July 15 1901 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0. 1960 — Baltimore’s Brooks Robinson goes 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle and driving in three runs to lead the Orioles past the Chicago White Sox 5-2. 1969 — Cincinnati’s Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games. The Reds lost the opener 9-8 but won the second game 10-4. 1969 — Rod Carew stole home off Chicago’s Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins’ 6-2 victory. It was Carew’s seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser’s 1946 major league mark. 1973 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0. 1980 — Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra’s record for home runs by a catcher, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer.... [More]

July 14 1916 — St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob went the distance in a 17-inning 0-0 tie with the Boston Red Sox. Carl Mays went the first 15 innings for the Red Sox and Dutch Leonard finished. 1946 — Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau hit four doubles and a home run in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston, but Ted Williams connected for three home runs and drove in eight runs for an 11-10 Red Sox victory. 1956 — Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 4-0 victory at Fenway Park. 1967 — Eddie Mathews of the Astros hit his 500th home run off San Francisco’s Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park. Houston beat the Giants 8-6. 1968 — Hank Aaron got his 500th home run off Mike McCormick as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2. 1968 — Don Wilson of the Houston Astros struck out 18 Reds in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati in the nightcap of a doubleheader. 1969 — Oakland’s Reggie Jackson knocked in 10 runs in a 21-7 win... [More]

2021 — Pete Alonso, N.Y. Mets (Coors Field) 2019 — Pete Alonso, N.Y. Mets (Progressive Park) 2018 — Bryce Harper, Washington (Nationals Park) 2017 — Aaron Judge, N.Y. Yankees (Marlins Park) 2016 — Giancarlo Stanton, Miami (Petco Park) 2015 — Todd Frazier, Cincinnati (Great American Ball Park) 2014 — Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland (Target Field) 2013 — Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland (Citi Field) 2012 — Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers (Kauffman Stadium) 2011 — Robinson Cano, N.Y. Yankees (Chase Field) 2010 — David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (Angel Stadium) 2009 — Prince Fielder, Milwaukee Brewers (Busch Stadium) 2008 — Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins (Yankee Stadium) 2007 — Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels (AT&T Park) 2006 — Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (PNC Park) 2005 — Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies (Comerica Park) 2004 — Miguel Tejada, Baltimore Orioles (Minute Maid Park) 2003 — Garret Anderson, Anaheim Angels (U.S. Cellular Field) 2002 — Jason Giambi, New York Yankees (Miller Park) 2001... [More]

July 6 1929 — The St. Louis Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first and fifth innings in beating the Philadelphia Phillies, 28-6, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Cardinals had 28 hits and set an NL record with the 28 runs. 1933 — The first major league All-Star game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The AL, managed by Connie Mack, defeated the NL, managed by John McGraw, 4-2 on Babe Ruth’s two-run homer. 1938 — Johnny Vander Meer, Bill Lee and Mace Brown combined to limit the AL to one run and seven hits as the NL won the All-Star game 4-1 at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field. Lefty Gomez of the New York Yankees suffered his first defeat in four All-Star starts. 1942 — The AL beat the NL 3-1 in the All-Star game at the Polo Grounds in New York on first-inning home runs by Lou Boudreau of the Cleveland Indians and Rudy York of the Detroit Tigers. York’s shot came with a man on base. 1949 — Walker Cooper of Cincinnati went 6-for-7, including three home runs and drove in 10 runs, against... [More]

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and other baseball players will be pushing for changes that make more teams competitive as they think about looming labor negotiations that could lead to a work stoppage at the start of 2022. Many veterans who are not top stars have taken substantial paycuts in recent years. Others have turned down cuts and retired. The players’ association is upset that some teams have lowered major league payroll in favor of rebuilding with youth, a process it calls tanking and that management defends as long-allowed refocusing on retooling for long-term gain. “For me, it just goes back to competitiveness,” Cole said Thursday. “We have a lot of great veterans that offer great entertainment, a quality style of baseball, that continuously are being pushed out because of surplus value on younger players is too high — the analytics are driving the game in that direction. And we want to have an open field for the clubs to be able to find talent, find surplus value.” Cole... [More]

