NEW YORK (AP) — Rob Manfred wants Major League Baseball to be in position to take the field whenever government and health officials give the go-ahead.“I think it’s incumbent upon us to turn over every stone to try to play the game in 2020 if there’s any way we can in the environment,” the baseball commissioner said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press.Spring training was suspended March 12 because of the new coronavirus pandemic and the season’s scheduled start on March 26 delayed. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended all gatherings of 50 people or more be put off through mid-May.Among the plans baseball is investigating is basing all 30 teams in the Phoenix area and using the 10 spring training ballparks there, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field and possibly college facilities. Games would be played in empty stadiums; players, staff and broadcast crews and technicians would be kept in controlled environments, such as ballparks, hotels... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Rob Manfred wants Major League Baseball to be in position to take the field whenever government and health officials give the go-ahead.“I think it’s incumbent upon us to turn over every stone to try to play the game in 2020 if there’s any way we can in the environment,” the baseball commissioner said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press.Spring training was suspended March 12 because of the new coronavirus pandemic and the season’s scheduled start on March 26 delayed. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended all gatherings of 50 people or more be put off through mid-May.Among the plans baseball is investigating is basing all 30 teams in the Phoenix area and using the 10 spring training ballparks there, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field and possibly college facilities. Games would be played in empty stadiums; players, staff and broadcast crews and technicians would be kept in controlled environments, such as ballparks, hotels... [More]

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander has resumed throwing as he recovers from March groin surgery. Houston manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Verlander, who had surgery on March 17, is “doing great" and is throwing as he continues his rehabilitation. Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training. His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He made two starts pitching 4 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA.Verlander left his second start on March 8 with a mild strain of a back muscle and said at the time that it would be unlikely that he would be able to start the scheduled March 26 opener against the Los Angeles Angels.Now that the start of the season has been delayed because of the new coronavirus, it makes it much more likely that Verlander will be ready when the season begins. “He was having a little trouble on and off and it kind of messes with your head in spring training when you feel great one day and the next day you don’t and the next... [More]

Houston manager Dusty Baker celebrated Jackie Robinson’s legacy on the 73rd anniversary of the fall of the major league color barrier and lamented the lack of African Americans in today’s game. “It’s frustrating because we’ve talked about it forever ... but it seems like the numbers are dwindling instead of increasing," Baker said Wednesday.Only 7.7% of big league players on opening day rosters last year were African American, down from 17% in 1990. Baker and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts are the only two African American managers in the majors.Baker appreciates that the league is making a “conscious effort" to get more young African Americans involved in baseball through programs like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and is optimistic there can be a turnaround in the upcoming years. “Hopefully in this decade and the next decade there will be more guys that get a chance,” Baker said. “All they need is a chance. A lot of guys have been bypassed and overlooked.”Robinson broke the color barrier... [More]

Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander has resumed throwing as he recovers from March groin surgery. Houston manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Verlander, who had surgery on March 17, is “doing great" and is throwing as he continues his rehabilitation. Verlander dealt with the problem early in spring training. His first start was delayed until March 3 because of discomfort in his right groin. He made two starts pitching 4 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA.Verlander left his second start on March 8 with a mild strain of a back muscle and said at the time that it would be unlikely that he would be able to start the scheduled March 26 opener against the Los Angeles Angels.Now that the start of the season has been delayed because of the new coronavirus, it makes it much more likely that Verlander will be ready when the season begins. “He was having a little trouble on and off and it kind of messes with your head in spring training when you feel great one day and the next day you don’t and the next... [More]

Houston manager Dusty Baker celebrated Jackie Robinson’s legacy on the 73rd anniversary of the fall of the major league color barrier and lamented the lack of African Americans in today’s game. “It’s frustrating because we’ve talked about it forever ... but it seems like the numbers are dwindling instead of increasing," Baker said Wednesday.Only 7.7% of big league players on opening day rosters last year were African American, down from 17% in 1990. Baker and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts are the only two African American managers in the majors.Baker appreciates that the league is making a “conscious effort" to get more young African Americans involved in baseball through programs like Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities and is optimistic there can be a turnaround in the upcoming years. “Hopefully in this decade and the next decade there will be more guys that get a chance,” Baker said. “All they need is a chance. A lot of guys have been bypassed and overlooked.”Robinson broke the color barrier... [More]

