Bryce Harper bowed to his new fans, Mookie Betts and the Boston Red Sox began the defense of their World Series crown and the great Mariano Rivera threw one more strike from the mound at Yankee Stadium.Then, from ballparks across the land, it was time for opening day.Lorenzo Cain made the big catch. Javier Baez swung a powerful bat. And Jordan Zimmermann came close to giving Major League Baseball a perfect start Thursday.A week after Ichiro Suzuki and the Seattle Mariners swept two games from Oakland at the Tokyo Dome, everyone was in action.The packed crowd at Citizens Bank Park was especially energized by Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies in a 10-4 win over Atlanta."The atmosphere was unbelievable," Harper said. "The atmosphere was rocking all through the game."And a year after the conditions were more fit for snowballs than baseballs in some places, the weather was fine. A little rainy in Kansas City, causing a slight delay, but no freezing temperatures anywhere.Cy Young Award winners... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jordan Zimmermann has lost his perfect game in Toronto with two outs in the seventh inning on an infield single.Teoscar Hernandez hit a grounder up the middle that second baseman Josh Harrison smothered, but the throw was late and wide Thursday.Hall of Famer Bob Feller is the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on opening day, doing it for Cleveland against the Chicago White Sox on April 16, 1940. The Indians won 1-0.Zimmermann pitched a no-hitter for Washington in 2014 against the Marlins.The Tigers-Blue Jays game is scoreless.__More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — Charlie Montoyo is doing his part to make sure the Toronto Blue Jays play before a full house in his first game as a major league manager.Montoyo and the Blue Jays begin the 2019 season at home Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. It's a big moment for Montoyo, who spent 18 seasons as a minor league manager in the Tampa Bay system and another four as a big league coach for the Rays before getting the Blue Jays job last winter.Besides family from his home in Puerto Rico, Montoyo has friends coming from some of his minor league managerial stops around the United States."They're flying in tonight," a smiling Montoyo said Wednesday. "My mom, sister, sister-in-law, people from Durham (North Carolina), from Tucson (Arizona), from Montgomery (Alabama). It's going to be special."While Montoyo is proving a draw, several thousand tickets remained unsold less than 24 hours before the opener, a reflection of Toronto's outlook at the beginning of a rebuild. Top prospect Vladimir Guerrero... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Detroit Tigers right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is going to make his second consecutive opening-day start.The Tigers announced the decision on Sunday. They begin the season on Thursday at Toronto.Zimmermann has struggled during his three years with the Tigers after arriving as a free agent before the 2016 season.He battled neck issues in 2016 before going 8-13 with a 6.08 ERA in 29 starts in 2017.Last year, the 32-year-old Zimmerman was 7-8 with a 4.52 ERA over 25 starts and had core muscles repair surgery in October.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and htts://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros are going to continue their successful partnership for a while longer.Verlander and the Astros have agreed to a contract adding an additional $66 million in guaranteed money for 2020 and '21, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The person spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. The agreement was first reported by KRIV-FOX 26.A 36-year-old right-hander, Verlander is due $28 million in 2019, the final guaranteed season of a $180 million, seven-year deal he signed with Detroit before the 2013 season. That contract included a $22 million option for 2020 that would have become guaranteed if Verlander finished among the top five in Cy Young Award voting this year.Verlander was traded from Detroit to Houston on Aug. 31, 2017, and helped the Astros win their first World Series that season. The 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner, he finished second in Cy Young voting last season... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Detroit Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer may need Tommy John surgery.The Tigers said Tuesday that surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow has been recommended following an MRI exam and a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.Fulmer, who experienced elbow soreness during a recent bullpen session, will seek a third opinion.Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said after Thursday's 4-4 tie with Boston that Fulmer was taking "a step back to refine his lower-body mechanics" and that there was no timetable for when he would pitch again.Fulmer won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 but has struggled to return to that form. He was 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA last year, his season cut short in mid-September because of knee problems. Fulmer said during the offseason that he'd looked into some mechanical issues that may have caused his knee problems.Now, he may be dealing with an even tougher prognosis for his elbow.The rebuilding Tigers were 10th in the American... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Pedroia's first game in nearly 10 months couldn't have gone much better — even if it lasted just one inning.Pedroia cleanly fielded a two-out grounder by Minnesota's Jake Cave, then singled off Kohl Stewart leading off the bottom half of Boston's 12-1 loss Thursday."It made me happy to run around the bases," Pedroia said. "It was really fun out there."A four-time All-Star and the 2008 AL MVP, Pedroia's knee problems began with a spikes-up takeout slide at second by Baltimore's Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Pedroia went on the disabled list three times that season, twice because of knee inflammation, and had left knee surgery that Oct. 25.He played in five injury rehabilitation games at Triple-A Pawtucket last May 14-24, appeared in three games for the Red Sox from May 26-29, then went back on the disabled list for the rest of the season."I just need to keep building on this. I hadn't seen a pitch since May 29. Everything went well," Pedroia said.Cave and... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Pedroia's first game in nearly 10 months couldn't have gone much better — even if it lasted just one inning.Pedroia cleanly fielded a two-out grounder by Minnesota's Jake Cave, then singled off Kohl Stewart leading off the bottom half of Boston's 12-1 loss Thursday."It made me happy to run around the bases," Pedroia said. "It was really fun out there."A four-time All-Star and the 2008 AL MVP, Pedroia's knee problems began with a spikes-up takeout slide at second by Baltimore's Manny Machado on April 21, 2017. Pedroia went on the disabled list three times that season, twice because of knee inflammation, and had left knee surgery that Oct. 25.He played in five injury rehabilitation games at Triple-A Pawtucket last May 14-24, appeared in three games for the Red Sox from May 26-29, then went back on the disabled list for the rest of the season."I just need to keep building on this. I hadn't seen a pitch since May 29. Everything went well," Pedroia said.Cave and... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

