NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone got fired up at a rookie umpire in a profane rant, and New York awoke from a sleepy start to rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 in a doubleheader opener Thursday.New York rallied to win the second game 5-1 and reopen an eight-game AL East lead over the second-place Rays. Luke Voit tied the score in the fifth with his first home run since June 14, and catcher Mike Zunino caused Charlie Morton to balk home the tiebreaking run in a four-run sixth that included Didi Gregorius' two-run single. The Yankees won three straight after wasting a ninth-inning lead in the series opener and improved to 34-11 against the AL East, including 12-5 against Tampa Bay.After Domingo Germán (12-2) gave up solo homers to his first two batters in the first game, Gio Urshela hit a tying home run in the second off Yonny Chirinos (9-5), and Gary Sánchez smashed a go-ahead 110 mph single off the glove of third baseman Yandy Díaz during a three-run fifth. Díaz had helped the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone got fired up at a rookie umpire in a profane rant, and New York awoke from a sleepy start to rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 in a doubleheader opener Thursday.After Domingo Germán (12-2) gave up solo homers to his first two batters, Gio Urshela hit a tying home run in the second off Yonny Chirinos (9-5), and Gary Sánchez smashed a go-ahead 110 mph single off the glove of third baseman Yandy Díaz during a three-run fifth. Díaz had helped the Yankees come alive when he dropped Didi Gregorius' leadoff popup in the second for a two-base error.Boone fumed after rookie umpire Brennan Miller called Brett Gardner out on strikes in the second inning. Miller, umpiring behind the plate for the fifth time in the major leagues, had punched out Aaron Judge in the first. Gardner batted in the second after Urshela's tying, two-run homer and struck out on a 1-2 pitch.Gardner returned to the dugout, slammed his bat into the bat rack nine times, then eight times... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

LONDON (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a go-ahead, two-run single during a nine-run seventh inning, and the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit to beat the Boston Red Sox 12-8 Sunday for a two-game sweep of the groundbreaking, high-scoring trip across the pond.DJ LeMahieu doubled off Marcus Walden (6-1) leading off the seventh and hit a two-run double against Josh Taylor later in the inning as the Yankees opened an 11-4 lead, sending 14 batters to the plate in their highest-scoring inning in four years.Didi Gregorius went deep against Ryan Brasier in the eighth, extending New York's record streak of games with home runs to 31. Combined with the Yankees' 17-13 win Saturday, the teams scored 50 runs on the weekend, four more than their previous scoring mark in consecutive games against each other.Adam Ottavino (3-2), the second of six New York relievers, got the win.Before a sellout crowd of 59,059 at Olympic Stadium, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Christian Vázquez became the first... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit a three-run homer to help chase Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell in the first inning, CC Sabathia got his 250th career win and the New York Yankees thumped the Tampa Bay Rays 12-1 Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.Gleyber Torres added a grand slam during a six-run seventh inning, and New York three-hit Tampa Bay to win its fifth in a row and extend its lead the AL East over the second-place Rays to 3½ games. Tampa Bay was swept for the second time this season — the other came against Boston in April.Snell (4-6) walked four, gave up two hits and was charged with six runs while getting one out on 39 pitches in the shortest start of his career.Sabathia (4-4) pitched one-run ball over six innings. He struck out seven and allowed three hits and three walks.ANGELS 11, BLUE JAYS 6TORONTO (AP) — Mike Trout hit two home runs, including his sixth career grand slam, and had a career-best seven RBIs as Los Angeles beat Toronto.Justin Upton also homered for the... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rich Hill of the Los Angeles Dodgers left his start against the San Francisco Giants after one inning because of left forearm discomfort Wednesday night.The left-hander retired the side on 15 pitches with two strikeouts. He has 993 career strikeouts.Hill came out to the mound to begin the second inning and a trainer soon followed. Manager Dave Roberts visited Hill, who then walked off. He was replaced by reliever Dylan Floro.Hill is 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA and has won four straight dating to May 17.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rich Hill of the Los Angeles Dodgers has left his start against the San Francisco Giants after one inning.The left-hander retired the side on 15 pitches with two strikeouts Wednesday night.Hill came out to the mound to begin the second inning and a trainer soon followed. Manager Dave Roberts visited Hill, who then walked off. He was replaced by reliever Dylan Floro.There was no immediate explanation for Hill's departure.Hill is 4-1 with a 2.60 ERA and has won four straight dating to May 17.