Nelson Cruz, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis and Xander Bogaerts also went deep for the Padres, who outhomered the Giants 6-5 and outhit them 17-13 in the thin air of Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú.
After each home run, the Padres topped the triumphant hitter with a mariachi sombrero in the dugout. Machado said Tatis bought the green, red, white and black hat Friday night at the team hotel and the group weighed using it to celebrate or a mask wrestler Rey Mysterio gave to Machado.
“If we can keep hitting like that, maybe we´ll bring the mask and the sombrero to San Diego,” Machado said. “We are going to use them tomorrow for sure”.
A crowd of 19,611 filled the ballpark, which opened in 2019, for a game that stretched to 3 hours, 44 minutes. At 7,349 feet above sea level, this two-game series is the highest elevation for big league games. MLB’s previous regular-season trips to Mexico were for games in Monterrey in 2016, ’18 and ’19.
“For moments it felt like more than just a game, it felt more like a parade,” Padres manager, Bob Melvin said of the electric atmosphere.
San Francisco’s Brandon Crawford and Lamonte Wade Jr. hit consecutive homers in the fourth off Joe Musgrove, with Crawford’s going 482 feet and Wade’s 474.
Mitch Haniger went deep against Musgrove in the fifth with his first home run for San Francisco, and the Giants went ahead 11-10 with consecutive longballs in the seventh against Steven Wilson. Blake Sabol hit a two-run homer and David Villar connected five pitches later.
That lead didn’t last long against the Padres, who were the home team and scored in seven of eight innings in which they batted.
Tatis doubled off Tyler Rogers (0-1) and Machado hit his fourth home run of the season. The Padres tacked on four more runs in the eighth, when Trent Grisham hit a two-run double against Scott Alexander and Cruz a two-run single off John Brebbia.
Cruz went 5 for 6 with four RBIs and became the oldest player to homer for the Padres when he went deep leading off the third inning against Sean Manaea. Cruz was 42 years, 302 days, surpassing Rickey Henderson at 42 years, 283 days on Oct. 4, 2001.
“I´m just happy to be out there helping the team win. I´m not interested so much on the records”, Cruz said.
Soto and Bogaerts homered on consecutive pitches from Jakob Junis in the fourth, among four sets of back-to-back homers. Tatis and Machado went deep in a three-pitch span against Junis in the fifth.
Bogaerts became the first player to homer in regular-season games in four countries, adding to his previous drives in the U.S., Canada and England.
Tom Cogrove (1-0), a 26-year-old left-hander who played at Manhattan College, won in his major league debut in the seventh for the Padres. He relieved in the seventh with a runner at third and retired Joc Pederson on a groundout.
Thairo Estrada had four hits, and Estrada and Haniger each drove in three runs.
San Francisco wore black jerseys with “Los Gigantes” across the chest while San Diego was in its Nike City Connect uniforms of pink, gold and green on white.
The Giants trailed 3-0 and 5-2, went ahead 8-5 with a six-run fourth and fell behind 9-8 in the fifth. After holding the Padres scoreless for the only time in the sixth inning, the Giants took an 11-10 lead in the seventh.
Manaea allowed five runs and five hits in just two innings, and Musgrove gave up seven runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
ENJOYING THE TRIP
Camilo Doval, Sean Hjelle, John Brevia, Tristan Beck, Ricardo Genovés, Brett Wisely, Mike Yaztrzemski, Haniger and Junis did not waste an opportunity to be in Mexico City and ventured to go the Arena Mexico to watch the famous “Lucha Libre.” Players got a chance to meet some of the wrestlers and took photos with them wearing masks.
KAPLER’S ADVENTURES
Giants manager Gabe Kapler got lost Friday trying to get from the team hotel to the ballpark when he used public transportation. He took a team bus Saturday but said on Friday night he tried to take the subway to a concert by the Spanish singer Rosalia. He could not get there.
“The station close to the hotel was jammed packed and then the trains were full and people that were savvy enough could push through” Kapler said. “I did not feel confident doing that, so I went upstairs to try to get an Uber and could not get one, so I went to another taco place and got a beer, I was not disappointed.”
UNIFORM WATCH
San Diego’s jerseys were predominantly white with a pink right sleeve, a green one on the left and pink numbers on the back and front. The team said that they were inspired by the landscape of San Diego and Baja California.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: IF/OF Brandon Dion was recalled from Triple-A El Paso as the team´s 27th man for the series.
Giants: IF/OF Brett Wisely was added to the roster as the 27th player for the Mexico series. Wisely, in 12 Triple-A games, is batting .304 with eight RBIs. … Crawford left in the middle of the the fourth inning with right calf tightness.
UP NEXT
RHP Yu Darvish (1-2, 3.00 ERA) is set to start Sunday for the Padres and RHP Alex Cobb (1-1, 1.91) for the Giants.
Peoria, Arizona — San Diego Padres players often visit pediatric patients at Rady Children’s Hospital.
But this year, it was the children who made the trip to visit the players at spring training in Peoria, Arizona, thanks to an invite from their hometown heroes.
“We’re not just, you know, caged up in a hospital…we can actually have fun,” 15-year-old Nayleen Griffith told CBS News. Griffith was diagnosed with a brain tumor about two years ago, and continues to battle its impact.
The children were treated like VIPs, with a behind-the-scenes tour, autographs and selfies with star players like slugger Manny Machado.
“Meeting Manny, it was so cool,” said 17-year-old Damien Lopez, who has battled a blood disorder since birth, a condition which requires constant treatment.
However, it was pitcher Tim Hill who may have hit the biggest home run with the group, speaking candidly about his own battle with cancer.
“I dealt with the same, similar things that y’all dealt with,” Hill told the kids. “In 2015, I had colon cancer, stage 3 colon cancer.”
“It’s, like, really inspiring,” Lopez said. “He beat cancer, and he still continues doing what he loves.”
Getting the major-league treatment provided a chance for these kids to just be kids.
“We’ve all gone through a lot,” Griffith said. “So I think, being able to come out here and take a break from everything, is really exciting.”
Janet Shamlian is a CBS News correspondent based in Houston, Texas. Shamlian’s reporting is featured on all CBS News broadcasts and platforms including “CBS Mornings,” the “CBS Evening News” and the CBS News Streaming Network, CBS News’ premier 24/7 anchored streaming news service.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Machado must pass a physical before the deal is finalized.
