NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia wiped tears with his hands and the top of his size 56 jersey. Honored at Yankee Stadium ahead of his retirement at season's end, his sentimental side emerged as his wife, mother and children read tributes during a video displayed on the center field scoreboard."This is the first time I got emotional," Sabathia said after the New York Yankees' regular season home finale Sunday against Toronto.True to his nature, the 39-year-old left-hander thanked the training and clubhouse staff by name. He watched retirement ceremonies for Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte, but this was different."It's kind of surreal," he said. "To have a day for myself feels weird."Sabathia was given a lap around the field in a golf cart, passing the bullpen that will be his home during the postseason.He was presented with art by Charles Fazzino portraying his accomplishments, and the Yankees announced they were giving the Sabathia family a 10-day vacation to Japan.Sabathia... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia wiped tears with his hands and the top of his jersey. Honored at Yankee Stadium ahead of his retirement at season's end, his emotions came out as his wife, mother and children read tributes on a video broadcast on the center field scoreboard."It's been a great 11 years," Sabathia said before the New York Yankees' regular-season home finale Sunday against Toronto.True to his nature, the 39-year-old left-hander thanked the training and clubhouse staff by name.He was given a lap around the field in a golf cart, passing the bullpen that will be his home during the postseason.Sabathia was presented with art portraying his accomplishments and a 10-day vacation to Japan, then spoke briefly and posed for photos with his family and the entire team. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his mom — Margie was his first catcher.He envisions a future role with the Yankees, perhaps as an adviser or instructor."I just feel like I'm going to be here," he said earlier in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia wiped tears with his hands and the top of his jersey. Honored at Yankee Stadium ahead of his retirement at season's end, his emotions came out as his wife, mother and children read tributes on a video broadcast on the center field scoreboard."It's been a great 11 years," Sabathia said before the New York Yankees' regular-season home finale Sunday against Toronto.True to his nature, the 39-year-old left-hander thanked the training and clubhouse staff by name.He was given a lap around the field in a golf cart, passing the bullpen that will be his home during the postseason.Sabathia was presented with art portraying his accomplishments and a 10-day vacation to Japan, then spoke briefly and posed for photos with his family and the entire team. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch to his mom — Margie was his first catcher.He envisions a future role with the Yankees, perhaps as an adviser or instructor."I just feel like I'm going to be here," he said earlier in... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia is getting set to close his career as a reliever.New York manager Aaron Boone said before Friday night's game against Toronto that Sabathia will work out of the bullpen next week as the AL East champions prepare for the playoffs.The 39-year-old lefty has pitched in relief just once in his 19-season career, going 1 1/3 innings in a deciding Game 5 loss to Detroit in the 2011 AL Division Series.Sabathia's other 583 appearances have all come as a starter. He is 5-8 in 22 starts with a 4.99 ERA this season and has dealt with knee trouble.Sabathia has said this will be his last year playing in the majors.The Yankees are still figuring out their rotation for the postseason, which begins Oct. 4 with the best-of-five Division Series. Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxson, J.A. Happ and Luis Severino are among the candidates to start.Severino came back from a lat injury and made his season debut with four shutout innings in a start Tuesday. Domingo Germán, the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees star pitcher Domingo Germán was placed on administrative leave under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy on Thursday, casting doubt over whether New York's top winner this season will be available for the playoffs.Manager Aaron Boone was informed of the decision while he was driving to Yankee Stadium for a game against the Los Angeles Angels. New York won 9-1 to clinch its first AL East title since 2012."Set baseball aside, this is a bigger issue, obviously," Boone said. "When you hear the words domestic violence, it's one of those things that stops you in your tracks."Details on what prompted the action weren't disclosed. The leave may last up to seven days, barring an extension.The Yankees begin the AL playoffs on Oct. 4, likely at home.A 27-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic who made his major league debut in 2017, Germán entered this season with a 2-7 record in 14 starts and 14 relief appearances. He became a full-time member of the... [More]

