ESPN will open its “Sunday Night Baseball” schedule on April 4 when the Los Angeles Angels host the Chicago White Sox. The game will feature the last two American League MVPs, with the Angels' Mike Trout facing reigning MVP and White Sox first baseman José Abreu. The following week will feature National League MVP Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves have four appearances in the games that have been announced, with the Yankees, Mets and Braves each on three times. The San Diego Padres will make their first “Sunday Night Baseball” appearances since 2007. The first is on April 25 at the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a May 16 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Other games announced are: Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs (April 18), New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies (May 2), Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (May 9), Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals (May 23), Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets... [More]

ESPN will open its “Sunday Night Baseball” schedule on April 4 when the Los Angeles Angels host the Chicago White Sox. The game will feature the last two American League MVPs, with the Angels' Mike Trout facing reigning MVP and White Sox first baseman José Abreu at 8:30 p.m. ET. The following week will feature National League MVP Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. The Braves have four appearances in the games that have been announced, with the Yankees, Mets and Braves each on three times. The San Diego Padres will make their first “Sunday Night Baseball” appearances since 2007. The first is on April 25 at the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, followed by a May 16 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Other games announced are: Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs (April 18), New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies (May 2), Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves (May 9), Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals (May 23), Atlanta Braves vs.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — First basemen Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves and José Abreu of the Chicago White Sox have won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in each league as voted by MLB.com. Freeman, 31, was second in the NL in batting .341, OBP (.462), slugging percentage (.640) and OPS (1.102). The 33-year-old Abreu hit .317 with 15 doubles, 19 homers and 60 RBIs during 60 games in the pandemic-shortened season. Abreu was voted AL MVP and Freeman won NL MVP. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — As opening day finally approached, Freddie Freeman had far bigger concerns than perfecting his swing and practicing his scoops. Just being able to walk a few steps was hard enough. “It wasn't the way I wanted to start, with COVID,” the Atlanta Braves first baseman said. “I was able to beat it.” And then some. Freeman easily won the NL MVP award Thursday, topping off a trying year that saw him become so ill with COVID-19 he prayed “please don’t take me.” Chicago White Sox slugger José Abreu earned the AL MVP, a reward for powering his team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Freeman got 28 of the 30 first-place votes in balloting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts got the other two firsts to finish second, and San Diego third baseman Manny Machado was third. In a season affected from spring training to the World Series by the pandemic, perhaps it was fitting the final major award of the year went to... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman easily won the NL MVP award Thursday, topping off a trying year that saw him become so ill with COVID-19 he prayed “please don’t take me.” Chicago White Sox slugger José Abreu earned the AL MVP, a reward for powering his team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Freeman got 28 of the 30 first-place ballots in voting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts got the other two firsts to finish second and San Diego third baseman Manny Machado was third. In a season affected from spring training to the World Series by the pandemic, perhaps it was fitting the final major award of the year went to someone infected by the virus. Three weeks before the delayed opening day in late July, Freeman’s body temperature spiked at 104.5 degrees and he lost his sense of taste and smell. At one point, he recalled, he said a little prayer because “I wasn’t ready.” “I got off to such... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Voting for the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player Award, with first-, second- and third-place votes and total points based on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis: Player1st2nd3rdTotalFreddie Freeman, Braves282-410Mookie Betts, Dodgers2215268Manny Machado, Padres-216221Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres-25201Juan Soto, Nationals-32172Marcell Ozuna, Braves--2167Trea Turner, Nationals---83Mike Yastrzemski, Giants---81Corey Seager, Dodgers---43Trevor Bauer, Reds---32Trevor Story, Rockies---23Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves---21Dominic Smith, Mets---16Yu Darvish, Cubs---14Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals---9Brandon Belt, Giants---2Wil Myers, Padres---2Max Fried, Braves---1Ian Happ, Cubs---1Dansby Swanson, Braves---1Ryan Tepera, Cubs---1Devin Williams, Brewers---1

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league, and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is in the running for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award. The competition, of course, is tough. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the top finishers for NL MVP in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the finalists in the NL Cy Young race. The three highest vote-getters for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series last week for the first time since 1988. Frank Robinson is the only player to win the MVP award in both leagues, accomplishing the feat in 1961 with Cincinnati and 1966 for Baltimore. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Finalists for the 2020 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards, with date of announcement of winners (announcements during hour following 6 p.m. EST): Monday, Nov. 9AL Rookie of the Year: Cristian Javier (Houston), Kyle Lewis (Seattle), Luis Robert (Chicago) NL Rookie of the Year: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia), Jake Cronenworth (San Diego), Devin Williams (Milwaukee) Tuesday, Nov. 10AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay), Charlie Montoyo (Toronto), Rick Renteria (Chicago) NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly (Miami), David Ross (Chicago), Jayce Tingler (San Diego) Wednesday, Nov. 11AL Cy Young Award: Shane Bieber (Cleveland), Kenta Maeda (Minnesota), Hyun Jin Ryu (Toronto) NL Cy Young Award: Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati), Yu Darvish (Chicago), Jacob deGrom (New York) Thursday, Nov. 12AL Most Valuable Player: José Abreu (Chicago), DJ LeMahieu (New York), José Ramírez (Cleveland) NL Most Valuable Player: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Freddie Freeman (Atlanta), Manny Machado (San Diego)

