Sept. 61905 — Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 15-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The score is the most lopsided margin of victory for a no-hitter in AL history.1912 — Smokey Joe Wood of the Red Sox, on his way to a 34-win season, beat Washington’s Walter Johnson 1-0 at Boston. The victory was Wood’s 14th consecutive, two shy of Johnson’s AL record of 16 straight.1924 — Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns pitched two complete games against the Chicago White Sox and won both, 6-2.1943 — At 16 years, eight months and five days, Philadelphia A’s pitcher Carl Scheib became the youngest player to appear in an American League game.1976 — Los Angeles catcher Steve Yeager was seriously injured when the jagged end of a broken bat struck him in the throat while he was waiting in the on-deck circle.1981 — Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 to tie a National League record of seven... [More]

Sept. 61905 — Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 15-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The score is the most lopsided margin of victory for a no-hitter in AL history.1912 — Smokey Joe Wood of the Red Sox, on his way to a 34-win season, beat Washington’s Walter Johnson 1-0 at Boston. The victory was Wood’s 14th consecutive, two shy of Johnson’s AL record of 16 straight.1924 — Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns pitched two complete games against the Chicago White Sox and won both, 6-2.1943 — At 16 years, eight months and five days, Philadelphia A’s pitcher Carl Scheib became the youngest player to appear in an American League game.1976 — Los Angeles catcher Steve Yeager was seriously injured when the jagged end of a broken bat struck him in the throat while he was waiting in the on-deck circle.1981 — Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 to tie a National League record of seven... [More]

Sept. 61905 — Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox pitched a no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers in a 15-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The score is the most lopsided margin of victory for a no-hitter in AL history.1912 — Smokey Joe Wood of the Red Sox, on his way to a 34-win season, beat Washington's Walter Johnson 1-0 at Boston. The victory was Wood's 14th consecutive, two shy of Johnson's AL record of 16 straight.1924 — Urban Shocker of the St. Louis Browns pitched two complete games against the Chicago White Sox and won both, 6-2.1943 — At 16 years, eight months and five days, Philadelphia A's pitcher Carl Scheib became the youngest player to appear in an American League game.1976 — Los Angeles catcher Steve Yeager was seriously injured when the jagged end of a broken bat struck him in the throat while he was waiting in the on-deck circle.1981 — Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-0 to tie a National League record of seven... [More]

Sept. 11906 — The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 in 24 innings. Jack Coombs of the Athletics and Joe Harris of the Red Sox pitched all 24 innings. Coombs fanned 18.1930 — Wes Ferrell of Cleveland beat the St. Louis Browns 9-5 for his 13th straight victory.1931 — Lou Gehrig hit his third grand slam in four days as the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-1.1945 — The Philadelphia Phillies, behind Vince DiMaggio's grand slam, beat the Braves 8-3 in Boston. It was the fourth grand slam of the year for DiMaggio to tie a major league mark.1958 — Vinegar Bend Mizell of the St. Louis Cardinals set a National League record by walking nine batters and tossing a shutout. Mizell beat Cincinnati 1-0 in the first game of a doubleheader.1963 — Curt Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals allowed six hits, drove in two runs with a triple and stole home plate in a 7-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Simmons' steal of home is the last by a pitcher.1967 — Cincinnati's Bob Lee walked Dick... [More]

Using the search engine at Baseball-Reference.com, The Associated Press evaluated each team's draft performance from 1996 through 2018, adding up wins above replacement (WAR) figures for drafted players.For each pick, the player's career WAR was added to the appropriate total for the team, depending on whether or not the player signed with the team after being drafted. Some players had their WAR totals included multiple times, if they were drafted more than once.Stats are through May 25. Compensation picks were considered part of the first round where applicable.___ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKSTotal WAR for all drafted players: 581.8 (MLB rank: 4th)Total WAR for drafted players who signed: 440.1 (rank: 5th)Total WAR for drafted players who did not sign: 141.7Impact players (10 WAR or more) drafted: 17 (rank: tie-9th)Impact players drafted and signed: 13 (rank: 12th)Most recent impact player drafted and signed: Trevor Bauer, 2011, first round, pick No. 3 (15.2 WAR)Lowest pick for impact player drafted... [More]