Machado got a big cheer from Padres fans on a chilly afternoon in Arizona before a spring training game against the Diamondbacks. The third baseman struck out in his first at-bat before lacing a line-drive double off the base of the left-field wall in San Diego’s nine-run second inning of an 18-6 victory.
Machado finished 2 for 3 at the plate, adding a single in the third.
The 30-year-old slugger had said that after this season he planned to opt out of the $300 million, 10-year free agent deal he signed in 2019. With the $120 million he already has received, the new deal increases the free-spending Padres’ commitment to Machado to $470 million over 15 years.
Machado finished second in the NL MVP race last year. He’ll anchor a superstar-laden lineup that includes Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., who can return on April 20 from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Machado batted .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs last season.
BACK IN BLACK (AND ORANGE)
Michael Conforto saw his first game action in more than a year and went 1 for 3 as the San Francisco Giants’ designated hitter against the Cincinnati Reds. He singled his final time up.
“Felt good to be back. I definitely had some nerves. After the first at-bat most of them went away,” he said.
Conforto, who turns 30 on Wednesday, hadn’t played since Oct. 3, 2021, when he was with the New York Mets. He missed all of 2022 after having right shoulder surgery but signed a two-year, $36 million contract with the Giants in the offseason.
He said the plan is to DH for a couple of weeks, then play some outfield.
“Really what matters is getting to opening day healthy,” Conforto said. “But today was good.”
CAPTAIN JUDGE
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge received several ovations from the crowd at Steinbrenner Field before his first game in pinstripes as the new team captain.
“I felt it with the intro, I felt it on defense, I felt it stepping up to the plate,” the reigning AL MVP said.
Judge was a free agent after last season but ended up signing a $360 million, nine-year contract with the Yankees. He also was named the team’s first captain since Hall of Famer Derek Jeter in 2014.
“He loves the game, and obviously being back here, to be able to put the uni on and go out, I think it was something he was looking forward to,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
TROPHY DO-OVER
Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara received his NL Cy Young Award trophy on Sunday for the second time – and this time he has no reason to give it back.
“I want to keep it for the rest of my life,” Alcantara said. “I think that is for my mom.”
When the Baseball Writers’ Association of America originally presented Alcantara with the trophy at its January awards dinner, the plaque language dubbed both Alcantara and AL winner Justin Verlander the “most valuble” pitchers in their leagues, leaving out the second “a” in “valuable.”
The new plaque contains the more up-to-date “most outstanding” phrasing — and it’s spelled correctly.
Marlins owner Bruce Sherman presented the award to Alcantara at home plate before Miami’s spring training home opener against St. Louis.
“I didn’t expect that I was going to get my award today,” Alcantara said. “I thought I’d go outside and have fun with my teammates. But when I saw the surprise, it made my day today.”
RULES, RULES, RULES
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Major League Baseball is providing updates — nearly in real time — on the rules changes package that is making this spring training unique.
The two major changes are a pitch clock and a limit on extreme infield shifts.
“They did a really nice job of sending out a memo this morning with all the things that took place yesterday and questions that players and managers that just had to be addressed in order that you can cover it with your staff and club as you feel appropriate,” Marmol said. “So we did that with our staff and brought two different points with our players because they’ve done a really good job of communication.”
The new rules already had an effect during Saturday’s first full day of games: Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves thought he had just won the game with a two-out, bases-loaded walk. But umpire John Libka ruled that Conley wasn’t set in the box as the pitch clock wound under eight seconds.
He was ruled out. The game ended in a tie.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sunday that Conley’s situation was part of a learning process.
“It’s baseball. You’re going to see something you’ve never seen before,” Snitker said. “All to the point where I said I’m glad we’re starting these things when we did. I’m glad we didn’t wait until March 15 or something where we can have a whole month of this, and hopefully in a few weeks that this thing is just normal.”
There were more hiccups on Sunday throughout the Cactus and Grapefruit League games, but most took the changes in stride.
Rockies reliever Daniel Bard was called for a ball after throwing a warmup pitch after the 30-second deadline heading into an inning. The 30-second mark before innings was also a source of confusion during the Cardinals-Marlins game. Two Cardinals pitchers were called for balls before the start of innings before, according to Marmol, the umpires gathered and realized they were interpreting the rule incorrectly.
“It’s spring training for everybody,” Marmol said. “Those things will get ironed out before we get out of here.”
According to Major League Baseball, there were 69 pitch-timer violations through the first 35 spring training games over the weekend — including 35 violations in 16 games Sunday.
SCHERZER FINE WITH CLOCK
New York Mets right-hander Max Scherzer described pitching under the new major league rules as a “cat-and-mouse” game.
Contrary to previous years, Scherzer feels the pitcher finally has gained control.
In his first start of the Grapefruit League schedule, Scherzer was touched for a run in the second inning but struck out five while working the first two innings of the Mets’ 6-3 win over Washington.
“Really, the power the pitcher has now — I can totally dictate pace,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said. “The rule change of the hitter having only one timeout changes the complete dynamic of the hitter-and-pitcher dynamic. Yeah, I love it.”
Washington’s Michael Chavis, the second hitter in the second inning, stepped out of the box when he felt Scherzer was taking too long. That was fine with Scherzer.
He held the ball for more than 10 seconds before delivering the next pitch as Chavis had to remain in the batter’s box, no matter the level of his impatience. The fact that Chavis ultimately singled to right was immaterial. Scherzer had imposed his will.
“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” Scherzer said. “There’s rules and I’ll operate within whatever the rules are.”
TWINS ADD SANTANA
The Minnesota Twins claimed right-handed pitcher Dennis Santana off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.
The 26-year-old threw in 63 games, including one start, for the Texas Rangers last season, going 3-8 with a 5.22 ERA. To make room for Santana on the 40-man roster, the Twins put infielder Royce Lewis on the 60-day injured list.
Lewis is recovering from right knee surgery.
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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum, AP Sports Writer Bernie Wilson and freelancers Chuck King, Mark Didtler, Jack Thompson and Rick Hummel contributed to this report.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Today is Monday, Jan. 2, the second day of 2023. There are 363 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Jan. 2, 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts launched his successful bid for the presidency.
On this date:
In 1900, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the “Open Door Policy” to facilitate trade with China.
In 1788, Georgia became the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1811, Sen. Timothy Pickering, a Federalist from Massachusetts, became the first member of the U.S. Senate to be censured after he’d improperly revealed the contents of an executive document.
In 1929, the United States and Canada reached agreement on joint action to preserve Niagara Falls.
In 1942, the Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.