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]

x-unanimous2020 — Jose Abreu, Chicago 2019 — Mike Trout, Los Angeles 2018 — Mookie Betts, Boston 2017 — Jose Altuve, Houston 2016 — Mike Trout, Los Angeles 2015 — Josh Donaldson, Toronto 2014 — x-Mike Trout, Los Angeles 2013 — Miguel Cabrera, Detroit 2012 — Miguel Cabrera, Detroit 2011 — Justin Verlander, Detroit 2010 — Josh Hamilton, Texas 2009 — Joe Mauer, Minnesota 2008 — Dustin Pedroia, Boston 2007 — Alex Rodriguez, New York 2006 — Justin Morneau, Minnesota 2005 — Alex Rodriguez, New York 2004 — Vladimir Guerrero, Anaheim 2003 — Alex Rodriguez, Texas 2002 — Miguel Tejada, Oakland 2001 — Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle 2000 — Jason Giambi, Oakland 1999 — Ivan Rodriguez, Texas 1998 — Juan Gonzalez, Texas 1997 — x-Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle 1996 — Juan Gonzalez, Texas 1995 — Mo Vaughn, Boston 1994 — Frank Thomas, Chicago 1993 — x-Frank Thomas, Chicago 1992 — Dennis Eckersley, Oakland 1991 — Cal Ripken, Baltimore 1990 — Rickey Henderson, Oakland 1989 — Robin Yount, Milwaukee 1988 — x-Jose Canseco,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Chicago White Sox slugger José Abreu won the AL MVP prize Thursday, a reward for powering his team back into the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The first baseman from Cuba got 21 of the 30 first-place ballots in voting by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez finished second and Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu was third. The NL MVP was to be announced later Thursday night. Abreu led the majors with 60 RBIs and 148 total bases, and topped the AL with 76 hits and a .617 slugging percentage. He played in all 60 games during the virus-shortened season as Chicago claimed a wild-card spot. The 33-year-old Abreu batted .317 with 19 home runs, connecting six times in a three-game series against the Cubs in late August. That barrage of longballs at Wrigley Field was part of his 22-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors this year. Abreu was the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year and is a three-time All-Star. He became... [More]

July 151901 — Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants pitched his first of two career no-hitters, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0.1969 — Cincinnati’s Lee May hit four home runs in a doubleheader split with the Atlanta Braves. May had two home runs and drove in five runs in both games as the Reds lost the opener 9-8 but came back to win the second game 10-4.1969 — Rod Carew stole home off Chicago’s Gerry Nyman in the Minnesota Twins’ 6-2 victory. It was Carew’s seventh steal of home for the year and tied Pete Reiser’s 1946 major league mark.1973 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels struck out 17 batters and threw his second no-hitter of the year, beating Detroit 6-0.1980 — Johnny Bench broke Yogi Berra’s record for home runs by a catcher as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Montreal Expos 12-7. Bench hit his 314th homer as a catcher off David Palmer. Bench had 33 home runs while playing other positions.1990 — Chicago’s Bobby Thigpen became quickest to reach 30 saves in a season as the White... [More]

July 141916 — St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob went the distance in a 17-inning 0-0 tie with the Boston Red Sox. Carl Mays went the first 15 innings for the Red Sox and Dutch Leonard finished.1946 — Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau hit four doubles and a home run in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston, but Ted Williams connected for three home runs and drove in eight runs for an 11-10 Red Sox victory.1956 — Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 4-0 victory at Fenway Park.1967 — Eddie Mathews of the Astros hit his 500th home run off San Francisco’s Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park. Houston beat the Giants 8-6.1968 — Hank Aaron got his 500th home run off Mike McCormick as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.1968 — Don Wilson of the Houston Astros struck out 18 Reds in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati in the nightcap of a doubleheader.1970 — Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds scored on Jim Hickman’s 12th-inning... [More]