Mike Napoli has announced his retirement after 12 years in the majors that included three trips to the World Series.The 37-year-old Napoli, who did not play last season because of a knee injury, announced his decision Saturday on Twitter .Napoli batted .246 with 267 homers and 744 RBIs over 1,392 games with the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. He entered the majors as a catcher before switching to first base.He had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.He helped Boston win the Series in 2013 and reached the Fall Classic with the Rangers in 2011. Napoli was an All-Star in 2012.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Indians slugger Mike Napoli will have season-ending knee surgery after getting hurt in the minors.Napoli tore his right anterior cruciate ligament this week while playing for Triple-A Columbus. He will have the operation once the swelling goes down, and the Indians say that could take two weeks.The injury is career threatening for the 36-year-old, who had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs for Cleveland and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.Francona believes Napoli still has a future in baseball, in spite of the injury."You don't wish that on anybody," Francona said before the Indians faced the Orioles in Baltimore. "I do think he's smart enough to know that once he gets through this disappointment, he's going to impact somebody, somewhere. Hope it's here."As good a player as he was, he might impact the game more in his second career. I'm not... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Indians slugger Mike Napoli will have season-ending knee surgery after getting hurt in the minors.Napoli tore his right anterior cruciate ligament this week while playing for Triple-A Columbus. He will have the operation once the swelling goes down, and the Indians say that could take two weeks.The injury is career threatening for the 36-year-old, who had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs for Cleveland and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.The Indians signed Napoli to a minor league deal this winter and brought him to training camp. But Cleveland didn't have a roster spot for him after signing first baseman Yonder Alonso as a free agent.Napoli played with Texas last season and won a World Series with Boston in 2013.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Indians slugger Mike Napoli will undergo season-ending knee surgery after getting hurt in the minors.Napoli sustained a torn right anterior cruciate ligament earlier this week while playing for Triple-A Columbus. The 36-year-old will have the operation once the swelling in his knee goes down, and the Indians said that could take as much as two weeks.The injury is career threatening for the 36-year-old, who had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career-highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs for Cleveland and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.The Indians signed Napoli to a minor league deal this winter and brought him to training camp. But Cleveland didn't have a roster spot for him after signing first baseman Yonder Alonso as a free agent.Napoli played with Texas last season and won a World Series with Boston in 2013.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Washington pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, Cincinnati outfielder Ben Revere and St. Louis reliever Jason Motte were among the latest cuts as big league teams reached a deadline to make roster decisions.Kansas City pitcher Ricky Nolasco, Minnesota infielder Erick Aybar and Cubs outfielder Peter Bourjos also were released Sunday, four days before all 30 clubs play their openers.It was the last day for teams to choose what to do with players who chose to become free agents after the World Series and later signed minor league contracts. Clubs could either opt to add them to the 25-man roster for opening day, release them or pay a $100,000 retention bonus if they agreed to begin the season in the minors.Toronto reliever Tyler Clippard, who recently signed after working out at a camp for free agents in Florida, will begin with the Blue Jays. Outfielder Colby Rasmus, who walked away from the game last summer, returns with Baltimore.Milwaukee starter Wade Miley and Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson got... [More]

Washington pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, Cleveland slugger Mike Napoli and Cincinnati outfielder Ben Revere were among the latest cuts as big league teams reached a deadline to make roster decisions.Kansas City pitcher Ricky Nolasco, Minnesota infielder Erick Aybar and St. Louis reliever Jason Motte also were released Sunday, four days before all 30 clubs play their openers.It was the last day for teams to choose what to do with players who chose to become free agents after the World Series and later signed minor league contracts. Clubs could either opt to add them to the 25-man roster for opening day, release them or pay a $100,000 retention bonus if they agreed to begin the season in the minors.Toronto reliever Tyler Clippard, who recently signed after working out at a camp for free agents in Florida, will begin with the Blue Jays. Outfielder Colby Rasmus, who walked away from the game last summer, returns with Baltimore.Milwaukee starter Wade Miley and Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson got the retention bonus.Texas said Saturday that it had released pitcher Bartolo Colon. The Rangers are free to rework a contact with the 44-year-old righty

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start Thursday for the AL East champion Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. The left-hander crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken pinkie on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He is expected to miss at least two months.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning... [More]

Chris Sale and his fellow aces are having all sorts of trouble with these tuneup starts.Sale was knocked off the mound by a line drive Saturday and exited with a bruised left hip. He said the injury wasn't serious and wouldn't jeopardize his opening day start for the AL East champions Thursday at Tampa Bay."I don't see anything lingering from this," Sale said. "Looked a lot worse than it really is."Sale was hit by a liner off the bat of Houston's J.D. Davis in the first inning. He crumpled to the ground, then walked off the field under his own power.On Friday, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner sustained a broken finger on his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive. He will miss at least a month.The same day, Tampa Bay star Chris Archer — set to pitch against Sale — was hit by a grounder in the forearm of his pitching arm and had to leave a minor league game.Hours after Sale was hurt, Kansas City lefty Danny Duffy exited in the third inning because of shoulder tightness. He said... [More]

