April 41974 — The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.1988 — George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.1994 — Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player to homer three times... [More]

APRIL 31974 : The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-6 in 11 innings before a crowd of 52,000 at Riverfront Stadium. In his first at-bat, Hank Aaron hit a three-run homer off Jack Billingham. It was his 714th, tying Babe Ruth’s career record. The Braves had considered keeping Aaron on the bench for the season-opening series in Cincinnati so that he could attempt to tie the record four days later in Atlanta. But commissioner Bowie Kuhn would not allow it and ordered the Braves to put Aaron into the lineup for at least two of the three games.1988 : George Bell became the first player to hit three home runs on opening day, leading the Toronto Blue Jays past the Kansas City Royals 5-3. Bell, bitter throughout spring training with his move to designated hitter, homered three times in that role off Bret Saberhagen.1994 : Chicago’s Karl Rhodes hit three solo home runs off Dwight Gooden in a 12-8 loss to the New York Mets on opening day at Wrigley Field. Rhodes became the second player... [More]

April 61972 — For the first time in history, the major leagues failed to open on schedule because of a player strike, which started on April 1. The traditional season opener between Houston and Cincinnati was canceled and a total of 86 games were lost before the strike was settled.1973 — Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first major league designated hitter. With the bases loaded in the first inning, he was walked by pitcher Luis Tiant, but the Red Sox won 15-5.1973 — At the Oakland Coliseum, Tony Oliva became the first designated hitter to homer. The Twins DH hit a two-run shot in the first inning off of Catfish Hunter to Minnesota to an 8-3 win.1974 — Due to renovations at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees' home opener took place at Shea Stadium. It was their first home game outside Yankee Stadium since 1922.1977 — The Seattle Mariners played their first regular-season game and lost 7-0 to the California Angels at the Kingdome.1982 — A freak storm that brought subfreezing... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Yu Darvish got hit hard by the Houston Astros during the 2017 World Series -- both his ERA and reputation took quite a beating.On Sunday, after a bullpen session for the Chicago Cubs, he sought to settle the score a bit. He said the Astros, their sign-stealing scheme exposed, should be stripped of their title.“Like the Olympics, when a player cheats, they can’t have a gold medal," the Japanese-born star said. "But (Houston) still has a World Series title. It does make me feel weird. That’s it.”The 33-year-old pitcher became the latest player to criticize the Astros. But Darvish said he wasn’t actually “angry” about the sign-stealing scandal that resulted managers AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran losing their jobs.Pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Darvish lasted only 1 1/3 innings in both of his 2017 World Series appearances. He was tagged for four runs and six hits in Game 3 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, then the four-time All-Star lost Game 7 at Dodger Stadium.Darvish... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme.“They have to fire Carlos Beltrán,” a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme.“They have to fire Carlos Beltrán,” a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme."They have to fire Carlos Beltrán," a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — J.D. Davis maintains he was not aware of any electronic sign stealing by the Astros in 2017, when he made his major league debut with Houston."I wish I would have known because I batted only like .180, .200 or something like that," he said Wednesday after playing the elf during the New York Mets' holiday party for children. "I really have no idea or no clue."A third-round pick by Houston in the 2014 amateur draft, Davis played his first big league game on Aug. 5, 2017, and hit .226 with four homers and seven RBIs in 62 at-bats.Pitcher Mike Fiers alleged in a report by The Athletic last month that the Astros used a camera to steal signs en route to the World Series title, triggering an investigation by Major League Baseball. A member of the 2017 Astros, Fiers is now with Oakland."I was surprised by it," Davis said. "I was kind of like the freshman among the seniors."Davis said he had not received any calls from MLB investigators.Carlos Beltran, a teammate on the 2017 Astros,... [More]

