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Tag: Aaron Judge

  • Ohtani is unanimous MVP for 4th time in winning NL honor as Judge edges Raleigh for 3rd AL accolade

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    Shohei Ohtani likes winning Most Valuable Player awards. He loves winning the World Series even more.

    The two-way Japanese star did both for a second season in a row for the Los Angeles Dodgers, earning his fourth career MVP on Thursday night while unanimously earning the National League honor. He’s just the second to win four MVPs after Barry Bonds with seven and the only player to win unanimously more than once.

    Considering Ohtani is 31, overtaking Bonds doesn’t seem out of the question. Especially if it leads to more Fall Classic opportunities.

    “If I’m playing well as an individual that means I’m helping the team win, so in that sense, hopefully I can end up with a couple more MVPs,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games.”

    In the American League, Aaron Judge became the New York Yankees’ fourth three-time winner, edging Seattle’s Cal Raleigh with 17 first-place votes to 13 for the switch-hitting catcher. The vote was the closest for an MVP since the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout topped Houston’s Alex Bregman by 17-13 in 2019.

    Judge, who won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, joined Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs with the Yankees. The 33-year-old outfielder led the majors with a .331 batting average and 1.144 OPS while hitting 53 homers.

    When asked about his place in MLB and Yankees lore, Judge acknowledged he’s in rare company.

    “It’s tough for me to wrap my head around,” Judge said. “It’s mind blowing from my side of things, because I play this game to win, I play this game for my teammates, my family, all the fans in New York.”

    Later he added: “You’ve got to pinch yourself every single day. It’s truly an incredible honor.”

    Ohtani won a MVP for the third straight year, his second in the NL with the Dodgers after two in the AL with the Angels. He became the first to win in each league twice after getting the AL honor in 2021 and 2023. Ohtani signed with the crosstown Dodgers the following offseason and won NL MVP in 2024 during his first season in Chavez Ravine. He’s also won the World Series in both his seasons with the Dodgers.

    Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second in the NL with 23 second-place votes and New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto was third with four.

    Ohtani hit .282 and led the NL with a 1.014 OPS. He also had 55 homers, 102 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

    The right-hander returned to pitching in June after missing 1 1/2 seasons on the mound because of an elbow injury. He struck out 62 batters over 47 innings, slowly increasing his workload while preparing for the postseason.

    Ohtani continued to shine in October with arguably the greatest single game in MLB history. He hit three homers while striking out 10 over six dominant innings on Oct. 17, leading the Dodgers over Milwaukee to finish an NL Championship Series sweep.

    Schwarber, who earned a $50,000 bonus for finishing second, hit an NL-best 56 homers and led the big leagues with 132 RBIs for Philadelphia.

    Soto overcame a slow start to the season to have his typically stellar offensive output. The four-time All-Star — who signed a $765 million, 15-year deal last December — had 43 homers, 105 RBIs and an NL-best 38 stolen bases. He received a $150,000 bonus for finishing third in the MVP voting.

    Judge is the first AL player to win back-to-back MVPs since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera it in 2012 and 2013.

    Raleigh, nicknamed “Big Dumper,” led the big leagues with 60 homers, the most for a player primarily a catcher. He started 119 games behind the plate and another 38 at designated hitter.

    The 28-year-old also had a career-high 125 RBIs, leading the Mariners to one of their best seasons in franchise history. Judge said he got to know Raleigh a little during the All-Star break and the catcher asked for some leadership tips.

    “Cal’s a special player,” Judge said. “I could sit here and talk all night about the player he is, but really the kind of leader and person he is really stuck out to me at the All-Star Game.”

    Cleveland’s José Ramírez finished third in the AL.

    Arizona’s Geraldo Perdomo was fourth in the NL voting, earning him $2.5 million annual salary increases in 2028 and 2029 along with the price of Arizona’s 2030 club option.

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

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  • Toronto Blue Jays knock out New York Yankees to reach first ALCS in nine years

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    (CNN) — After nine long years, the Toronto Blue Jays are heading back to the American League Championship Series once more.

    The Jays defeated the New York Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday night to stamp their ticket for a best-of-seven ALCS playoff matchup against the Detroit Tigers or Seattle Mariners, starting Sunday in Canada at Rogers Centre.

    Having blown a five-run lead at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday to fumble a potential sweep, the AL East champions returned to the Bronx to take care of business and progress with a 3-1 series win.

    Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and DH George Springer each drove in a run earlier in the game before outfielder Nathan Lukes provided a two-run single in the top of the seventh to put the Blue Jays up 4-1. Eight Toronto pitchers combined to keep the Yankees in check offensively with Jeff Hoffman retiring New York catcher Austin Wells with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth to effectively ice the game.

    “I feel amazing,” Guerrero Jr. told MLB after sealing the Blue Jays’ ticket to the ALCS.

    “I feel so good. We played for this, and I feel so good. I don’t have the words to say how I feel right now.”

    The Blue Jays celebrate wildly in the locker room after victory over the New York Yankees sends them to first ALCS in nine years. Credit: Ishika Samant / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Toronto overjoyed, but Judge’s dreams dashed again

    The Blue Jays now wait to see the outcome of the decisive Tigers vs. Mariners Game 5 clash in Seattle on Friday but can get excited for their first trip to the Championship Series since 2016.

    Toronto will be hoping to flip the script this time around, having been comprehensively beaten in five games by the then-named Cleveland Indians. Do that, and they can start dreaming of a third World Series title to add to the back-to-back triumphs in 1992 and 1993.

    “We’ve wanted to win a World Series our entire careers,” said Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, who was spotted jogging at Yankee Stadium ahead of Wednesday’s win having been out injured since early September.

    “We’re not there yet, but this is a huge step. It’s a blessing to be part of this group.”

    For the Yankees, following last season’s fall at the final hurdle, the wait for a 28th World Series title will tick over to at least 17 years.

    Team captain Aaron Judge went down swinging in a deflating end to another stellar individual season – yet again with no World Series ring to complete his glittering cabinet of accolades.

    “That’s sports. It doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen, and he (Judge) and I wholeheartedly believe that it will,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

    “You keep working your tail off to get back to this position and punch through.”

    New York’s Aaron Judge is still chasing a first World Series ring. Credit: Al Bello / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    Wednesday’s Division Series results

    Winners in bold

    New York Yankees 2 – 5 Toronto Blue Jays (Toronto wins ALDS series 3-1)

    Seattle Mariners 3 – 9 Detroit Tigers (ALDS series tied 2-2)

    Philadelphia Phillies 8 – 2 Los Angeles Dodgers (LA leads NLDS series 2-1)

    Milwaukee Brewers 3 – 4 Chicago Cubs (Milwaukee leads NLDS series 2-1)

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    Jack Bantock and CNN

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  • Cal Raleigh breaks Ken Griffey Jr.’s Mariners single-season home run record

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    A legendary MLB franchise record fell on Saturday night.

    Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 57th home run of the season against the Houston Astros to break Ken Griffey Jr.’s single-season tally, which dates back to 1997.

    The Mariners led 2-0 in the third inning when Raleigh smacked a 95.5 mph sinker from lefty Framber Valdez into the bullpen in right-center field to make it 3-0 and pass the 56 mark Griffey reached in both 1997 and 1998.

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    Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh runs the bases after hitting a two-run a home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Friday, June 20, 2025, in Chicago.  (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

    Raleigh lifted his right arm in celebration as he rounded second base and raised the trident the Mariners use for their home run celebration skyward after J.P. Crawford handed it to him just before he entered the dugout.

    Raleigh, who leads the majors in home runs, has already surpassed Mickey Mantle’s Major League record for home runs by a switch-hitter of 54 that had stood since 1961. He’s also set the MLB record for homers by a catcher this season, eclipsing the 48 Salvador Perez hit in 2021.

    AARON JUDGE PASSES JOE DIMAGGIO ON YANKEES ALL-TIME HOME RUN LIST, AFTER MEETING WITH TRUMP

    Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. tosses his batting helmet after grounding out in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians in an ALCS game in Cleveland. The Seattle Mariners are the only baseball franchise never to advance to the Fall Classic.(AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

    Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. tosses his batting helmet after grounding out in the eighth inning against the Cleveland Indians in an ALCS game in Cleveland. The Seattle Mariners are the only baseball franchise never to advance to the Fall Classic.(AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

    Raleigh is in a race with New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge for AL MVP. While Raleigh has the edge over Judge in homers and RBI, Judge leads seemingly every other key offensive category, including OPS by around 180 points at the time of publication. 

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    Aaron Judge and Donald Trump

    President Donald Trump shakes hands with New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge in the locker room before a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers. The game was in New York, New York, on Sept. 11, 2025. (Doug Mills//The New York Times via AP, Pool)

    Judge is also gaining ground on Raleigh in home runs, after hitting his 49th of the season on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. Judge has hit five home runs in 10 games after shaking hands with President Donald Trump in the Yankees’ clubhouse on Sept. 11, and even passed Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio on the franchise’s career home-run list the day after meeting Trump. 

