Travis D’Arnaud, Braves rally in 7th, beat Marlins to open NLDS
HOUSTON — Ronald Acuna Jr. made history with his leadoff homer, Travis d’Arnaud hit a tiebreaking shot in Atlanta’s huge seventh inning and the Braves beat the Miami Marlins, 9-5, on Tuesday in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. D’Arnaud also doubled and singled in driving in four runs,...
Indians expect manager Terry Francona back for 2021 seasonVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians expect manager Terry Francona to return for the 2021 season after he missed 48 games in 2020 because of health issues. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Tuesday the 61-year-old Francona is back home in Arizona resting and recovering. Francona, a New Brighton native,...
Carlos Correa, George Springer rally Astros past A’s in ALDS opener
LOS ANGELES — A home run derby broke out during a hot, dry day at Dodger Stadium, and suddenly the Houston Astros have their swing and swagger back. Carlos Correa homered twice and drove in four, Jose Altuve hit a go-ahead, two-run single during Houston’s four-run sixth inning and the...
Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees power way to win against Rays in opener
SAN DIEGO — Giancarlo Stanton and the Bronx Bombers made themselves right at home in Petco Park on a warm October evening in Southern California. Stanton hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for New York’s fourth home run of the game, and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay...
Astros return to Los Angeles for ALDS series against A’s, pitcher Mike FiersVideo
LOS ANGELES — The Houston Astros are returning to the scene of the crime. The Los Angeles Dodgers won’t be there, but their fans surely won’t let the visitors forget. While the Dodgers head to Texas for the NL Division Series, their ballpark is hosting the AL Division Series in...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: MLB should keep rule changes and add even more
If big-time sports aren’t careful, the pandemic may inadvertently steer them into giving the people what they want. Hockey’s expanded playoff worked. Baseball’s expanded playoff is working. Baseball is slated to use the same format in 2021. Don’t be shocked if hockey sticks with a 24-team tournament. The postseason is...
Bob Gibson, legendary Cardinals ace, dies at 84
Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, the dominating St. Louis Cardinals pitcher who won a record seven consecutive World Series starts and set a modern standard for excellence when he finished the 1968 season with a 1.12 ERA, died Friday. He was 84. The Cardinals confirmed Gibson’s death shortly after a...
9 Padres pitchers blank Cardinals in Game 3, reach NLDS
SAN DIEGO — Craig Stammen and eight fellow relievers combined on a four-hitter in a brilliant, record-setting effort that sent the San Diego Padres over the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, on Friday night in the deciding Game 3 of their NL wild-card series. The Padres won a postseason series for...
Former commissioner’s name pulled off baseball MVP after 75 years
NEW YORK — The name of the former baseball commissioner who never had a Black player in the majors during his long reign is being pulled off all future MVP plaques after more than 75 years. Kenesaw Mountain Landis won’t be depicted on the annual awards presented by the Baseball...
Marlins sweep Cubs out of playoffs to continue turnaround
CHICAGO — Garrett Cooper homered against Yu Darvish in a two-run seventh, hard-throwing rookie Sixto Sanchez dominated for five innings and the Miami Marlins won their first playoff series in 17 years, beating the Chicago Cubs, 2-0, on Friday to complete a two-game wild-card series sweep. Miami will face Atlanta...
Clayton Kershaw Ks 13 as Dodgers eliminate Brewers
LOS ANGELES — Beat up in the postseason over the years, Clayton Kershaw orchestrated one of his best performances against the weakened Milwaukee Brewers. Kershaw struck out 13 while delivering eight innings of three-hit ball, Mookie Betts hit a two-out, two-run double in the fifth, and the Los Angeles Dodgers...
First Call: JuJu’s ‘cringeworthy’ quote, some Steelers not happy about schedule shuffleVideo
Friday’s “First Call” gives us some sassy Pittsburgh Steelers who are speaking out about the NFL’s schedule change. An ex-Steeler is surprised about JuJu Smith-Schuster’s quarterback comments. Duquesne basketball is getting some love. And a stroll down Pirates memory lane. Bye-bye, bye Some of the Steelers are less than thrilled...
Fernando Tatis Jr., Wil Myers homer twice, Padres outslug Cardinals to stay alive
SAN DIEGO — Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers each hit two home runs and Manny Machado also connected for the San Diego Padres, who rallied to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-9 Thursday night to force a deciding Game 3 in their NL wild-card series. San Diego’s powerful offense...