July 111914 — Babe Ruth made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox and received credit for a 4-3 victory over Cleveland. He was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh, and Duffy Lewis’ single led to the winning run.1944 — Phil Cavaretta set an All-Star game record by reaching base safely five straight times — triple, single, three walks — to lead the NL to a 7-1 victory over the AL at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.1950 — The All-Star game returned to Comiskey Park, the site of the first game, and was won by the NL 4-3 on Red Schoendienst’s 14th-inning home run off Ted Gray. It was the first extra-inning All-Star game, the first time the NL won at an AL park and the first All-Star game shown on network television.1961 — Despite a record seven errors and pitcher Stu Miller getting blown off the Candlestick Park mound by a gale wind, the NL edged the AL 5-4 in the first of two All-Star games played that year.1967 — Tony Perez’s home run off Catfish Hunter in the 15th inning gave the... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — For the Twins to land free agent Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano knew what would be asked of him. He didn't hesitate.Instead, Sano sent a video to Donaldson, lobbying the 2015 American League MVP to join the Twins. The key to Sano's pitch: He would happily move across the infield to play first base with Donaldson taking over at third.Understand, too, that Sano has appeared in just 31 games at first base since making his big league debut in 2015, spending the last five seasons working to improve at third."The first time I met him, I saw that he's a really good guy and he's got a lot of energy," Sano said. "He's the kind of player that I love to see. He's positive and he loves the game. He likes to win and play hard. That's something that I see all the time."Just as his teammates saw what Sano did."The teammate that he was to kind of help on the recruiting process of JD, tell him, 'Hey, you can have third base, I'm willing to move to first base' I think needs to be put... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — For the Twins to land free agent Josh Donaldson, Miguel Sano knew what would be asked of him. He didn't hesitate.Instead, Sano sent a video to Donaldson, lobbying the 2015 American League MVP to join the Twins. The key to Sano's pitch: He would happily move across the infield to play first base with Donaldson taking over at third.Understand, too, that Sano has appeared in just 31 games at first base since making his big league debut in 2015, spending the last five seasons working to improve at third."The first time I met him, I saw that he's a really good guy and he's got a lot of energy," Sano said. "He's the kind of player that I love to see. He's positive and he loves the game. He likes to win and play hard. That's something that I see all the time."Just as his teammates saw what Sano did."The teammate that he was to kind of help on the recruiting process of JD, tell him, 'Hey, you can have third base, I'm willing to move to first base' I think needs to be put... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has been elected to the club's Hall of Fame. Morneau will be inducted during a ceremony at Target Field before the May 23 game against the Chicago White Sox.Morneau played 14 seasons in the major leagues, including 11 with the Twins from 2003 to 2013. He finished his Twins career hitting .278 with 289 doubles, 16 triples and 221 home runs. He also had 860 RBI, 669 runs scored and 501 walks in 1,278 games. Morneau was the 2006 American League Most Valuable Player. As a member of the Twins, he was named to four-straight American League All-Star teams (2007-10) and earned two Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Awards, in 2006 and 2008. He's still with the Twins as a special assistant to baseball operations, and this season will mark his third as an analyst for select Twins television broadcasts on FOX Sports North.The Twins Hall of Fame honors players, managers, coaches and others who have contributed to the organization's success. Morneau will become the hall's 34th member when he is inducted.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins set a major league record for home runs last season. They created a bigger buzz with their recent signing of star third baseman Josh Donaldson to a $92 million, four-year contract — the richest in club history for a free agent. Still, the defending AL Central champions carry with them a pressing question. Is their starting pitching going to be strong enough to not only help them get back to the postseason but play deeper into October this time?With spring training less than three weeks away, diminishing the likelihood of another acquisition, the Twins have publicly expressed confidence in their rotation for 2020.“As it stands right now, I feel really good about the group we have and the ability to build around that,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. He added: “We never say never to anything, but we feel like we have a lot of good guys in the mix.”Twins starters in 2019 ranked 11th in the majors in ERA (4.11) and sixth in innings... [More]

