BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has grown accustomed to being on big stages during his first seven years in the major leagues.He won a World Series ring as a rookie with the Red Sox in 2013 and became a full-time starter the following season. He's since earned another ring in 2018 and followed that up last year by becoming the first Boston shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra to post 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in a season. It helped Bogaerts earn his second All-Star selection, third Silver Slugger award and a fifth-place finish in American League MVP balloting.Now, as the Red Sox prepare for the shortened 2020 season with low expectations after trading 2018 MVP Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Dodgers, the 27-year-old Bogaerts believes he's ready to step into a leadership role.“I think so," he said Tuesday. “Obviously those are two guys that are still missed. Guys that were well-loved by our teammates and obviously the city. So I’m looking forward to the season.”Usually... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw will make his franchise-record ninth opening day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers.Manager Dave Roberts confirmed his choice Tuesday in a video conference call. The Dodgers open the 60-game season on July 23 at home against the rival San Francisco Giants. Kershaw was tabbed to start opening day against the Giants on March 26 before the season was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.The 32-year-old left-hander tossed four innings in the Dodgers' second intrasquad game Monday night. He struck out new teammate Mookie Betts on a called third strike by umpire Bob Geren, the team's bench coach who was working the plate. Kershaw threw another inning in the bullpen.Kershaw's streak of opening day starts ended last year when he began the season on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. He was replaced by Hyun-Jin Ryu, who signed with Toronto in December.Kershaw is 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA on opening day.The team's rotation was upended when new Dodger David Price said he would sit out the season. He was expected to be the No. 3 starter behind Kershaw and Walker Buehler. Julio Urias and Alex Wood were expected to fill out the back end.Ross Stripling, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are among the leading contenders to fill Price's spot.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Major League Baseball released its pandemic-shortened schedule Monday, featuring a tantalizing season opener between the New York Yankees and World Series champion Washington Nationals, even as some teams were still bogged down by coronavirus concerns. By the time MLB revealed each team’s 60-game slate Monday evening, the Nationals and Houston Astros — last year’s pennant winners — had canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season. The St. Louis Cardinals also scrubbed their practice for the same reason.“We got camps being shut down and people going three and four days without tests. You just don’t know what’s going on,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “We have to just figure out the right way to do it.” Nick Markakis became the second Atlanta Braves veteran to opt out of the season, swayed by a phone call with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has been stricken with COVID-19. The Texas Rangers said All-Star slugger Joey Gallo tested... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Baseball's two World Series teams canceled workouts Monday because of coronavirus testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.The defending champion Washington Nationals and reigning American League champion Houston Astros called off training camp practices after not receiving test results from Friday. The St. Louis Cardinals also scrubbed their scheduled workout for similar reasons.The cancellations come amid delays around Major League Baseball, with some players opting out, and in the aftermath of Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle criticizing slow test results and a lack of some personal protective equipment.“Without accurate and timely testing, it is simply not safe for us to continue with summer camp,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk.”Astros general manager James Click said the delay... [More]

Major League Baseball released its pandemic-shortened schedule Monday, featuring a tantalizing season opener between the New York Yankees and World Series champion Washington Nationals, even as some teams were still bogged down by coronavirus concerns. By the time MLB revealed each team’s 60-game slate Monday evening, the Nationals and Houston Astros — last year’s pennant winners — had canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.“We got camps being shut down and people going three and four days without tests. You just don’t know what’s going on,” Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “We have to just figure out the right way to do it.” Nick Markakis became the second Atlanta Braves veteran to opt out of the season, swayed by a phone call with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has been stricken with COVID-19. The Texas Rangers said All-Star slugger Joey Gallo tested positive and is asymptomatic. Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Baseball's two World Series teams canceled workouts Monday because of coronavirus testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.The defending champion Washington Nationals and reigning American League champion Houston Astros each called off training camp practices after not receiving test results from Friday. The cancellations come amid delays around Major League Baseball, with some players opting out, and in the aftermath of Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle criticizing slow test results and a lack of some personal protective equipment.“Without accurate and timely testing, it is simply not safe for us to continue with summer camp,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk.”Astros general manager James Click said the delay in testing results and the contagious nature of the coronavirus led to the... [More]

