Aaron Nola strikes out 10 straight Mets to match MLB record
NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola struck out 10 straight New York Mets batters Friday, tying a major league record that stood alone for more than five decades. Hall of Fame ace Tom Seaver fanned his final 10 hitters for the Mets in a 2-1 victory over the...
First Call: If David DeCastro wants to keep playing, many teams may want him; Jameson Taillon’s gem for New York
If former Steelers guard David DeCastro has any interest in pursuing his NFL career outside of Pittsburgh, he may have some suitors. A former local high school hoops star is keeping his career going. Robert Morris hockey alumni want to keep the sport alive at their alma mater. And Jameson...
4 Cubs pitchers combine to throw MLB’s record-tying 7th official no-hitter of season
LOS ANGELES — Zach Davies and three Chicago Cubs relievers combined for the seventh official no-hitter in the majors this year, blanking the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 Thursday night and tying the record for most in a single baseball season since 1900. The Dodgers drew eight walks, getting at least...
Jersey boys: MLB to use unique uniforms for All-Star Game
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is getting rid of club uniforms and caps for the All-Star Game in favor of specially-designed league outfits. MLB released the looks Thursday that will be used for the July 13 game at Denver’s Coors Field. The host National League has white jerseys and...
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo calls Phillies manager Joe Girardi a ‘con artist’
PHILADELPHIA — Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called Joe Girardi a “con artist” a day after Philadelphia’s manager asked umpires to check Max Scherzer for illegal substances during Tuesday night’s game. “It’s embarrassing for Girardi, it’s embarrassing for the Phillies, it’s embarrassing for baseball,” Rizzo said in a radio...
Yankees turn game-ending triple-play, beat A’sVideo
NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone knew it off the bat. “Usually, a triple play sneaks up on you,” he said. “Right away, I’m thinking, ‘That’s a triple play.’ ” New York turned its record-tying third triple play of the season to strand the go-ahead run in the ninth...
MLB pitchers remain uncertain on eve of sticky stuff crackdownVideo
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole hardly expects a smooth transition when Major League Baseball ups its efforts against sticky substances. Then again, the Yankees ace — like many around the game — isn’t entirely sure what’s going to happen. “I don’t have a lot of expectations, to be honest,” Cole...
Mark Madden: Cheating can’t become an accepted part of baseball
Plenty of dumb stuff has been said by pitchers since MLB decided to crack down on the use of foreign substances to improve grip. Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees (and formerly of this parish) seemed to be nearing a breakdown when he spoke Wednesday after pitching: “It’s so...
Rays ace Tyler Glasnow hopes to avoid surgery after elbow tearVideo
CHICAGO — Tampa Bay Rays ace Tyler Glasnow has a partially torn elbow ligament, the team said Tuesday, putting in doubt his future for the rest of this season and beyond. An MRI showed Glasnow had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and also a flexor strain. The test...
MLB threatens pitchers with 10-game bans for altering balls
NEW YORK — Pitchers will be ejected and suspended for 10 games for using illegal foreign substances to doctor baseballs in a crackdown by Major League Baseball that will start June 21. The commissioner’s office, responding to record strikeouts and a league batting average at a more than half-century low,...
Indians shut down reigning AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber for at least 2 weeksVideo
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber’s season is suddenly on pause, leaving the Cleveland Indians to survive for a while without their ace. The AL’s reigning Cy Young winner won’t throw for at least two weeks because of a right shoulder strain, an injury that will further test Cleveland’s pitching depth and...
Ex-Pirate Todd Frazier signs with Frontier League team
In between stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the U.S. Olympic team, 35-year-old third baseman Todd Frazier is playing some independent baseball. Frazier has signed with the Sussex County Miners, the New Jersey-based team in the Frontier League announced Wednesday. He expected to make his debut with the team Friday....
Baseball Hall of Fame delays induction to September to allow crowd
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Baseball’s Hall of Fame is moving this year’s induction ceremony for Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller from July 25 to Sept. 8 so a crowd may attend as coronavirus restrictions ease. The ceremony will take place outdoors on the Hall’s lawn...
