Where were you when Albert Pujols became only the fourth big-leaguer to hit 700 home runs? In the dark? Because of a Major League Baseball decision, many now-grumbling Cardinals fans missed out on seeing live coverage of the milestone being reached on Friday night. The contest, an 11-0 Redbirds rout, was in a package of … Read more
NEW YORK — Four feet separated Aaron Judge from deliciously making history on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, the slugger’s ninth-inning drive exploding off his bat and soaring toward the legends’ Monument Park lair. Perhaps, on a warmer evening, the ball would have landed close to Roger Maris’ retired No. 9. We’ll never know. Because … Read more
SAN DIEGO — If the Padres, at long last, are playing like the best version of themselves — and based on the past four games worth of evidence, it’s starting to look that way, isn’t it? — they sure picked an opportune time to do so. In every facet, the Padres kept rolling on Tuesday … Read more
ST. PETERSBURG — For those who had been through the numerous Astros celebrations over the past seven years, the champagne tasted as sweet as it did the first time. And for those who were experiencing their first clinching celebration in a clubhouse Monday night, it may have tasted even better. “I’ve never been a part … Read more
MILWAUKEE — Almost exactly one year ago, the Mets watched from their dugout as the Brewers clinched a playoff berth at American Family Field. It had been a disappointing season for the Mets, whose promise never seemed to coalesce into quite enough success. As the Brewers celebrated at their expense, Francisco Lindor looked inward. “It … Read more
ST. LOUIS — A simple detail adhered to in Saturday’s 11th inning — Andrew Knizner running on the inside of the third-base line and causing a throwing error that won the Cardinals a game — perfectly describes the kind of team St. Louis talked about being this season when they were in Spring Training back … Read more
Judge Ohtani? Ohtani-Judge? Who’s your no. 1 in the MVP race? In the latest MLB.com MVP poll, there’s still one favorite between Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the American League. But the race is tightening as we enter the final weeks of the regular season. In the National League? Paul Goldschmidt looks like he’s … Read more
MLB’s new rules are trying to recapture a kind of baseball that will never exist against, due in part to bigger, stronger, faster players like the Yankee’s Aaron Judge.Image: Getty Images I don’t envy the task that MLB has. I also don’t believe that anyone in charge of it has any sense of the challenge, … Read more
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball is introducing some of its most radical rules next season, adopting a pitch clock and limiting defensive shifts after concluding modern analytics created a slower, less entertaining sport. The decisions were made Friday by the sport’s 11-man competition committee over the unanimous opposition of the panel’s four players. … Read more
PITTSBURGH — Once again, reports of the Mets’ demise have been greatly exaggerated. Between games of Wednesday’s doubleheader at PNC Park, Mets starter Chris Bassitt went out of his way to reference the idea (which he called “obviously a little extreme”) that the Mets’ three-game losing streak marked the beginning of an irrepressible spiral. The … Read more