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The bushy beard, the pine tar stain on the back of his No. 10 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey and all of those postseason hits. That's October Red. Justin Turner is one of the constants for the Dodgers during their third World Series in four years, and his Duke Snider-matching homer in the first inning of Game 3 put them ahead to stay on way to a 6-2 win Friday night for a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay — and halfway to their first championship since 1988. A month shy of turning 36, Turner also scored after a two-out double and showed off a nifty glove at third base. “He’s the heart and soul of this team, he’s been the heart and soul,” said catcher Austin Barnes, who bunted home a run and also homered. “JT's a huge player for us. We rely on him all of the time.” That stain created by aggressive practice swings may cover half of his name on his back, but Turner is a very familiar figure in the October — this was his 15th World Series game. Turner, who earlier this month... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The bushy beard, the pine tar stain on the back of his No. 10 Los Angeles Dodgers jersey and all of those postseason hits. That's October Red. Justin Turner is one of the constants for the Dodgers during their third World Series in four years, and his Duke Snider-matching homer in the first inning of Game 3 put them ahead to stay on way to a 6-2 win Friday night for a 2-1 series lead over Tampa Bay — and halfway to their first championship since 1988. A month shy of turning 36, Turner also scored after a double and showed off a nifty glove at third base. That stain created by aggressive practice swings may cover half of his name on his back, but he is a very familiar figure in the October — this was his 15th World Series game. Turner, who earlier this month passed Steve Garvey for the most postseason hits in franchise history, hit a solo shot in the first off Charlie Morton to match the 11 homers hit by Snider — the Hall of Fame center fielder who played for Dodgers... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]

NEW YOIRK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Atlanta Braves made another baserunning mistake with a lead in the NL Championship Series. This one was much more costly. The Braves ruined a promising fourth inning by running into a wild double play before the bats went cold in a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 on Sunday night. “We made some mistakes,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times that really hurt. Games like these, runs are so hard to come by, you pretty much got to play flawless baseball.” A year after imploding in a deciding Game 5 of their Division Series against St. Louis, the Braves fell short in their first NLCS since 2001 with their sixth straight loss in a winner-take-all game. Atlanta couldn’t hold a 3-1 series lead in an NLCS for the first time after winning each of the previous three with that commanding lead. The Braves haven't been to the World Series since 1999. Dodgers relievers retired 17 of the final 18 Braves batters, all following... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts is leaping into the World Series, carrying to the Los Angeles Dodgers with his glove rather than with his bat. The star right fielder made his third terrific catch in three days, this time robbing Freddie Freeman of a home run and helping the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Sunday night in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Los Angeles trailed 3-2 in the fifth inning, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already had brought on his third pitcher when the Braves made a bid to widen their lead. Freeman drove a cutter deep to right field, and Betts sprinted 64 feet to the wall and jumped, just to the side of a credit-card advertisement. His glove above the 8-foot top, he snatched the ball as it was headed over. Run saved! Another web gem, perhaps even more impressive than his robberies of Dansby Swanson in Game 5 with a shoestring grab and of Marcell Ozuna in Game 6 against the wall a little bit more toward center. “The one yesterday was probably the... [More]

NEW YOIRK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts slid headfirst across home plate, then popped up and did a double pump with his right fist. An inning later, he got to trot around the bases after going deep. That big commitment to Betts is already paying off for the Los Angeles Dodgers this postseason. After run-saving catches in three consecutive potential elimination games to get the Dodgers this far, Betts put his speed, instincts and power on display in Game 1 of the World Series. There was a Ruth-like journey around the bases to score — and that was before his solo homer in an 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. Betts led off the Dodgers fifth with a walk and stole second base. After NL Championship Series MVP Corey Seagar drew a walk behind him, they pulled off a double steal. Then, with the Rays infield playing in, Max Muncy hit a bouncer to first baseman Yandy Diaz, who threw on the run after Betts broke quickly for the plate. He slid past the attempted tag for a 3-1 lead. The... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — There were pained admissions of heartbreak and declarations of hope from players and manager Brian Snitker after the Atlanta Braves fell one win shy of the World Series. The heartbreak was obvious after a 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday night. The Braves led the series 3-1. They held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the decisive game and still were denied their first World Series appearance since 1999. “I hate that,” Snitker said. “I want to go to the World Series so bad.” Freddie Freeman offered a balanced perspective when he spoke of the pain of the present and the promise of the future. “It hurts right now, it really does,” Freeman said. “This moment (stinks), but the Atlanta Braves organization is set up for success for a very long time. This group of guys we have this year is the start of something special.” The hope is bolstered by the emergence of young starting pitchers Ian Anderson, Kyle Wright and Bryse Wilson. The three... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts is leaping into the World Series, carrying to the Los Angeles Dodgers with his glove rather than with his bat. The star right fielder made his third terrific catch in three days, this time robbing Freddie Freeman of a home run and helping the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Sunday night in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Los Angeles trailed 3-2 in the fifth inning, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already had brought on his third pitcher when the Braves made a bid to widen their lead. Freeman drove a cutter deep to right field, and Betts sprinted to the wall and jumped, just to the side of a credit-card advertisement. His glove above the eight-foot top, he snatched the ball as it was headed over. Run saved! Another web gem, perhaps even more impressive than his robberies of Dansby Swanson in Game 5 with a shoestring grab and of Marcell Ozuna in Game 6 against the wall a little bit more toward center. “I feel like I did something good for the... [More]