Major League Baseball released its pandemic-shortened schedule Monday, featuring a tantalizing season opener between the New York Yankees and World Series champion Washington Nationals, even as some teams were still bogged down by coronavirus concerns. By the time MLB revealed each team’s 60-game slate Monday evening, the Nationals and Houston Astros — last year’s pennant winners — had canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.Nick Markakis became the second Atlanta Braves veteran to opt out of the season, swayed by a phone call with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has been stricken with COVID-19. The Texas Rangers said All-Star slugger Joey Gallo tested positive and is asymptomatic. Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun also tested positive but is asymptomatic and feels good, manager Torey Lovullo said.Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola reported to camp after waiting a few extra days because he was in contact with someone... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts wasn’t moved by Major League Baseball’s response in the wake of George Floyd’s death in police custody, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ newest star has a goal of getting the Black community to love baseball as much as he does.MLB released a statement nine days after the death of Floyd, the Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes on May 25. MLB was the last of the major pro sports leagues that either responded to Floyd's death or condemned racism. “I think baseball did not do a good job with that, but voices were heard,” Betts said Monday on a video conference call with reporters. “That’s the main thing, that we get our voices heard to make some changes. I know it’s not all going to be at one time, but a little change here, a change there, we’ll eventually get to where we need to be.”Betts said his goal of bringing baseball into Black communities is “more of a personal thing.” The percentage... [More]

Major League Baseball released its pandemic-shortened schedule Monday, featuring a tantalizing season opener between the New York Yankees and World Series champion Washington Nationals, even as some teams were still bogged down by coronavirus concerns. By the time MLB revealed each team’s 60-game slate Monday evening, the Nationals and Houston Astros — last year’s pennant winners — had canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.Nick Markakis became the second Atlanta Braves veteran to opt out of the season, swayed by a phone call with teammate Freddie Freeman, who has been stricken with COVID-19. The Texas Rangers said All-Star slugger Joey Gallo tested positive and is asymptomatic.Opening night on July 23 will feature the Yankees and their new ace, Gerrit Cole, visiting the Nationals. On the West Coast, the Los Angeles Dodgers and their big offseason acquisition, Mookie Betts, will host the rival San Francisco Giants.Everybody... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mookie Betts, Gerrit Cole and a pair of high-profile matchups are set for opening day as Major League Baseball begins its shortened 60-game season on July 23 in ballparks without fans amid the coronavirus pandemic.MLB released the schedule Monday, and it starts with two games. Cole and the New York Yankees visit the World Series champion Washington Nationals at 7:08 p.m. EDT, then Betts and his new Los Angeles Dodgers teammates host the San Francisco Giants at 10:08 p.m.There are 14 games on July 24, including the first matchup at new Globe Life Field in Texas when the Rangers take on Colorado. The same day, Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels visit Oakland and the Cincinnati Reds host Detroit.“Seeing the schedule makes it a little more real,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We can all start to plan a little better, have an idea what our life is going to be like and where we’re going to be the next several months.“It will make it more realistic: Hey, this is about to... [More]

Dodgers pitcher David Price will not play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year.The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter that he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July 23.“After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have decided it is in the best interest of my health and my family’s health for me to not play this season,” he said.Price’s announcement came a day after Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout said he wasn’t “comfortable” with the current climate and might not play. On Saturday, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey said “there’s still some reservation on my end” about playing.First baseman Ryan Zimmerman of the World Series champion Washington Nationals, Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond and Arizona pitcher Mike Leake are among those who have already said they’re out this year.The Dodgers got Price... [More]

Dodgers pitcher David Price will not play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year.The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter that he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July 23.“After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have decided it is in the best interest of my health and my family’s health for me to not play this season,” he said.Price’s announcement came a day after Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout said he wasn’t “comfortable” with the current climate and might not play. On Saturday, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey said “there’s still some reservation on my end” about playing.First baseman Ryan Zimmerman of the World Series champion Washington Nationals, Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond and Arizona pitcher Mike Leake are among those who have already said they’re out this year.The Dodgers got Price... [More]

Dodgers pitcher David Price will not play this season because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, delaying his Los Angeles debut until next year.The five-time All-Star became the latest player to opt out, posting Saturday on Twitter that he wouldn’t participate in the 60-game season that’s scheduled to begin July 23.“After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have decided it is in the best interest of my health and my family’s health for me to not play this season,” he said.Price’s announcement came a day after Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout said he wasn’t “comfortable” with the current climate and might not play. On Saturday, San Francisco catcher Buster Posey said “there’s still some reservation on my end” about playing.First baseman Ryan Zimmerman of the World Series champion Washington Nationals, Colorado outfielder Ian Desmond and Arizona pitcher Mike Leake are among those who have already said they’re out this year.The Dodgers got Price... [More]