    Some fans jokingly credited Trump’s handshake for Judge’s recent power surge.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

    Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

    Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

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  • Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

    Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

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    The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.But errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts’ grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against loser Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.“I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.’ I trust him.”Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.“We’re obviously resilient, but there’s so much love in the clubhouse that won this game today,” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. I mean, it was just a beautiful thing. I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they won 98 games and finished with the best regular-season record.With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.“There’s just a lot of ways we can win baseball games,” Buehler said. “Obviously the superstars we have on our team and the discipline, it just kind of all adds up.”Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ record-setting $700 million signing and baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2.Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman & Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88 and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.Roberts won his second championship in nine seasons as manager as the Dodgers, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.New York remained without a title since winning its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Shortstop Anthony Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo. Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo to run to the bag as Betts outraced the first baseman.Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double. Max Muncy walked before Kiké Hernández grounded into a forceout on Cole’s 48th pitch of the inning.“We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We put some good at-bats together. We put the ball in play.”Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth.Kiké Hernández singled off Tommy Kahnle leading off. Edman followed with an infield hit and Smith walked on four pitches. Lux’s sacrifice fly off Luke Weaver tied the score. Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference and Betts followed with another sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers their first lead.Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

    NEW YORK —

    The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

    Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.

    But errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts’ grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.

    After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against loser Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.

    Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.

    “I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.’ I trust him.”

    Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.

    Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.

    “We’re obviously resilient, but there’s so much love in the clubhouse that won this game today,” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. I mean, it was just a beautiful thing. I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”

    When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they won 98 games and finished with the best regular-season record.

    With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.

    “There’s just a lot of ways we can win baseball games,” Buehler said. “Obviously the superstars we have on our team and the discipline, it just kind of all adds up.”

    Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ record-setting $700 million signing and baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2.

    Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.

    The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman & Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88 and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.

    Roberts won his second championship in nine seasons as manager as the Dodgers, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.

    New York remained without a title since winning its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.

    Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.

    Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Shortstop Anthony Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.

    Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo. Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo to run to the bag as Betts outraced the first baseman.

    Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double. Max Muncy walked before Kiké Hernández grounded into a forceout on Cole’s 48th pitch of the inning.

    “We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We put some good at-bats together. We put the ball in play.”

    Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth.

    Kiké Hernández singled off Tommy Kahnle leading off. Edman followed with an infield hit and Smith walked on four pitches. Lux’s sacrifice fly off Luke Weaver tied the score. Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference and Betts followed with another sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers their first lead.

    Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.

    Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.

    Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

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  • New York Yankees’ offense explodes against Los Angeles Dodgers in World Series Game 4 to stave off elimination

    New York Yankees’ offense explodes against Los Angeles Dodgers in World Series Game 4 to stave off elimination

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    (CNN) — The New York Yankees’ offense exploded Tuesday night after struggling through the first three games of the World Series, using three home runs to stave off elimination at Yankee Stadium.

    The Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in Game 4, spoiling a historic night for Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman Freddie Freeman. The Bronx Bombers’ 11 runs were more than the team had scored in the prior three contests combined.

    Down 2-1 in the third inning, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, a New York native playing for his childhood team, hit a go-ahead grand slam off Daniel Hudson that made the score 5-2. It was a lead the Yankees wouldn’t give up.

    After the game, Volpe was asked about the grand slam.

    “I think I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence. We just want to keep putting pressure on them and I think everyone had confidence in everyone in the lineup that someone was going to get the big hit,” Volpe said.

    “We’ve been having such good at-bats and putting such good swings on the ball, that we just felt like it was only a matter of time.”

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he was happy for the fans following Volpe’s slam.

    “I was just glad because it felt like the fans were so ready to erupt last night, and we just got behind and couldn’t punch things in. It’s like you finally got to see the top blow off Yankee Stadium in a World Series game,” Boone told reporters.

    “When Anthony hits that ball, it was like fun to see Yankee Stadium erupt. It’s like they’ve been waiting for 48 hours to do that. Then just the way the game went on and on, it was just the energy, the noise, the excitement. It was Yankee Stadium World Series game.”

    The Dodgers now lead the series three games to one. Los Angeles has another opportunity to clinch the franchise’s eighth championship on Wednesday when the two teams play Game 5 in New York.

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team will be ready.

    “I think that they beat us. Volpe took a good swing. They took advantage of a couple free passes. They tacked on later,” Roberts said afterwards. “I think we could have done some things to get in their pen a little bit earlier.

    “Again, at the end of the day, we’re still in a pretty good spot, and we feel good. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

    The contest started off promisingly for the visitors when Freeman continued his hot World Series run.

    The first baseman set a World Series record after homering in his sixth consecutive Fall Classic game. Freeman hit a two-run homer off Yankees starter Luis Gil in the first inning to give the Dodgers an early 2-0 lead. He finished 1-4 with three RBI.

    Freeman homered in Games 5 and 6 as a member of the 2021 World Series champion Atlanta Braves against the Houston Astros. On Monday, he tied Astros outfielder George Springer as the only players to hit a homer in five straight games.

    The 35-year-old is the first player to homer and have at least 10 RBIs in the first four games of a World Series.

    The Dodgers would score two in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-4, whittling down the lead provided by Volpe’s slam. But in the sixth, Yankees catcher Austin Wells connected on a solo homer to extend New York’s lead to 6-4.

    In the bottom of the eighth, Volpe once again provided the heroics – this time with his speed. He turned a single into a double with his wheels before stealing third base. When left fielder Alex Verdugo hit a sharp ground ball to second base, Volpe sprinted for home and his head first slide beat the tag from catcher Will Smith to make the game 7-4.

    One batter later, Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres put the exclamation mark on the game with a three-run home run, scoring Wells – who had walked – and Verdugo to make the score 10-4.

    But New York wasn’t done yet. Right fielder Juan Soto continued his solid series with a double following Torres’ homer and center fielder Aaron Judge – who has struggled mightily this series – drove him in with a hard base hit to the left field.

    The offensive breakout provides hope for Yankees’ fans in one of the most highly anticipated editions of the Fall Classic in recent years between two of the sport’s most legendary franchises.

    Wednesday, New York’s top starting pitcher, Gerrit Cole, will take the mound while Jack Flaherty, who pitched a stellar game for the Dodgers in Game 1, is in line to toe the rubber again.

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    Wayne Sterling and CNN

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  • Aaron Judge becomes fastest to 300 homers

    Aaron Judge becomes fastest to 300 homers

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    WEBVTT >> I KNOW ALL OF YOU ARE MAKING SUCH A DIFFERENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. MELINDA: EARLY IN THE MORNING, HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS GATHERED AT THE OAKLAND COLISEUM TO MEET THE NEW YORK YANKEES 2017 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. THE STUDENTS ARE NOT JUST FANS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY NATIVE, THEY ARE PART OF THE #I CAN HELP MOVEMENT, A MOVEMENT TO HELP BULLYING. >> I CAN HELP TO STOP BULLYING AND CYBER BULLYING. MELINDA: HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS GATHERED AND WAITED FOR THE JUDGE. AFTER A CHANCE, COMES JUDGE. >> NEGATIVITIES SOMETHING — ESPECIALLY COMING UP AS HE AND KID AND SOCIAL MEDIA, A LOT OF NEGATIVE THINGS ARE OUT THERE. I FEEL LIKE WE CAN BE A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL AND INFLUENCE NOT ONLY YOUR PEERS, BUT YOUR FRIENDS AND EVERYBODY AND BE POSITIVE. MELINDA: THE MOVEMENT BEGAN IN DISCOVERY BAY AFTER SOMEONE MADE A FACE — FAKE FACEBOOK PAGE ABOUT A TEACHER. STUDENTS LEARN THEY HAD THE POWER TO REMOVE NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA AND REPLACE THEM WITH POSITIVE ONES. IF WE GIVE STUDENTS THE RIGHT TOOLS, THEY COULD GET STUFF TAKEN DOWN ON THEIR OWN AND ELIMINATE TRAUMA TAKEN DOWN ONLINE. MELINDA: JUDGE’S ARE EDUCATORS WHO TAUGHT IN STOCKTON. HE IS HAPPY TO HELP THE STUDENTS FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE. >> SOMETHING I FELT

    Yankees’ Aaron Judge becomes fastest to 300 homers

    New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 300th homer, reaching that milestone faster than any other player when he connected against the Chicago White Sox during a 10-2 victory on Wednesday night.Judge hit the mark in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat with a three-run drive in the eighth inning. The six-time All-Star and 2022 American League MVP drove a 3-0 up-and-in sinker Chad Kuhl into the White Sox bullpen in left for his major league-leading 43rd homer.Video above: Aaron Judge comes back to hometown with anti-bullying messageRalph Kiner reached 300 homers in his 1,087th game, and Babe Ruth did in his 3,831st at-bat. “I was hoping it came in a win,” Judge said as teammates DJ LeMahieu and Austin Wells doused him with a tub of water.Chicago had intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring up Judge, who had not homered on a 3-0 pitch since 2021.”I was mad about the intentional walk, so that kind of fueled it,” Judge said. “Usually 3-0, I’ll take a pitch, see a pitch, kind of pass it on to the next guy. But in that situation, if they don’t want to pitch to you, you got to come through.”Judge leads the major leagues with 14 intentional walks. Soto was intentionally walked for the first time this season after hitting three homers Tuesday and another in the first inning Wednesday.”It locks you in, but I get why he did it,” Judge said. “The way Juan’s been swinging the bat and what he’s done in this series, four homers, driving the ball all over the park, I’d probably walk him, too, in that situation.”

