GABE KAPLER

Slade Cecconi’s first career strikeout might go down as one of the most unique in the majors.

Matt Carpenter capped an eighth-inning rally with a tiebreaking, two-run double off the glove of diving centerfielder Mike Yastrzemski, and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 for a two-game sweep of Major League Baseball’s first regular-season series in Mexico City.

Left-hander Taylor Rogers is joining twin brother Tyler as a reliever with the San Francisco Giants, agreeing to a $33 million, three-year contract.

Buster Posey has joined the San Francisco Giants ownership group less than a year after retiring.

Brandon Crawford hit a game-ending two-run homer off Ian Kennedy moments after Thairo Estrada’s two-out triple, and the San Francisco Giants rallied past the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1.

Julio Urias won his eighth consecutive decision and Miguel Vargas drove in two runs in his major league debut as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0.

The Royals will be without 10 of the 26 players on their active roster for their upcoming trip to Toronto due to Canadian restrictions on travelers who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.

Jack Suwinski hit his third homer of the game in the ninth inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3, walk-off victory over the San Francisco Giants to avoid a three-game sweep.

Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt could set the longest hitting streak of his career if he’s successful in both games of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler stood just outside the third base dugout at Citizens Bank Park for the national anthem, taking a break on Memorial Day from his protest against the direction of the nation.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler says he might return to the field for the national anthem in recognition of Memorial Day when his team opens a three-game series at Philadelphia.

Several of Gabe Kapler’s fellow managers are offering their support for his decision to avoid the field during the national anthem as a protest following the school shootings in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler says he will refuse to take the field for the U.S. national anthem in a protest over the nation’s political direction following this week’s school shooting in Texas.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson said Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham slapped him prior to Friday’s series opener over a dispute about their fantasy football league.

Mookie Betts and Max Muncy homered, Freddie Freeman added a two-run triple and the Los Angeles Dodgers swept a short series from the San Francisco Giants with a 9-1 victory.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their annual rivalry series against the San Francisco Giants with a 3-1 victory.

The New York Mets are upset after several of their hitters have been hit by pitches over the first few weeks of the season.

Austin Slater smacked a three-run homer as part of a seven-run second inning against struggling Washington starter Patrick Corbin, and the San Francisco Giants cruised past the Nationals 7-1.

Miguel Cabrera should get to swing for his 3,000th career hit after his pursuit was delayed a day by a rainout.

Carlos Carrasco pitched into the eighth inning for the first time in almost three years, leading the New York Mets over the San Francisco Giants 6-2.

Max Scherzer pitched no-hit ball into the sixth inning of his anticipated home debut and the New York Mets rode their $130 million ace to a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants for a doubleheader sweep.

Thairo Estrada drove in four runs, Alex Wood continued San Francisco’s superb starting pitching and the Giants completed a three-game sweep with an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in football-like weather.

San Francisco Giants coach Antoan Richardson and San Diego Padres coach Mike Shildt hugged on the field before their teams played each other Wednesday.

Detroit Tigers lefty Eduardo Rodríguez gets a look at his former teammates when he pitches against Boston at Comerica Park.

Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game, and the Giants pounded the San Diego Padres 13-2.

Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular-season game when she took her spot for the San Francisco Giants against San Diego.

Manny Machado’s RBI groundout in the seventh inning put San Diego ahead, Austin Nola hit his first home run of the season and the Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.

Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash has become the second skipper to win Manager of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons, taking this year's American League award.

Only the San Francisco Giants themselves envisioned a season with success quite like this.

It’s always been one of the most murky areas in baseball: What exactly constitutes a check-swing.

A stellar season for the San Francisco Giants ended when Wilmer Flores was called out on a disputed check-swing to end a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deciding Game 5 of the NL Division Series.

Julio Urías won’t start after all for the Dodgers in the deciding Game 5 of their NL Division Series against the Giants, giving Los Angeles a left-hander out of the bullpen who has been tough on lefty hitters.

It is only fitting that 70 years after Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ’Round the World” that the Giants and Dodgers will play in another all-or-nothing game.

Evan Longoria homered off Max Scherzer in the fifth inning and the San Francisco Giants edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on a blustery night to take a 2-1 lead in their NL Division Series.

Alex Wood is coming home to start Game 3 of the NL Division Series at Dodger Stadium.

Logan Webb struck out 10 pitching masterfully in his postseason debut, Buster Posey hit a two-run homer that held up, and the 107-win San Francisco Giants blanked the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the opener of their NL Division Series.

Logan Webb will start for the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Friday night against the Cardinals or Dodgers.

The San Francisco Giants finally won the NL West without needing to wait for the rival Dodgers' result on the season’s final day, pounding the San Diego Padres 11-4 for a franchise-record 107th victory to top the 1904 New York team.