In 1967, Republican Ronald Reagan took the oath of office as the new governor of California in a ceremony that took place in Sacramento shortly just after midnight.
In 1971, 66 people were killed in a pileup of spectators leaving a soccer match at Ibrox (EYE’-brox) Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.
In 1974, President Richard Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles an hour as a way of conserving gasoline in the face of an OPEC oil embargo. (The 55 mph limit was effectively phased out in 1987; federal speed limits were abolished in 1995.)
In 2007, the state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford began with an elaborate service at Washington National Cathedral, then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In 2015, California began issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants who were in the country illegally. Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter who was the oldest cast member of the Grand Ole Opry, died at age 94.
In 2016, a heavily armed group led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, beginning a 41-day standoff to protest the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires on public land and to demand the federal government turn over public lands to local control.
Ten years ago: The United Nations gave a grim new count of the human cost of Syria’s civil war, saying the death toll had exceeded 60,000 in 21 months. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton left a New York hospital, three days after doctors discovered a blood clot in her head. No. 22 Louisville toppled No. 4 Florida, 33-23, in the Sugar Bowl.
Five years ago: In 2018, Sen. Al Franken formally resigned from the Senate a month after the Minnesota Democrat announced his plan to leave Congress amid a series of sexual misconduct allegations. NBC News announced that Hoda Kotb (HOH’-duh KAHT’-bee) would be the co-anchor of the first two hours of the “Today” show, replacing Matt Lauer following his firing due to sexual misconduct allegations.
One year ago: Twitter said it had banned the personal account of far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of the platform’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. The tracking service FlightAware said more than 2,600 U.S. flights were canceled, on top of the more than 2,700 flights canceled a day earlier, as wintry weather combined with the pandemic to frustrate air travelers trying to return home after the holidays.
Today’s Birthdays: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert is 81. TV host Jack Hanna is 76. Actor Wendy Phillips is 71. Actor Cynthia Sikes is 69. Actor Gabrielle Carteris is 62. Movie director Todd Haynes is 62. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher David Cone is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez is 60. Actor Tia Carrere is 56. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 55. Model Christy Turlington is 54. Actor Taye Diggs is 52. Actor Renée Elise Goldsberry is 52. Rock singer Doug Robb (Hoobastank) is 48. Actor Dax Shepard is 48. Actor Paz Vega is 47. Ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff (TV: “Dancing with the Stars”) is 45. Rock musician Jerry DePizzo Jr. (O.A.R.) is 44. R&B singer Kelton Kessee (IMX) is 41. Pop singer-musician Ryan Merchant (Capital Cities) is 42. Actor Kate Bosworth is 40. Actor Anthony Carrigan is 40. Actor Peter Gadiot is 38. Jazz singer-musician Trombone Shorty is 37. Singer-songwriter Mandy Harvey (TV: “America’s Got Talent”) is 35. R&B singer-rapper Bryson Tiller is 30. San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. is 24.
SAN DIEGO — The Holiday Bowl will usher in a new era with a potentially retro look.
The No. 15 Oregon Ducks will play North Carolina on Wednesday night at Petco Park, the downtown home of baseball’s San Diego Padres. It’ll be the first football game at the ballpark and the first Holiday Bowl since 2019.
While the setting will be new, the matchup between prolific quarterbacks Bo Nix of Oregon and Drake Maye of North Carolina could produce a classic high-scoring Holiday Bowl.
Both quarterbacks will be looking for a strong finish to springboard them in 2023 after their teams slumped at the end of the regular season. Oregon lost two of its last three, including to rival Oregon State, and North Carolina comes in on a three-game losing streak, including a 29-point loss to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.
Nix had been a Heisman contender before an ankle injury in a loss to Washington knocked him off the pace. He announced last week in a video that he’ll return for his fifth year of eligibility: “There’s nothing like being an Oregon Duck. For 2023, I’m back.”
The Ducks are favored by 14½ points and the over/under is 74½ points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
“I think it’s unbelievable,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said of the potential for an offensive show. “Both defenses are hearing how great the offenses are going to be so they’re both mad. Coming into the game they think nobody’s giving them a chance so that means those defenses will fight hard.”
Both teams had to replace their offensive coordinators after the regular season. Brown said play-calling falls to Lonnie Galloway, the assistant head coach/passing game coordinator, “who has never called a play in a ballgame, so it will be interesting.”
Brown is coaching in the Holiday Bowl for the sixth time. He brought Texas here five times between 2000 and 2011, going 3-2. His Longhorns lost to the Ducks in 2000.
THE QBs
A matchup between Nix and Maye is perfect for a bowl game with a reputation for high-scoring games dating to the early 1980s with BYU’s Jim McMahon and Steve Young. Nix completed 71.5% of his passes for 3,388 yards and 27 touchdowns, with six interceptions. He also ran for 540 yards and 14 more touchdowns. Maye, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 4,115 yards and 35 TDs, with seven interceptions.
OPT OUTS
Carolina’s leading receiver, Josh Downs, has opted out to prepare for the NFL draft, as has Oregon outside linebacker D.J. Johnson, who had six of the Ducks’ 16 sacks. The Tar Heels have lost several defensive backs to the transfer portal.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLPARK
The Holiday Bowl moved downtown after its home of 42 years, Qualcomm Stadium, was demolished to make room for a new stadium and campus expansion for San Diego State. Petco Park, which opened in 2004, has hosted a basketball game between San Diego State and the University of San Diego, a Davis Cup tennis match on a clay court between Britain and the United States, as well as soccer, rugby, and various motorsports events. The Padres also host the Links at Petco Park every January, with golfers taking shots onto the playing field from nine tees placed around the ballpark.
GAP YEARS
This will be the first Holiday Bowl since Iowa routed USC in 2019. The 2020 Holiday Bowl was canceled due to the pandemic and last year’s game scheduled for Petco Park wasn’t played after UCLA pulled out about five hours before kickoff against North Carolina State, citing a COVID-19 outbreak.
QUOTABLE
Brown mused about being routed by Marcus Mariota and the Ducks in the 2013 Alamo Bowl, his last game with Texas. When the Tar Heels and Ducks visited the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Monday, Brown toured the ship with Nix and Ducks coach Dan Lanning.
“Bo was going up the steps in front of me, and I started to grab his ankle,” Brown said with a laugh, “but there were too many cameras. I didn’t want to hurt him bad. It’s just one game. But I’ve been there. God looked at me and said, ‘No, don’t do that.’”
