ZACK GREINKE

Tyler Kepner traces the history of the Fall Classic, its biggest stars and its most memorable moments.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina have made their 325th career start together, setting a major league record for most as a battery.

Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw are two-way praisers.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will start for the National League on Tuesday night in the first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium since 1980, and Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan will be on the mound for the American League.

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer returns to a major league mound for the first time since May 18 when the NL East leaders play at Cincinnati on Tuesday night.

Zach Greinke allowed just one run on four hits, helping the Kansas City Royals avoid a three-game sweep by beating the Texas Rangers 2-1.

First, Albert Pujols.

Paul Goldschmidt hit an early home run and Steven Matz and the St. Louis bullpen made it stand up, leading the Cardinals over the Kansas City Royals 1-0.

Albert Pujols homered for the first time since returning to St. Louis and Andrew Knizner hit a three-run shot as the Cardinals defeated the Kansas City 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.

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.

It was an impressive holdout for the National League, which made it nearly 50 years staving off a full-time designated hitter rule that the American League implemented before the 1973 season.

If the universal designated hitter returns to the National League for good next season as many people believe, don’t be looking for the role to be filled with prototypical aging superstars who no longer play a position.

Dusty Baker will return as manager of the Houston Astros for a third season after agreeing to a one-year contract with the AL champions.

Atlanta’s 7-0 victory over Houston in Game 6 to win the World Series could mark the end of an era for the Astros.

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros broke out the bats just in time to extend this World Series.

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.

Game 5 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves might have represented a historic moment for Major League Baseball.

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.

Time and time again, the Houston Astros put runners on base.

A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it.

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.

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.

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.

Rookie starter Ian Anderson and the Braves' bullpen took a no-hit bid into the eighth inning, Austin Riley and Travis d’Arnaud drove in runs and Atlanta beat the Houston Astros 2-0 to grab a two games to one lead in the World Series.

Game 3 of the World Series will be a bit of a throwback to the days before interleague play and players frequently changing teams.

In a postseason already marked by curious pitching strategy, Julio Urías returns to his regular role in the rotation when the Los Angeles Dodgers play Atlanta in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series.

Trailing 2-0 in the NL Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers have the Atlanta Braves right where they want them.

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.

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.

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.

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is back in the playoffs with the Chicago White Sox as they prepare to open their best-of-five AL Division Series on Thursday against the Houston Astros.

With Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper and the rest of baseball's MVP front-runners left out of the postseason, there's a chance for some budding stars to cement their place among the game's top names.

Carlos Correa hit his career-high 25th homer with a three-run shot and the Houston Astros clinched the AL West with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Drew Rasmussen and three relievers combined for a three-hitter, Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi both homered and the Tampa Bay Rays coasted past the Houston Astros 7-0, giving them the No. 1 seed in the American League playoffs.

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.

All-Star slugger Adolis García tied the Rangers' single-season rookie record with his 30th home run and last-place Texas beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 8-1.

Houston Astros right-hander Zack Greinke makes his first start Tuesday night since testing positive for COVID-19 last month.

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.

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.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 44th home run, but got tagged early by José Altuve, Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros in a 10-5 over the Los Angeles Angels.

Ty France tied the game with a solo home run in the ninth inning and put the Seattle Mariners on top with an RBI single in the 11th before Kyle Seager belted a three-run homer in a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.

Aledmys Díaz had three hits and drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

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.

Framber Valdez and the Houston bullpen took a no-hit try into the eighth inning and Astros beat Texas 4-1, sending the Rangers to their season-worst 11th straight loss.

Lucas Giolito pitched a three-hitter, José Abreu launched a three-run homer and the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 10-1.

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.

Nestor Cortes and three relievers combined for a three-hitter and Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu drove in two runs each to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-0 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.

Giants catcher Buster Posey has been put on the 10-day injured list with a bruised left thumb, costing him his starting spot in next week’s All-Star Game.

Jose Altuve belted a grand slam in the 10th inning and the Houston Astros, saved by Carlos Correa’s tying homer in the ninth, beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 to give manager Dusty Baker quite an exciting birthday gift.

Mets slugger Pete Alonso uncorked a major allegation Wednesday, accusing MLB of manipulating its baseballs to harm the earning potential for star free agents and players eligible for arbitration.

Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a monstrous, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to tie it, Wil Myers hit a three-run drive in the 12th and the San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros 11-8.

Joe West is set to break the record for most games as a major league umpire with No. 5,376 when he works the Cardinals-White Sox matchup in Chicago.

Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in the Houston Astros’ return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans with a 7-3 victory.

Corey Kluber handcuffed Detroit batters to gain his 100th career win with his most dominant performance since 2018, and the New York Yankees beat the Tigers 2-0 to complete their first series sweep this season and get back to.

Jacob deGrom of the Mets is 1-1 with a 0.45 ERA, 35 strikeouts and three walks in 20 innings going into a homestand opener against Washington and Erick Fedde.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.