Mark Vientos hit a tiebreaking, two-run single during a five-run outburst in the fifth inning as the indefatigable New York Mets continued their thrilling week by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 in an NL Wild Card Series opener.

Boston’s Triston Casas homered in his first three at-bats in the opener of a split doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.

Pinch-hitter Jesse Winker led off the ninth inning with his first home run for the New York Mets, giving them another rousing 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

Francisco Alvarez hit a solo home run with one out in the ninth inning to give the New York Mets a 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

J.

Catchers are finding a way to contribute as much at the plate as behind it while withstanding the challenges that come from playing the game’s most taxing position.

Patrick Bailey hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman saved San Francisco with a defensive gem and the Giants came back from another big deficit to beat the staggering New York Mets 8-7.

Atlanta’s Max Fried and two relievers combined for a no-hitter through 8 2/3 innings before New York’s J.

New York’s J.

When Willson Contreras was struck on his left arm by a swing, it was felt by former and current catchers all over the major leagues.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras broke his left forearm when he was hit by a swing during their game against the New York Mets.

Agent Scott Boras defended himself and the leadership of the Major League Baseball Players Association against a faction pushing for a change in the union’s lead negotiator.

Cody Bellinger is going back to the Chicago Cubs, agreeing to an $80 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.

Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and Aaron Nola were among the 130 players who became free agents as baseball’s business season began the day following the Texas Rangers’ first World Series title.

Juan Soto hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the ninth inning, and the San Diego Padres rallied from an early five-run deficit for an 11-8 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chris Taylor and pinch-hitter J.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge faced live pitching on Sunday for the first time since tearing a ligament in his right toe on June 3.

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has been elected to his 11th All-Star Game and four Texas Rangers were chosen by fans for the American League’s lineup for the July 11 game at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

James Outman scored the go-ahead run on a balk by Houston reliever Ryan Stanek in a wild eighth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Astros 8-7 for their fourth straight victory.

Two days after the New York Yankees said Aaron Judge possibly could start baseball activities this weekend, the slugger said he has a torn ligament in his right big toe and is not quite ready.

José Ramírez homered in his first three at-bats to power the Cleveland Guardians to a 10-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Anthony Rizzo scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a grounder and the New York Yankees edged the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1 in what was a pitchers' duel for six innings between Domingo Germán and Bobby Miller.

The New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-3.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge knocked open the door of the visiting bullpen at Dodger Stadium while making a spectacular running catch in the eighth inning.

Isaac Paredes homered and drove in four runs as the MLB-best Tampa Bay Rays took two of three from the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers with an 11-10 victory.

Clayton Kershaw delivered a vintage performance for his 200th win, pitching seven splendid innings of three-hit ball as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 5-0.

Rafael Devers has agreed to an 11-year extension worth $331 million with the Boston Red Sox.

J.

Brady Singer pitched out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam in the third and finished with six strong innings to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 9-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The New York Yankees have placed All-Star closer Clay Holmes on the injured list because of back soreness, part of a flurry of moves for the struggling AL East leaders.

J.

Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0.

The Juan Soto sweepstakes come down to the wire, with baseball’s trade deadline fast approaching at 6 p.m. EDT.

When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday’s trade deadline would have a little juice.

Cleveland pitcher Zach Plesac threw the ball completely out of Fenway Park as the grounds crew began to bring out the tarp, and the Boston Red Sox ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Guardians 3-1.

The players’ association has rejected what Major League Baseball called its final offer for an international draft, a move that will keep direct draft-pick compensation in place for free agents and likely limit the market for some older players.

The market for a free agent group that includes Anthony Rizzo, J.

Raimel Tapia had three hits and drove in four runs, giving him 10 RBIs for the series, and Vladimir Guerrero had four hits for the Toronto Blue Jays as they pounded the bumbling Boston Red Sox 8-4 to complete a three-game sweep.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout will miss the All-Star Game because of back spasms, joining Bryce Harper on the sidelines and depriving the showcase of two of baseball’s best-known players.

Shohei Ohtani makes his final start before heading to the All-Star Game and hopes to lead Los Angeles to a better result against Houston’s Cristian Javier, who struck out 14 Angels on July 1.

San Francisco left-hander Carlos Rodón, Boston designated hitter J.

Jeter Downs’ bases-loaded blooper dropped in to break a sixth-inning tie as the Boston Red Sox scored nine unanswered runs to rally past the New York Yankees 11-6.

Major League Baseball will certainly soon be handing out penalties after the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels got into a huge brawl at Anaheim.

Freddie Freeman is sure to get a huge ovation when he returns to Truist Park for the first time since helping lead the Atlanta Braves to the World Series championship.

Paul Blackburn continued his road success by pitching sharply into the sixth inning, Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run single and the Oakland Athletics held off the Boston Red Sox 4-3 for just their second victory in 15 games.

Luis Castillo struck out 10 while pitching six innings of one-hit ball, and the Cincinnati Reds beat Boston 2-1 for their first victory at Fenway Park since Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.

Franchy Cordero hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the surging Boston Red Sox to an 8-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

The Astros tied the MLB record for most home runs in an inning, hitting five off Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi as part of a nine-run second to help Houston rout Boston 13-4.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora shaved his beard before Tuesday night's game against the Braves, hoping a new vibe might help Boston snap its five-game losing streak.