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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.
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Lisa Lorey in New York contributed to this story.
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Follow Jay Cohen at https://twitter.com/jcohenap
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
The San Diego Padres and Xander Bogaerts have agreed to a blockbuster $280 million, 11-year contract, adding the All-Star slugger to an already deep lineup
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres and Xander Bogaerts agreed to a blockbuster $280 million, 11-year contract Wednesday night, adding the All-Star slugger to an already deep lineup.
A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed the contract to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was pending a physical.
The Padres already had Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop, but he missed the entire season because of injuries and an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
San Diego also met with Aaron Judge and Trea Turner before the big stars opted for different teams. The Padres reached the NL Championship Series this year before losing to the Phillies.
“From our standpoint, you want to explore and make sure we’re looking at every possible opportunity to get better,” general manager A.J. Preller said before the Bogaerts deal surfaced. “We’ve got a real desire to win and do it for a long time.”
The 30-year-old Bogaerts was one of the headliners in a stellar group of free-agent shortstops that also included Turner, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson.
Bogaerts, who’s from Aruba, terminated his $120 million, six-year contract with Boston after the season. The four-time All-Star forfeited salaries of $20 million for each of the next three years after hitting .307 with 15 homers and 73 RBIs in 150 games.
Bogaerts is a .292 hitter with 156 homers and 683 RBIs in 10 big league seasons — all with Boston. He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2013 and 2018.
Bogaerts becomes the latest veteran hitter to depart Boston after the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in February 2020. Rafael Devers has one more year of arbitration eligibility before he can hit the market.
Bogaerts had his best big league season in 2019, batting .309 with a career-best 33 homers and 117 RBIs. He had 23 homers and 103 RBIs in 2018.
In 44 postseason games, Bogaerts is a .231 hitter with five homers and 16 RBIs.
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Blum reported from Qatar.
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AP baseball: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper broke up the Phillies postseason party on the mound and directed his team to where the true revelry was about to begin for the National League champs.
“C’mon, let’s go inside! Let’s go!” he ordered.
With that, Harper in his backward cap walked toward the dugout and raised his arms in jubilation to the soundtrack of Phillies fans screaming “MV3! MV3!” The Phillies soon scrambled inside for the boozy bash that awaited in the clubhouse.
Harper made the scene possible because he rose to the moment Philly demanded of him from the time he signed the richest free-agent deal in baseball history. Harper has made the monumental feat of hitting a baseball look so easy in the postseason and with the NL pennant at stake, he delivered with easily the defining moment of his four-year Philadelphia career.
Harper slugged his fifth homer of the postseason, a two-run blast in the eighth inning that turned Citizens Bank Park into a madhouse, and the $330 million slugger powered the Phillies past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday and into the World Series for the first the time since 2009.
One swing. One opposite-field shot. One game-winning home run that about seemed destined from the moment he came to the plate in the eighth inning with the Phillies and their fans beckoning Bryce to deliver in the clutch just one more time.
“I hit the ball, and I just looked at my dugout and kind of it’s for all of them,” Harper said. “It’s for this whole team. It’s for this whole organization.”
Rhys Hoskins also hit a two-run homer in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series to spark Philadelphia’s improbable run to the pennant and a shot at its first World Series championship since 2008.
Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting an RBI double in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the NLCS between the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, October 22, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Daniel Shirey via Getty Images
Harper, Hoskins & Crew are coming for a most improbable World Series championship.
Houston held a 3-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Game 4 is Sunday night in New York. The World Series will begin Friday night at the home of the AL champion.
Harper was named NLCS MVP, and he as parked the trophy on a dais, he made it clear he wanted so much more.
“I don’t really care about this but MLB is making me do it,” Harper said.
Philadelphia trailed 3-2 when J.T. Realmuto began the eighth with a single off reliever Robert Suarez. Harper then lined a 2-2, 98 mph sinker the opposite way, into the left-field seats as another sellout crowd of 45,485 shook the stadium.
Harper hoped the homer set the stage for other highlights on deck in the next couple of weeks.
“We’ve got four more,” Harper told the fans during an on-field celebration, and they roared again.
The lefty-swinging Harper connected off a righty — the Padres had left-handed closer Josh Hader warming in the bullpen, but didn’t bring him in.
“It’s a thought at this point, but that wasn’t what we were thinking,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “We were trying to get to four-out position for Hader, and we had a lot of confidence in Suarez.”
The Phillies felt the same way about Harper.
“Pure chaos, right? I don’t think anybody was surprised,” Hoskins said. “This guy has a knack for coming up in the biggest moments. It’s just what he’s done his whole career, and we’ve seen it plenty of times.”
Remember, too: When Harper’s thumb was broken by a pitch from San Diego’s Blake Snell in late June, there were some concerns that he might not return this season.
Instead, the star who signed a 13-year contract to play in Philadelphia delivered — in this season, in this game.
“I think we always believed,” Harper said.
Even after Harper’s homer put them ahead, it wasn’t an easy ending for the Phillies.
Reliever David Robertson was pulled after a pair of one-out walks in the ninth. Ranger Suárez made his first relief appearance of the season and retired Trent Grisham on a bunt and got Austin Nola — brother of Phils ace Aaron Nola — on a routine fly to finish it for a huge save.
Then it was time to party. The Phillie Phanatic swayed a National League champions flag as the postseason banger “Dancing On My Own” blared throughout the stadium. Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos stripped off their shirts and danced in the clubhouse. Cigars were let. Cheap beer was sprayed. The alcohol puddles on the carpet rivaled the ones caused by the rain on a sloppy, gusty Game 5.
This sixth-seeded Phillies — yes, that is a thing this season — feel they’re just getting started.
Harper, who turned 30 last week, is batting 439 (18 for 41) with six doubles, five homers, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored over 11 postseason games. He has hit in 10 straight and has reached base in 11 straight.
And the feared designated hitter can keep those streaks alive when he plays in his first World Series.
“To a certain degree, it’s getting overlooked because of who he is and the star that he is,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s a guy that’s a big star that’s delivered. Can’t say enough about that.”
Philadelphia finished third in the NL East at 87-75, a full 14 games behind the 101-win Braves this season, and were the last club in the majors to make the 12-team playoff field. After a 2-0 sweep of NL Central champion St. Louis in MLB’s newly created wild-card round, the Phillies needed only four games to knock out Atlanta, the defending World Series champs.
Now they’ll try to become the first team that finished in third place to win a World Series.