April 161929 — Cleveland’s Earl Averill became the first American League player to hit a home run in his first major league plate appearance. The Indians won the game 5-4 in 11 innings on Carl Lind’s double.1935 — Babe Ruth, 40, made a sensational National League debut in Boston. His single and homer off Carl Hubbell led the Braves over the Giants 4-2.1940 — Bob Feller of Cleveland defeated the Chicago White Sox 1-0 in the only opening day no-hitter in major league history.1948 — WGN-TV televised a baseball game for the first time. It was an exhibition game at Wrigley Field with Jack Brickhouse doing the play-by-play. The White Sox defeated the Cubs 4-1.1972 — Burt Hooton of the Cubs no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 at Wrigley Field.1978 — Bob Forsch of the St. Louis Cardinals no-hit the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0. Less than a year later, Bob’s brother Ken of the Houston Astros pitched a no-hitter against Atlanta. They are the only brothers to throw no-hitters.1984 — Dave Kingman of... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says his state is willing to host all 30 major league teams at the time public health concerns allow, which eventually could lead to the start of the baseball season primarily in empty spring training ballparks.MLB and the players' association have had preliminary discussion of potential ways for the season to start if given the go-ahead by federal, state and local governments and health officials. Having all teams based in the Phoenix area is among the contingency plans being examined. There are 10 spring training parks plus the Diamondbacks' Chase Field, which has a retractable roof, and several college facilities.“Arizona, at the right time, is very open minded to hosting whatever Major League Baseball would like from the state,” Ducey, a Republican, said Tuesday. “At the time that it would be appropriate for public health, if Arizona were in a position to reopen, we have the facilities that are here."“We have the hotel space that is here,” he... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Arizona governor Doug Ducey says his state is willing to host all 30 major league teams at the time public health concerns allow, which eventually could lead to the start of the baseball season primarily in empty spring training ballparks.MLB and the players' association have had preliminary discussion of potential ways for the season to start if given the go-ahead by federal, state and local governments and health officials. Having all teams based in the Phoenix area is among the contingency plans being examined. There are 10 spring training parks plus the Diamondbacks' Chase Field, which has a retractable roof, and several college facilities.“Arizona, at the right time, is very open minded to hosting whatever Major League Baseball would like from the state,” Ducey, a Republican, said Tuesday. “At the time that it would be appropriate for public health, if Arizona were in a position to reopen, we have the facilities that are here."“We have the hotel space that is here,”... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Ron Roenicke is preparing to play baseball this year.The Boston Red Sox manager admits he has concerns about some options Major League Baseball officials have discussed in order to safely start the season in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.But he does believe there will be games."If I’m going with my gut, yes, I do,” Roenicke said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters.Roenicke and his coaching staff continue to be in contact with players, who are commencing with conditioning and throwing programs as best they can from where they are. Baseball’s season had been set to start March 26 but spring training was halted on March 12. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended restricting events of more than 50 people for eight weeks, MLB said it would not open until mid-May at the earliest.Putting all 30 teams in the Phoenix area this season and playing in empty ballparks is one scenario that was discussed last week during a conference call between... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Steve Pearce, the career journeyman who broke loose to become the unlikely MVP of the 2018 World Series, says he’s done playing after an injury-plagued season for the Boston Red Sox.“You know what? It has been a good run. I have 10 years in there. Right now I am officially retired,” Pearce said.Pearce made the announcement Monday night on WEEI while the Boston radio station aired a replay of the 2018 World Series opener between the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He homered and hit a three-run double in Game 4, then homered twice the next day as the Red Sox took title.Pearce, who turned 37 on Monday, was hurt most of last season and didn’t play after May 31. He became a free agent after the season.Overall, he played on seven major league teams -- all five clubs in the AL East, plus Pittsburgh and Houston. He hit .254 with 91 homers in 766 games over 13 seasons, primarily as an outfielder and first baseman.“What Steve did for us in ’18 was pretty incredible,” Red Sox manager... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Steve Pearce, the career journeyman who broke loose to become the unlikely MVP of the 2018 World Series, says he’s done playing after an injury-plagued season for the Boston Red Sox.“You know what? It has been a good run. I have 10 years in there. Right now I am officially retired,” Pearce said.Pearce made the announcement Monday night on WEEI while the Boston radio station aired a replay of the 2018 World Series opener between the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. He homered and hit a three-run double in Game 4, then homered twice the next day as the Red Sox took title.Pearce, who turned 37 on Monday, was hurt most of last season and didn’t play after May 31. He became a free agent after the season.Overall, he played on seven major league teams -- all five clubs in the AL East, plus Pittsburgh and Houston. He hit .254 with 91 homers in 766 games over 13 seasons, primarily as an outfielder and first baseman.“What Steve did for us in ’18 was pretty incredible,” Red Sox manager... [More]