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras homered in the 15th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.Contreras turned on a 1-2 pitch from Burch Smith (0-1), sending a long shot to left field that gave Chicago its 11th win in 13 games. He spun and flipped his bat toward the Cubs' dugout as the ball sailed toward the bleachers and was mobbed by teammates when he crossed the plate.Chicago moved back ahead of the Brewers for the NL Central lead after falling into a virtual tie with Friday's 7-0 loss. Milwaukee had its season-high seven-game win streak snapped.Tyler Chatwood (2-0) struck out seven in four innings to cap a strong effort by the bullpen after Cole Hamels worked seven solid innings.Hamels gave up a run and three hits in his fourth straight no-decision. Seven relievers combined to give up one hit the rest of the way.RAYS 7, YANKEES 2ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Willy Adames and Ji-Man Choi hit run-scoring infield singles in the sixth after tempers... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu left his start Monday night against the St. Louis Cardinals with a strained left groin, an injury that sidelined him for 90 games last season.With the score 2-2 in the second inning, two outs and no one on base, Ryu threw a first-pitch strike to Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas, then stepped back off the mound and looked toward the Los Angeles dugout.Manager Dave Roberts, head athletic trainer Neil Rampe and interpreter Bryan Lee went to the mound along with the Dodgers infield, and after a discussion of just under a minute, Roberts took the ball and Ryu walked to the bench.The 32-year-old left-hander hurt his groin on May 2 last year at Arizona on an 0-1 pitch to Deven Marrero with one out in the second inning. At the time, Ryu said he previously hurt the groin in May 2016.Ryu did not return to the Dodgers last year until Aug. 15, following a pair of minor league injury rehabilitation assignments on Aug. 2 and 7.He is 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA this season. He threw 34 pitches against the Cardinals and allowed Marcel Ozuna's tying two-run homer with two outs in the first. Dylan Floro relieved.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu left his start against the St. Louis Cardinals with two outs in the second inning Monday night.With the score 2-2 and no one on base, Ryu threw a strike to Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas, then stepped back off the mound. The Dodgers assembled, and Ryu walked off.The 32-year-old left-hander threw 34 pitches and allowed Marcel Ozuna's tying two-run homer with two outs in the first. Dylan Floro relieved.Ryu is 2-0 with a 3.07 ERA. He missed 90 games last season because of a strained left groin.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.Ben Gamel led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and advanced on Lorenzo Cain's infield single off reliever Jordan Hicks' glove. Yelich then hit a liner into the gap in left-center, driving in Gamel and Cain.Yelich tossed his helmet in the air in celebration as Cain slid face first across the plate, giving Milwaukee three wins in its opening four-game set against rival St. Louis. Yelich's teammates rushed the field and doused the reigning NL MVP with Gatorade in a raucous celebration at second.Yelich began his day with a long drive into the second deck in right against Michael Wacha, tying the major league record for homers in consecutive games to start a season. He also became the first player to win the MVP award and then homer in his first four games of the next season.Paul Goldschmidt,... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich hit his fourth homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the ninth, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a dramatic 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday.Ben Gamel led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double and advanced on Lorenzo Cain's infield single off reliever Jordan Hicks' glove. Yelich then hit a liner into the gap in left-center, driving in Gamel and Cain.Yelich tossed his helmet in the air in celebration as Cain slid face first across the plate, giving Milwaukee three wins in its opening four-game set against rival St. Louis. Yelich's teammates rushed the field and doused the reigning NL MVP with Gatorade in a raucous celebration at second.Yelich began his day with a long drive into the second deck in right against Michael Wacha, tying the major league record for homers in consecutive games to start a season. He also became the first player to win the MVP award and then homer in his first four games of the next season.Paul Goldschmidt,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Sale stood in the back of the dugout as the World Series was slipping away and started screaming."He's got two pitches!" the Boston Red Sox ace hollered to his left among a stream of profanities, referring to Los Angeles Dodgers starter Rich Hill.Then he shouted to his right.And then straight ahead, pointing with his pitching hand and extending his ring and middle fingers for emphasis.Sale stepped down, kept on shrieking and raised his right hand, his head bobbing up and down and a fire in his eyes like a Shakespearean king exhorting troops into battle."It scared me a little bit," Rafael Devers said through a translator, "because I had never seen him yell like that, and the words that he was saying, I had never heard that come from him before. But, you know, we came out sluggish and that moment helped us get motivated for the rest of the game."Boston had just fallen behind by four runs in the sixth inning Saturday night, nine outs from finding itself tied 2-2 in... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Working on a one-hitter with a 4-0 lead, Rich Hill had just set down Eduardo Nunez swinging for the first out of the seventh inning.