Four-man outfields. High-tech anti-spying rules. A starting pitcher facing just one batter in a playoff game.But beyond all the shifts, analytics and social media outreach, here's the best way to tell Major League Baseball has zoomed into a new era: There's not a single active player left from the 20th century.Not one.Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon were the last, the Elias Sports Bureau said. And with all 30 teams set to play Thursday — from Bryce Harper's home debut at Citizens Bank Park to Mookie Betts and the champion Boston Red Sox visiting Seattle — this year MLB becomes the first of the four major sports without someone still around who played in the 1900s.The last time that was true in the big leagues? Back before even the World Series existed.Already this season, the great Ichiro Suzuki has retired, done at 45 after two hitless games last week as the Seattle Mariners swept Oakland at the Toyko Dome."I really wanted to play until I was 50, but I couldn't do it," he said.Yankees... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — David Price is set to be the No. 5 starter in the Boston Red Sox rotation, but the left-hander isn't ruling out a relief appearance during the season's opening weekend.Price pitched four innings Tuesday in Boston's final exhibition game, a 16-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs, then said he's interested in pitching an inning or two during a season-opening series at Seattle that begins Thursday.The 33-year-old Price was slowed this spring because of a norovirus, and Tuesday was his first game since March 12. Boston decided to slot Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello ahead of him in the rotation, with an eye on potentially getting Price some work during one of the first two regular season games."I don't know if he wants a tune-up, but we could do a cool thing in game one or two in Seattle just to get his feet wet," manager Alex Cora said."It's just another rep," Price said. "It's just getting out there in a real game, one that counts. You can kind of... [More]

With opening day just around the corner, the list of notable players who are going to be absent keeps growing.World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. went down with a knee injury Monday night when he slipped on home plate.Earlier in the day, Baltimore put scheduled opening-day starter Alex Cobb on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin.Pearce exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. The right-handed batter normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base, but the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Pearce will start the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox.The 2018 World Series MVP exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. Pearce, a right-handed batter, normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first base. But the Red Sox will begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle without Pearce."We have to do it that way," manager Alex Cora said Monday night. "It makes sense for us, it makes sense for him. He should be back sooner rather than later but he won't be ready for Seattle, so why take a chance?"Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the opening-day roster."He's been swinging the bat, he plays first, he's a right-handed hitter," Cora said. "It seems like we're going to face a lot of lefties on the West Coast. Having a right-handed bat would help us out."Pearce was acquired from Toronto in a trade last June and batted a combined .284 with 11 homers, 42 RBIs and an... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Pearce will begin the season on the injured list for the Boston Red Sox.The 2018 World Series MVP exited an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort in his left calf. First baseman Sam Travis will likely make the team and take Pearce's spot on the roster.Pearce, a right-handed batter, normally platoons with lefty-hitting Mitch Moreland at first.The Red Sox begin defense of their championship Thursday in Seattle against the Mariners.Pearce was acquired from Toronto in a trade last June and batted a combined .284 with 11 homers, 42 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 76 games with the Blue Jays and Red Sox last season. He was 4 for 12 (.333) with three homers, eight RBIs and a 1.167 OPS in the World Series victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers.Pearce became a free agent and re-signed with Boston for one year and $6.25 million.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Steve Pearce's status for opening day with the Boston Red Sox remains uncertain because of a left calf injury.The 2018 World Series MVP left an exhibition game last weekend due to discomfort. Boston manager Alex Cora said Pearce has had plenty of at-bats in minor league games, so he's feeling good as far as his swing is concerned."It's just a matter of how he feels moving around," Cora explained Monday. "We're not going to push him. We have to be smart about this. Just to push him out there because it's opening day makes no sense for what we're trying to accomplish."The defending champions begin the season Thursday in Seattle against the Mariners. If the Red Sox place Pearce on the injured list, Sam Travis could start at first base."He's been swinging the bat, he plays first, he's a right-handed hitter," Cora said. "It seems like we're going to face a lot of lefties on the West Coast. Having a right-handed bat would help us out."Pearce, also a right-handed hitter, normally... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — It wasn't an offseason weight-loss program, but pitcher David Price is entering the 2019 season much lighter.A tremendous burden has been lifted from his shoulders. The Boston Red Sox lefty has finally gotten rid of the postseason demons that had been haunting him for much of his 11-season career."I do (feel that way), so yeah," Price said. "It felt good to go out there and perform on that level. I know how many doubters are out there and whatnot, and that's fine. It felt good to go out there and to be able to prove myself right. That was what it was all about."Helping the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship — the first of Price's career — can have that effect. Price earned two of his team's four World Series wins — including the Game 5 clincher against the Dodgers — appearing in three games, with two starts, posting a 1.98 ERA. Some thought he was a legitimate candidate for the World Series MVP honor which went to teammate Steve Pearce.Before last season,... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — It's early in spring training, time to get the new mitt ready.Or is it?For the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, some like the feel of new leather, some like it old. Some are superstitious and don't like change and others don't worry about that even after a great season."A new glove every year," reigning AL MVP and three-time Gold Glove winner Mookie Betts said Saturday morning at the team's spring training complex.But, is the right fielder a bit superstitious about changing after such a successful year?"No, they all catch the same," he said, breaking into a grin. "It's the operator."Shortstop Xander Bogaerts agreed."New year, new glove," he said.World Series MVP Steve Pearce had a different thought. He'll likely start the season with a new one if he's broken it in on time but gave some thought to not changing anything after winning the title last fall."I have them right here in my locker," the first baseman said. "I'm bringing almost everything back I had last... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Mookie Betts won a World Series in October, became a first-time dad nine days later, earned his first AL MVP award and was part of a team that won a professional bowling event.What can the 26-year-old do for an encore with the Boston Red Sox?"He can do whatever he wants in sports," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "He can golf. He can shoot the basketball and he won a tournament in bowling. He can do it all. He's just gifted.""Yeah, it's been fun. It's been a great year," Betts said Thursday. "It's a new year now, so you have to look at in hindsight and smile about, know what's going on now and take care of things and view things that way."He hit a major league-leading .346 with 32 homers and 80 RBIs last year. Betts likely will be dropped a slot to second in the batting order behind Andrew Benintendi.Betts was a part of a Red Sox team that won a club-record 108 games and Boston's fourth World Series title in 15 season. During the offseason, girlfriend Brianna Hammonds... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston should be happy to pay this tax bill.The World Series champion Red Sox owe $11,951,091 in luxury tax for having baseball's top payroll, according to final calculations by the commissioner's office obtained by The Associated Press. The only other team that owes is the Washington Nationals, who must pay $2,386,097, their second straight year with a bill.Because Boston was more than $40 million over the tax threshold, it became the first team to incur a new penalty put in place for the 2018 season: the top Red Sox selection in next June's amateur draft will be dropped 10 places. Boston's top pick had been projected to be No. 33 overall before the penalty.Boston has owed tax in the years of three of its four titles this century, paying $3,148,962 in 2004 and $6,064,287 in 2007. The Red Sox stayed under the tax threshold when they won in 2013. The only other championship teams to owe since the tax began in 2003 were the 2009 New York Yankees at $25.7 million and the 2016... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi's marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.Boston rewarded him with a $68 million, four-year contract."We're very happy to have Nathan back with us," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. "He did a tremendous job for us last season, playing a significant role in helping us win the division and the World Series. His performance in the postseason was outstanding, both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever."A 28-year-old right-hander who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries, Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25. He went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch. He made four starts against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA, and beat the New York in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, when he gave up one run in seven innings.In six postseason appearances, including two starts, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi's marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.Boston rewarded him with a $68 million, four-year contract."We're very happy to have Nathan back with us," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. "He did a tremendous job for us last season, playing a significant role in helping us win the division and the World Series. His performance in the postseason was outstanding, both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever."A 28-year-old right-hander who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries, Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25. He went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch. He made four starts against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA, and beat the New York in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, when he gave up one run in seven innings.In six postseason appearances, including two starts, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Free agent Nathan Eovaldi was the star of the Red Sox 2018 World Series highlight video, and he didn't even have to attend the red carpet premiere.The erstwhile starter, who pitched six innings in relief in the team's 18-inning, Game 3 loss, received a huge cheer whenever his name was mentioned by the dignitaries who shared the stage with the four World Series trophies the team has won since 2004. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was cheerfully heckled with shouts of "Bring him back!"Acquired at midseason to bolster the Red Sox rotation, Eovaldi was 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch for Boston. He made just one start in the playoffs before helping out the battered bullpen in the Game 5 clincher of the AL Division Series against Houston.He pitched one inning of relief in each of the first two games of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. And then, entering Game 3 in the 12th inning, he went the rest of the way to take the load off the rest of... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — World Series MVP Steve Pearce says it was a "no-brainer" to return to the Red Sox for another year."This was the place that I wanted to be," he said on a conference call Monday, three days after agreeing to a $6.5 million, one-year deal with the defending champions. "The chemistry we had on and off the field, wanting to defend a title, that's a big deal."A 35-year-old journeyman who has played for seven teams — including the entire AL East — in a 12-year career, Pearce arrived in Boston at the end of June and spent most of this time with the Red Sox platooning at first base with Mitch Moreland.Pearce batted .279 in 50 games for Boston in the regular season, hitting seven homers — five of them against the New York Yankees, including three on Aug. 2. In five World Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he batted .333 with three homers, two of them in the Game 5 clincher, to earn MVP honors."The team I was on, everything that was done there, bringing everybody back, it... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — World Series MVP Steve Pearce is staying with the Red Sox.The journeyman first baseman agreed to a $6.25 million, one-year contract with Boston on Friday.The 35-year-old Pearce was a free agent after completing a $12.5 million, two-year deal that he got from Toronto in December 2016. He earned an additional $150,000 bonus for his selection as World Series MVP. His new deal also includes award bonuses."We're thrilled to have Steve back with us for another year as we think he's a great fit for our club," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "Obviously, we all saw what kind of impact he can have on the field, especially with the postseason that he had. He also provides good depth and balance from the right side for us."A major league nomad of 12 teams, Pearce was traded to Boston in late June. He played 50 games for the Red Sox, hitting five home runs against the New York Yankees, including three on Aug. 2.He made his biggest impact in... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Andrew Friedman knew he was getting a player who didn't hustle all the time when he traded for Manny Machado. Still, the Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations was willing to acquire the four-time All-Star infielder because his good points outweighed the bad."He got booed in Baltimore three weeks before we traded for him," Friedman said Tuesday at the general managers' meetings. "It's not like it was a secret. I think it's never a fun thing to watch, at least from my perspective and vantage point, but I do think it's important to dig further into that, and I think there are times when guys do that and they don't really care. And I think there are other times where guys do it and they really do care, and by care I mean the effort they put into their work, the type of teammate they are, and Manny checks all those boxes."Machado is among the top two free agents on the market along with outfielder Bryce Harper after a 3½ -month stay with the Dodgers. The... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Andrew Friedman knew he was getting a player who didn't hustle all the time when he traded for Manny Machado. Still, the Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations was willing to acquire the four-time All-Star infielder because his good points outweighed the bad."He got booed in Baltimore three weeks before we traded for him," Friedman said Tuesday at the general managers' meetings. "It's not like it was a secret. I think it's never a fun thing to watch, at least from my perspective and vantage point, but I do think it's important to dig further into that, and I think there are times when guys do that and they don't really care. And I think there are other times where guys do it and they really do care, and by care I mean the effort they put into their work, the type of teammate they are, and Manny checks all those boxes."Machado is among the top two free agents on the market along with outfielder Bryce Harper after a 3½ -month stay with the Dodgers. The... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The last time Dave Dombrowski built a World Series champion, he had to start dismantling it before the celebratory champagne had a chance to dry.He's hoping to defend the title for real next year."It is significantly different than the last time," he said on Thursday, four days after the Red Sox won their fourth title in 15 years and Dombrowski earned a ring to go with the one he won with the binge-and-purge Florida Marlins of the late 1990s."This will be the first time in my career that we will be going to spring training as the defending champions," said Dombrowski, who avoided the term after selling off the stars that won it all in Miami in 1997. "Sometimes when guys become free agents they receive offers they can't refuse. But we'd like to keep this team together."After winning the Series in five games on Sunday night, flying back to Boston on Monday and then holding their increasingly routine duck boat parade through the city on Wednesday, the Red Sox are the last team... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Three days after a World Series victory that transformed him from a postseason flop to an October hero, Red Sox left-hander David Price said at the team's victory parade Wednesday that he would stay in Boston rather than opt out of his contract and become a free agent."I'm not going anywhere," Price said on the field at Fenway Park before boarding a duck boat for the ride through the city. "I came here to win, and we did that this year. That was very special and I want to do it again."Price will earn $127 million over the next four years, the remainder of a seven-year, $217 million contract he signed before the 2016 season that gave him the right to opt out after the third year. It remains the richest contract ever for a pitcher."There wasn't any reconsideration on my part, ever," Price said.The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, Price has gone 31-19 with a 3.74 ERA in three seasons in Boston but until this year never had any success in the playoffs. He had never won a postseason... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox left-hander David Price will stay with the team he led to a World Series title, declining a contract option on Wednesday that would have enabled him to become a free agent.Price announced his decision on the field at Fenway Park before a victory parade, saying he came to Boston to win and that's what the Red Sox did.Price will earn $127 million over the next four years under the seven-year, $217 million contract he signed with Boston before the 2016 season that was at the time the richest ever for a pitcher. He has gone 31-19 with a 3.74 ERA in three seasons with the Red Sox, and this October he finally pitched like an ace in the postseason as well."To be able to come out on top and to be able to contribute in October, that's why I play the game," he said after getting the win in the World Series clincher, a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night that brought the Red Sox their fourth title in 15 years — and Price his first championship ring."My... [More]