Yankees second. Cameron Maybin walks. Brett Gardner reaches on a fielder's choice to first base. Cameron Maybin out at second. Clint Frazier flies out to right field to Kole Calhoun. Austin Romine singles to shallow infield. Brett Gardner to second. DJ LeMahieu homers to center field. Austin Romine scores. Brett Gardner scores. Giancarlo Stanton strikes out swinging.3 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 3, Angels 0.Angels fourth. Kole Calhoun homers to center field. Albert Pujols lines out to shortstop to Didi Gregorius. Jared Walsh grounds out to first base, Luke Voit to Masahiro Tanaka. Andrelton Simmons grounds out to shortstop, Didi Gregorius to Luke Voit.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 3, Angels 1.Yankees fourth. Cameron Maybin called out on strikes. Brett Gardner homers to center field. Clint Frazier flies out to deep right field to Kole Calhoun. Austin Romine pops out to second base to David Fletcher.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 4, Angels 1.Yankees... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees star pitcher Domingo Germán was placed on administrative leave under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy on Thursday, casting doubt over whether New York's top winner this season will be available for the playoffs.Manager Aaron Boone was informed of the decision while he was driving to Yankee Stadium for a game against the Los Angeles Angels. New York was in position to clinch its first AL East title since 2012 with a victory."Set baseball aside, this is a bigger issue, obviously," Boone said. "When you hear the words domestic violence, it's one of those things that stops you in your tracks."Details on what prompted the action weren't disclosed. MLB said the leave "may last up to seven days, barring an extension."The Yankees are likely to begin the AL playoffs on Oct. 4 at home.A 27-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic who made his major league debut in 2017, Germán entered this season with a 2-7 record in 14 starts and 14 relief appearances.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SO CLOSEThe Yankees can clinch their first AL East title since 2012 with a win over the Angels in the Bronx. New York pushed back J.A. Happ's scheduled start by a day and will throw Masahiro Tanaka (10-8, 4.60 ERA) against Los Angeles.The Yankees' magic number stayed at one Wednesday night when they lost to the Angels 3-2 and second-place Tampa Bay rallied past the Dodgers 8-7 in 11 innings.HEAD TO HEADOld rivals meet at Wrigley Field when the first-place Cardinals face the Cubs in the opener of a four-game series that could go a long way toward deciding the NL Central. Jack Flaherty (10-8, 3.05 ERA) pitches against Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks (11-9, 3.26). The teams play seven times in their final 10 games, pivotal matchups in a three-way division race that also includes Milwaukee. St. Louis is three games ahead of both the Cubs and Brewers."Now we've got to beat those Cubs in Chicago," veteran Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:SO CLOSEThe Yankees can clinch their first AL East title since 2012 with a win over the Angels in the Bronx. New York pushed back J.A. Happ's scheduled start by a day and will throw Masahiro Tanaka (10-8, 4.60 ERA) against Los Angeles.The Yankees' magic number stayed at one Wednesday night when they lost to the Angels 3-2 and second-place Tampa Bay rallied past the Dodgers 8-7 in 11 innings.HEAD TO HEADOld rivals meet at Wrigley Field when the first-place Cardinals face the Cubs in the opener of a four-game series that could go a long way toward deciding the NL Central. Jack Flaherty (10-8, 3.05 ERA) pitches against Chicago right-hander Kyle Hendricks (11-9, 3.26). The teams play seven times in their final 10 games, pivotal matchups in a three-way division race that also includes Milwaukee. St. Louis is three games ahead of both the Cubs and Brewers."Now we've got to beat those Cubs in Chicago," veteran Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright... [More]

Blue jays second. Rowdy Tellez grounds out to second base, Didi Gregorius to DJ LeMahieu. Randal Grichuk homers to left field. Reese McGuire grounds out to first base, DJ LeMahieu to Masahiro Tanaka. Teoscar Hernandez strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Blue jays 1, Yankees 0.Blue jays fourth. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flies out to deep center field to Brett Gardner. Rowdy Tellez singles to left center field. Randal Grichuk strikes out swinging. Reese McGuire doubles to deep right center field. Rowdy Tellez scores. Teoscar Hernandez singles to shortstop, advances to 2nd. Reese McGuire scores. Throwing error by Gleyber Torres. Billy McKinney singles to second base. Teoscar Hernandez to third. Richard Urena strikes out swinging.2 runs, 4 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. Blue jays 3, Yankees 0.Yankees fifth. Brett Gardner doubles to center field. Clint Frazier doubles to right field, advances to 3rd. Brett Gardner scores. Throwing error by Randal Grichuk. Austin Romine singles to... [More]