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had seen enough. Walking to the mound, he signaled to the bullpen and Hill was gone."Big mistake!" President Donald Trump tweeted.It was the beginning of another troubled outing for Los Angeles' bullpen in the World Series.Six relievers combined to give up eight of Boston's nine runs over the final three innings in a 9-6 loss Saturday night that sent the Dodgers to the brink of elimination for the second straight year."Watching the Dodgers/Red Sox final innings," Trump tweeted. "It is amazing how a manager takes out a pitcher who is loose & dominating through almost 7 innings, Rich Hill of Dodgers, and brings in nervous reliever(s) who get shellacked. 4 run lead gone. Managers do it all the time, big mistake!"Roberts responded, saying, "I don't know how many Dodger games he's watched. I don't think he's privy... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Sale stood in the back of the dugout as the World Series was slipping away and started screaming."He's got two pitches!" the Boston Red Sox ace hollered to his left among a stream of profanities, referring to Los Angeles Dodgers starter Rich Hill.Then he shouted to his right.And then straight ahead, pointing with his pitching hand and extending his ring and middle fingers for emphasis.Sale stepped down, kept on shrieking and raised his right hand, his head bobbing up and down and a fire in his eyes like a Shakespearean king exhorting troops into battle."It scared me a little bit," Rafael Devers said, "because I had never seen him yell like that, and the words that he was saying, I had never heard that come from him before. But, you know, we came out sluggish and that moment helped us get motivated for the rest of the game."Boston had just fallen behind by four runs in the sixth inning Saturday night, nine outs from finding itself tied 2-2 in a World Series that... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Boston's bench is a big reason why the Red Sox are one win from their fourth World Series title since 2004.With the Red Sox regulars being held in check by the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was pinch-hitters Mitch Moreland and Rafael Devers who came up with huge at-bats as Boston rallied for a 9-6 victory Saturday to take a 3-1 lead in the Series.Moreland hit a three-run homer off Ryan Madson in the seventh inning and Devers singled home Brock Holt with the tiebreaking run in the ninth.Boston's pinch-hitters have come up big all Series. Through the first four games, they are 6 for 18 (.333) with two home runs and seven RBIs. The Red Sox are batting .218 overall."The bench has been the key to our entire playoffs," slugger J.D. Martinez said. "The guys that no one expects are the ones who are delivering. It is unreal."Moreland's homer to right field on a first-pitch changeup from Ryan Madson was Boston's second pinch-hit homer in the World Series. The 1959 Dodgers and 1975 Red... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Working on a one-hitter with a 4-0 lead, Rich Hill had just set down Eduardo Nunez swinging for the first out of the seventh inning.Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had seen enough. Walking to the mound, he signaled to the bullpen and Hill was gone."Big mistake!" President Donald Trump tweeted.It was the beginning of another troubled outing for Los Angeles' bullpen in the World Series.Six relievers combined to give up eight of Boston's nine runs over the final three innings in a 9-6 loss Saturday night that sent the Dodgers to the brink of elimination for the second straight year."Watching the Dodgers/Red Sox final innings," Trump tweeted. "It is amazing how a manager takes out a pitcher who is loose & dominating through almost 7 innings, Rich Hill of Dodgers, and brings in nervous reliever(s) who get shellacked. 4 run lead gone. Managers do it all the time, big mistake!"Roberts responded, saying, "I don't know how many Dodger games he's watched. I don't think he's privy... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Boston's bench is a big reason why the Red Sox are one win away from their fourth World Series title since 2004.With the Red Sox regulars being held in check by the Los Angeles Dodgers, it was Mitch Moreland and Rafael Devers who came up with huge at-bats as Boston rallied for a 9-6 win on Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in the series.Moreland hit a three-run home run off Ryan Madson in the seventh inning and Devers singled home Brock Holt with the go-ahead run in the ninth.Boston's pinch-hitters have come up big all series. Through the first four games, they are 6 for 18 (.333) with two home runs and seven RBIs. The Red Sox are batting .218 overall for the series.Moreland's homer to right on a first-pitch changeup was Boston's second pinch-hit home run in the World Series. The 1959 Dodgers and 1975 Red Sox are the only other teams with multiple pinch-hit homers in the same Fall Classic.He joins Bernie Carbo (who had two in 1975), Bobby Kielty (2007) and Eduardo Nunez... [More]

A position-by-position look at the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox going into the World Series, starting Tuesday night at Fenway Park:___First Base:Dodgers: David Freese or Max Muncy. One of several spots where Los Angeles platoons based on matchups. Freese, a proven postseason performer, figures to face left-handers Chris Sale and David Price early in the Series. Freese was MVP of the 2011 World Series and NLCS with St. Louis. He had a homer and five RBIs in 10 playoff at-bats this year. Muncy, who was released by Oakland and spent 2017 in the minors, became one of baseball's biggest surprises this season with 35 home runs and a .973 OPS. He batted .182 with two homers, 10 walks and 18 strikeouts in 11 playoff games.Red Sox: Steve Pearce or Mitch Moreland. The underappreciated Pearce has played for seven big league teams, including all five in the AL East. He hammers left-handed pitching, which could really come in handy against a Dodgers team with three southpaw starters. Moreland,... [More]