Cleveland will play its final home game as the Indians, the team’s nickname since 1915.

Pinch-hitting pitcher Kevin Gausman lofted a full-count, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th inning and the San Francisco Giants edged the Atlanta Braves 6-5 to increase their NL West lead.

Buster Posey homered in the first inning and scored the go-ahead run on an error in the third, and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 6-1 for their ninth straight victory a day after becoming the first team in the big leagues to clinch a playoff berth.

The surprising San Francisco Giants became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season, hitting four home runs to beat the San Diego Padres 9-1 on Monday night for their season-high eighth consecutive victory.

Kris Bryant drew a pair of standing ovations in his return to Wrigley Field, then Evan Longoria and Brandon Belt homered in the seventh inning to send the San Francisco Giants over the Chicago Cubs 6-1 for their fifth straight win.

Steven Duggar hit a tiebreaking two-run triple after being called up earlier in the day, Brandon Belt homered, and the San Francisco Giants wrapped up their key weekend series against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-4 win to take the NL West lead.

Trea Turner and Corey Seager homered, Julio Urías won his seventh straight decision, and the Los Angeles Dodgers moved into a tie for first place with San Francisco atop the NL West Division with a 6-1 victory over the Giants.

Thairo Estrada hit a three-run homer during San Francisco’s four-run eighth inning, and the Giants beat the Brewers 5-1 to avoid a four-game sweep.

Jace Peterson hit a go-ahead single in the seventh, Lorenzo Cain homered for a second straight game and the Milwaukee Brewers knocked the San Francisco Giants out of the top spot in the National League for the first time in more than three months.

Right-hander Johnny Cueto was scratched from his scheduled start for San Francisco against Milwaukee because of cold and flu-like symptoms, while fellow Giants starter Alex Wood tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms.

Jorge Soler and Austin Riley homered off Anthony DeSclafani, Ian Anderson pitched into the sixth inning in his return from the injured list, and the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0.

Logan Webb threw seven strong innings to win his seventh consecutive decision, Tommy La Stella and Mike Yastrzemski each homered and drove in two runs, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves 5-0.

Jorge Soler hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning, Joc Pederson made a leaping catch at the wall for the final out and the Atlanta Braves rallied to beat San Francisco 6-5 to end the Giants’ five-game winning streak.

Kris Bryant homered in his Giants debut, a two-out solo shot in the third inning, and San Francisco beat the Houston Astros 5-3 on Sunday.

José Altuve hit a grand slam in the sixth one inning after putting Houston ahead on a solo homer, and the AL-leading Houston Astros held off the San Francisco Giants 9-6 in a matchup of baseball’s top two teams.

Buster Posey and Wilmer Flores hit back-to-back homers in the first inning, Thairo Estrada had a key double in the seventh and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 in the opener of a pivotal four-game series between the NL West rivals.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound, taking on Kevin Gausman and the Giants at Angel Stadium.

The Arizona Diamondbacks dropped their 22nd straight road game, matching the 1963 Mets and ’43 Philadelphia Athletics for the major league record with a 13-7 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

Erick Fedde returned after nearly a month on the COVID-19 injured list and pitched five sharp innings, Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff homer and the Washington Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 2-0 to open a doubleheader.

The San Francisco Giants placed Evan Longoria on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder sprain before Sunday’s series finale against the Chicago Cubs.

The St. Louis Cardinals will need to re-do their rotation now that ace Jack Flaherty will be sidelined for a while with what manager Mike Shildt termed a “significant” oblique injury.

Kevin Gausman pitched six shutout innings and Mauricio Dubón hit one of two homers off Clayton Kershaw, helping the San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4.

Late Friday night, Gabe Kapler called old teammate Scott Kazmir with wonderful news that the veteran left-hander would be needed in San Francisco to start the next day.

Andrew Knapp hit the winning single in the ninth inning, Bryce Harper hit a tying solo homer in the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5.

The Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox begin at 11:05 a.m. at Fenway Park in the annual Patriots’ Day game.

Kapler said he experienced no side effects from his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. He said others, who looked into vaccination possibilities in the Phoenix area at the end of spring training, had Moderna or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shots. Opening day is Thursday at Seattle, and Kapler says any of his players who need some downtime before then will have it. School officials said COVID-19 opt-outs made it impossible to field the required number of players in key position groups to meet Southern Conference playing guidelines. The Mocs were 3-2 this spring and were set to head to Western Carolina for a game on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Right-hander Kevin Gausman’s impressive day at spring training had nothing to do with any of the usual statistics, like strikeouts or innings pitched. Batting practice for San Francisco's pitchers took on a non-traditional look Thursday at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona. But the stands won't be empty — or full — when the Giants host their spring training opener Sunday. Scottsdale Stadium will have the lowest capacity at 9%, which is about 1,000 fans for Giants home games. Spectators at Scottsdale Stadium may get to see Gausman throw his lively fastball, but not a look at his Fungo golf skills.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)SAN FRANCISCO – Versatile infielder Tommy La Stella completed an $18.75 million, three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, giving the club a reliable left-handed hitter with a track record of getting on base. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi values versatility, and La Stella provides it. He played 33 games at second base during the shortened 60-game 2020 schedule, 10 at first, six at third and another nine as designated hitter. The contract includes La Stella making yearly donations to the Giants Community Fund of $10,000 this year, $26,250 in ‘22 and $57,500 in ’23. To open room for La Stella on the 40-man roster, San Francisco designated outfielder Luis Alexander Básabe for assignment.