Yankees second. Gary Sanchez lines out to third base to Rafael Devers. Edwin Encarnacion singles to left center field. Gleyber Torres homers to center field. Edwin Encarnacion scores. Brett Gardner flies out to center field to Jackie Bradley Jr.. Luke Voit grounds out to second base, Brock Holt to Mitch Moreland.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 2, Red sox 0.Yankees third. Mike Tauchman doubles to shallow left field. DJ LeMahieu singles to shortstop. Aaron Judge singles to deep left field. DJ LeMahieu to third. Mike Tauchman scores. Didi Gregorius pops out to shallow right field to Brock Holt. Gary Sanchez grounds out to shallow infield, Rafael Devers to Mitch Moreland. Aaron Judge to second. DJ LeMahieu scores. Edwin Encarnacion grounds out to third base, Rafael Devers to Mitch Moreland.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Yankees 4, Red sox 0.Red sox third. Sandy Leon singles to left field. Jackie Bradley Jr. homers to left field. Sandy Leon scores. Mookie Betts flies out to... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Semien provided just enough early offense and Mike Fiers and three Oakland relievers combined to shut down the Kansas City Royals in a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.Semien scored in the first inning and drove in a run in the second. That was all the offense the A's pitchers needed one day after Oakland had a season-high 19 runs.Fiers (13-3) scattered eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but allowed just Alex Gordon's RBI double in the sixth. He's now won 11 straight decisions, dating to May 7, tying Mark Mulder for the second-longest winning streak in Oakland history.Mike Montgomery (3-7) surrendered an unearned run in the first and another run in the second, but gave up nothing else through 6 1/3 innings.ORIOLES 2, NATIONALS 0WASHINGTON (AP) — Aaron Brooks came up with an unexpected pitching gem against the torrid-hitting Nationals, throwing six innings of two-hit ball to help Baltimore end Washington's five-game winning streak.The Nationals were coming off a weekend... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:PAIR OF ACESFormer teammates and 2019 All-Stars square off in a prime pitching matchup when Charlie Morton (13-5, 2.85 ERA) and the Rays face Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77) in Houston. With the Rays locked in a close wild-card race and the Astros leading the AL West, it's a potential October preview. Verlander, first in the majors with 239 strikeouts, fanned 11 last time out and went the distance on a two-hitter in a 2-1 loss to Detroit. He has seven straight double-digit strikeout games. Morton spent the past two years with the Astros and helped them win the 2017 World Series.WILD IN THE CITIKyle Schwarber and the Cubs visit the Mets in the opener of a pivotal three-game series at Citi Field. New York trails Chicago by two games for the second NL wild card. Both teams were off Monday after getting swept at home last weekend — the Mets by Atlanta, the Cubs by Washington. Chicago hopes to have Anthony Rizzo back in the lineup. The first baseman... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:PAIR OF ACESFormer teammates and 2019 All-Stars square off in a prime pitching matchup when Charlie Morton (13-5, 2.85 ERA) and the Rays face Justin Verlander (15-5, 2.77) in Houston. With the Rays locked in a close wild-card race and the Astros leading the AL West, it's a potential October preview. Verlander, first in the majors with 239 strikeouts, fanned 11 last time out and went the distance on a two-hitter in a 2-1 loss to Detroit. He has seven straight double-digit strikeout games. Morton spent the past two years with the Astros and helped them win the 2017 World Series.WILD IN THE CITIKyle Schwarber and the Cubs visit the Mets in the opener of a pivotal three-game series at Citi Field. New York trails Chicago by two games for the second NL wild card. Both teams were off Monday after getting swept at home last weekend — the Mets by Atlanta, the Cubs by Washington. Chicago hopes to have Anthony Rizzo back in the lineup. The first... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Yusei Kikuchi made a point of watching Masahiro Tanaka growing up in Japan, whether he was pitching in his home country or once Tanaka got to the majors with the New York Yankees.It's understandable that Kikuchi is more than a little excited about the prospect of pitching against Tanaka on Tuesday night when the Seattle Mariners host the Yankees."First and foremost when (manager Scott Servais) told me I was facing the Yankees, I was very pumped to face a team like this," Kikuchi said through an interpreter Monday. "Also on top of that, it's Mr. Tanaka on the other side. It's going to be a very special game and moment for me."It will be the first meeting on the mound between the Japanese stars. Tanaka is the established veteran and two-time All-Star on his way to pitching in the postseason for the fourth time in his career. Kikuchi is still making the adjustment to the majors in his first year in Seattle, a season filled with ups and downs.Kikuchi (5-8, 5.19 ERA) is coming... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:BRYCE BLASTSQuiet for much of the season, Bryce Harper is making a lot of noise lately for the Phillies.Harper hollered as he ran around the bases after hitting a game-ending grand slam that rallied Philadelphia over the Cubs 7-5 Thursday night for a three-game sweep. Harper has seven homers and 15 RBIs in the last 12 games, keeping the Phils in the thick of the NL wild-card chase.Harper is batting .253 with 25 home runs and 87 RBIs. His slam was his biggest hit since signing a $330 million, 13-year contract to join the Phillies in spring training."Before I went to the plate, I touched my heart and I was thinking to myself: Why am I not jittery? Why am I not excited? But that's just how I am," Harper said. "I go up there and each at-bat is the same. I don't think about bases loaded. I try to get a pitch I can drive and hopefully good things happen. I love those moments. I love those opportunities. I think it helped me a lot from a young... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:BRYCE BLASTSQuiet for much of the season, Bryce Harper is making a lot of noise lately for the Phillies.Harper hollered as he ran around the bases after hitting a game-ending grand slam that rallied Philadelphia over the Cubs 7-5 Thursday night for a three-game sweep. Harper has seven homers and 15 RBIs in the last 12 games, keeping the Phils in the thick of the NL wild-card chase.Harper is batting .253 with 25 home runs and 87 RBIs. His slam was his biggest hit since signing a $330 million, 13-year contract to join the Phillies in spring training."Before I went to the plate, I touched my heart and I was thinking to myself: Why am I not jittery? Why am I not excited? But that's just how I am," Harper said. "I go up there and each at-bat is the same. I don't think about bases loaded. I try to get a pitch I can drive and hopefully good things happen. I love those moments. I love those opportunities. I think it helped me a lot from a young... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Santana hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Sunday to win the four-game series and forge another tie for the AL Central lead.The Twins tied the game with four hits in a two-run ninth against Brad Hand (5-3), using a single by Luis Arraez and a double by Marwin Gonzalez to extend the game.As pinch-runner Ehire Adrianza tried to score the winning run from first base, left fielder Tyler Naquin grabbed the ball off the bounce from the wall and zipped a throw to shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose relay home was in perfect position for catcher Kevin Plawecki to tag Adrianza with ease.Twins closer Taylor Rogers (2-3) allowed a single, a walk and another single on a bunt by Greg Allen to load the bases with none out for Santana, who quickly erased the late-inning drama with one big swing.The Twins and Indians play six more times, all in September.ORIOLES 8, ASTROS 7BALTIMORE (AP) — Rio Ruiz hit a two-run homer with... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Carlos Santana hit a grand slam in the 10th inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Sunday to win the four-game series and forge another tie for the AL Central lead.The Twins tied the game with four hits in a two-run ninth against Brad Hand (5-3), using a single by Luis Arraez and a double by Marwin Gonzalez to extend the game.As pinch-runner Ehire Adrianza tried to score the winning run from first base, left fielder Tyler Naquin grabbed the ball off the bounce from the wall and zipped a throw to shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose relay home was in perfect position for catcher Kevin Plawecki to tag Adrianza with ease.Twins closer Taylor Rogers (2-3) allowed a single, a walk and another single on a bunt by Greg Allen to load the bases with none out for Santana, who quickly erased the late-inning drama with one big swing.The Twins and Indians play six more times, all in September.ORIOLES 8, ASTROS 7BALTIMORE (AP) — Rio Ruiz hit a two-run homer with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Asdrubal Cabrera hit a tiebreaking two-run double against his former team, helping the Washington Nationals beat the streaking New York Mets 7-4 Sunday.Nationals star Juan Soto was injured on Cabrera's bases-loaded hit in the seventh inning. Soto went from first to third but turned his right ankle after getting a late stop sign from third base coach Bob Henley. He was worked on by trainers in the outfield grass before coming out of the game.Victor Robles replaced Soto and homered off Edwin Díaz in the ninth.Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect ninth for his 26th save two nights after blowing a three-run lead in the final inning. The Nats bullpen had blown five consecutive save chances at Citi Field prior to Sunday.The Mets had won eight in a row. They dropped 1 1/2 games behind Washington for the top NL wild card.Jeff McNeil had two hits and two RBIs, and Robert Gsellman (2-3) got the loss.YANKEES 1, BLUE JAYS 0TORONTO (AP) — Masahiro Tanaka and Aroldis Chapman combined on a... [More]