The Padres took a 3-2 lead in a sloppy seventh inning as rain pounded Citizens Bank Park and turned portions of the infield, notably around third base, into a mud pit.
But it was Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez’s slippery grip that cost the Phillies.
Starter Zack Wheeler was fantastic again and struck out eight over six innings. He was lifted with a 2-1 lead after Jake Cronenworth hit a leadoff single in the seventh and tipped his cap as he walked off the mound to a standing ovation.
Dominguez couldn’t find his feel with the ball as the rain picked up, puddles formed near third base and the infield dirt turned to mush. He threw one wild pitch and Josh Bell lined a tying RBI double to right that made it 2-1. Dominguez recovered to strike out the next two batters with pinch-runner Jose Azocar on second base.
Azocar moved to third on a wild pitch and scooted home for the 3-2 lead on Dominguez’s third wild pitch of the inning. The righty reliever threw only three wild pitches in 51 innings all season ― then uncorked three in the seventh.
Hoskins, Harper, Wheeler have left a trail of indelible moment at Citizens Bank as they improved to 5-0 at home, where they will play World Series Games 3, 4 and 5.
Game 5 of the NLCS was no exception.
The Phillies caught a break when in the third after Kyle Schwarber was called out a two-out stolen-base attempt. Schwarber never budged off the base, adamant that second baseman Cronenworth never tagged him. Phillies fans howled in delight as the replay on the big screen showed repeatedly that Cronenworth whiffed on the tag attempt. The call was overturned on replay, and the Phillies had new life.
Hoskins, who came hitting a quite memorable .171, smashed one into the left field seats off starter Yu Darvish as the crowd went wild. He hopped down the line as he mouthed some words to his teammates in the dugout and twirled his bat ― not unlike the steadily-spinning rally towels ― as he gave them a 2-0 lead.
Wheeler gave up Soto’s solo homer in the inning that made it 2-1. Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove snapped a Polaroid photo of Soto in the dugout.
Try as they might, the Padres weren’t ready for their close up.
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Bryce Harper slugged his fifth homer of the postseason, a two-run blast in the eighth inning that turned Citizens Bank Park into a madhouse, and the $330 million slugger powered the Philadelphia Phillies past the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Sunday and into the World Series for the first the time since 2009.
Rhys Hoskins also hit a two-run homer in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series to spark Philadelphia’s improbable run to the pennant and a shot at its first World Series championship since 2008.
Harper has made the monumental feat of hitting a baseball look so easy in the postseason and he delivered with easily the defining moment in his four-year Phillies’ career.
J.T. Realmuto began the Phillies eighth with a single off reliever Robert Suarez and Harper lined a 2-2, 98 mph sinker the opposite way, into the left field seats as another sellout crowd of 45,485 fans shook the stadium.
“I knew he was going to come with his heater,” the two-time NL MVP said during a TV interview. “Just tried to take the best swing I could and was able to do damage with it.”
The lefty-swinging Harper connected off a righty — the Padres had left-handed closer Josh Hader warming in the bullpen, but didn’t bring him in.
Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two-run home run during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres in game five of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 23, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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“We call him ‘The Showman.’ He’s always had a knack for those moments,” Hoskins said of Harper.
Harper’s hitting earned him the NLCS MVP award. And maybe other highlights on deck in the next couple of weeks.
“We’ve got four more,” Harper said, and the crowd roared.
Remember, too: When Harper’s thumb was broken by a pitch from San Diego’s Blake Snell in late June, there were some concerns that he might not return this season.
Instead, the star who signed a 13-year contract to play in Philadelphia delivered — in this season, in this game.
“I think we always believed,” Harper said.
Members of the Philadelphia Phillies pose for a team photo after defeating the San Diego Padres in game five to win the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 23, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Houston held a 3-0 lead over the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Game 4 is Sunday night in New York. The World Series will begin Friday night at the home of the AL champion.
Even after Harper’s homer put them ahead, it wasn’t an easy ending for the Phillies.
Reliever David Robertson was pulled after a pair of one-out walks in the ninth. Ranger Suárez made his first relief appearance of the season and retired Trent Grisham on a bunt and got Austin Nola — brother of Phils ace Aaron Nola — on a routine fly to finish it for a huge save.
The Phillies mobbed each other in the infield as the Phillie Phanatic and swayed the “NL Champions” flag as the official postseason anthem “Dancing On My Own” blared throughout the stadium.
Harper, who turned 30 last week, is batting 439 (18 for 41) with six doubles, five homers, 11 RBIs and 10 runs scored over 11 postseason games. He has hit in 10 straight and has reached base in 11 straight.
And the feared designated hitter can keep those streaks alive when he plays in his first World Series.
“To a certain degree, it’s getting overlooked because of who he is and the star that he is,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before the game. “He’s a guy that’s a big star that’s delivered. Can’t say enough about that.”
Philadelphia finished third in the NL East at 87-75, a full 14 games behind the 101-win Braves this season, and were the last club in the majors to make the 12-team playoff field. After a 2-0 sweep of NL Central champion St. Louis in MLB’s newly created wild-card round, the Phillies needed only four games to knock out Atlanta, the defending World Series champs.
The Padres took a 3-2 lead in a sloppy seventh inning as rain pounded Citizens Bank Park and turned portions of the infield, notably around third base, into a mud pit.
But it was Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez’s slippery grip that cost the Phillies.
Starter Zack Wheeler was fantastic again and struck out eight over six innings. He was lifted with a 2-1 lead after Jake Cronenworth hit a leadoff single in the seventh and tipped his cap as he walked off the mound to a standing ovation.
Dominguez couldn’t find his feel with the ball as the rain picked up, puddles formed near third base and the infield dirt turned to mush. He threw one wild pitch and then Josh Bell lined a tying RBI double to right that made it 2-1. Dominguez recovered to strike out the next two batters with pinch-runner Jose Azocar on second base.
Josh Bell #24 of the San Diego Padres reacts after hitting a double in the seventh inning during Game 5 of the NLCS between the San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, October 23, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images
Azocar moved to third on a wild pitch and scooted home for the 3-2 lead on Dominguez’s third wild pitch of the inning. The righty reliever threw only three wild pitches in 51 innings all season — then uncorked three in the seventh.
Hoskins, Harper, Wheeler have left a trail of indelible moment at Citizens Bank as they improved to 5-0 at home, where they will play World Series Games 3, 4 and 5.
Game 5 of the NLCS was no exception.