Capsules of American League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Houston Astros2017: 101-61, first place, won World Series.Manager: A.J. Hinch (fourth season).He's Here: RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Joe Smith, RHP Hector Rondon.He's Outta Here: DH Carlos Beltran, RHP Luke Gregerson, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Mike Fiers, RHP Michael Feliz, INF Colin Moran.Projected Lineup: CF George Springer (.283, 34 HRs, 85 RBIs), 3B Alex Bregman (.284, 19, 71, 39 2Bs), 2B Jose Altuve (MLB-best .346, 24, 81, 39 2Bs, 32 SBs, AL MVP), SS Carlos Correa (.315, 24, 84), 1B Yuli Gurriel (.299, 18, 75, 43 2Bs), LF Marwin Gonzalez (.303, 23, 90, 34 2Bs), DH Evan Gattis (.263, 12, 55), RF Josh Reddick (.314, 13, 82, 34 2Bs), C Brian McCann (.241, 18, 62).Rotation: LH Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90 ERA, 251 Ks), RH Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.36, 219 Ks with Tigers and Astros), RH Gerrit Cole (12-12, 4.26, 196 Ks with Pirates), RH Lance McCullers Jr. (7-4, 4.25), RH Charlie Morton (14-7, 3.62).Key Relievers: RH Ken... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Napoli felt back home on Wednesday, walking around a clubhouse he knew and catching up with teammates he enjoys.Everyone involved knows this reunion between Napoli and the Cleveland Indians most likely is just temporary and will end up with Napoli playing elsewhere."It came together pretty quick," Napoli said Wednesday after signing a minor league deal. "Talking with my agent and he said there would be an opportunity to come in here to camp. Obviously we had conversations about the roster and what is going on. I'm very fortunate this organization has given me the opportunity to come here and get into shape and kind of showcase a little bit. I'm very fortunate to have them have me in camp.Napoli is at spring training largely because manager Terry Francona wanted to give the 36-year-old slugger an opportunity to showcase what he still has, but with the clear knowledge there isn't a spot on the Indians roster for Napoli. Edwin Encarnacion is Cleveland's designated... [More]

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Napoli felt back home on Wednesday, walking around a clubhouse he knew and catching up with teammates he enjoys.Everyone involved knows this reunion between Napoli and the Cleveland Indians most likely is just temporary and will end up with Napoli playing elsewhere."It came together pretty quick," Napoli said Wednesday after signing a minor league deal. "Talking with my agent and he said there would be an opportunity to come in here to camp. Obviously we had conversations about the roster and what is going on. I'm very fortunate this organization has given me the opportunity to come here and get into shape and kind of showcase a little bit. I'm very fortunate to have them have me in camp.Napoli is at spring training largely because manager Terry Francona wanted to give the 36-year-old slugger an opportunity to showcase what he still has, but with the clear knowledge there isn't a spot on the Indians roster for Napoli. Edwin Encarnacion is Cleveland's designated... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians have invited Mike Napoli to another party.It could be over earlier than the last one.Cleveland finalized a minor league contract on Wednesday with the popular free agent slugger, whose powerful swing and clubhouse leadership were instrumental to the Indians reaching the World Series in 2016.Also that year, "Party At Napolis" became a rallying cry for Indians fans who embraced the bearded and brawny Napoli.Cleveland doesn't have a roster spot for the 36-year-old Napoli, but manager Terry Francona wanted to give him an opportunity to showcase himself during spring games.Napoli had been working out with unsigned free agents in Bradenton, Florida, before the Indians called."It's a situation where a player that is universally respected in our organization, he shouldn't be in that camp," Francona said."There is a decent chance we're going to get him ready to go to another team and beat us. Saying that, we all felt like he deserved it. Certainly there could be an injury,... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Clippard wore a black jersey with a white players' union logo and pitched hitless ball for two innings against amateurs in the green shirts of the East Japan Railway Company.He had the poorest personal results of his nine major league seasons, yet ended the year with a celebration in the clubhouse of the World Series champion Houston Astros. This is not how the 33-year-old right-hander envisioned spring training."We know that my year last year was a bad year, but at the end of the day how bad was it? And it wasn't as bad as some that got significant contracts," he said Tuesday after appearing in the first of two exhibition games for free agents scheduled for this week at the IMG Academy.Thirty-eight players have attended the camp since workouts started Feb. 14. They wonder why they are on the outside while several teams have jettisoned veterans to fill a higher percentage of their roster spots with lower-salaried youth.The players' association filed a grievance... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Clippard wore a black jersey with a white players' union logo and pitched hitless ball for two innings against amateurs in the green shirts of the East Japan Railway Company.He had the poorest personal results of his nine major league seasons, yet ended the year with a celebration in the clubhouse of the World Series champion Houston Astros. This is not how the 33-year-old right-hander envisioned spring training."We know that my year last year was a bad year, but at the end of the day how bad was it? And it wasn't as bad as some that got significant contracts," he said Tuesday after appearing in the first of two exhibition games for free agents scheduled for this week at the IMG Academy.Thirty-eight players have attended the camp since workouts started Feb. 14. They wonder why they are on the outside while several teams have jettisoned veterans to fill a higher percentage of their roster spots with lower-salaried youth.The players' association filed a grievance... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Clippard wore a black jersey with a white players' union logo and pitched hitless ball for two innings against amateurs in the green shirts of the East Japan Railway Company.Even coming off the worst of his nine major league seasons, this is not how the 33-year-old right-hander envisioned spring training."We know that my year last year was a bad year, but at the end of the day how bad was it? And it wasn't as bad as some that got significant contracts," he said Tuesday after appearing in the first of two exhibition games for free agents scheduled for this week at the IMG Academy.Thirty-eight players have attended the camp since workouts started Feb. 14. They wonder why they are on the outside while several teams have jettisoned veterans to fill a higher percentage of their roster spots with lower-salaried youth.The players' association filed a grievance Friday against the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays, accusing the teams... [More]