Klentak stepped down after a third straight September collapse left the team out of the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. “We’ve made progress but we haven’t made enough progress fast enough,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said. Klentak was hired in October 2015 by team President Andy MacPhail after serving as assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels for four seasons. The Phillies had the worst bullpen ERA in the majors this season and it didn't improve after Klentak acquired four veterans in trades. The Phillies went 161-163 under Kapler before Middleton overruled Klentak and MacPhail and fired him last year.

If St. Louis loses and San Francisco wins, the Cardinals would make up two games against Detroit on Monday that were postponed this season due to St. Louis' coronavirus outbreak. If the Giants and Brewers win, San Francisco needs St. Louis to lose both games against the Tigers on Monday. The 37-year-old Pence helped San Francisco to World Series championships in 2012 and 2014. A career .279 hitter, he had 244 home runs and 942 RBIs for Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Texas. “He had a tremendous career, did a ton for the community in San Francisco and obviously for the San Francisco Giants,” Kapler said.

Seattle Mariners left fielder Tim Lopes reaches into seats occupied by cutouts while unsuccessfully trying to catch a foul by hit by San Francisco Giants' Wilmer Flores during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Donovan Solano and Mauricio Dubon hit early RBI singles as the Giants backed Drew Smyly (1-0) and snapped a three-game losing streak with a “road” victory at Oracle Park. Crawford contributed a two-out shot in the seventh and Mike Yastrzemski added an RBI double as the Giants pounded out 15 hits. Some went straight to Oracle Park upon landing in San Francisco, while others opted to stop by the team hotel. Game time temperature in San Francisco, 71 degrees.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler, left, speaks with general manager Scott Harris after hearing the team's baseball game against the San Diego Padres had been postponed, Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)SAN DIEGO – The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres will play a doubleheader Sunday after it was determined that a Giants player received a false positive on a coronavirus test, Major League Baseball announced. Games on Friday and Saturday were postponed following the positive test, the first postponements due to COVID-19 for both teams. There have been 45 major league games postponed this season because of coronavirus concerns. But the Padres didn’t take the field and the team announced minutes before the scheduled first pitch that the game had been postponed.

Smoke from California wildfires obscures the sky over Oracle Park as the Seattle Mariners take batting practice before their baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in San Francisco. By mid-morning across San Francisco Bay, the Giants Oracle Park resembled a black-and-orange horror scene. Little experiment on my behalf today.Still, the air quality was below 100 about two hours before first pitch. AL West-leading Oakland was set to face the Houston Astros, while across San Francisco Bay the Giants were hosting the Seattle Mariners. The NFL's San Francisco 49ers practiced in similar conditions at their Santa Clara facility in the South Bay on Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)SAN FRANCISCO Evan Longoria and Darin Ruf launched back-to-back home runs in the second inning and the Giants spoiled Madison Bumgarners return to San Francisco with a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night. His 119 wins are third-most in San Francisco history and his 1,794 strikeouts rank second. Joey Bart and Mauricio Dubn added consecutive RBI triples in the sixth to give San Francisco a 4-1 lead. San Francisco improved to 6-2 against the Diamondbacks this season, outscoring them 39-23. He went 2-1 with a 4.11 ERA in three starts against San Francisco last season.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner throws a pitch against the San Diego Padres in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)A look at what's happening around the majors on Saturday:HERE COMES MADBUMFormer Giants ace Madison Bumgarner will face his former club at last when he takes the mound for the Arizona Diamondbacks in San Francisco. I feel like Im pretty good at pushing all that stuff aside, the 2014 World Series MVP said. He had a 2.90 ERA in 411 appearances with the Cubs over seven years, mostly in a setup role. He was a key member of the 2016 team that won the franchises first World Series title since 1908.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy, right, celebrates with Justin Turner, second from left, and A.J. Sam Selman (1-0) recorded the final out in the top of the 11th for the victory. Justin Turner began on second base in the 10th inning and scored the go-ahead run on Bart's wild throw past third immediately after a passed ball. The Dodgers flew late in the day to the Bay Area to give players time for treatment or optional workouts. ... RHP Jeff Samardzija, sidelined by inflammation in his throwing shoulder, is throwing on flat ground and is scheduled for his first bullpen Wednesday.