Bryce Harper meets with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the very next day, a Brinks truck is parked right outside the team's spring training complex.Coincidence or correlation?With the first full week of exhibition games on deck, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed he joined club executives in meeting with Harper in Las Vegas on Sunday night.Roberts said it was a good session and gave the sides a chance to "get to know each other." Roberts says the Dodgers were "vetting a certain process."Harper has been connected to the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants during a second consecutive slow free-agent market for the sport. Manny Machado, the other top free agent this winter, signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres on Thursday.The 26-year-old Harper was the 2015 NL MVP and made six All-Star teams in seven big league seasons with the Washington Nationals. He batted .249 with 34 home runs, 100 RBIs and an .889 OPS last season.FROM AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — It's another spring and another chance for Daniel Norris to make the Detroit Tigers' pitching rotation.This time, the 25-year-old left-hander is trying a more aggressive, mixed-martial arts approach to his training that includes tae kwon do, jiujitsu and kickboxing."I'm really conscious about my body, and I know that's odd to hear because I'm hurt all the time," Norris said Friday. "But I really care about my body. I really work hard on it, so I'm looking for ways to get better and stay healthy. This made a lot of sense to me."He exercised in California and Tennessee before arriving at spring training in late January, and he has continued the program with a trainer in nearby Tampa now that organized spring drills have started."I'm starting to feel my explosiveness come back and I feel it on the mound," Norris said. "The biggest thing is my stride length is back. I lost a foot off of it last year because of the groin (injury). Now it's back to normal and it's back on... [More]

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Matt Moore's mind isn't just on spring training.He traveled to Tampa, where his wife his due to give birth any day now, then returned to Lakeland for the Detroit Tigers' first workout."Everything's OK," the 29-year-old left-hander said Wednesday. "It's our first baby."An All-Star with Tampa Bay in 2013, Moore was 3-8 with a 6.79 ERA last year in 12 starts and 27 relief appearances for Texas, a season after going 6-15 for San Francisco. He agreed to a $2.5 million deal with the Tigers and is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann and Tyson Ross."There are a lot of jobs open, which is what you want," second-year manager Ron Gardenhire said."Last year I was in a similar situation, coming in with a new team, so it's just a matter of meeting everybody," Moore said. "It's cool to have the opportunity to start again, especially with a new club."Detroit is coming off a 64-98 season,"I think baseball is one of those... [More]

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (AP) — Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and his wife are donating $500,000 to the baseball program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where both were student athletes.The university said Thursday that the donation from Zimmermann and his wife, Mandy, marks the largest gift of its kind to a Pointers athletic program. The school says it plans to use the money to upgrade University Field with a new scoreboard, backstop and batting cages.The university also plans to rename the facility Zimmermann Field, in recognition of the donation.Zimmermann is a two-time all-star who grew up in Auburndale, a Wisconsin village about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Stevens Point. He went on to play for the Washington Nationals. He threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history in 2014.Mandy Zimmermann played softball at UW-Stevens Point.

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (AP) — Detroit Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmermann and his wife are donating $500,000 to the baseball program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where both were student athletes.The university said Thursday that the donation from Zimmermann and his wife, Mandy, marks the largest gift of its kind to a Pointers athletic program. The school says it plans to use the money to upgrade University Field with a new scoreboard, backstop and batting cages.The university also plans to rename the facility Zimmermann Field, in recognition of the donation.Zimmermann is a two-time all-star who grew up in Auburndale, a Wisconsin village about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Stevens Point. He went on to play for the Washington Nationals. He threw the first no-hitter in Nationals history in 2014.Mandy Zimmermann played softball at UW-Stevens Point.

DETROIT (AP) — Jordy Mercer found out quickly that the Tigers had him on their radar."They were one of the first clubs that we had talks with," Detroit's new shortstop said Tuesday. "It was early on in the process, so I know they were interested. They didn't back down."The rebuilding Tigers aren't a team likely to turn many heads this offseason, but they've wasted little time in pursuing their objectives, making three quiet free agent signings already. Mercer reached a one-year deal with Detroit, and so did pitchers Matt Moore and Tyson Ross. Those moves don't figure to shift the balance of power in the AL Central, but after two straight 98-loss seasons, the Tigers have been content to give out short-term contracts while waiting for some of their top prospects to reach the majors.While other teams have proceeded more slowly this offseason — perhaps waiting to see how the bidding goes for stars like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado — the Tigers have moved fast. So have the Texas Rangers, who... [More]