    CHICAGO —

    New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 300th homer, reaching that milestone faster than any other player when he connected against the Chicago White Sox during a 10-2 victory on Wednesday night.

    Judge hit the mark in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat with a three-run drive in the eighth inning. The six-time All-Star and 2022 American League MVP drove a 3-0 up-and-in sinker Chad Kuhl into the White Sox bullpen in left for his major league-leading 43rd homer.

    Video above: Aaron Judge comes back to hometown with anti-bullying message

    Ralph Kiner reached 300 homers in his 1,087th game, and Babe Ruth did in his 3,831st at-bat.

    “I was hoping it came in a win,” Judge said as teammates DJ LeMahieu and Austin Wells doused him with a tub of water.

    Chicago had intentionally walked Juan Soto to bring up Judge, who had not homered on a 3-0 pitch since 2021.

    “I was mad about the intentional walk, so that kind of fueled it,” Judge said. “Usually 3-0, I’ll take a pitch, see a pitch, kind of pass it on to the next guy. But in that situation, if they don’t want to pitch to you, you got to come through.”

    Judge leads the major leagues with 14 intentional walks. Soto was intentionally walked for the first time this season after hitting three homers Tuesday and another in the first inning Wednesday.

    “It locks you in, but I get why he did it,” Judge said. “The way Juan’s been swinging the bat and what he’s done in this series, four homers, driving the ball all over the park, I’d probably walk him, too, in that situation.”

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  • Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes

    Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a 5-3 win over NL in All-Star Game started by rookie pitcher Skenes

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    By STEPHEN HAWKINS

    ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.

    Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game, hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer for the American League and being awarded the MVP trophy named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

    “That’s an honor. Who else would I want to try to follow in the footsteps of besides a guy like that, who is not just a great baseball player but a great human being,” Duran said after becoming the fifth Red Sox player selected All-Star Game MVP. “That guy was awesome, and I’m honored to be able to have his award.”

    The decisive homer came in the fifth inning Tuesday night as the AL beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.

    Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani also went deep in Texas with a three-run homer for a 3-0 lead in the third.

    Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on David Fry’s single to tie the score in the AL third, and Duran went deep off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene.

    “It’s a surreal moment. So I’m just thankful to be here,” said Duran, who was one of 39 first-time All-Stars this year.

    Oakland right-hander Mason Miller got the win after throwing a 103.6 mph pitch, the fastest in the All-Star Game since tracking began in 2008. Hard-throwing Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two in the ninth for the save.

    The 22-year-old Skenes, who has pitched only 11 big league games since being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft last July, became the first rookie starter since 1995 and had the fewest games played for any player to make an All-Star team. The right-hander threw a hitless first, with a two-out walk to Soto before his Yankees teammate Aaron Judge grounded into a forceout on the next pitch.

    Skenes threw 11 of 16 pitches for strikes, with seven fastballs up to 100.1 mph.

    “Frankly, I wish I’d had a few more pitches to do that today,” said Skenes, who has a good mix of pitches to go with the hard stuff. “It’s cool to bring eyes to the game.”

    Ohtani, who has gone deep 29 times in the first season of his record $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pulled a 400-foot drive to right off Tanner Houck. That came after the Boston right-hander allowed singles to the first two batters he faced: No. 9 batter Jurickson Profar and leadoff hitter Ketel Marte.

    “I haven’t really hit well in the All-Star Game, so I’m just relieved that I put the ball in play,” Ohtani said. “I just focused on having a regular at-bat as if I was in the regular season.”

    When Ohtani went against Miller in the fifth, he struck out on an 89.2 mph slider well inside and out of the strike zone. That was after twice taking strikes on fastballs of more than 100 mph.

    Ohtani’s first All-Star homer made him the first Dodgers player to go deep in the Midsummer Classic since Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in 1996. Eleven days after his 30th birthday, Ohtani was an All-Star for the fourth time — his first with the NL.

    Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, after taking over for Soto in right field, had a two-out single in the fifth before Duran’s 413-foot homer to right-center after he had replaced Judge in center. Duran took a 95.9 mph fastball before going deep on an 86 mph splitter.

    “I knew he threw really hard so I was just praying he would throw me a first pitch fastball so I could see how hard it was. After that, I was hoping to get a pitch up,” Duran said. “He happened to leave a pitch up. I happened to put a good swing on it.”

    The last Red Sox player to be the All-Star MVP was J.D. Drew in 2008, following Pedro Martinez in 1999, Roger Clemens in 1986 and Carl Yastrzemski in 1970.

    Duran was voted by his peers as an All-Star after being the first AL player to go into the break with at least 100 hits, 10 triples, 10 homers and 20 stolen bases.

    The AL has a 48-44-2 record in the All-Star Game, and had won nine in a row before the National League’s 3-2 victory last year in Seattle.

    AL starter Corbin Burnes arrived in Texas the morning of the game after spending time at home with his newborn twin daughters. The Baltimore right-hander allowed a walk and then a two-out double to Bryce Harper before getting out of his inning on a comebacker by William Contreras, his catcher last season in Milwaukee.

    After his underhand toss of the ball to first base, Burnes had a big smile on his face when he kept jogging and wrapped his arm around Contreras on the baseline.

    Quick game

    Played in 2 hours, 28 minutes, it was the shortest All-Star Game since 1988, a game that the AL won 2-1 in Cincinnati that took only two minutes less.

    Won in both leagues

    Bruce Bochy of the host Rangers became the first manager to win World Series titles and All-Star Games in both leagues. Bochy is now 2-3 as an All-Star manager, leading the NL to a win in 2011. He won the World Series three times with the NL’s San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014, then led the Rangers to their first championship in his debut season with them last year.

    Up next

    The MLB regular series resumes Friday when 14 games are scheduled, with Milwaukee and Minnesota the only teams that won’t play until Saturday. Philadelphia (62-34) has the best record in the majors and Cleveland (58-37) has an AL-best .611 winning percentage, though Baltimore and the New York Yankees also have 58 wins.

    ___

    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

    Originally Published:

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  • Yankees’ Alex Verdugo would love to be table-setter for Aaron Judge, Juan Soto

    Yankees’ Alex Verdugo would love to be table-setter for Aaron Judge, Juan Soto

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    Alex Verdugo believes he possesses the perfect tools to support his superstar Yankees teammates.

    The versatile Verdugo, whom the Yankees acquired this month in a rare trade with the rival Red Sox, wants to use his abilities to make contact, get on base and play all three outfield positions to complement Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who are among MLB’s premier run producers.

    “I’m excited to be out there with Judge, be out there with Soto,” Verdugo said Thursday during an introductory Zoom call. “They obviously handle the power side of it. I want to handle the getting on base for them, the saving runs and helping any way I can.”

    Verdugo, a career .281 hitter, joins the Yankees after four seasons with the Red Sox. He says he hasn’t spoken with the Yankees about how they plan to use him, though he could be a fit atop the batting order after 2023’s primary leadoff hitter, DJ LeMahieu, batted .243 during a down season.

    The lefty-swinging Verdugo could also help balance out a Yankees lineup that’s been heavily right-handed in recent years, potentially hitting lower in the order between Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres.

    “I can kind of be wherever in the lineup,” Verdugo said. “I could be at the top of the lineup to work at-bats, see pitches, get on base. I could be in the middle of the lineup for when some of the guys are on base. I can shoot a hole. I can hit a gapper. Every once in a while I run into one where it will leave the park, but I just feel like my bat-to-ball skill is a really good thing.”

    Verdugo, whom the Red Sox acquired in the 2020 blockbuster trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, hasn’t hit for much power in his career. His 13 home runs in 2023 tied a career-high.

    His new manager believes those numbers could improve at Yankee Stadium, where the right-field wall sits only 314 feet away from home plate down the line.

    “I think there’s more power in there, and maybe that power plays up a little bit in our ballpark, being a left-handed hitter,” Aaron Boone said Thursday at a food bank hosted at NYPD’s 44th Precinct in the Bronx. “I don’t want him to chase that. I want him to be the best hitter he can be.”

    Boone also lauded Verdugo’s contact hitting, saying he could envision putting him anywhere in the lineup. The manager has repeatedly praised Verdugo’s defense in the corner outfield spots as well.

    Last season, Verdugo was a Gold Glove finalist in right field, which is far more spacious at Boston’s Fenway Park than left field.