Angels’ Mike Trout says no timetable on return from calf injuryVideo
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout said his right calf is starting to feel better, but the Los Angeles Angels superstar still doesn’t know when he will be able to return. The three-time AL MVP went on the injured list May 18 after straining his calf the night before against the...
First Call: How Julio Jones trade may impact Steelers; no Selke for Sidney Crosby; curtain call for Andrew McCutchen
Monday’s “First Call” tells us how the Julio Jones trade will impact the Steelers. Andrew McCutchen is getting hot. Sidney Crosby is shut out of the Selke voting. And local product Brandon Saad is back on the score sheet in the NHL playoffs. But he was one-upped by someone on...
Tony La Russa moves into No. 2 on baseball’s wins list as White Sox top TigersVideo
CHICAGO — Tony La Russa credited a long list of mentors. He paid tribute to his players, staff and family. He talked about working with strong ownership and front offices over the years. For La Russa, it was their moment just as much as it belonged to him. “There’s a...
20 of 30 MLB teams reach 85% vaccinations, relax protocols
NEW YORK — Two-thirds of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams have been able to relax coronavirus protocols after four additional clubs qualified and raised the total to 20 franchises reaching 85% vaccinations for players and other on-field personnel. The commissioner’s office and the players’ association said Friday that two additional...
MLB reaches 2 million total runs; Twins’ Donaldson scores it
MINNEAPOLIS — Josh Donaldson of the Minnesota Twins scored the 2 millionth run in Major League Baseball history on Saturday, trotting home in the first inning on a ground-rule double by Nelson Cruz against Kansas City. The Elias Sports Bureau confirmed Donaldson touched the plate for the milestone mark. The...
Family cries foul after White Sox change name of food area
CHICAGO — A food area at the home of the Chicago White Sox now is called La Russa’s Lounge after being named years ago in honor of a woman who sold beer and hot dogs for more than six decades. Loretta Micele’s family is crying foul after the title of...
Mickey Callaway banned through at least 2022 after harassment probe
NEW YORK — Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by Major League Baseball on Wednesday through at least the end of the 2022 season following an investigation of sexual harassment allegations. Shortly after MLB’s announcement of the suspension, the Los Angeles Angels said they had fired Callaway,...
Phillies’ Bryce Harper goes on IL with bruised left forearmVideo
MIAMI — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday with a bruised left forearm. The move was made before Tuesday’s game in Miami. The Phillies also reinstated outfielder Roman Quinn from the injured list. Harper is hitless in his past 16 at-bats, which...
Joe West, the ump you love to hate, is about to set major-league record for games umpired
As he closed in on his 5,000th game umpiring in the major leagues four years ago, I asked Joe West if he planned to hang around long enough to break Bill Klem’s all-time record. “That’s a few years down the road,” West said, dodging the question. So how long can...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Unwritten rules are height of stupidity
Nothing in sports is dumber than the unwritten codes. Example No. 1: The NHL playoffs have specialized in stupid since the puck dropped. Violence and dirty play are heightened as the league continues its descent back to thuggery. A particularly idiotic example occurred Thursday in the series opener between Montreal...
First Call: Early hype for young Steelers; Derek Shelton on run of no-hitters; another Penguins classic moment
Friday’s “First Call” gives us some praise for a pair of young Pittsburgh Steelers skill-position players. Pirates manager Derek Shelton wonders why we are seeing so many no-hitters this year in Major League Baseball. We have another reason why Friday is special in Penguins history. And Bruce Arians said he...
Yankees’ Corey Kluber throws 2nd MLB no-hitter in as many days
ARLINGTON, Texas — Corey Kluber stopped for a moment before his first pitch of the ninth inning. “I had to take a breath after the warmups and calm myself down a little bit,” said the pitcher nicknamed Klubot for his robot-like demeanor. Kluber then finished the sixth no-hitter in the...