Ian Anderson shines, Braves shut out Reds again to sweep series
ATLANTA — It had been so long since the Atlanta Braves won a postseason series, Marcell Ozuna wanted to make sure he captured the moment. Then Adam Duvall joined the selfie bandwagon. Ian Anderson dazzled in another shutout performance for Atlanta, and the Braves won a playoff series for the...
Yanks sweep Indians 10-9 in draining game, meet Rays in ALDS
CLEVELAND — It took the New York Yankees nearly five hours on the field, carried them from Wednesday to Thursday and September into October to complete the sweep. They stumbled into the 2020 postseason. They’re standing tall now. DJ LeMahieu’s tiebreaking single in the ninth inning off closer Brad Hand...
Cardinals spoil Padres return to playoffsVideo
SAN DIEGO — Paul Goldschmidt hit a two-run homer during a four-run first inning, St. Louis’ bullpen held strong after starter Kwang Hyun Kim stumbled in his playoff debut and the Cardinals ruined the San Diego Padres’ long-awaited return to the playoffs with a 7-4 victory Wednesday in the opener...
A’s hold off White Sox, force series to Game 3Video
OAKLAND, Calif. — Marcus Semien and Khris Davis homered early, and the Oakland Athletics held off Jose Abreu and the Chicago White Sox in the late innings for a 5-3 win Wednesday that sent their AL playoff series to a deciding Game 3. A’s reliever Jake Diekman walked home a...
Hunter Renfroe slam helps Rays sweep young Blue Jays in 1st round
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam, and the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays won a postseason series for the first time in 12 years, overpowering the young Toronto Blue Jays, 8-2, on Wednesday to finish a two-game sweep of their AL wild-card matchup. Renfroe launched the first...
Former Pirate Corey Dickerson homers as Marlins beat Cubs in playoff openerVideo
CHICAGO — Corey Dickerson hit a three-run homer off a fading Kyle Hendricks in the seventh inning, and the Miami Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-1, on Wednesday in Game 1 of their NL wild-card series. Jesus Aguilar also homered, and Sandy Alcantara pitched three-hit ball into the seventh as...
Finally! Braves snap record drought to beat Reds in 13 innings
ATLANTA — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run in the 13th inning, finally ending the longest scoreless duel in postseason history as the Atlanta Braves defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0, in the opener of their NL wild-card series Wednesday. The East champion Braves won the first game of a...
Astros sweep as Twins lose 18th straight in playoffsVideo
MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa hit a two-out, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning for the Houston Astros, who produced another stifling pitching performance and swept Minnesota with a 3-1 victory Wednesday that sent the Twins to a record 18th straight postseason loss. Nine months after Houston’s rules-breaking, sign-stealing system...
Plum grad Alex Kirilloff becomes 1st position player in MLB history to record 1st big-league hit in postseason
First he got the call. Then he got the hit. Former Plum standout Alex Kirilloff recorded his first Major League hit Wednesday afternoon in the Minnesota Twins’ wild card matchup with the Houston Astros at Minnesota’s Target Field. Kirilloff delivered in the bottom of the fourth, scorching a pitch from...
Curses! Postseason losses continue for long-suffering teams
It was not a good start to the Major League Baseball postseason for those who don’t believe in curses. The Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics extended their string of postseason futility Tuesday with losses in the openers of their respective best-of-three, wild-card series. If they don’t win Game 2 on...
First Call: T.J. Watt’s historic pace, John Harbaugh not happy after K.C. loss, Gerrit Cole in playoff form
Wednesday’s “First Call” puts T.J. Watt’s hot start in a statistical perspective. John Harbaugh doesn’t have answers for his team’s defeat versus the Kansas Chiefs. Gerrit Cole is off to a hot start in the playoffs. And some unbelievable numbers about sports gambling. What’s Watt? How good has T.J. Watt...
No debate: Aaron Judge, Yankees pound Bieber, Indians in openerVideo
CLEVELAND — Aaron Judge smashed a tone-setting, two-run homer on Shane Bieber’s fourth pitch, Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and the New York Yankees opened the AL playoffs with a resounding 12-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Just a few miles from where the Trump-Biden presidential debate...
