Pujols homers, gets 3 hits to propel Cards past Royals 6-5
Albert Pujols called his shot. The veteran slugger told Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol he was going to hit the first pitch he saw Tuesday night for a home run — and then did just that. Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner launched a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Tuesday night.
news.yahoo.comLEADING OFF: Opening day! Guardians debut, Ohtani and Braves
Cubs veteran Kyle Hendricks is set to deliver the first pitch of the season against Corbin Burnes and Milwaukee at Wrigley Field just past 2:20 p.m. EDT, the first of seven games still on the calendar amid rainy forecasts across the country.
The Latest: Astros force series back to Houston with 9-5 win
Carlos Correa had three hits, Martin Maldonado found three different ways to drive in runs and pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez blooped a tiebreaking, two-run single in the fifth inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Atlanta Braves 9-5 and cut their World Series deficit to three games to two.
Swing, then miss it: MLB pitchers could bat for final time
Grinning the whole time, Zack Greinke slipped into his Astros warmup jacket, joked with Freddie Freeman and got a friendly pat from the Atlanta star first baseman. Because after Game 5 of the World Series, they could become almost extinct. There’s a good chance Major League Baseball will bring the designated hitter to the National League next year — likely forever.
news.yahoo.comUnlikely hero, 2 HRs carry Braves to brink of Series title
A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it. Just like that, Atlanta is one win from its first World Series title in 26 years. Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler connected for back-to-back homers in the seventh inning Saturday night, propelling the Braves to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros and a commanding 3-1 Series lead.
news.yahoo.comThe Latest: Braves take 3-1 series lead with Game 4 win
Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning, propelling the Atlanta Braves to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros and a three games to one lead in the World Series. The Braves can wrap up the title on their home field, just as they did two stadiums ago when they beat the Cleveland Indians in 1995. Swanson’s one-out drive made it 2-all and Soler followed with a liner to left field off reliever Cristian Javier.
news.yahoo.comAstros scramble after pitchers pounded for 25 runs by Boston
Houston's pitching staff will need to adjust quickly after allowing 25 runs and 32 hits to Boston in the first three games of the AL Championship Series, a barrage that made the loss of injured Lance McCullers Jr. seem acute. Kyle Schwarber hit Boston’s third grand slam in an 11-inning span, a drive off starter José Urquidy as part of a six-run second inning in Monday night's 12-3 rout that gave the Red Sox a 2-1 series lead. Boston hit four home runs, raising its total to nine off Astros pitching, which has a 7.96 ERA.
news.yahoo.comSiri, McCormick rally AL West-leading Astros past D-backs
Jose Siri and Chas McCormick hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, rallying the AL West-leading Houston Astros over the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 on Sunday. Carlos Correa also homered as the Astros held their comfortable division lead over Oakland. Houston won for the fourth time in five games and cut Tampa Bay’s lead for the best record in the AL to 3 ½ games.
news.yahoo.comHey Siri! Astros rookie homers twice in 15-1 win at Rangers
Hey Siri, this was a first start to remember after all of those years working to get to the majors. Jose Siri homered twice and added a two-run single while becoming the first big league player since RBIs became official in 1920 to have two homers and five RBIs in a first career start as the AL West-leading Houston Astros overwhelmed the last-place Texas Rangers 15-1 on Monday night. “I feel really happy, I feel really proud of myself to be able to accomplish that," Siri, who finished 4 for 5 and scored three times, said through a translator.
news.yahoo.comLEADING OFF: Cole a go, Greinke returns, Brewers make pitch
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (14-7, 2.78 ERA), pushed back because of left hamstring tightness, is set to start on six days’ rest at Baltimore. Cole will have a new shortstop behind him, too, after New York moved error-prone Gleyber Torres to second base Monday. Torres will spend the rest of the season at second, manager Aaron Boone said.
news.yahoo.comYankees' Cole demands ball, completes 3-hit gem vs Astros
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole demanded on the mound that manager Aaron Boone let him get the final out, then struck out Yordan Alvarez with a 99 mph fastball on his career-high 129th pitch to cap the New York Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Houston Astros.
Scherzer faces deGrom in spring game, rematch on opening day
Scherzer will make his Nationals-record sixth opening day start April 1, facing the New York Mets in Washington. The original lineup released by Washington before the game featured a designated hitter; that was revised to include Scherzer batting for himself. DeGrom struck him out, part of his 4 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits and five Ks. YANKEES 8, BLUE JAYS 3Gerritt Cole struck out eight in five innings, allowing one run in his fourth spring start for New York. BRAVES 11, RAYS 1Atlanta starter Max Fried gave up three hits and struck out five over six innings.
Seeing is believing: Bauer shuts eye, pitches shutout ball
Bauer wound up pitching three scoreless innings with the creative approach, striking out three while allowing two hits and a walk. Known for speaking his mind and going his own way, Bauer said he regularly shuts one eye during bullpen sessions and other workouts. METS 6, ASTROS 1 (6)Jacob deGrom pitched two scoreless innings in his spring debut, striking out three and allowing one hit. AdBLUE JAYS 7, PHILLIES 1 (7)Newcomer Tanner Roark made his first start for Toronto, allowing one hit in two scoreless innings. Jorge López threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Boone takes leave for pacemaker; Lester to have surgery
I look forward to getting back to work in the next several days.”LESTER SURGERYWashington Nationals left-hander Jon Lester is leaving spring training camp to have surgery for the removal of his thyroid gland. He underwent chemotherapy treatments and returned to the Red Sox at spring training before the following season. Soto’s spring training start was delayed because he fouled a ball off his right foot in live batting practice Sunday. Martinez had two hits for a second straight game, driving in his first two runs of spring training. Jarred Kelenic, Seattle’s top prospect, hit a two-run homer and Taylor Trammell hit a solo homer.
Gerrit Cole agrees to historic $324 million deal with Yankees, reports say
Various outlets, including ESPN and, report the Yankees and Cole have agreed on a nine-year deal valued at roughly $324 million. The deal comes a day after the Washington Nationals announced another Boras-negotiated contract for 2019 World Series Most Valuable Player Stephen Strasburg a seven-year deal valued at $245 million. Rounding out the remaining pitchers with an AAV of $30 million or more is Astros pitcher Justin Verlander ($33 million), Boston Red Sox lefty David Price ($31 million), Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw ($31 million), and Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer ($30 million). Once official, Cole's contract will be the fourth largest deal in MLB history behind Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton ($325 million), Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper ($330 million), and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout ($426.5 million). Padres third baseman Manny Machado is the only other player with a contract valued at $300 million or more.
cnbc.comWashington Nationals defeat Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 7 to win World Series
The Washington Nationals came back Wednesday night from being down two runs for most of the game to win 6-2 and become World Champions. It's the first World Series win in the history of the Nationals' franchise. Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin and the Nats brought the first World Series championship to the nation's capital since ol' Walter Johnson delivered the crown for the Senators in 1924. So close to seeing the Astros win their second crown in three years, they watched their chance suddenly vanish as Houston fell apart. This World Series had lacked a lot of drama, aside from a volatile call of interference in Washington's Game 6 win that stoked heated debate across the sports world.
cbsnews.com