April 141910 — William Howard Taft became the first U.S. president to throw out the first ball at a baseball opener in Washington.1910 — Chicago’s Frank Smith pitched a one-hitter in the season opener to give the White Sox a win over the St. Louis Browns.1915 — In the opening game at Philadelphia, left-hander Herb Pennock of the A’s blanked the Red Sox 5-0. He gave up only one hit — a scratch single by Harry Hooper with two outs in the ninth.1917 — Ed Cicotte of the Chicago White Sox pitched an 11-0 no-hitter over the St. Louis Browns.1925 — The Cleveland Indians opened the season with a 21-14 victory over the St. Louis Browns, the most runs by one club on opening day. The Indians scored 12 runs in the eighth inning when the Browns made five errors. Browns first baseman George Sisler had four errors in the game.1967 — Boston rookie Bill Rohr lost a no-hit bid in his first major league start when Elston Howard singled in the ninth inning for the New York Yankees’ only hit in a 3-0 loss to... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Glenn Beckert, a four-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s and '70s, died Sunday. He was 79.Citing his family, the Cubs said he died of natural causes in Florida.Playing alongside Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins, Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 and made four straight All-Star teams for Chicago starting in 1969. “We lost a great one today, Glenn Beckert,” Jenkins tweeted. “Glenn was My friend, my @Cubs teammate, and the best man at my wedding. He will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Beckert family.”Beckert batted .283 in 11 seasons with Chicago (1965-73) and the San Diego Padres (1974-75). He led the National League five times in strikeout-to-at-bat ratio and finished third in batting in 1971 at a career-best .342.“Glenn Beckert was a wonderful person who also happened to be an excellent ballplayer,” the Cubs said in a statement. “Glenn was a familiar sight at Wrigley Field and numerous... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Glenn Beckert, a four-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s and '70s, died Sunday. He was 79.Citing his family, the Cubs said he died of natural causes in Florida.Playing alongside Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins, Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 and made four straight All-Star teams for Chicago starting in 1969. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971.Beckert batted .283 in 11 seasons with Chicago (1965-73) and the San Diego Padres (1974-75).He is survived by daughters Tracy Seaman and Dana Starck and longtime partner Marybruce Standley. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Glenn Beckert, a four-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s and '70s, died Sunday. He was 79.Citing his family, the Cubs said he died of natural causes in Florida.Playing alongside Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins, Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 and made four straight All-Star teams for Chicago starting in 1969. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971.Beckert batted .283 in 11 seasons with Chicago (1965-73) and the San Diego Padres (1974-75).He is survived by daughters Tracy Seaman and Dana Starck and longtime partner Marybruce Standley. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Snell, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette are among the baseball stars switching over to PlayStation with America's pastime on hold. Thirty big leaguers — one from each team — have signed on to play a round-robin regular season on the MLB The Show video game with the real season on hold due to the novel coronavirus. Snell, a Cy Young Award winner with Tampa Bay, will face Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett in the opener Friday night. That matchup will air on Snell's Twitch feed, and other games will be streamed via Twitch and YouTube with MLB Network host Robert Flores providing commentary.The venture was launched Friday by Major League Baseball, the players’ association and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Participants range in age from 36-year-old San Francisco outfielder Hunter Pence to 21-year-old San Diego infielder Fernando Tatis Jr. There are 11 All-Stars, including Milwaukee reliever Josh Hader, Texas slugger Joey Gallo and the New York Mets' Jeff McNeil. “We’ll see how... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Snell, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette are among the baseball stars switching over to PlayStation with America's pastime on hold. Thirty big leaguers — one from each team — have signed on to play a round-robin regular season on the MLB The Show video game with the real season on hold due to the novel coronavirus. Snell, a Cy Young Award winner with Tampa Bay, will face Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett in the opener Friday night. That matchup will air on Snell's Twitch feed, and other games will be streamed via Twitch and YouTube with MLB Network host Robert Flores providing commentary.The venture was launched Friday by Major League Baseball, the players’ association and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Participants range in age from 36-year-old San Francisco outfielder Hunter Pence to 21-year-old San Diego infielder Fernando Tatis Jr. There are 11 All-Stars, including Milwaukee reliever Josh Hader, Texas slugger Joey Gallo and the New York Mets' Jeff McNeil. Players will... [More]

April 111907 — New York catcher Roger Bresnahan appeared wearing shin guards for the first time in a major league game.1912 — Rube Marquard of the New York Giants began a 19-game winning streak with an 18-3 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.1961 — The Los Angeles Angels won their first major league game with a 7-2 victory over the Orioles at Baltimore. Ted Kluszewski hit two homers for the Angels.1962 — The New York Mets played their first game and lost 11-4 to the Cardinals in St. Louis. Stan Musial of the Cardinals had three hits and tied Mel Ott’s National League career record with his 1,859th run scored. The Mets would lose their first nine games on the way to a 40-120 record.1969 — The Seattle Pilots played their first game, with Gary Bell shutting out the White Sox 7-0 at Sicks Stadium.1985 — Seattle’s Gorman Thomas hit three homers and drove in six runs to lead the Mariners to a 14-6 victory over the Oakland A’s.1990 — Mark Langston made his Angels debut by combining with Mike Witt... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Snell, Juan Soto and Bo Bichette are among the baseball stars switching over to PlayStation with America's pastime on hold. Thirty big leaguers — one from each team — have signed on to play a round-robin regular season on the MLB The Show video game with the real season on hold due to the novel coronavirus. Snell, a Cy Young Award winner with Tampa Bay, will face Cincinnati reliever Amir Garrett in the opener Friday night. That matchup will air on Snell's Twitch feed, and other games will be streamed via Twitch and YouTube with MLB Network host Robert Flores providing commentary.The venture was launched Friday by Major League Baseball, the players’ association and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Participants range in age from 36-year-old San Francisco outfielder Hunter Pence to 21-year-old San Diego infielder Fernando Tatis Jr. There are 11 All-Stars, including Milwaukee reliever Josh Hader, Texas slugger Joey Gallo and the New York Mets' Jeff McNeil. Players will... [More]