June 20 1912 — The New York Giants outslugged the Boston Braves 21-12 with the teams scoring a total of 17 runs in the ninth inning. The Giants scored seven runs to take a 21-2 lead and the Braves scored 10 runs in the ninth. 1932 — Philadelphia’s Doc Cramer hit six singles in six at-bats and Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx and Mule Haas each drove in four runs in the Athletics’ 18-11 win over the Chicago White Sox. Haas hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to put the A’s up 12-6. 1956 — Mickey Mantle hit two home runs into the right centerfield bleachers at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Mantle hit both blasts off Billy Hoeft in the 7-4 win. He became the first player to reach the bleachers since they were were built in the late 1930s. 1973 — San Francisco’s Bobby Bonds broke Lou Brock’s National League record for leadoff home runs. Bonds’ 22nd career leadoff home run came off Don Gullet in a 7-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. 1973 — Chicago’s Cy Acosta becomes the first American League pitcher... [More]

Sept. 81905 — The Pittsburgh Pirates stranded 18 runners in an 8-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds to set a National League record for men left on base.1939 — With his 12-1 victory over the Browns in St. Louis, 20-year-old Bob Feller became the youngest modern-era player to win 20 games.1940 — Joe Gordon of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle in a 9-4 win over the Boston Red Sox.1940 — Johnny Mize of St. Louis hit three homers and drove in six runs in a 16-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of a doubleheader. Mize became the first player to hit three homers in one game four times in a career.1955 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Braves 10-2 to clinch the National League pennant with a 17-game lead.1958 — Roberto Clemente tied a major league record by hitting three triples in a 4-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.1965 — Bert Campaneris of the Kansas City A's played all nine positions but had to leave after a ninth-inning collision with Ed Kirkpatrick of the Angels.... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics pitcher Brett Anderson was reinstated off the paternity list to start against the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.Anderson left the team Monday to attend the birth of son Brody. The 31-year-old left-hander was 9-5 with a 3.82 ERA but has beaten the Rangers only three times in 15 career appearances.Catcher Nick Hundley was designated for assignment after being activated off the IL. Hundley had been out since June 8 with back spasms and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on June 18.Right-hander Tanner Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

A look at what's happening around the majors today:STANTON RETURNSYankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is set to come off the injured list for a game against the Rays. Stanton has been sidelined since March 31 with biceps, shoulder and calf injuries, but seemed ready for a return during a minor league rehab start with four homers in five games. Stanton re-joins a stacked lineup that just added DH Edwin Encarnación via trade, and star Aaron Judge is expected to return from a left oblique strain in the next few days, as well.NO TOUCHYPadres star Manny Machado has denied making contact with plate umpire Bill Welke after being ejected for arguing a called third strike Saturday night and said he will appeal his one-game suspension and fine. MLB said the punishment, imposed by Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre, was for "aggressively arguing and making contact" with Welke. Asked if he made contact, Machado said: "Not that I believe." The 26-year-old Machado is batting .261 with 13 home runs and 39... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:STANTON RETURNSYankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton is set to come off the injured list for a game against the Rays. Stanton has been sidelined since March 31 with biceps, shoulder and calf injuries, but seemed ready for a return during a minor league rehab start with four homers in five games. Stanton re-joins a stacked lineup that just added DH Edwin Encarnación via trade, and star Aaron Judge is expected to return from a left oblique strain in the next few days, as well.NO TOUCHYPadres star Manny Machado has denied making contact with plate umpire Bill Welke after being ejected for arguing a called third strike Saturday night and said he will appeal his one-game suspension and fine. MLB said the punishment, imposed by Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre, was for "aggressively arguing and making contact" with Welke. Asked if he made contact, Machado said: "Not that I believe." The 26-year-old Machado is batting .261 with 13 home runs and... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Five years ago, veteran big leaguer Nick Hundley visited Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and met a boy named Zach Sprader. Hundley, then with the San Diego Padres, sought to give the young baseball fan a lift during his fight against leukemia. Little did Hundley know a lasting friendship with a family would come of it.A couple of weeks after his charitable visit with Athletes for Hope, Hundley was traded to Baltimore. Two weeks after that, he returned to Milwaukee with the Orioles for a series against the Brewers, and that gave him a chance to visit the teen again. Hundley vowed to stay in touch with the family, which saw Hundley play in Baltimore later that season."I took him around, hung out in the clubhouse," Hundley said. "It was awesome.""The two of them became fast friends," Zach's mother, Lisa Kukec, recalled Monday at the Oakland Coliseum. "We stayed connected, and when we were on Zach's Make-A-Wish to the East Coast, we were able to see Nick at Camden Yards.... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Five years ago, veteran big leaguer Nick Hundley visited Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and met a boy named Zach Kukec. Hundley, then with the San Diego Padres, sought to give the young baseball fan a lift during his fight against leukemia. Little did Hundley know a lasting friendship with a family would come of it.A couple of weeks after his charitable visit with Athletes for Hope, Hundley was traded to Baltimore. Two weeks after that, he returned to Milwaukee with the Orioles for a series against the Brewers, and that gave him a chance to visit the teen again. Hundley vowed to stay in touch with the Kukecs, and the family saw Hundley play in Baltimore later that season."I took him around, hung out in the clubhouse," Hundley said. "It was awesome.""The two of them became fast friends," Zach's mother, Lisa, recalled Monday at the Oakland Coliseum. "We stayed connected, and when we were on Zach's Make-A-Wish to the East Coast, we were able to see Nick at Camden Yards.... [More]

June 161916 — Tom Hughes of the Boston Braves pitched a no-hitter in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh Pirates.1938 — Jimmie Foxx didn't get a chance to hit as the St. Louis Browns walked him six straight times. The Boston Red Sox won anyway, 12-8.1953 — The St. Louis Browns beat New York 3-1 to break the Yankees' 18-game winning streak and end their 14-game losing streak.1957 — Relief pitcher Dixie Howell hit two home runs in the 3 2-3 innings he pitched to lead the Chicago White Sox to an 8-6 victory in the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators.1971 — The Oakland Athletics hit five solo home runs in a 5-1 win over the Washington Senators. Mike Epstein and Joe Rudi had a pair homers and Dave Duncan one. Epstein's home runs came in his first two at-bats to give him homers in four straight at-bats over two games.1978 — After three ninth-inning near misses, Tom Seaver threw the first no-hitter of his 12-year career as the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0.1991... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras homered in the 15th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.Contreras turned on a 1-2 pitch from Burch Smith (0-1), sending a long shot to left field that gave Chicago its 11th win in 13 games. He spun and flipped his bat toward the Cubs' dugout as the ball sailed toward the bleachers and was mobbed by teammates when he crossed the plate.Chicago moved back ahead of the Brewers for the NL Central lead after falling into a virtual tie with Friday's 7-0 loss. Milwaukee had its season-high seven-game win streak snapped.Tyler Chatwood (2-0) struck out seven in four innings to cap a strong effort by the bullpen after Cole Hamels worked seven solid innings.Hamels gave up a run and three hits in his fourth straight no-decision. Seven relievers combined to give up one hit the rest of the way.RAYS 7, YANKEES 2ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Willy Adames and Ji-Man Choi hit run-scoring infield singles in the sixth after tempers... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Willson Contreras homered in the 15th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.Contreras turned on a 1-2 pitch from Burch Smith (0-1), sending a long shot to left field that gave Chicago its 11th win in 13 games. He spun and flipped his bat toward the Cubs' dugout as the ball sailed toward the bleachers and was mobbed by teammates when he crossed the plate.Chicago moved back ahead of the Brewers for the NL Central lead after falling into a virtual tie with Friday's 7-0 loss. Milwaukee had its season-high seven-game win streak snapped.Tyler Chatwood (2-0) struck out seven in four innings to cap a strong effort by the bullpen after Cole Hamels worked seven solid innings.Hamels gave up a run and three hits in his fourth straight no-decision. Seven relievers combined to give up one hit the rest of the way.RED SOX 9, MARINERS 5BOSTON (AP) — Sandy Leon fouled off a bunt attempt, then hit a three-run homer to cap an eight-run third inning... [More]