Oct. 181910 — The Philadelphia Athletics pounded the Chicago Cubs 9-3 for a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Eddie Collins had three hits, including two doubles, and two stolen bases.1950 — Connie Mack, at age 87, retired as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics after 50 years, and Jimmy Dykes was named to replace him. Mack, together with Ben Shibe, founded the Athletics in 1901.1973 — The Mets' Jerry Koosman and Tug McGraw combined to three-hit the Oakland A's and take 3-2 lead in the World Series.1977 — Reggie Jackson hit three consecutive home runs to lead New York to an 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and give the Yankees the World Series title in six games. Jackson drove in five runs, and all three shots came on the first pitch.1992 — Backup catcher Ed Sprague's pinch-hit home run gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves and evened up the World Series at one game apiece. Sprague hit a two-run homer with one out in the ninth inning — the 17th pinch-hit... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch has heard the chatter — that Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was offering a sneak peek on his off-speed deliveries, that Houston had a poker-worthy tell on Yankees hard throwers James Paxton and Luis Severino.All that pitch-tipping paranoia?"I think it's kind of funny," Hinch said.A year after suspicions on sign stealing made headlines when a man associated with the Astros was caught pointing a cellphone into opposing dugouts, Houston is giving pitchers pause again, perhaps with nothing more than the naked eye.There's no rule against noticing a tipped pitch, and Hinch stated plainly during this AL Championship Series who is at fault if Houston knows what's coming."If they don't want to tip their pitches," Hinch said, "then they should take consideration into doing the same thing over and over again."Batter's box espionage can take two forms — pitch tipping or sign stealing. The first is totally legal, just a matter of good scouting. Hitters might get an... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch has heard the chatter — that Rays starter Tyler Glasnow was offering a sneak peek on his offspeed deliveries, that Houston had a poker-worthy tell on Yankees hard throwers James Paxton and Luis Severino.All that pitch-tipping paranoia?"I think it's kind of funny," Hinch said.A year after suspicions on sign stealing made headlines when a man associated with the Astros was caught pointing a cellphone into opposing dugouts, Houston is giving pitchers pause again, perhaps with nothing more than the naked eye.There's no rule against noticing a tipped pitch, and Hinch stated plainly during this AL Championship Series who is at fault if Houston knows what's coming."If they don't want to tip their pitches," Hinch said, "then they should take consideration into doing the same thing over and over again."Batter's box espionage can take two forms — pitch tipping or sign stealing. The first totally legal, just a matter of good scouting. Hitters might get an idea... [More]

Oct. 141905 — Christy Mathewson blanked the Philadelphia Athletics 2-0 to give the New York Giants the World Series in five games. All were shutouts, with Mathewson getting three, Joe McGinnity one, and Chief Bender of Philadelphia one.1929 — The Philadelphia A's rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 and take the World Series in five games. Mule Haas' two-run homer tied the game and Bing Miller's RBI double won it.1965 — Sandy Koufax tossed his second shutout to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins and the world championship in seven games.1969 — New York's Tommie Agee made two spectacular catches to save five runs and secure a 5-0 victory over Baltimore as the Mets took a 2-1 lead in the World Series.1971 — Pittsburgh's Nelson Briles threw a two-hitter against the Orioles for a 4-0 victory to give the Pirates a 3-2 edge in the World Series.1972 — Oakland catcher Gene Tenace became the first player to hit home runs in each... [More]

Compiled by PAUL MONTELLAOct. 131903 — The Boston Pilgrims won the first World Series, five games to three, with a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.1914 — The Boston Braves completed a sweep of the Philadelphia Athletics, first in World Series history, with a 3-1 victory.1921 — Art Nehf tossed a 1-0, four-hitter against the New York Yankees for the World Series title in eight games. The Giants scored their run in the first inning on an error by shortstop Roger Peckinpaugh.1960 — Bill Mazeroski opened the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series in seven games.1971 — The first World Series night game was played in Pittsburgh with the Pirates beating Baltimore 4-3. Roberto Clemente had three hits for Pittsburgh.1978 — New York third baseman Graig Nettles put on a fielding clinic and prevented seven runs as the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 3 of the World Series.... [More]