July 21903 — Washington outfielder Ed Delahanty went over a railroad bridge at Niagara Falls and drowned. The exact circumstances of his death never were determined.1909 — The Chicago White Sox stole 12 bases, including home plate three times, in a 15-3 rout of the St. Louis Browns.1930 — Chicago outfielder Carl Reynolds homered in the first, second and third innings, leading the White Sox to a 15-4 win over the New York Yankees. Reynolds, the second player in history to hit home runs in three consecutive innings, had two inside-the-park homers.1933 — Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in an 18-inning game. He allowed six hits and no walks. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cardinals were blanked 1-0, with Roy Parmelee outdueling Dizzy Dean.1941 — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit a home run to extend his consecutive game hitting streak to 45 games, surpassing Willie Keeler’s record of 44 straight games for the Orioles in 1897.1963 — Juan... [More]

July 11910 — Comiskey Park — then known as White Sox Park — held its first major league game, with the St. Louis Browns beating Chicago 2-0.1917 — Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds pitched complete-game victories in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Toney threw a three-hitter in each game for 4-1 and 5-1 wins, setting a record for the fewest hits allowed in a doubleheader by a pitcher.1920 — Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators defeated the Boston Red Sox 1-0 at Fenway Park with the season’s only no-hitter.1925 — Hack Wilson of the New York Giants hit two home runs in the third inning of a 16-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader. Wilson also doubled twice during the game.1941 — Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees singled off Boston’s Jack Wilson in the fourth inning, tying Willie Keeler’s hitting streak of 44 games.1951 — Bob Feller of the Indians pitched his third career no-hitter, beating the Detroit Tigers 2-1 in the first game... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball plans to unilaterally issue a 60-game schedule for its shortest season since 1878 after the players' association rejected a negotiated deal of the same length, putting the sport on track for a combative return to the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark met last week and outlined plans that included expanding the playoffs from 10 teams to 16, widening use of the designated hitter to National League games and an experiment to start extra innings with a runner on second base. But the latest version of the deal proposed by MLB was rejected by the Major League Baseball Players Association’s executive board in a 33-5 vote on Monday. Those innovations now disappear.“Needless to say, we are disappointed by this development,” MLB said in a statement. “The framework provided an opportunity for MLB and its players to work together to confront the difficulties and challenges presented by the pandemic. It gave our... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary ahead of a postponed opening day remained at around $4.4 million for the fifth straight season, according to a study of contracts by The Associated Press.Following an offseason when Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon and Christian Yelich all agreed to $200 million-plus deals, the flattened salary curve is evidence of a shrinking portion of the pie for baseball’s middle class. The stagnant stretch is unprecedented since the free-agent era dawned in 1976.And that is before taking into account any decrease caused by a shortened season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.In a throwback, the New York Yankees top payrolls for the first time since 2013 and tower over the Pittsburgh Pirates at $54 million -- the lowest of any big league team in six years.Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred remains confident there will be a season but is unsure when health conditions will allow training to resume.MLB’s average when rosters were... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary ahead of a postponed opening day remained at around $4.4 million for the fifth straight season, according to a study of contracts by The Associated Press.Following an offseason when Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon and Christian Yelich all agreed to $200 million-plus deals, the flattened salary curve is evidence of a shrinking portion of the pie for baseball’s middle class. The stagnant stretch is unprecedented since the free-agent era dawned in 1976.And that is before taking into account any decrease caused by a shortened season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.In a throwback, the New York Yankees top payrolls for the first time since 2013 and tower over the Pittsburgh Pirates at $54 million -- the lowest of any big league team in six years.Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred remains confident there will be a season but is unsure when health conditions will allow training to resume.MLB’s average when rosters were... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — New Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo said on Monday that he is fully healthy and he will be ready for the season -- if there is one.Verdugo has used the delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic to rehab a stress fracture in his spine he already had when Boston acquired him from the Dodgers in the deal that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles on the eve of spring training. At the time, the Red Sox said he was not expected to break camp with the rest of the ballclub; Verdugo had said he may be ready “slightly after” opening day.But that was before opening day itself was put on hold. “Whenever the season is, I think I’ll be ready,” Verdugo told reporters in a conference call. “If they say that we’re ready to go, then I’m out there.”Verdugo said he remained active at home after the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers, Florida, was shut down. But things have been easier since he was allowed to return to the ballpark last week, and he is now working out four days a week. Because of social... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Players agreed to a deal with Major League Baseball that would preserve service time in the event this season is canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, but left open details of what a reconfigured schedule would look like.As part of the agreement approved by the union Thursday night, players will not challenge the loss of their salaries if no games are played. Management will advance $170 million in salary payments over the first 60 days of the original schedule, and that money does not have to be returned if the season is canceled. Player salaries this year are expected to total roughly $4 billion.Management was given the right to cut the amateur draft in both 2020 and 2021, and to freeze the values of signing bonus money at 2019 levels.Details were divulged to The Associated Press by people familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.Teams approved the 17-page agreement Friday, the person said.Opening day was... [More]