Houston Astros' Martin Maldonado hits a three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)HOUSTON Martn Maldonado hit a three-run home run to back a strong start by Zack Greinke and help the Houston Astros to a 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. Maldonado then knocked his two-strike homer into the seats in left field to make it 5-1. San Francisco starter Trevor Cahill, who was selected to the Major League roster before the game, walked four in 1 2/3 innings. UP NEXTGiants: San Francisco is off on Thursday before Johnny Cueto (1-0, 5.40) is scheduled to start on Friday night in the first of three games against Oakland.

San Francisco Giants' Mike Yastrzemski watches his game-ending solo home run against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)SAN FRANCISCO Mike Yastrzemski homered twice, the second a towering solo shot into McCovey Cove in the ninth inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants past the San Diego Padres 7-6 on Wednesday night. Our players have actually talked about it this team is full of fighters, San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. After Tyler Rogers (1-1) worked the ninth, Yastrzemski homered off Matt Strahm (0-1) in the bottom of the inning to give San Francisco the walkoff victory. RHP Kevin Gausman (0-0, 4.50) will make his first start for San Francisco.

Later, Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw takes on the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. This opening day doubleheader begins the most unusual year in the history of Major League Baseball. MLB players can put a patch with Black Lives Matter or United For Change on a jersey sleeve during opening day. The 27-year-old Betts helped beat the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series when he was the AL MVP for Boston. The six-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion and 2012 NL MVP and his wife have adopted twin identical girls who were born prematurely.

DHs in the National League, well, OK. An automatic runner on second to start the 10th inning? If this is what its going to be, this is whats going to be, Scherzer said. Four months after the games were supposed to start, strange ball is better than no ball, right? Opening day brings a tasty doubleheader: a marquee pitching matchup in Washington, followed by the nightcap at Dodger Stadium when Clayton Kershaw taking on the San Francisco Giants. Is it going to be perfect the very first day? As manager Bob Melvin said.

San Francisco Giants' manager Gabe Kapler kneels during the national anthem prior to an exhibition baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)OAKLAND, Calif. San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before Monday night's exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics. Kapler, beginning his first season managing the Giants after two disappointing years guiding the Phillies, didn't discuss his plans to kneel in a pregame session with media members. Kapler has been outspoken about social injustice and racial issues and athletes' roles in helping spur positive change. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial inequality and police mistreatment of minorities. Former A's catcher Bruce Maxwell in 2017 became the first major leaguer to kneel for the anthem since Kaepernick began his silent protest.

The Giants were playing an exhibition game at Oakland on Monday night with no fans after a months-long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It turned out Davis had all kinds of support on every side of him, including from first-year San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler, who also took a knee before the Giants' 6-2 victory. So did first base coach Antoan Richardson, while shortstop Brandon Crawford stood between Davis and Richardson with a hand on each man's shoulder. The 26-year-old Davis, who is Black, said it was a difficult decision to kneel given he is a rookie. Then Yastrzemski and Hunter Pence pulled him aside and assured the right fielder they would support him regardless.

The San Francisco Giants suspended workouts at Oracle Park as they awaited the results of weekend tests for the coronavirus. Rodriguez, who broke out in 2019 as a star, and Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec tested positive for the virus. Manager Ron Roenicke said it is just unfortunate the positive test could jeopardize Rodriguezs chances to start on opening day. Also, the Kansas City Royals announced right-hander Brad Keller and first baseman Ryan OHearn had positive tests and gave the team permission to announce the results. Some Washington players did not take part in workouts, including Starlin Castro, Juan Soto, Howie Kendrick and Victor Robles.

OAKLAND, Calif. Jake Diekman has serious questions about Major League Baseball's ability to pull off a season given the issues everywhere getting timely test results, forcing delays and cancellations of workouts. Once the regular season hits theres no way Im opting out, but if they dont get the testing figured out then this whole thing will get shut down, Diekman said Tuesday. During the season theres no way we can go 72 hours or longer without knowing our result, theres just no way. I don't want to get sick and represents others who must take added precautions because of an underlying condition. There's a little part in everyone's mind that thinks this whole thing's going to get shut down, Diekman said.

Martin Prado #14 of the Miami Marlins is hugged by Starlin Castro #13 after he was removed from the game during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Harper got two hits and a standing ovation to close out his first season with the Phillies, who finished at 81-81 after a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Phillies had a big hump in attendance this season to 2,727,421 from 2,158,124, their highest since 2013. Starlin Castro homered and doubled, and Martin Prado and Isan Diaz also went deep for the Marlins (57-105), who finished with a losing record for the 10th straight season. UP NEXTThe Phillies and Marlins will open the 2020 season playing each other in Miami on March 26.