The Phillies caught a break when in the third after Kyle Schwarber was called out a two-out stolen-base attempt. Schwarber never budged off the base, adamant that second baseman Cronenworth never tagged him. Phillies fans howled in delight as the replay on the big screen showed repeatedly that Cronenworth whiffed on the tag attempt. The call was overturned on replay, and the Phillies had new life.
Hoskins, who came hitting a quite memorable .171, smashed one into the left field seats off starter Yu Darvish as the crowd went wild. He hopped down the line as he mouthed some words to his teammates in the dugout and twirled his bat — not unlike the steadily-spinning rally towels — as he gave them a 2-0 lead.
Wheeler, who took a comebacker off his right leg to close the fourth, made a rare mistake when he gave up Soto’s solo homer in the inning that made it 2-1. Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove snapped a Polaroid photo of Soto in the dugout.
Try as they might, the Padres weren’t ready for their close up.
Bruce Bochy won three World Series with the Giants but faces a giant task with his new club, the … [+] out-of-contention Texas Rangers. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
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After winning three world championships as manager of the San Francisco Giants, Bruce Bochy probably punched his ticket to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But he came out of his self-imposed retirement Friday to accept what may be his greatest challenge: managing the Texas Rangers, a team that was never in contention in 2022.
Bochy signed a three-year contract that carries through the 2025 season. Terms were not disclosed but his 25-year record with the Giants and San Diego Padres suggests he will be one of the most highly-paid managers in the game, with a salary stretching well into seven figures.
For the Rangers, who fired manager Chris Woodward and president of baseball operations Jon Daniels after the team’s signing spree last winter paid few dividends, had not hired an experienced manager since Buck Showalter (now with the Mets) in 2002.
Bochy, 67, was actually hired by one of his former pitchers. Chris Young, executive vice president and general manager for the Rangers, pitched for Bochy when both were together in San Diego.
Bochy managed the Padres from 1995-2006 and the Giants from 2007-2019.
The Texas Rangers, a team that has never won a World Series, hope new manager Bruce Bochy can change … [+] that narrative. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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“In his 25 years with San Diego and San Francisco, Bruce was one of the most successful and respected managers in Major League Baseball,” Young told reporters. “He’s a calm and steady presence, he has a remarkable ability to connect and communicate with players, coaches, and staff, and his teams have always played with maximum effort. His knowledge of the game, as well as his integrity, is unmatched.”
Bochy won World Series with the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. His career record is 951-975.
The 1996 National League Manager of the Year spent the last three seasons as special advisor for the Giants but still hinted he’d like to end his three-year hiatus from the dugout. He managed Team France in the World Baseball Classic qualifier last month.
“If I was going to return to managing, it had to be the right situation,” Bochy said in a statement. “I strongly believe that to be the case with the Rangers, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The former catcher has a tough task ahead, especially since the Rangers occupy the same division as the Houston Astros, a team now playing in a record sixth consecutive American League Championship Series.
The Rangers finished fourth in the five-time AL West last year, winning only 68 games after an enormous off-season spending spree in the free-agent market. The team spent more than $500 million to give multi-year contracts to veteran shortstops Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, assigning the latter to second base, and outfielder Cole Kalhoun, among others. But Semien started slowly and the pitching never matched the upgraded offense.
Young cited Bochy’s communication skills, knowledge of the game, and integrity in explaining his decision to give the veteran pilot his first American League gig.
“As we went through the interview process,” he explained, “Bruce’s passion and excitement about returning to the dugout was very evident.”
Bochy now becomes the second oldest manager in the majors, behind only 73-year-old Dusty Baker of the Astros.
Eight teams started Saturday still in the 2022 postseason. After today’s league division series games, that number shrank considerably.
The Philadelphia Phillies eliminated the Atlanta Braves with an 8-3 National League Division Series Game 4 victory that had Philly’s Citizens Bank Park rocking.
The American League Division Series matchup between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians was split after the first two games in the Bronx. But the Guardians pushed the 99-win Yankees to the brink of elimination with a walk-off win in Game 3.
The Padres have slayed the “dragon up the freeway,” to borrow a phrase from their owner, Peter Seidler. They won three consecutive NLDS games to eliminate a star-studded Dodgers team that dominated them throughout the regular season, and they seem to be operating at a completely different level at this juncture. They’re getting solid-to-great starting pitching and playing stellar defense behind it. The back end of their bullpen is dominating. And they’re stringing together timely hits, never more so than in the five-run seventh inning that produced an epic comeback on Saturday night.
Perhaps just as important — they’re playing with an extreme level of confidence. Eliminating the Mets and Dodgers, two teams that combined to win 212 games during the regular season, will do that. Now they’ll have the home-field advantage in an NLCS showdown against the similarly hot Phillies. And given the energy at Petco Park these last two nights, that could be a major lift. — Alden Gonzalez
It might seem impossible to win without going big on offense in the postseason, but don’t tell that to the plucky Cleveland Guardians. The New York Yankees hit three homers, including a 449-foot moon shot by formerly struggling slugger Aaron Judge. But the Guardians just keep blooping pitches into the outfield and looping little liners to the opposite field — and before you knew, it added up to some real offense. The Yankees tried to close it out with a combination of Wandy Peralta and Clarke Schmidt, but Cleveland kept blooping and looping until the bases were loaded for frequent postseason hero Oscar Gonzalez, who singled softly through the middle, scoring two runs for a walk-off win in the ninth inning as a sell-out crowd at Progressive Field set the grandstand shuddering. It turns out a slingshot offense actually can get it done in October, and when it does, it’s awfully fun to watch. — Bradford Doolittle
Aaron Judge‘s first hit of the postseason is a game-tying two-run homer. Prior to that, Judge had been 0-9, with eight strikeouts this postseason. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that was Judge’s 12th career postseason home run, which broke a tie with Bernie Williams for the third most by a Yankee through the age-30 season. Judge trails only Mickey Mantle (14 home runs in 54 games) and Derek Jeter (14 HRs in 110 games).
The game that felt like it might never end finally did, at 7:31 p.m. local time — 6 hours, 22 minutes after it started, 18 innings deep, on account of one bad pitch.
In a game that had as many pitchers as hits (18), with a postseason-record 42 strikeouts, no errors and incredibly clean baseball, the Astros advanced to their sixth consecutive AL Championship Series, sweeping their division rivals and illustrating again that whether it’s a slugfest or a pitching duel, they’re as equipped as any team to triumph. — Jeff Passan
Houston completes the sweep
FINAL in 18: Astros 1, Mariners 0
Jeremy Peña’s solo home run to lead off the top of the 18th sends Houston to its sixth straight ALCS.