The scraped-up White Sox hope third baseman Yoán Moncada can make his season debut when Chicago opens a three-game home series against Cleveland.

Shohei Ohtani struck out 11 over seven shutout innings, had two hits and drove in a run in the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Kevin Gausman took a shutout into the ninth inning and Jordan Romano escaped with a save as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2.

Michael Wacha pitched five shutout innings in his Fenway Park debut with Boston and Trevor Story drove in his first two runs in his new home, leading the Red Sox to a 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Miguel Sanó hit a two-run homer, rookie Joe Ryan allowed one run over six innings, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Red Sox 8-4 in Boston’s home opener.

Bobby Dalbec hit a tiebreaking solo homer in the sixth inning and the Boston Red Sox avoided a season-opening sweep against their longtime rival with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees.

Josh Donaldson capped his Yankees debut with an RBI single in the 11th inning, lifting New York over the Boston Red Sox 6-5 for its first walk-off win on opening day since Yogi Berra crossed the plate in 1957.

Baseball’s bitter 99-day lockout moved a little further back in the rearview mirror when spring training games began Thursday.

World Series MVP Jorge Soler, Freddie Freeman and Eddie Rosario of the champion Atlanta Braves are among 160 players who became free agents as an uncertain offseason started with a lockout threat looming.

Framber Valdez gave the Houston Astros the start they were looking for.

Kyle Schwarber's grand slam helped the Red Sox rout the Houston Astros 12-3 take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series.

Kyle Schwarber hit Boston’s third grand slam in two games, a drive off José Urquidy in a six-run second, and the Red Sox took a 9-0 lead after three innings against the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series.

The Dodgers are ready to start ace Max Scherzer in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against Atlanta, a day after manager Dave Roberts scratched the veteran right-hander to get him an extra day of rest.

The Boston Red Sox became the first team to slug two grand slams in a postseason game, with J.

The Boston Red Sox became the first team with two grand slams in a postseason game in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.

Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning that helped the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Sooner than many baseball fans wanted, maybe, but the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the NL Division Series at Oracle Park.

The Boston Red Sox have been celebrating home runs by giving the hitter a ride through the dugout in a laundry cart.

The AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays saw their record-setting season come to a sudden end Monday night when they lost to the Boston Red Sox 6-5 in Game 4 of their Division Series and were eliminated in the best-of-five playoff.

J.

J.

Red Sox slugger J.

The 107-win Giants and 106-win Dodgers are ready to throw out all those wins and settle their season-long clash with a best-of-five NL Division Series in San Francisco.

Boston slugger J.

The 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers put their season on the line in the NL wild-card game against the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals.

Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Schwarber homered off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to help the Boston Red Sox beat New York 6-2 in the AL wild-card game.

Designated hitter J.

The Red Sox and Yankees resume their rivalry in the playoffs in Tuesday night's AL wild-card game.

Every year, the day after the regular season can be dicey for managers whose teams didn’t do so well.

The Boston Red Sox have clinched a playoff berth on the regular season’s final day and will host the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card game after coming back to beat the Washington Nationals 7-5 on a tiebreaking two-run homer by Rafael Devers in the ninth inning.

Boston Red Sox slugger J.

Christian Vázquez tripled home the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of a postseason berth with a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals.

Gerrit Cole took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Austin Meadows hit a tying, inside-the-park homer in the ninth inning, Nelson Cruz had a go-ahead single in the 10th and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 11-10.

Franmil Reyes homered over the Green Monster to spark a three-run third inning _ Cleveland’s franchise-record tying 19th straight game with a home run _ and the Indians salvaged the finale of the series with an 11-5 victory over the COVID-impacted Boston Red Sox.

Randy Arozarena, rookie Wander Franco and the Tampa Bay Rays won their ninth straight game, breaking away from Boston soon after Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was pulled because of a positive COVID-19 test.

Red Sox ace Chris Sale joined Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers on record with three immaculate innings, Bobby Dalbec homered twice and Boston beat the Minnesota Twins 12-2.

Bolstered by Chris Sale’s first major league appearance in just over two years, the Boston Red Sox hit five homers while pounding Baltimore 16-2, handing the Orioles their 10th straight loss.

Bobby Dalbec drove in a career-high five runs, Xander Bogaerts and Hunter Renfroe each had four RBIs and the Boston Red Sox routed the Tampa Bay Rays 20-8.

Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and the World Series champion Dodgers have been hitting on almost all cylinders this season.

The Boston Red Sox have put slugger J.

Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees is pitching a no-hitter through seven innings against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Domingo Germán of the New York Yankees is pitching a no-hitter through six innings against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

J.

Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.

The second half of the major league baseball season begins with one game Thursday night when Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and the AL East-leading Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium.

Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is out for the season, headed for surgery after suffering a complete tear of the ACL in his right knee during a game in Miami.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 32nd homer and broke the single-season major league record for homers by a Japanese player during the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Shohei Ohtani pitched seven innings of five-hit ball and hit an early RBI double, leading the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Shohei Ohtani achieved a first in the near century history of baseball’s All-Star Game: selection as both a hitter and a pitcher.

Major League Baseball will deal with Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago, the first player ejected under the new crackdown against grip-enhancing sticky stuff.