Hold off — for now — on the panic in Boston.The Red Sox are indeed off to a poor start in defense of their World Series title. They have a 9-13 record and baseball's third-worst run differential. But after sweeping a three-game series with first-place Tampa Bay, Boston has avoided the worst-case scenario early on.The reigning champs trail the Rays by five games in the AL East, but the deficit could be bigger. Boston ranks near the bottom of the American League in runs scored and ERA. Aside from J.D. Martinez, none of the team's big-name hitters have been great. Chris Sale and Rick Porcello are winless, and both have ERAs over 8.00.There's still more than a week left in April, though. And there's plenty of precedent that suggests a good team can recover from a start like this. Here are a few teams since the start of the wild-card era that had even worse records than the Red Sox after 22 games — and still ended up in the postseason:— The 2015 Rangers started 7-15 and were 8 ½ games out of... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For the third time in five years, Nick Hundley is starting over. This time, the 35-year-old is part of a catching platoon in Oakland where he'll be splitting time with Josh Phegley.It's not unlike other situations Hundley has been through in his career. He spent the past two seasons behind Buster Posey in San Francisco, was a backup in Colorado and Baltimore prior to that, and split time as a starter over seven years in San Diego.With so much activity on his resume, Hundley has become accustomed to learning quickly, something that's come in handy as he tries to find a comfort zone with the Athletics."For a guy like him who's been different places and a veteran guy, it's easier for him to figure it out on the fly," manager Bob Melvin said prior to Tuesday's exhibition game in San Francisco. "Even though it's been a shortened spring, a guy like him figures it out pretty quickly. I'm not too worried about him learning our staff. He's caught everybody and understands the... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — When spring training opened, one of Oakland's biggest questions was its catching situation following the departure of Jonathan Lucroy. The Athletics had Josh Phegley on the roster and signed Chris Herrmann to a one-year deal in December. It's a good thing they added Nick Hundley, too.Herrmann had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this past week. That leaves Phegley and Hundley behind the plate."No one knew what direction they were going to go," said Phegley, who is entering his fifth year with the A's. "We're all good options."The 35-year-old Hundley agreed to a minor league deal with Oakland last month. He spent the previous two seasons with San Francisco, batting .241 with 10 homers in 96 games last year.Hundley isn't taking anything for granted. He has an opt out in his contract that Oakland has to decide on by Thursday. That's also the day the Athletics leave for Japan, where they will open the regular season on March 20 against the Mariners."They haven't told... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics added depth at catcher on Monday, agreeing to a minor league contract with Nick Hundley.If added to the 40-man roster, the 35-year-old would get a one-year contract paying a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues.He was catching during Oakland's opening training workout."He's a well-respected veteran coming off a really good year," Oakland executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said. "We're lucky to make that kind of addition."Jonathan Lucroy left as a free agent for the Los Angeles Angels, and Chris Herrmann and Josh Phegley are the only catchers on Oakland's 40-man roster. The team also is high on Sean Murphy, a third-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft.Hundley liked what he saw of the A's, who won 97 games last season and earned a berth in the AL wild-card game, where they lost to the New York Yankees."Playing against them, I've always respected the way their players play the game and always from afar, there are... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics added depth at catcher on Monday, agreeing to a minor league contract with Nick Hundley.If added to the 40-man roster, the 35-year-old would get a one-year contract paying a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues.He was catching during Oakland's opening training workout."He's a well-respected veteran coming off a really good year," Oakland executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said. "We're lucky to make that kind of addition."Jonathan Lucroy left as a free agent for the Los Angeles Angels, and Chris Herrmann and Josh Phegley are the only catchers on Oakland's 40-man roster. The team also is high on Sean Murphy, a third-round pick in the 2016 amateur draft.Hundley liked what he saw of the A's, who won 97 games last season and earned a berth in the AL wild-card game, where they lost to the New York Yankees."Playing against them, I've always respected the way their players play the game and always from afar, there are... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Los Angeles DodgersManager: Dave Roberts (fourth season).2018: 92-71, first place, lost to Boston in World Series.Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.Park: Camelback Ranch.First Workout: Feb. 13/19.He's Here: CF A.J. Pollock, RHP Joe Kelly, C Russell Martin, RHP Homer Bailey, 3B Justin Yorchak, LHP Adam McCreery, RHP Jaime Schultz.He's Outta Here: SS Manny Machado, OF Matt Kemp, OF Yasiel Puig, C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Alex Wood, 2B Brian Dozier, RHP Ryan Madson, C Kyle Farmer, 2B Chase Utley, RHP John Axford, RHP Daniel Hudson, LHP-RHP Pat Venditte.Going campin': The Dodgers arrive at camp with unfinished business yet again, having lost in the World Series for the second straight year. They won their sixth consecutive NL West title and second straight NL pennant only to fall short in seven... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Los Angeles DodgersManager: Dave Roberts (fourth season).2018: 92-71, first place, lost to Boston in World Series.Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.Park: Camelback Ranch.First Workout: Feb. 13/19.He's Here: CF A.J. Pollock, RHP Joe Kelly, C Russell Martin, RHP Homer Bailey, 3B Justin Yorchak, LHP Adam McCreery, RHP Jaime Schultz.He's Outta Here: SS Manny Machado, OF Matt Kemp, OF Yasiel Puig, C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Alex Wood, 2B Brian Dozier, RHP Ryan Madson, C Kyle Farmer, 2B Chase Utley, RHP John Axford, RHP Daniel Hudson, LHP-RHP Pat Venditte.Going campin': The Dodgers arrive at camp with unfinished business yet again, having lost in the World Series for the second straight year. They won their sixth consecutive NL West title and second straight NL pennant only to fall short in seven... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Los Angeles DodgersManager: Dave Roberts (fourth season).2018: 92-71, first place, lost to Boston in World Series.Training Town: Glendale, Arizona.Park: Camelback Ranch.First Workout: Feb. 13/19.He's Here: CF A.J. Pollock, RHP Joe Kelly, C Russell Martin, RHP Homer Bailey, 3B Justin Yorchak, LHP Adam McCreery, RHP Jaime Schultz.He's Outta Here: SS Manny Machado, OF Matt Kemp, OF Yasiel Puig, C Yasmani Grandal, LHP Alex Wood, 2B Brian Dozier, RHP Ryan Madson, C Kyle Farmer, 2B Chase Utley, RHP John Axford, RHP Daniel Hudson, LHP-RHP Pat Venditte.Going campin': The Dodgers arrive at camp with unfinished business yet again, having lost in the World Series for the second straight year. They won their sixth consecutive NL West title and second straight NL pennant only to fall short in seven... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Aside from that fearsome left-handed swing everybody knew, Willie McCovey provided an example of humility in how he lived for many of his San Francisco Giants teammates year after year."McCovey was our leader," Gaylord Perry said as his fellow Hall of Famer was remembered in a celebration of his life Thursday at AT&T Park.McCovey died Oct. 31 at age 80 after suffering from ongoing health issues.Hall of Famers, former teammates and winners of the Willie Mac Award named for him attended on a picture-perfect day. McCovey's 44 was written into the infield dirt next to his position at first base.The San Francisco Fire Department paid tribute with a spraying show from a boat in his namesake McCovey Cove in the bay beyond the right-field arcade. Bouquets of flowers were left on McCovey's statue across the water.A first baseman and left fielder who won NL Rookie of the Year in 1959 and MVP 10 years later, McCovey was a .270 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,555 RBIs... [More]

DENVER (AP) — The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies remained one game ahead of Los Angeles as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown. The Dodgers won 3-1 in San Francisco.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.Freeland (17-7) wiggled out of jam after jam on a cool night to... [More]