The Milwaukee Brewers are charging toward a playoff spot without Christian Yelich.And even while injured, Yelich is inching closer to a nice individual honor.Yelich is currently the National League's batting leader, although he's out with a fractured kneecap and can only watch as his team chases a postseason berth. The batting race may not be foremost on his mind, but that's coming down to the wire too — with Yelich's .329 average holding the lead.Ketel Marte is also batting .329, but he's been shut down for the season with back problems. With an additional decimal place, his average of .3286 trails Yelich's .3292. Washington's Anthony Rendon went 1 for 3 on Monday night and is at .325.It would be the second straight batting title for Yelich, who also won NL MVP honors last year. The last player to win back-to-back NL batting titles was Larry Walker in 1998 and 1999.Yelich winning twice in a row would be particularly impressive given that he has to compete against Colorado players hitting... [More]

The Milwaukee Brewers are charging toward a playoff spot without Christian Yelich.And even while injured, Yelich is inching closer to a nice individual honor.Yelich is currently the National League's batting leader, although Arizona's Ketel Marte and Washington's Anthony Rendon are close on his heels. Out with a fractured kneecap, Yelich can only watch as his team chases a postseason berth. The batting race may not be foremost on his mind, but that's coming down to the wire too — with Yelich's .329 average holding the lead.Marte is also batting .329, with Rendon at .325.It would be the second straight batting title for Yelich, who also won NL MVP honors last year. The last player to win back-to-back NL batting titles was Larry Walker in 1998 and 1999.Yelich winning twice in a row would be particularly impressive given that he has to compete against Colorado players hitting at altitude. Since their first season in 1993, the Rockies have won 11 of the NL's 26 batting titles. (Trivia question:... [More]

July 141916 — St. Louis Browns pitcher Ernie Koob went the distance in a 17-inning 0-0 tie with the Boston Red Sox. Carl Mays went the first 15 innings for the Red Sox and Dutch Leonard finished.1946 — Cleveland player-manager Lou Boudreau hit four doubles and a home run in the first game of a doubleheader against Boston, but Ted Williams connected for three home runs and drove in eight runs for an 11-10 Red Sox victory.1956 — Mel Parnell of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox for a 4-0 victory at Fenway Park.1967 — Eddie Mathews of the Astros hit his 500th home run off San Francisco's Juan Marichal at Candlestick Park. Houston beat the Giants 8-6.1968 — Hank Aaron got his 500th home run off Mike McCormick as the Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2.1968 — Don Wilson of the Houston Astros struck out 18 Reds in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati in the nightcap of a doubleheader.1969 — Oakland's Reggie Jackson knocked in 10 runs in a 21-7 win over... [More]

June 301908 — At 41 years, 3 months, Cy Young of the Boston Red Sox pitched the third no-hitter of his career, an 8-0 win over the New York Highlanders.1948 — Cleveland's Bob Lemon pitched a 2-0 no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers for the first American League no-hitter at night.1962 — Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers struck out 13 New York Mets en route to the first of four career no-hitters, a 5-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.1970 — Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati was dedicated, but Henry Aaron spoiled the show for the crowd of 51,050 with a first-inning homer off Jim McGlothlin as Atlanta beat the Reds 8-2.1978 — Willie McCovey became the 12th player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. His milestone shot off Atlanta's Jamie Easterly wasn't enough, as the Braves beat the San Francisco Giants 10-5 in the second game of a doubleheader at Fulton County Stadium.1995 — Eddie Murray of the Cleveland Indians became the second switch-hitter and the 20th player in baseball history... [More]