    Verdugo could now shift to left field, which is much bigger at Yankee Stadium. That would require Judge to frequently play center field, where he rates about league average, and allow Soto, whose defense grades the lowest of the three, to occupy right.

    “Last year, I really just wanted to get in better shape. I wanted to be able to run like I used to. I wanted to be able to change directions, and I felt like … you could see it,” Verdugo said.

    “I was able to run after balls, go get balls, and if I had not the best jump, I could make up for it. The fact of Fenway being so big in right, I think it played good, too, as in I got to show that a little bit more. Wherever I play in New York, whether it’s left, center, right, it’s going to be wherever they need me.”

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    Peter Sblendorio

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  • Scott Boras talks potential Yankees targets Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto and more

    Scott Boras talks potential Yankees targets Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto and more

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Standing on a soapbox before dozens of reporters, Scott Boras held court and delivered customary one-liners on Wednesday in Arizona.

    Naturally, the agent discussed a number of his clients. But he also spoke on the Yankees and what their approach could look like this offseason after failing to make the playoffs in 2023.

    “I watched an interview yesterday that said to me that they might be aggressive,” Boras said, poking a little fun at Brian Cashman’s unmeasured media scrum on Tuesday. “I’m not sure, I don’t know. I mean, look, they’ve got two top-five players in the game and they’re the New York Yankees, largest revenues in the game. Why wouldn’t they want to reward their fan base with New York Yankee conduct?”

    While it would be bad business for Boras to rule out the Bombers as suitors for any of his clients, it remains to be seen what Yankee conduct will look like this winter considering the team has a ton of needs. Boras, meanwhile, reps a few players who could fill those holes. Here’s what he had to say about players that may make sense for the Yankees.

    CODY BELLINGER

    Bellinger dominated Boras’ media availability, as the former MVP is coming off a bounce-back year with the Cubs that saw him hit .307/.356/.525 with 26 homers, 97 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

    Cashman, meanwhile, said the Yankees need two outfielders and left-handed bats this offseason. While there are concerns over Bellinger’s cost, injury history and underlying metrics — his exit velo, Barrel% and Hard-Hit% didn’t rank particularly well in 2023 — he checks those boxes. The former Dodger is also playoff-tested and still relatively young.

    “You’ve got a five-tool player,” Boras insisted. “Obviously, in the years prior to coming to the Cubs, he had a partial performance due to just lack of strength. He had surgery, broken leg, all those things. But I think it’s pretty evident that when you have youth and you’re 28, you’re a rare free agent. You have a lot of options. But when he came to Chicago, he just feasted on major league pitching.”

    Boras said that Bellinger has told him to “listen to everybody.” Asked directly if the Yankees have expressed interest in Bellinger, Boras said “there’s broad interest” in the slugger.

    “Cody’s played in major markets,” Boras added, “so he just wants to play on a winning team.”

    Boras later told the Daily News that Bellinger would be “comfortable” in New York, where his dad, Clay, played from 1999-2001.

    Boras said that most teams are looking at Bellinger as a centerfielder, but he can also play first base. The agent also said that Bellinger had a “great experience” in Chicago, but it will take a sizeable payday for the Cubs to retain him.

    “I think Chicago got the comforts of a full Belly,” Boras said. “So they’re going to have to loosen their belts to keep Bellinger.”

    JUAN SOTO

    Soto will be the prize of the offseason — if the Padres decide to trade him. However, Boras said that San Diego indicated otherwise when he met with the club.

    “They laid out their plan for next year, which obviously included a lineup that definitely includes Juan Soto,” Boras said. “They’re obviously looking for more left-handed bats, rather than less. That’s for sure.

    “Their ownership is highly committed to winning.”

    Boras also downplayed a recent report from The Athletic that said the Padres took out a $50 million loan to help cover payroll. According to Boras, lots of teams take out loans; they just don’t always get reported.

    “It doesn’t necessarily mean the implication that they are not financially adept or successful,” he said.

    Either way, moving Soto would help the Padres pay for other needs, particularly in the pitching department. The young superstar, also a left-handed hitting outfielder, is projected to make a record-setting $33 million in arbitration this winter. He’s slated to then receive a megadeal in free agency next offseason.

    Given the financial ramifications, the Yankees make sense as a Soto suitor.

    JUNG HOO LEE

    For those that don’t know, Lee is a lefty-hitting, Japanese centerfielder who has become a star in Korea. The 25-year-old is expected to make the transition to the majors this offseason.

    Boras said that close to half the league has inquired about Lee, a .340 career hitter who hit 23 homers with 113 RBI two seasons ago. An ankle injury limited him to 86 games this past season.

    “He can play defense,” Boras said. “He has power. I think Jung Hoo’s gonna bring K-pop to MLB.”

    Boras also highlighted Lee’s bat-to-ball skills and low strikeout rate, which fell below 6% each of the last two seasons.

    “To have that low strikeout rate and strike zone control really has created a lot of interests with teams,” Boras said.

    Boras declined to say if Lee had any preferred markets or if the Yankees have expressed interest. He will hold a workout in the coming weeks so that teams can gauge his agility and health.

    JORDAN MONTGOMERY

    Could the Yankees reunite with Montgomery following his impressive postseason run?

    Boras didn’t dismiss the idea, stating that “Jordan is taking all proposals from all teams.” While there’s no benefit in Boras dismissing a potential suitor, Cashman said that he wants to add pitching. However, Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto figures to be higher on the Yankees’ shopping list.

    Boras added that he expects the pitching market to move quickly.

    MATT CHAPMAN

    Cashman noted that the Yankees have a surplus of infielders, including some younger players. However, if they want more of a sure thing at third base, few are better defensively than Chapman, who can also lengthen a lineup.

    “When you think of bronze, you think of third. But when it comes to Chappy and third, you’re always gold,” Boras quipped. “As far as his bat, I’m not giving you lip service, but the Chap-stick really has a lot to do with the potentials and advances of a core lineup.”

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    Gary Phillips

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  • Aaron Judge records second 3-homer game of 2023 in Yankees win over Diamondbacks

    Aaron Judge records second 3-homer game of 2023 in Yankees win over Diamondbacks

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    Aaron Judge has accomplished all sorts of home run feats throughout his career, but he had never enjoyed a three-dinger day prior to this season.

    On Friday, he logged his second of 2023 in a 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks. In doing so, Judge recorded the 38th three-homer game in Yankees history. But he became the first Bomber to ever have two in one season, according to the YES Network’s James Smyth.

    The performance earned the captain a curtain call at Yankee Stadium.

    Judge pulled off the first with a three-run blast in the third inning, a two-run liner in the fifth inning, and a solo shot in the seventh inning. The first two homers came off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt, while Slade Cecconi surrendered the last one.

    Judge now has 35 home runs this season after his jacks totaled 1,182 feet on Friday. He also doubled while playing right field in the victory.

    The first three-homer game of Judge’s career came on Aug. 23 against the Nationals. That night, he hit two homers off MacKenzie Gore and another off Jose A. Ferrer.

    Judge had suffered a bit of a drought prior to Friday, hitting just one longball in 17 games since Sept. 3. The reigning MVP was slashing .228/.413/.316 over 75 plate appearances during that stretch.

    Judge is now hitting .267 with a 1.010 OPS and 70 RBI over 100 games this season. His power numbers would be even larger if not for two trips to the injured list. Judge missed time with a hip strain and a torn ligament in his right big toe this year.

    The latter injury sidelined Judge for about two months, and he returned before his toe could fully heal.

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    Gary Phillips

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  • Bader hits a 3-run homer in the 8th inning as the Yankees rally late to beat the Orioles 6-3

    Bader hits a 3-run homer in the 8th inning as the Yankees rally late to beat the Orioles 6-3

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    NEW YORK (AP) — Harrison Bader hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and the New York Yankees rallied for a 6-3 victory Monday night over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a four-game series between AL East playoff contenders.

    Anthony Volpe scored the tying run in the seventh on a wild pitch by All-Star reliever Yennier Cano (1-1) before the Yankees completed the comeback ahead of a postgame fireworks show.

    Giancarlo Stanton opened the eighth with a hard single off Cano, and Anthony Rizzo followed with a single against Danny Coulombe.

    Gleyber Torres hit a two-run homer and scored the go-ahead run from first base on Giancarlo Stanton’s fifth-inning single, leading the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles 8-4.

    New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, center, talk with Sarah Langs, their HOPE Week honoree, on the 84th anniversary of Lou Gehrig making his famous "Luckiest Man" speech, Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in New York. Langs, one of Major League Baseball's most respected and universally liked statistical analysts, has been in a battle with ALS the last three years. Langs and women from the organization "Her ALS Story" made a pregame tour of Monument Park and the Yankees Museum. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

    Sarah Langs, a beloved member of the baseball community who has Lou Gehrig’s disease, was honored at Yankee Stadium on the 84th anniversary of Gehrig’s famous “luckiest man on the face of the Earth” speech.

    St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (47) is removed by manager Oliver Marmol, second from left, during the seventh inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 2, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    Jordan Montgomery beat the Yankees for the second time since they traded him last summer, pitching the St.

    New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, right, yells after being ejected by home plate umpire Dan Merzel, left, as umpire crew chiefs Lance Barksdale (23) stands between the two during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, July 2, 2023, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

    New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected for the fifth time this season, tossed for arguing balls and strikes in the top of the third inning of a game against the St.

    After showing bunt on the first pitch, Bader drove a 1-1 sweeper into the left-field seats for his seventh homer.

    “I was only going to play it for one pitch probably there and then he did the rest,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Got a hanger and did good things with a hanger.”

    Bader lifted his arms to celebrate the 415-foot drive as he rounded first base.

    “It was cool,” he said. “The Bronx showed up tonight with the energy and we’re right in the middle of the season, right in the thick of it. So to get a win for them is great. I just wanted to round the bases, go back to my team and play defense and finish that game off.”

    Bader has been on the injured list twice this season, for an oblique injury that delayed his 2023 debut until May 2 and a hamstring injury that cost him 16 games. The Yankees are 26-12 when he plays, and the New York native hit his first career go-ahead homer in the eighth inning or beyond.

    Bader’s clutch drive came after he popped out on the first pitch with two on in the sixth against Baltimore starter Tyler Wells. After that, Bader got a pep talk from injured Yankees captain Aaron Judge in the dugout.

    “It was a really good reminder from him, which I appreciate tremendously,” Bader said.

    Volpe and Kyle Higashioka hit back-to-back homers in the fifth to start the comeback before Volpe scored on a headfirst slide in the seventh.

    Tommy Kahnle (1-0) stranded former Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks in the eighth to keep it tied. Clay Holmes struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth for his 10th save, capping 4 2/3 scoreless innings from the New York bullpen, which lowered its major league-best ERA to 2.83.

    The second-place Orioles lost for the fifth time in six games and are three games ahead of third-place New York in the division standings.

    Baltimore had 12 hits, matching its total from a three-game series against Minnesota, but also struck out 11 times.

    “We had 12 hits and only scored three runs,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We had multiple opportunities to extend the lead a few times and that’s disappointing, but they just beat us with homers tonight.”

    All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman had three hits for Baltimore, including an RBI double, after announcing he will participate in the Home Run Derby next week in Seattle.

    Cedric Mullins had a run-scoring bloop single and Ryan O’Hearn hit an RBI single as the Orioles opened a 3-0 lead through three innings against Domingo Germán.

    Coming off the fourth perfect game in team history at Oakland last week, Germán allowed three runs — two earned — and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He threw 32 curveballs after throwing the pitch 51 times against the Athletics.

    Germán got a hand from the crowd when he headed out to the bullpen to warm up and received a nice ovation when he exited. Between innings, clips of his perfect game played on the videoboard.

    “It meant a lot,” Germán said through a translator. “It was good to see all the fans showing support like that.”

    Wells allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.

    HAMLIN KICKS OFF HOPE WEEK

    Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who was resuscitated with CPR in a game against Cincinnati on Jan. 2 and cleared in April to resume football activities, was honored as the Yankees began their 14th annual HOPE Week events.

    Earlier in the day, Hamlin participated in CPR training with several Yankees. Wearing a Babe Ruth jersey, Hamlin threw out the ceremonial first pitch along with former Fordham softball player Sarah Taffet and both participated in the exchange of lineup cards. Like Hamlin, Taffet was also resuscitated during a game in October 2021.

    HICKS RETURNS TO BOOS

    Hicks returned to the Bronx for the first time since the Yankees released him on May 25 and went 1 for 4.

    He heard boos before each at-bat and fans booed during a brief tribute video before the Yankees batted in the second.

    Before the game, he expressed his appreciation to the Yankees with an Instagram Story that read:

    “Thank you to the Yankees organization for 8 years. I was blessed to be able to represent the city of New York.”

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Orioles: All-Star OF Austin Hays (bruised hip) and rookie INF Jordan Westburg (sore left hand) were held out of the lineup. Both players are feeling better, and testing on Westburg did not show a fracture.

    Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (left rotator cuff strain) threw his second bullpen since going on the injured list June 8.

    UP NEXT

    Baltimore RHP Kyle Gibson (8-5, 4.66 ERA) opposes Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt (3-6, 4.37) for the second time this season Tuesday afternoon. Gibson allowed two hits in seven scoreless innings May 25 in New York.

    ___

    More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Dad’s Entire Parenting Strategy Just Ensuring Son Doesn’t Become Yankees Fan

    Dad’s Entire Parenting Strategy Just Ensuring Son Doesn’t Become Yankees Fan

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    NEW CANAAN, CT—Sources familiar with the man’s role in his child’s life confirmed to reporters Monday that local dad Marcus Weir’s parenting strategy is solely focused on ensuring his son doesn’t become a New York Yankees fan. Beginning shortly after his son Miles’ birth nine years ago, Weir reportedly concentrated the entirety of his fatherly influence on making the boy a supporter of any sports team besides the Yankees, a project he initiated by acquiring several Mets onesies in his son’s infancy. Several reports indicated that as his son has grown older, Weir has provided little encouragement for the boy’s budding interests in Legos, hockey, and books, instead looking for any sign that his son might be entertaining thoughts of liking the Yankees. To date, the strongest show of emotion the father has displayed to his son reportedly followed an instance in which Miles said “This is boring” when Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was up to bat during a Yankees–Red Sox game. However, sources close to the family noted that Weir also expressed concern that his son won’t like baseball at all, which would undermine the careful work the father has put in to raise his son as a devoted Yankee hater. At press time, reports stated that Weir had shown his first interest in his son’s social circle, offering a tactful suggestion that a boy in Miles’ class who wore a Yankees hat to school was the kind of bad kid his son shouldn’t associate with.

    104-Year-Old Man Awarded WWII Medal Just To Be Nice

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  • EXPLAINER: Why are baseball teams spending so much money?

    EXPLAINER: Why are baseball teams spending so much money?

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    Aaron Judge, Carlos Correa and Trea Turner combined for almost $1 billion in contracts. Xander Bogaerts, Jacob deGrom, Dansby Swanson, Carlos Rodón, Brandon Nimmo and Willson Contreras added up to another billion.

    And that’s just nine players. Just one lucrative slice of baseball’s December spending spree.

    What a difference a year makes.

    It has been an epic holiday season already for several teams and players — a year after Major League Baseball locked out its players in an ugly labor dispute that delayed spring training.

    Judge decided to stay with the New York Yankees for baseball’s biggest free agent deal ever, a $360 million, nine-year contract. Correa has a pending $315 million, 12-year agreement to join the New York Mets, and Turner signed a $300 million, 11-year contract with Philadelphia.

    Including Wednesday’s transactions, big league teams have handed out more than $2.8 billion in finalized contracts to major league free agents this offseason. That dwarfs the winter spending at this point in each of the last five years.

    Through Dec. 20, 2021, that number was $1.9 billion. It was $187.4 million in 2020 — when teams were coming off the abbreviated season caused by the coronavirus pandemic — $1.6 billion in 2019, $655.95 million in 2018 and $413.25 million in 2017.

    “Whether it’s ownership, whether it’s teams that fell short in the playoffs, teams that did well in the playoffs, teams that are ready to take a step from maybe a three-, four- or five-year rebuild, you look up and there’s few teams that are taking a step back,” Padres general manager A.J. Preller said during baseball’s winter meetings.

    “Almost everybody (is) looking to advance forward. And that, along with some really quality players, is why it’s a very aggressive market.”

    HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

    The March labor agreement that set industry rules through 2026 is one factor behind the increased spending, but there are several more forces at play.

    The labor deal included an expanded playoff format, leading to more TV money for owners, and cleared the way for advertising on uniforms and helmets for the first time.

    Under the five-year agreement, the luxury tax threshold rises to $244 million by the final season and tax rates remain unchanged at the initial, second and third thresholds. A new fourth threshold was added — supposedly aimed at Mets owner Steve Cohen — but it looks as if the billionaire views that hefty tax bill more like a nuisance as he pushes his team’s payroll to near $400 million.

    If a more punitive threshold system, like a salary cap, had been instituted — almost certainly a popular concept among some owners — the spending likely would have been more muted this offseason.

    Labor peace, of course, is good for business in general, but MLB also is in the process of dispersing the $900 million it received from The Walt Disney Co. for its remaining share of a streaming service technology company. That money is expected to go out to clubs before the end of the year.

    MLB had new streaming network packages on Apple TV+ and Peacock last season, and it announced in October that fans watched more than 11.5 billion minutes of game action on MLB.TV during the regular season, a record for the streaming package.

    This year’s World Series had lackluster TV ratings, and in a cord-cutting era, there are major questions about the viability of the regional sports networks that carry baseball games. Attendance was down 5% from its pre-pandemic level, but the spending indicates at least some optimism about baseball’s health.

    It’s also reflective of an unusually deep free agent class. Judge is the reigning AL MVP, and Turner, Correa, Bogaerts and Swanson are All-Star shortstops. Justin Verlander won the AL Cy Young Award with Houston last season, and then signed an $86.7 million, two-year contract with the Mets.

    WHAT’S NEXT?

    Looming over all this spending is Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who can become a free agent after the 2023 season. If Ohtani gets to free agency, he likely would smash each of baseball’s financial records for player contracts.

    Ohtani, who turns 29 in July, hit .273 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs this year. He also went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts.

    San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado can opt out of his $300 million, 10-year deal after the upcoming season, giving up $150 million over the final five seasons, and he almost certainly is monitoring all the money being handed out this offseason.

    “People are discussing who are the free agents in ’24 and ’25 now because it’s like all a big puzzle,” San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said. “So what happens this offseason is definitely going to impact what happens two offseasons from now.”

    Machado’s decision is likely one reason why San Diego gave Bogaerts a $280 million, 11-year contract.

    Also worth watching are baseball’s small-market owners, most of whom have been standing quietly off to the side since the end of the season. There is undoubtedly some private grousing going on behind the scenes, especially over some of the longer deals that dilute the intended effect of the sport’s tax system.

    “We have a level of revenue disparity in this sport that makes it impossible for some of our markets to compete at some of the numbers we’ve seen,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said during the winter meetings.

    ———

    Lisa Lorey in New York contributed to this story.

    ———

    Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

    ———

    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • AP source: Aaron Judge, Yankees reach $360M, 9-year deal

    AP source: Aaron Judge, Yankees reach $360M, 9-year deal

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    SAN DIEGO — Aaron Judge has issued his ruling: Court remains in session in the Bronx.

    Judge is staying with the New York Yankees on a $360 million, nine-year contract, according to a person familiar with baseball’s biggest free agent deal ever.

    The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the AL MVP’s contract had not been announced.

    Judge, who hit an American League record 62 homers last season, will earn $40 million per year, the highest average annual payout for a position player. The contract trails only Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts’ $365 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers for biggest in baseball history. Trout and Betts were already under contract when they signed those deals.

    The Yankees made a long-term offer to Judge before last season that was worth $213.5 million over seven years from 2023-29. But the outfielder turned it down in the hours before opening day in April.

    The 6-foot-7 Judge bet on himself — and won.

    Judge surpassed Roger Maris’ AL home run mark to power New York to an AL East title. He also tied for the major league lead with 131 RBIs and just missed a Triple Crown with a .311 batting average.

    New York was swept by Houston in the AL Championship Series, but Judge became the first AL MVP for the Yankees since Alex Rodriguez in 2007.

    By rejecting the Yankees’ preseason offer, Judge gained $146.5 million and an extra two guaranteed seasons. The Northern California native also visited with the San Francisco Giants last month, and there likely were more teams monitoring the market for the slugger who turns 31 in April.

    Judge’s decision will have a domino effect on several teams and free agents. His status held up at least some of New York’s offseason plans — given the size of the contract — but general manager Brian Cashman made it clear his team would wait patiently while Judge contemplated his options.

    In the end, that approach worked.

    “So we’ll wait, we’ll wait for this process to play out,” Cashman said Monday at baseball’s winter meetings in San Diego. “And that means staying active in the conversations and negotiations.”

    Judge, 30, was selected by New York in the first round of the 2013 amateur draft and made his big league debut in 2016, homering in his first at-bat.

    A year later, he was one of baseball’s breakout stars. He hit .284 with 52 homers and 114 RBIs in 2017, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. The four-time All-Star has 220 homers and 497 RBIs in seven big league seasons.

    “A guy of his stature and his greatness hopefully spends his entire career into Monument Park and into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee,” New York manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.

    The average annual value of Judge’s deal trails only New York Mets pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, at $43.3 million. Verlander’s deal was reached Monday and hasn’t been announced, but a person familiar with it told the AP he would earn $86.7 million over two years.

    ———

    Blum reported from Qatar.

    ———

    AP Baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • AP source: Rizzo, Yankees agree to $40M, 2-year contract

    AP source: Rizzo, Yankees agree to $40M, 2-year contract

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    A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that first baseman Anthony Rizzo is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing to a $40 million, two-year contract

    NEW YORK — Anthony Rizzo is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing Tuesday to a $40 million, two-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

    The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.

    Rizzo gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and the deal for the first baseman includes a $20 million team option for 2025 with a $6 million buyout. Rizzo had opted out of his previous contract with New York, giving up a $16 million salary for 2023.

    Since joining the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, Rizzo had provided needed left-handed power for New York and has taken advantage of the right field short porch at Yankee Stadium.

    Now 33, Rizzo hit .224 with 75 RBIs and had 32 home runs for the fourth time in his career. While the Yankees led the major leagues with 254 home runs, just 77 were by left-handed batters.

    His agreement is the first major offseason move for the Yankees, who are attempting to re-sign star right fielder Aaron Judge.

    ———

    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Yankees Pick Up Team Option For Luis Severino, Potentially Setting Him Up For A Bigger Contract

    Yankees Pick Up Team Option For Luis Severino, Potentially Setting Him Up For A Bigger Contract

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    Perhaps the clearest thing to emerge from Brian Cashman’s lengthy state of the Yankees press conference on Friday concerned the status of Luis Severino.

    During his roughly 45 minutes at the podium in the basement of Yankee Stadium and approximately 22 hours before the Astros clinched their second World Series title, Cashman gave his clearest answer when it came to status of Luis Severino, describing his status on the team “as an easy yes”.

    “He’s been a really impactful pitcher, so the answer to that would be an easy yes,” Cashman said.

    A little over 68 hours later, came word that the “easy yes” became official when the Yankees announced they were picking up the one-year, $15 million team option for Severino on Monday, hours before Angels GM Perry Minasian said he was not trading Shohei Ohtani, who has one year left before entering free agency.

    The option is part of the four-year, $40 million contract signed by Severino in spring training 2019. At the time, he signed on the dotted line, Severino made a little over $600,000 and was coming off a spectacular 19-win season, resulting in a 10th-place finish in the AL Cy Young race won by Blake Snell.

    At the time of the new deal, it was believed Severino was setting himself to cash in free agency. The original portion of the deal deal would take him through his age-28 season and the option would conclude his age-29 season, the same age Gerrit Cole was when he signed a nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees.

    Instead injuries constantly interfered, setting up the final year of the team-friendly deal as a second straight “prove it season” for Severino.

    Before pitching well enough to get his team option picked up, Severino strained a latissimus dorsi muscle and did not make his 2019 debut until Sept. 17. He then had Tommy John surgery Feb. 27, 2020 – two weeks before the season was delayed and ultimately sliced to 60 games in two-plus months due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and then did not return from the surgery until returning on Sept. 21, 2021 for four relief appearances

    At the moment 27 starting pitchers are scheduled to make at least $15 million in 2023, a list that includes Justin Verlander, who may not exercise his player option for next season after helping Houston win the World Series by winning Game 5.

    In the 99-win regular season, Severino did his part by going 7-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts, with 112 strikeouts against 30 walks in 102 innings. He also held hitters to a slash line of .196/.263/.353 in those starts and highlighted his success by pitching seven innings of a combined one-hitter against Detroit on June 4 along with also becoming the first pitcher to strike Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. three times in his second start on April 14.

    Seventeen of those starts were before he sustained right shoulder tightness on July 13 when he allowed three homers on three different pitches in two innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

    It took Severino over two months to return, though not by his design. While he understood the Yankee point of view, he was hardly thrilled with being moved to the 60-day injured list on Aug. 1 after throwing from flat ground in the previous two weeks.

    “I was not happy. I was not expecting that,” Severino said the day before the Yankees acquired Frankie Montas from Oakland and traded Jordan Montgomery to St. Louis. “If that’s the plan they have for me to come back healthy, I have to just follow the plan.”

    Perhaps as meaningful as his base statistics was performance of his three main pitches, the four-seam fastball, changeup and the slider.

    Hitters batted .186 and saw 780 four-seamers as Severino averaged 96.3 mph on the pitch. Severino. Severino threw his changeup 363 times and hitters batted .235 as it averaged 88.8. Against the slider, Severino threw the pitch 342 times, held hitters to a .169 average and averaged 85.2 mph.

    The velocity numbers are down from 2018 when he averaged 97.6 on 1,589 four-seamers, 88.1 mph on 1,132 sliders and 88.1 mph on 427 changeups while facing 780 hitters in 191 1/3 innings.

    Last year’s performance showed Severino could pitch as effectively as he did during 2017 and 2018 when he recorded 33 of his 50 career wins. If Severino pitches as well as he did for most of last season and does it for a full season, he could set himself for an even nicer payday and another key free agent decision for the Yankees.

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    Larry Fleisher, Contributor

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  • New York Yankees Emphasize Process As Discomfort Fuels Urgency

    New York Yankees Emphasize Process As Discomfort Fuels Urgency

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    The postmortem press conference held by the New York Yankees assessing the ball club’s 2022 season will not be remembered for its illuminating commentaries or bold proclamations given their dismal demise at the hands of the Houston Astros for the fourth time in the postseason since the 2015 American League Wild Card ball game. The Yankees did announce they will pick up right-handed pitcher Luis Severino’s $15 million club option instead of paying him a $2.75 million buyout. Manager Aaron Boone and Senior Vice President, General Manager Brian Cashman answered a myriad of questions regarding the next steps for the Yankees as it is safe to say the franchise’s leadership is deeply committed to a process oriented approach to management instead of one solely driven by results or emotion. As the Astros hoisted the Commissioner’s Trophy over their heads once again after a 4-1 Game Six victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the 118th World Series, it is imperative for the Yankees to use discomfort as a fuel for urgency when it comes to offseason planning.

    Cashman’s contract had expired on October 31st and is essentially working for free until he and Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner can iron out the details on a new agreement. He just completed a five-year, $25 million contract according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. In a quarter century as general manager, Cashman has won six American League pennants and four world championships all but assuring himself a bronze plaque in the hallowed halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A preeminent and well respected baseball executive, Cashman has been in the crosshairs of irate fans as some believe analytics has adversely affected the Yankees’ aggressiveness in free agency.

    Given a World Series drought that has now reached 13 years in length and concerns regarding roster construction, many are left to wonder are employees in the analytics department held to a different set of standards than coaches throughout the organization. A fair and honest question given the results in recent years, but not an indictment against analytics. It is healthy to assess all methods of management as ball clubs are constantly looking for competitive advantages and being early adopters of innovative ideas. Accountability cannot solely rest on the shoulders of the ball players and coaching staff if analytics are an integral part of the organization’s culture.

    The Yankees are emphasizing the importance of process when it comes to discussions regarding results. Curiosity and sound reasoning are just as important as the ability to adapt and grow in a fast paced, results driven environment. They have little patience for employees who are unwilling to make the necessary adjustments and have become stagnant both in thought and action. Trust is evident if the Yankees are seeing employees demonstrate a high aptitude for modern baseball management while carefully explaining decisions in a manner that makes logical sense given the situation. This thought process was evident in Cashman’s remarks when it came to discussing high-contact hitters such as DJ LeMahieu and Andrew Benintendi as their injuries adversely affected the postseason roster.

    It will not make the least of difference to fans if the Yankees part ways with a data scientist or two if they cannot recapture the essence of their past with a forward-thinking mentality. Intangibles have always played an integral role in cultivating the Yankees’ championship DNA. They have thrived when the clubhouse culture was a perfect blend of intensity and urgency with a splash of confidence. An endearing aspect of the most recent Yankees’ dynasty was how catcher Jorge Posada’s fiery personality fit perfectly with the quiet confidence exuded by Derek Jeter.

    The Yankees must ask themselves what a championship DNA looks like in 2023 with or without free agent outfielder Aaron Judge. The reality is they will not commit over $600 million to two ball players in long-term contracts with one of them being Judge this offseason. Dreams of pairing Judge with the likes of free agent shortstops Carlos Correa or Trea Turner will stay safely in the imaginations of fans. Don’t expect a present day version of the winter prior to the 2009 season where the Yankees had invested $423.5 million into pitchers CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett along with first baseman Mark Teixeira. Besides winning their 27th world championship, the Yankees paid a $25.69 million penalty on a $226.2 million payroll for Competitive Balance Tax purposes according to the Associated Press.

    With Judge being priority number one, the Yankees must thrive on the discomfort that accompanies urgency and get creative when it comes to addressing deficiencies. They also must reflect on an important question: do the Yankees need a dramatic shift by overhauling their roster or is it a series of careful tweaks at certain positions? Given the changes next season regarding the limitations on defensive shifts, the Yankees need to evolve from being dangerous to excellent hitters as they ranked 21st in Major League Baseball with a 75.8 percent contact percentage according to FanGraphs.

    Removing emotions and impatience, the Yankees have traditionally delivered on four key objectives: a top five payroll in Major League Baseball, 90 or more victories in a season, home attendance exceeding 3 million, and qualifying for the postseason. However, they are light years behind the Astros when it comes to the amateur draft, international scouting, free agency, payroll efficiency, avoiding the Competitive Balance Tax, high impact trades, and managerial experience. The Yankees have struggled to adjust when it comes to the big moments in the postseason, especially against the Astros.

    Contrary to the sentiments expressed by Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman, the New York Yankees are still a distance away from achieving World Series glory. The gap has widened between them and the Houston Astros after seeing their current nemesis celebrate a second world championship in six years. The Yankees have amassed a plethora of cutting edge resources and talent but have yet to find the best way to develop a checks and balance system that works well for the franchise. In some instances, they must get out of their own way and stop overthinking matters by finding the glue that binds everything together. The Yankees must use the discomfort of urgency as a motivating factor this offseason and pay close attention to the Astros’ blueprint for success.

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    Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr., Contributor

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  • Despite Calls For Change, Aaron Boone Will Manage The New York Yankees In 2023

    Despite Calls For Change, Aaron Boone Will Manage The New York Yankees In 2023

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    In the wake of the New York Yankees capping a tedious 92-win 2021 season with their 6-2 loss in the wild-card game at Fenway Park last year the internet mob and certain voices calling up talk radio wanted someone to be held accountable.

    And in most cases since the players cannot necessarily be fired unless a team is willing to absorb the sunken costs of a bloated contract, the person on the firing line was manager Aaron Boone.

    A year later after the Yankees saw their season ended with Sunday’s 6-5 loss to Houston in Game 4 of the ALCS, the pattern repeated and perhaps with more vigor.

    Shortly after the loss in Boston, Boone was not only retained but also awarded a three-year contract extension with a team option for a fourth season. Assuming he completes the three years and gets the option picked up, Boone will be the manager of the Yankees for nine seasons.

    The hypothetical timeline falls in line with the managerial trends of the Yankees since 1991. The Yankees changed managers 18 times from 1973 to 1991, a timeline that included five stints for Billy Martin and two apiece for Bob Lemon and Lou Piniella.

    Then they hired Buck Showalter, whose four seasons started the run of winning seasons. After Showalter would not accept the firing of coaches following Edgar Martinez’s series-ending single on Oct. 8, 1995 in the Kingdome, he departed and in came Joe Torre.

    Torre lasted 12 seasons, winning four titles and getting six pennants but it ended badly. With the Yankees facing elimination from the ALDS on Oct. 7, his job was considered to be in jeopardy and about two weeks after they were eliminated in four games by Cleveland, Torre was officially ousted despite getting the support of his players, including Mariano Rivera.

    “I don’t feel good about it,” Rivera said Oct. 10, 2007 at a postmortem inside the old Yankee locker room at Yankee Stadium. “The kind of person he is and the kind of manager he is, I don’t see why they’re even thinking about it. If you ask me what I will want, I want him back. I’ve been with Joe for so many years.”

    About a month after Rivera’s words of support, Joe Girardi came in, offering more of a sense of rigidness but also some tension at times, especially in 2008 as the Yankees played their final season at the Old Yankee Stadium. Eventually Girardi lasted through the 2017 season, but his personality was viewed as deciding factor for not being retained after a surprising run to Game 7 of the ALCS in Houston, which later was revealed to be stealing signs

    A little over 15 years later after Torre’s exit, came the news of Hal Steinbrenner telling the Associated Press he intended to keep Boone much to the consternation of large swaths of fans, who booed him at various points through the regular season and postseason and even during a ceremony to honor Paul O’Neill on Aug. 21 — the day after Boone pounded the table in the interview room following a 5-2 loss to Toronto.

    While Steinbrenner’s comments emerged Wednesday in Tampa, so did some differing comments by Rivera, who said the following at Sports Forum of the Panamanian Association of Business Executives:

    “If I’m the owner Aaron Boone would not stay. When things don’t come out the way we want them to, all of the fault goes on the manager. Somebody has to pay the price and we won’t put that on the players.”

    Whether player performance can be blamed on the manager is an age-old debate that goes up there with who is considered the greatest of all time in a given sport. After all, the manager is not taking the at-bats that result in Aaron Judge going 5-for-32 in the postseason following a 62-homer season or Josh Donaldson going 5-for-29, which is a point Derek Jeter noted when speaking to reporters at his Turn 2 Foundation Benefit.

    “Sometimes, when you’re in a situation like that, you’re in a no-win situation unless you win. But I like Aaron. I haven’t been around. I had my head down in Miami for 4 1/2 years. I wasn’t paying close attention. But I like Aaron, and, look, he puts them in a position every year to have that chance to win. Ultimately, it comes down to the players, right?”

    And in this day and age, it is a strong possibility Boone was not the one deciding to play three different shortstops and an unprecedented four leadoff hitters during a nine-game postseason run.

    One thing is certain, based on what Steinbrenner told the Associated Press, Boone will be in the dugout.

    And six days after the World Series ends with Houston or Philadelphia as a champion, comes the mission of making sure Judge is a Yankee on Opening Day next season and not elsewhere, notably the San Francisco Giants – who just happen to be the opponent in the season opener.

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    Larry Fleisher, Contributor

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  • Love ’em or hate ’em, Series-bound Astros keep on winning

    Love ’em or hate ’em, Series-bound Astros keep on winning

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    They’re off to the World Series for a fourth time in six seasons, a remarkable feat of staying power for a franchise in any era of baseball history, let alone one that includes a 12-team playoff gauntlet filled with potential pitfalls.

    Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. put it succiently on Sunday night: “This is not easy.”

    Even so, the dichotomy that is this generation of Houston Astros will probably never go away.

    They left no doubt that they’re the best team in the American League this season, sweeping aside slugger Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees in four games after Sunday’s 6-5 victory.

    It should be a lovable group. There’s pint-sized star Jose Altuve, two-time All-Star Alex Bregman, ace right-hander Justin Verlander and a slew of up-and-coming players like ALCS MVP Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. There’s also Dusty Baker, the 73-year-old manager who is still searching for his first World Series title and the oldest man to lead a team to the Fall Classic.

    And yet…

    The stench of the 2017 cheating scandal — when the Astros were found to have illicitly stolen signs that season — still lingers, even though 21 of the 26 players on this year’s ALCS roster were not on the 2017 team.

    Only Altuve, Bregman, McCullers, Verlander and Yuli Gurriel remain. The quintet has endured a firehose of hate from fans and even fellow players since the scandal was brought to light before the 2020 season. The catcalls were still heard at Yankee Stadium over the past few days, but as the Astros piled up the runs and wins, there was a hint of another emotion.

    Grudging respect.

    “They got better treatment here this time than in previous times here,” Baker said. “So maybe it was a different crowd or maybe the crowd has finally forgiven things of the past.”

    That’s probably wishful thinking.

    But it’s also probably time to admit that these Astros — trash cans or no trash cans — are simply really good at baseball.

    “When everything happened a few years ago, we knew the one thing that we could do is we could win and we could win and win a lot,” McCullers said. “I understand people are still not going to like us. They’re going to boo us, but at some point you have to respect what we’re doing.”

    It’s a franchise that’s kept rolling despite the upheaval the cheating scandal wrought. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year by MLB and eventually fired before being replaced by Baker and James Click. Many of the best players from that 2017 team have retired or moved on to other teams.

    Star outfielder George Springer left for the Blue Jays. Two-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa signed with the Twins. Right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton left for the Rays and is now with the Braves.

    Altuve is among those who have witnessed it all. Now his team is back in the World Series: The Astros host the Phillies in Game 1 on Friday.

    Those who wanted the Astros to suffer a quick, embarrassing downfall in the aftermath of 2017 continue to be disappointed.

    “When you talk about Springer, Charlie Morton, Carlos Correa, you’re talking about all superstars, and to get players to fill that spot it’s not easy,” Altuve said before Game 4 on Sunday. “The fact that we’re still playing really good and being in these situations, like I said, we just have to give a lot of credit to the front office group.”

    In a way, the Astros saga is a fitting chapter for a sport that can never seem to completely enjoy its biggest moments.

    Judge set the AL record for homers with 62 this season and the debate raged about whether he should be considered the all-time single-season record holder. Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa all hit more in the National League, but for many, their accomplishments are overshadowed by links to performance-enhancing drugs.

    Now the debate will rage about the Astros.

    Altuve has become a pro at deflecting vitriol. He knows some in baseball would love for them to go away.

    That doesn’t appear to be happening any time soon.

    “I do as best as I can to keep everything away and just focus on the game and just be ready to help my team,” Altuve said. “Like I said, it doesn’t matter where I play, I just got to be 100% focused on the game.”

    ———

    More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • The New York Yankees Encounter An Unsolved Mystery In Houston Astros Pitching

    The New York Yankees Encounter An Unsolved Mystery In Houston Astros Pitching

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    During a replay challenge to see if Jose Altuve was safe on a routine groundout, those in charge of playing music at Yankee Stadium whipped out the theme song from “Unsolved Mysteries”

    The haunting tune preceded the hit NBC show that ran for nine seasons while being hosted by Robert Stack, whose voice led into the show by saying “Perhaps You Can Help Solve a Mystery.”

    Through three games of the ALCS, the Yankees are enduring their own version of “Unsolved Mysteries” against the Astros about why despite holding the AL’s second-best record, they are getting dominated by Houston’s standout pitching staff, the one who has shirts reading “No, No, No, No-Hitter and “Framber Valdez’s 2022 Quality Start Tour.”

    Through the first three games, the Yankees are putrid 12-for-94 (.128) with 41 strikeouts. They are one game away from being swept out of the ALCS for the first time since hitting .157 and striking out 36 times against Detroit in 2012.

    By comparison when the Yankees were competitive against the Astros in 2017 and 2019, their averages were better. In the six-game loss in 2019, the Yankees batted .214 and in the seven-game loss two years earlier, the Yankees batted .205.

    In this series, New York has seen 449 pitches from seven pitchers. Perhaps the most astounding stat involves Cristian Javier’s success against the Yankees.

    On June 25, Javier threw 115 pitches in seven hitless innings to combine with Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly on the first no-hitter for some people’s baseball attending life. On Saturday, he threw 52 pitches before Giancarlo Stanton doubled, making it 168 pitches in 10 1/3 innings against Javier at Yankee Stadium this year.

    As you would expect, the mood inside the silent Yankee clubhouse was somber with the theme of trying to get everyone going or enough players rolling. It was most certainly a contrast to the environment of Tuesday when the Yankees celebrated modestly before boarding the plane to Houston.

    “We’ve got a lot of talented individuals in this room and just haven’t been able to get everybody clicking,” Aaron Judge said.

    “Our backs are against the wall now,” Anthony Rizzo said. “As a competitor and as a baseball player, it sucks, but tomorrow we have another game. Obviously, this isn’t ideal, but we just have to win tomorrow. It sucks tonight, it’s going to suck, it’s going to sting, but tomorrow we have to figure out a way to win.”

    “I think they’ve attacked the zone,” third baseman Josh Donaldson said before the YES Network postgame panel opined, he was guessing at pitches. “They have good stuff. They have good arms over there. Can’t take anything away from those guys, but we just need to be better.”

    Rizzo was the fourth leadoff hitter of the postseason which seems like the sign of a team struggling to find it at the plate. Judge batted leadoff for the first two games of the ALDS and coincidentally after Alex Rodriguez said on FOX the slugger should not bat leadoff, Gleyber Torres moved there for four games before Harrison Bader did it in Game 2 of the ALCS and Rizzo led off for Game 3.

    When a team is going as poorly as the Yankees are these days, it hardly takes much to quiet a loud environment.

    The moment occurred about 30 minutes into Game 3.

    First Judge ran in front of Bader in right-center resulting in an error for the center fielder when Gerrit Cole was one out away from getting through the second.

    Three pitches after the error, ninth-place hitter Chas McCormick got enough of a 1-1 fastball.

    At first McCormick thought the ball went foul but then he saw Rizzo give a look of “here we go again” and realized the 335-foot poke bounced into the right field seats. And when McCormick experienced that realization, the Astros did their celebration known as the “Chas Chomp”, a new celebration featuring enthusiastic and exaggerated clapping that was started by Houston fan Scott Agruso who attends game wearing an alligator suit.

    “It’s cool. I like how my teammates are into it now. Around the bases I see them always chomping,” McCormick said. “It fires me up, and I said before in case I hit a home run, I’m going to round third base, hit the chomp a couple of times to my teammates.”

    The chomp was enough to create a feeling of doom for the Yankee fans. Nearly 90 minutes later, Game 3 seemed to be officially over when Cole loaded the bases, exited and Lou Trivino allowed a sacrifice fly by Trey Mancini and a two-run single by Christian Vazquez, whose fourth-inning homer off Zack Britton was the series-clinching run for Boston over the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2018 ALDS.

    As virtually anyone who follows the postseason knows, only one team ever rallied from a three games to none deficit. The struggling offense gets its first attempt at solving the mystery of Houston pitching and joining the 2004 Red Sox as the second team to do so 18 years and three days after Boston made history at Yankee Stadium.

    “You always want to be your best,” Judge said. “I wouldn’t say as I go, we go. We’ve got a lot of individuals on this team that can carry the club. I’ve got to step up and do my job. I haven’t come up with the big hit. Missed a couple the other night. But we’ve still got a lot of ballgame in us, and just got to take care of business.”

    In less than 24 hours, the Yankees will either take care of business to live to see another day or lament everything that went wrong towards the end of a season where they held the best record in the AL until Aug. 11.

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    Larry Fleisher, Contributor

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