Seattle’s first home playoff game in 21 years goes as long as any in postseason history. Amazing atmosphere. Wonderful season. Tough ending.
Astros-Mariners is going to the 16th inning. Here are the numbers so far.
– Hitters are 14 for 101 – Of those 14 hits, 12 were singles and two doubles – Pitchers have struck out 37 hitters and issued three walks – There have been 425 pitches thrown – Total runs scored: zero
Once again, Major League Baseball will not have a repeat World Series champion after the Phillies bounced the Braves from the postseason with a resounding 8-3 victory in Game 4 of their NLDS.
Just as they did in all three of their wins in the series, the Phillies jumped to an early lead that had Atlanta playing chase pretty much from the beginning. And for the second day in a row, it was a party from start to finish at a raucous Citizens Bank Park.
Instead of a bat-spike home run celebration providing the signature moment like it did in Game 3, the highlight on Saturday was a spring around the bases. In the third inning, J.T. Realmuto became the first catcher in postseason history to hit an inside-the-park home run, one inning after Brandon Marsh ignited the crowd with a three-run blast.
Two things are clear no matter who Philly faces in the NLCS: This team that found new life earlier in the season when manager Rob Thomson took over won’t be an easy out for anyone; and when the Phillies take the field at home in an NLCS for the first time since 2010 on Friday, it’s going to be quite a scene in Philadelphia. — Jesse Rogers
According to ESPN Stats & Information, that is the first inside-the-park home run by a catcher in the postseason and the first time any Phillies player has done it in the playoffs.
I think I’m appropriately dressed for today’s big day…..you PHEEL-EASE?!! 🤣🤣🤣 Philly we ready?!! Then let’s goooooo @Phillies! Our time! pic.twitter.com/8ceNVTiaNU
We’re down to eight teams in the 2022 postseason after four were eliminated this past weekend in MLB’s first-ever wild-card series weekend. Now it’s on to the league division series: four series, best-of-five, first team to win three advances.
The Dodgers have continually talked up the depth and talent of their bullpen, regardless of the uncertainty at the back end — and that confidence was validated in their postseason opener. The Padres trimmed a five-run deficit to two with a big fifth inning against Julio Urias, but then four Dodgers relievers — Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Chris Martin — kept the Padres scoreless over the last four innings for a Game 1 victory.
The usage offered an early peek at the Dodgers’ bullpen strategy. Manager Dave Roberts used Phillips, their most effective reliever this season, in the sixth inning because the best part of the Padres’ lineup was due up. Vesia, a lefty, came back out to face the left-handed-hitting Juan Soto. And for the final four outs, it was Graterol and Martin. The order will undoubtedly change throughout the postseason, with Tommy Kahnle and, perhaps eventually, Blake Treinen pitching in high leverage situations. But the Dodgers clearly feel good enough about their depth. — Alden Gonzalez
Out of a jam
With the Padres on a roll in the sixth inning, Phillips got Wil Myers to ground into a double play, ending the threat.
Myers’ 376-foot home run just made it over the wall to give the Padres their first run of the night. Runs by Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim cut the Dodgers’ lead to two.
In the bottom of the third, Will Smith hit a ball deep into left field for a double that brought home Trea Turner home and extended the Dodgers’ lead to three. After a Max Muncy single, L.A. added another run courtesy of a Gavin Lux double that brought Smith home.
A walk with the bases loaded along and a Padres error helped bring in two more runs and increased the lead to 5-0 for Los Angeles.
The Yankees needed Gerrit Cole to be on top of his game and he delivered. Over the course of 6 1/3 innings, Cole allowed just one run on four hits — a home run to Steven Kwan — while walking one and striking out eight. The game nearly fell apart on Cole in the third inning after Cleveland loaded the bases with one out following Kwan’s home run, but Cole managed to get out of the inning unscathed.
Meanwhile, at the plate, the Yankees relied on a solo homer from Harrison Bader to tie the game, a Jose Trevino sacrifice fly to take the lead and an Anthony Rizzo two-run shot into the second deck of right field to extend the lead to 4-1. That provided a cushion for the bullpen, which was held together on the backs of Jonathan Loaisiga, Wandy Peralta and Clay Holmes. — Joon Lee
Rizzo rips one
It wouldn’t be a game at Yankee Stadium without a lot of home runs. Speaking of that, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run dinger to add to New York’s lead.
Josh Donaldson thought he had a go-ahead home run … and was caught out between first and second base when it turned out that the ball had instead bounced off the top of the wall. Replay confirmed it, and the Yankee faithful were less than enthused. Fortunately for the Bronx Bombers, an Oscar Gonzalez misplay off the right-field wall led to a sacrifice fly, and a tenuous lead.
The Mariners were on their way to stealing home-field advantage in their ALDS, and then the Astros did what the Astros always seem to do in October. Bottom nine. Two on. Two out. Yordan Alvarez at the plate. And in came Robbie Ray, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, the $115 million free agent prize of Seattle’s offseason, to get the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Alvarez fouled off a fastball. He didn’t miss the next one. And 439 feet later, a 117-mph rocket landed in the right-field bleachers and propelled the Astros to an 8-7 victory in Game 1. Down 7-3 after Justin Verlander‘s worst-ever playoff start, Houston looked done until it wasn’t. And it continued a trend that has proven awfully fruitful in years past: Six straight postseasons, six straight victories in Game 1 of the ALDS. — Jeff Passan
Postgame trolling
The Astros used the most brutal weapon possible in trolling the Mariners: math.
The Astros’ first score came in the third inning, courtesy of a Yordan Alvarez double that drove Jose Altuve and Chas McCormick home. Yuli Gurriel mashed a 373-foot home run for their third run of the game, cutting Seattle’s lead tp three.
Julio Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk from Justin Verlander to begin the game. Ty France’s hit sent him to third, and Cal Raleigh‘s RBI single allowed Rodriguez to score the game’s first run.
The Phillies’ offense has emerged during the playoffs with a different feel than the long ball-or-bust version we saw most of the season. In Tuesday’s NLDS Game 1 win, they peppered Braves pitching with 10 hits — Nick Castellanos had three of them — and seven runs in the first five innings without hitting a home run.
