sox, who moved back into a first-place tie ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Trey Mancini is back where it all began, just as he knew he would be.

Just over a month after he announced his plans to step away from professional baseball, Mancini returned to Camden Yards on Saturday and signed a one-day contract to officially retire with the Orioles organization that drafted, developed and supported him ...Read more

NEW YORK — In the absence of Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, the mysterious power outages of Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Cal Raleigh, and the injuries to Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet, baseball’s postseason awards are coming into focus by ushering in a new wave of 20-something superstars.

Going into the weekend the teams with the best records ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — With eight games left in the regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have already ticked off the most important boxes on their postseason to-do list.

They clinched a playoff berth for a record-tying 14th straight season and won the division title for the fifth time in a row. And with Friday’s 8-2 victory over the San Francisco...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Nick Pivetta paid for one mistake Friday. It was hardly enough to weigh down the surging San Diego Padres.

The 33-year-old right-hander turned in five solid innings in his third start off the injured list, Ty France hit his career-best 21st homer and an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins in front of a sellout crowd of 42,765 at Petco ...Read more