Oct. 71904 — Jack Chesbro got his 41st victory of the season as New York defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-2.1933 — Mel Ott's home run in the 10th inning to give the New York Giants for a 4-3 victory and the World Championship in five games over the Washington Senators.1935 — Detroit's Goose Goslin drove in Mickey Cochrane with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 4-3 win and the World Championship in six games over the Chicago Cubs.1950 — Rookie pitcher Whitey Ford, with ninth-inning help from Allie Reynolds, beat Philadelphia 5-2 to give the Yankees a World Series sweep of the "Whiz Kids."1952 — Billy Martin's running catch on a high infield pop with the bases loaded in the seventh inning snuffed a Dodgers rally and the New York Yankees went on to win Game 7 of the World Series 4-2. It was the fourth consecutive world championship for the Yankees.1969 — The St. Louis Cardinals traded outfielder Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies in a blockbuster deal involving... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:TEEING OFFYankee Stadium will be the site when the teams that hit the most home runs in history start their AL Division Series.Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins set the major league single-season record with 307 homers this year. Eddie Rosario, who connected 32 times, nicknamed his club the Bomba Squad.Gleyber Torres, Gary S�nchez and the New York Yankees finished right behind with 306 home runs, living up to the Bronx Bombers tag the team has backed up for decades.In a season with a record 6,776 homers, the playoffs already have been high voltage. Left-hander James Paxton (15-6, 3.82 ERA) starts for the Yankees in his postseason debut, opposed by righty Jos� Berr�os (14-8, 3.82)."I feel like there's so many shifts and so many different things going on in the game, why would I want to put the ball on the ground for the most part? Ninety-nine percent of the time it's on the ground, it's an out," Yankees slugger Aaron Judge... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:TEEING OFFYankee Stadium will be the site when the teams that hit the most home runs in history start their AL Division Series.Nelson Cruz, Max Kepler and the Minnesota Twins set the major league single-season record with 307 homers this year. Eddie Rosario, who connected 32 times, nicknamed his club the Bomba Squad.Gleyber Torres, Gary S�nchez and the New York Yankees finished right behind with 306 home runs, living up to the Bronx Bombers tag the team has backed up for decades.In a season with a record 6,776 homers, the playoffs already have been high voltage. Left-hander James Paxton (15-6, 3.82 ERA) starts the Yankees in his postseason debut, opposed by righty Jos� Berr�os (14-8, 3.82)."I feel like there's so many shifts and so many different things going on in the game, why would I want to put the ball on the ground for the most part? Ninety-nine percent of the time it's on the ground, it's an out," Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said.... [More]

Oct. 61915 _ Philadelphia rookie Elmer Myers made a spectacular debut by striking out 12 Washington batters while allowing just two hits. Myers walked 5 in the 4-0 win his only game this year.1926 _ Babe Ruth hit three homers to lead the Yankees to a 10-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth game of the World Series.1948 _ In the opening game of the World Series, the Boston Braves beat Bob Feller and the Cleveland Indians 1-0 with two hits and the benefit of a disputed call on a pickoff attempt in the eighth by Feller.1963 _ Frank Howard led Los Angeles to a 2-1 win over the New York Yankees with a home run and a single, giving the Dodgers a four-game sweep in the World Series.1966 _ Jim Palmer, 20, became the youngest player to pitch a World Series shutout as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-0. Sandy Koufax was the loser, his last appearance in the major leagues. Dodger outfielder Willie Davis committed three errors on successive plays in the fifth inning.1978... [More]

June 231917 — In baseball's greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox relieved pitcher Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens.1930 — Hack Wilson drove in six runs on five hits, including the cycle, to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 21-8 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.1950 — Hoot Evers' game-winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five.1961 — The Philadelphia Phillies overcame two, nine-run, deficits to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-11. The Phillies trailed 9-0 and 11-2 before they scored four runs in eighth and six runs in ninth.1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New... [More]

May 261916 — Benny Kauff of the Giants was picked off first base three times by Boston's Lefty Tyler. The miscues didn't hurt as New York won its 14th consecutive road victory beating the Braves, 12-1.1925 — In Detroit's 8-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, Ty Cobb became the first to collect 1,000 career extra-base hits. He finished his career with 1,139.1929 — Pinch-hitters Pat Crawford of the Giants and Les Bell of the Boston Braves hit grand slams in New York's 15-9 victory.1930 — Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians, who fanned only three times in 353 at-bats during the season, was struck out twice in the same game by Pat Caraway of the White Sox.1933 — Philadelphia's Chuck Klein hit for cycle in a 5-4 14-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Dizzy Dean went the distance for St. Louis.1937 — Billy Sullivan and Bruce Campbell appeared for the Cleveland Indians as pinch hitters. Each hit a home run, making it the first time two American League pinch hitters hit home runs in the same... [More]

April 71925 — Babe Ruth collapsed in a railroad station in Asheville, N.C. He would be hospitalized in New York and operated on 10 days later for an ulcer.1964 — Shea Stadium in New York opened for the first regular season game. The Mets lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.1969 — The Yankees spoiled the managerial debut of Ted Williams by defeating the Senators 8-4 in the opener at Washington's RFK Stadium. President Nixon and a crowd of 45,000 attended.1970 — Three weeks after moving from Seattle to Milwaukee, the former Pilots played their first game as the Brewers and lost 12-0 to the visiting California Angels.1973 — Cleveland set an attendance record for day games and opening-day games by attracting 74,420 fans. The Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 2-1.1977 — The expansion Toronto Blue Jays began their major league odyssey with a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. Al Woods, pinch hitting for Steve Bowling in the fifth inning, became the 11th pinch... [More]