When they weren’t filling the bases via singles and doubles, Philadelphia played small ball, attempting three sacrifice bunts, including one each from sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Two of those bunt attempts were successful, leading to two more small-ball moments: sacrifice flies by Alec Bohm in the third inning and Matt Vierling in the fifth. And it all added up to just enough for the Phillies to hang on for a 7-6 victory after the Braves made it interesting with a three-run ninth inning.
It’s not something you can find in the box score, but the Phillies’ fast start — coupled with the Mariners getting to Astros ace Justin Verlander early in their own division series opener — makes it worth wondering if there’s a rest-vs.-rust advantage to coming in hot off a wild-card-round win against a team that hasn’t played for nearly a week. — Jesse Rogers
Lockdown defense
Nick Castellanos makes a diving catch for the second out of the ninth inning en route to a Philly victory.
Matt Olson hits a three-run blast with one out in the ninth, cutting the Phillies’ deficit to just one run — and giving the Braves some late-game hope.
Travis D’Arnaud earned his second and third RBIs of the game with a double that drove home William Contreras and Olson — making him responsible for all of Atlanta’s first three runs.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias throws to the plate during the first inning of a … [+] baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
It’s on to Round 2 of Major League Baseball’s four-tiered postseason.
The Division Series round begins Tuesday with four best-of-five series. That comes on the heels of last weekend’s Wild Card round.
It will be the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres squaring off and the Atlanta Braves facing the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League. In the American League, it will be the Houston Astros against the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees versus the Cleveland Guardians.
Here is a look at one key player from each team involved in the NLDS.
JULIO URIAS, DODGERS
The left-hander gets the start in Game 1 against the Padres. That is all you need to know about how much the Dodgers value the bespectacled 26-year-old.
Urias was 17-7 in the regular season with a 2.16 ERA in 31 starts. He led the NL in ERA and was second in wins behind the Braves’ Kyle Wright, who had 21. Urias also had a sparkling 0.960 WHIP while striking out 175 batters in 166 innings.
Despite his age, Urias also has plenty of postseason experience with five career starts and 17 relief appearances. He has a solid 3.52 ERA and 0.988 WHIP over 53 2/3 innings.
Urias can become a free agent at the end of next season. It seems likely the Dodgers will try to sign him to a long-term contract extension this coming winter.
San Diego Padres’ Yu Darvish, right, celebrates with Jorge Alfaro following a baseball game against … [+] the Chicago White Sox after clinching a wild-card playoff spot Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
YU DARVISH, PADRES
Darvish will likely make only one start against the Dodgers after winning Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets. He is scheduled to pitch Game 2 against Clayton Kershaw and it will be a chance for redemption for the veteran right-hander.
In 2017, Darvish started Game 7 of the World Series and got hit hard by the Houston Astros. He was tagged for five runs in 1 2/3 innings and took the loss.
The Padres will look for Darvish to pitch like he did against the Mets when he allowed only one run on six hits in seven innings. That followed a regular season in which he was 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA in 30 starts.
Darvish’s six-year, $126-million contract he signed with the Chicago Cubs expires after next season. He will be 37 then but could still land a significant contract.
Atlanta Braves’ Dansby Swanson warms up before a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, … [+] Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
DANSBY SWANSON, BRAVES
The shortstop is eligible to file for free agency five days after the World Series. However, the Braves have been very public about their desire to sign Swanson to a long-term extension.
The 28-year-old had arguably the best of his seven seasons in the major league this year. He played in all 162 games and hit .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Swanson was also a plus defender with nine defensive runs saved.
The one knock on Swanson, though, is he did have a swoon after the All-Star break. He hit .294/.353/.481 in the first half but .254/.298/.404 in the second half.
Regardless, he will command a large contract if he reaches the open market.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a baseball … [+] game against the New York Mets, Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022, in New York. The Mets won 6-0. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
ZACK WHEELER, PHILLIES
The Phillies raised some eyebrows when they signed the right-hander to a five-year, $118-million contract as a free agent during the 2019-20 offseason. Wheeler’s lifetime record at that point was 44-38.
However, the Phillies clearly knew what they were doing. After finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season, Wheeler went 12-7 with a 2.82 ERA in 26 starts this year despite being slowed by forearm tendinitis.
Wheeler worked 6 1/3 shutout innings and allowed just two hits against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card series. The 32-year-old from the Atlanta area is 10-7 in his career against the Braves with a 3.16 ERA in 24 starts.
Eight teams remain in the Major League Baseball playoffs after the Wild Card series wrapped up this weekend. John Dickerson speaks with Matt Snyder, who covers all things baseball for CBS Sports.
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If you disrespect New Yorkers on their home turf, they’re not just going to fuhgeddaboudit.
Even if you’re a celebrity.
Emma Stone upset Mets fans at Citi Field on Friday when she and husband Dave McCary were caught on the Jumbotron wearing the gear of the opposing San Diego Padres.
Although the offense wasn’t as serious as dissing pizza in Brooklyn (we’re looking at you, Mila Kunis) the couple got a righteous Queens booing — which was caught on camera.
Stone, however, was a good sport about the whole thing and treated the situation much like the team she was there to support — like a winner. She hoisted her beer to groaning Mets fans and ended her Jumbotron moment with a shrug.
Stone’s husband, a “Saturday Night Live” writer, is from San Diego — so it should come as no surprise that the pair were cheering the Mets’ opponent. They’ve also been spotted at Padres games in the past.
Stone and McCary also were seen “dancing in the front row” during the Wild Card playoff game, according to TMZ, which makes sense as San Diego demolished New York 7-1.
Riling Mets fans further, Padres CEO Erik Greupner applauded Stone on Twitter Friday.
After an action-packed Wild Card to get the 2022 MLB playoffs going, there are eight teams left battling for World Series glory entering the division series round.
With an extra round to begin the postseason and the possibility that this year’s Fall Classic extends to a Game 7 on Nov. 5, it was a very short October stay for some — and we could ultimately see the latest championship celebration in MLB history for the last squad standing.
Will the favored Los Angeles Dodgers rule the National League or will the repeat-minded Braves make another deep run? Can anyone in the American League keep the New York Yankees and Houston Astros from squaring off in the ALCS?
MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and David Schoenfield get you ready for it all with everything from odds for every matchup and a predicted date of each team’s last game to the best- and worst-case scenario for all eight remaining World Series hopefuls.
Note: World Series and matchup odds come from Doolittle’s formula using power ratings as the basis for 10,000 simulations to determine the most likely outcomes.
How they could stay around longer: Refuse to Lose. Anything Can Happen. True to the Blue. