A Game 7 loss in the AL Championship Series wouldn't have changed how Tampa Bay general manager Erik Neander feels about the Rays. Their 4-2 win over Houston on Saturday night sure changed how Neander felt waking up Sunday, though. “I rolled over about 6:15 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep,” Neander said Sunday night. “It was a special night. Pretty excited. We all are.” The Rays narrowly held off the Astros after building — and blowing — a 3-0 series lead to earn its second AL pennant. Houston was trying to match the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the only major league team to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series. Next up for the low-payroll Rays: a neutral site World Series in Arlington, Texas, beginning Tuesday night. “This is as good a group of people as you’re going to find,” Neander said. “As ego-free as you’ll see. To prevail the way they did, I know we wouldn’t have thought any differently of them if Game 7 last night didn’t go our way. I know we would have thought... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins executive Michael Hill's 19-season tenure with the franchise has ended. Hill was president of baseball operations for the past six years and provided continuity after a 2017 change in ownership, but his contract expired and he will not be back next season, CEO Derek Jeter said Sunday. Hill joined the Marlins' front office in 2002, and the next year they won the World Series. But this year's 31-29 finish was their first above .500 since 2009, and they made the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. Hill helped steer the Marlins through a coronavirus outbreak that nearly derailed their season. The Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card round of the playoffs before being eliminated by Atlanta and exceeded all outside expectations with a young, patchwork roster one year after losing 105 games. Hill was general manager for six seasons before becoming president of baseball operations. He worked for three years in the Jeter regime as the organization underwent heavy turnover. Hill had a hand in the record $325 million, 13-year contract Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Marlins in 2014. He later was involved in trading Stanton and All-Stars Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon and J.T. Realmuto as the Marlins rebuilt from the farm system up under Jeter. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports ___ Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Steve_Wine

Oct. 19 1972 — The Oakland A’s rallied for two ninth-inning runs for a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series. 1976 — The Cincinnati Reds took a commanding 3-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the World Series with a 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium. Cincinnati designated hitter Dan Driessen had a single, double, home run and a walk to lead the attack. Jim Mason had a solo homer in the seventh inning for the only home run by the Yankees in the series. 1981 — Los Angeles’ Rick Monday hit a ninth-inning home run to give the Dodgers a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Expos and the National League pennant. 1999 — Kenny Rogers walked Andruw Jones with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 11th inning, sending the Atlanta Braves to the World Series with a 10-9 victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. 2004 — Curt Schilling, pitching on a dislocated ankle tendon held down by three sutures put in the day before, gave up one... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Houston Astros spent this odyssey of a season as baseball's biggest villains. When Aledmys Diaz flied out with a runner on first to end Game 7 of the AL Championship Series, the bad guys finally lost. Ridiculed, roasted and ripped all year long, the Astros still summoned enough October heart and poise to reach the brink of another World Series. Manager Dusty Baker's club even came agonizingly close to matching the biggest playoff comeback in baseball history in a wild ALCS. Although they couldn't quite conjure one more incredible postseason feat, this playoff run should be a source of pride for these Astros long after the boos stop. Although if fans are allowed back in most stadiums in 2021, this tarnished franchise probably won't hear the end of 2020 anytime soon. Houston fell behind early and never caught up in a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 7 on Saturday night, coming up short of an astonishing series comeback after three consecutive victories. After winning two... [More]

2020_Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay 2019_Jose Altuve, Houston 2018_Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston 2017_Justin Verlander, Houston 2016_Andrew Miller, Cleveland Indians 2015_Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals 2014_Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals 2013_Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox 2012_Delmon Young, Detroit Tigers 2011_Nelson Cruz, Texas Rangers 2010_Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers 2009_CC Sabathia, New York Yankees 2008_Matt Garza, Tampa Bay Rays 2007_Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox 2006_Placido Polanco, Detroit Tigers 2005_Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox 2004_David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox 2003_Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees 2002_Adam Kennedy, Anaheim Angels 2001_Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees 2000_David Justice, New York Yankees 1999_Orlando Hernandez, New York Yankees 1998_David Wells, New York Yankees 1997_Marquis Grissom, Cleveland Indians 1996_Bernie Williams, New York Yankees 1995_Orel Hershiser, Cleveland Indians 1994_strike 1993_Dave Stewart, Toronto Blue Jays 1992_Roberto Alomar, Toronto Blue Jays 1991_Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins 1990_Dave Stewart, Oakland Athletics 1989_Rickey Henderson, Oakland Athletics 1988_Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics 1987_Gary Gaetti, Minnesota Twins 1986_Marty Barrett, Boston Red Sox 1985_George Brett, Kansas City Royals 1984_Kirk Gibson, Detroit Tigers 1983_Mike Boddicker, Baltimore Orioles 1982_Fred Lynn, California Angels 1981_Graig Nettles, New York Yankees 1980_Frank White, Kansas City Royals

A look at what’s happening around the majors Sunday: ___ SEVEN HEAVEN The NL Championship Series is headed for Game 7, and the finale could hinge on the performance of two rookie right-handers. Ian Anderson gets the ball for the Atlanta Braves, who are looking to bounce back after blowing a 3-1 series lead. If Tony Gonsolin goes for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night, it will be the first winner-take-all postseason game started by two rookies. “I think you have to go out there and compete,” Anderson said. “Whether you punch them first or they punch you first, you have to find a way to stay in the fight and just compete as hard as you can.” The 22-year-old Anderson has a scoreless streak of 15 2/3 innings covering his first three playoff starts. If Dodgers manager Dave Roberts goes with Gonsolin, it would be a rematch of Game 2, won 8-7 by Atlanta when the Braves hung on in the ninth inning long after Anderson and Gonsolin were gone. Los Angeles also could go with three-time NL Cy Young... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts jumped high against the eight-foot wall in right field, landing against an advertisement with the word “Extreme.” His catch that robbed Marcell Ozuna to end the fifth inning with a runner on was extreme, just like the running, shoestring scoop the Dodgers star made a night earlier that started a double play and took an Atlanta run off the scoreboard. Betts knew what he had accomplished. Head raised and bobbing back and forth, the ball held at his midsection, he took a few gallops toward the plate before joyfully throwing the ball back in. Walker Buehler stood near the mound, his right hand forming a triumphant fist, arm held high. “That’s a huge spark. That’s an unbelievable play by an unbelievable player at a big moment,” shortstop Corey Seager said. Moments like this were what Los Angeles hoped for when it acquired the four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner from the Boston Red Sox in February. Betts’ defense, Buehler’s pitching and consecutive... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ian Anderson doesn’t remember the last time the Atlanta Braves were in a Game 7. That’s because the 22-year-old rookie right-hander wasn’t born yet. Anderson will take a 15 2/3-inning scoreless streak at the start of his postseason career into the deciding game of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Braves lost their second in a row, 3-1 on Saturday. It’s one game for a chance to meet Tampa Bay or Houston in the World Series, just the second NLCS to go the distance in 15 seasons and the first time since 2004 that both league championship series have gone seven games. Rookie Tony Gonsolin goes for the Dodgers on Sunday night. It's a rematch of Game 2, won 8-7 by Atlanta when the Braves hung on in the ninth inning long after Anderson and Gonsolin were gone. In Major League Baseball’s first neutral site postseason, the league championship series are played on consecutive days off with no time off, more akin to strenuous stretches of... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Three-time Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was back in the lineup for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Houston Astros for Game 7 of the AL Championship Series on Saturday night. Kiermaier wasn’t in the starting lineup for three straight games after getting hit on the left hand by a pitch in Game 3, which the Rays won 5-2 to take a 3-0 lead. Kiermaier pinch-ran and remained in the game in center field in Game 5. The Astros won three straight games to tie the series at 3 and force the deciding Game 7. Houston, in the ALCS for the fourth straight year, is trying to join the 2004 Boston Red Sox as the only teams to win a seven-game series after being trailing 3-0. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Though Kenley Jansen never lost confidence in himself, the big right-hander might be regaining that from the Los Angeles Dodgers after an inconsistent stretch. While not in a save situation, Jansen closed out Game 5 with a dominating 12-pitch performance in which he struck out the side in a 7-3 win over the Atlanta Braves with the Dodgers facing potential elimination. That came two days after another 1-2-3 inning in a midgame appearance for LA in a 15-3 win. “I feel like if it clicked out there and you know once it clicked, everything is going to come with it,” Jansen said Saturday before the Dodgers faced another potential elimination game against the Braves. In the ninth inning Friday night, Jansen threw 10 strikes and got three swinging strikeouts. His cutter was consistently in the 92-93 mph range, and Johan Camargo swung and missed on a game-ending 94 mph sinker. “It was as good as I've seen in quite some time," manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. “I thought... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves got a little ahead of themselves. Now they’ll have to wait at least another day for the franchise’s first World Series in 20 years. Ozuna left early on what would have been a sacrifice fly with his team leading in the third inning, and the game soon turned in Los Angeles’ favor as the Dodgers stayed alive in the NL Championship Series with a 7-3 victory in Game 5 on Friday night. The Braves still have a 3-2 series lead after a bullpen game that started well but went awry, with their top two starters lined up for the final two games. Left-hander Max Fried pitches for the NL East champions on Saturday. A night after hitting two homers in a 10-2 win, Ozuna started off the bag at third base when Dansby Swanson hit a liner to right field with Atlanta already off to a 2-0 lead. Realizing Mookie Betts had a chance to make the catch, Ozuna retreated to the base, but still pulled his foot off too soon as Betts made a running, lunging catch... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Saturday: ___ UNEXPECTED SEVEN The Astros are channeling the 2004 Red Sox, hoping to “cowboy up” for a stunning comeback that could send them to the World Series in Arlington, Texas. The only task left — winning Game 7 of their AL Championship Series against the Rays. Trailing 3-0 in the series earlier this week, Houston players watched a documentary about Boston’s rally from a similar deficit in the ALCS against the Yankees — the only time in baseball’s 116-year postseason history a club trailed 3-0 and advanced. Carlos Correa, George Springer and the Astros' other players are using that unforgettable comeback as inspiration. That Red Sox team went on to win the World Series and end the Curse of the Bambino. Houston is merely trying to prove it can win without stealing signs after their 2017 title was tainted by scandal. “We’re not through writing history,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “We’re hoping we can have a happy ending to this historic... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — With three consecutive losses in the AL Championship Series, the Tampa Bay Rays are on the brink of an extremely regrettable bit of baseball history. Unlike the 2004 New York Yankees, the Rays still have a chance to avoid a flop that will follow them forever. Tampa Bay and Houston will play Game 7 at Petco Park on Saturday after the Astros incredibly stretched the ALCS to the limit with a 7-4 victory Friday night. Although it certainly didn't feel that way when Houston turned a double play to end Game 6, the Rays are still one win away from their franchise's second trip to the World Series, just as they were on Wednesday when they had a 3-0 series lead. After a Game 6 defeat filled with pitching woes and defensive mistakes that would have seemed improbable just three days ago for the AL's winningest regular season team, the Rays are also one loss away from matching the worst playoff collapse in 116 years of postseason baseball. “I've seen these guys play such clean baseball... [More]

Oct. 17 1911 — The Philadelphia Athletics scored twice in the 11th to beat the New York Giants 3-2 in Game 3 of the World Series. Frank Baker hit a home run in the ninth inning off Christy Mathewson to tie the score 1-1. Baker was tagged with the nickname “Home Run” for his exploits. 1960 — The National League formally awarded franchises to the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc., headed by Joan Payson and a Houston group headed by Judge Roy Hofheinz, Craig Cullinan and R.E. Smith. 1979 — Willie Stargell’s two-run homer gave the Pirates a 4-1 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles and the World Series in seven games. 1987 — The Minnesota Twins overpowered St. Louis 10-1 in the opening game of the first indoor World Series. Dan Gladden’s grand slam capped a seven-run fourth inning. 1989 — Minutes before Game 3 of the World Series between Oakland and San Francisco, an earthquake hit the Bay Area. The game was postponed and the series resumed 11 days later. 1996 — The Atlanta Braves had... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Clayton Kershaw can't shake his postseason curse, not even in a neutral-site NL Championship Series a few miles from his hometown. The longtime ace of the Dodgers faltered at the start of the sixth inning against Atlanta, allowing three straight hits before watching the rest of a six-run outburst in the Braves' 10-2 win in Game 4 on Thursday night. Kershaw's franchise-high 12th postseason loss put Los Angeles down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series at the home of the Texas Rangers, on the brink of a second straight defeat in the NLCS after posting the best record in the majors during the pandemic-shortened season. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner — pitching two days after he was scratched from a Game 2 start because of back spasms — allowed four runs in five-plus innings, boosting his career playoff ERA to 4.31. While Kershaw is also the club's career leader in postseason wins with his 11-12 record, his October resume simply doesn't match his stellar regular-season... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Friday: GETTING TIGHTER Ji-Man Choi and the Rays will try for the third day in a row to reach the World Series. A pair of losses to Houston has narrowed Tampa Bay’s lead in the AL Championship Series to 3-2 at Petco Park in San Diego. Game 6 will be a rematch of the opener when Blake Snell pitched the Rays past Framber Valdéz and the Astros 2-1. GUSTY GAME Braves slugger Freddie Freeman and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw seemed to having trouble seeing in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series because of windy conditions in a stadium with a retractable roof. Major League Baseball said it wanted to keep the roof open at Globe Life Field — barring rain — when the agreement was reached for the new home of the Texas Rangers to host three rounds of the playoffs in the pandemic-shortened season. Freeman reached for his eyes after striking out swinging in the first inning Thursday, and Fox reported he said, “I can’t see,” when he got back... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Atlanta's Freddie Freeman and Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw apparently had trouble seeing early in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series because of windy conditions in a stadium with a retractable roof. Major League Baseball said it wanted to keep the roof open at Globe Life Field — barring rain — when the agreement was reached for the new home of the Texas Rangers to host three rounds of the playoffs in the pandemic-shortened season. Fox reported during the telecast Thursday night that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told umpire Cory Blaser between innings that Kershaw and first baseman Max Muncy were having trouble seeing. Freeman was reaching for his eyes after striking out swinging in the first, and Fox reported he said, “I can't see," upon returning to the dugout. The MVP candidate with two homers in the NLCS briefly tried glasses while in the field and also was shown getting eyedrops. Freeman cleanly fielded Corey Seager's hard one-hopper to first... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Except for an occasional homer, the Tampa Bay Rays’ offense has fallen largely silent on the brink of the World Series. For all their superb pitching, sublime defense, tactical innovation and relentless cheerleading from the dugout, the Rays might not go any farther if they can’t simply put some men on base and score a few more old-fashioned runs than the Houston Astros. Tampa Bay hit three solo homers and stranded nine runners in a 4-3 loss Thursday in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series, failing to finish off the series for the second straight day while absorbing back-to-back defeats for the first time since Sept. 8-10. “That big hit has continued to elude us with guys on base,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. With Carlos Correa's walkoff homer against formidable Tampa Bay reliever Nick Anderson, the Astros avoided elimination and trimmed the Rays’ once-daunting series lead to 3-2 after a string of missed offensive opportunities for the AL East champions. Given two... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Houston Astros tapped rookie right-hander Luis Garcia to start Game 5 of the AL Championship Series while the Tampa Bay Rays chose to go with opener John Curtiss. Houston faced elimination for the second straight game. The Astros won 4-3 Wednesday night to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. Garcia was making his first career postseason appearance. He was 0-1 with a 2.92 ERA in five appearances in the regular season, including one start. Curtiss is 0-0 with a 10.38 ERA in four appearances this postseason. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ BACK IN? Clayton Kershaw could pitch Game 4 of the NL Championship Series for the Dodgers if the left-hander’s back continues to improve. Kershaw was scratched from his scheduled Game 2 start because of back spasms, and manager Dave Roberts decided to stick with left-hander Julio Urías for Game 3 against Atlanta on Wednesday night. Los Angeles stormed to a 15-3 victory that cut its series deficit to 2-1. “Every day it’s been better,” Roberts said of Kershaw’s back. “I can’t just sit here right now and say he’s going to start tomorrow. I think if it progresses the way it has, it’s a likely possibility. But again, this is making sure Clayton feels good tomorrow when he wakes up and the training staff gives us our blessing as well.” The Braves will start rookie right-hander Bryse Wilson, who has just seven professional starts and none in the postseason. He hasn’t pitched since the regular-season finale Sept. 27. WHO'S UP? With their season... [More]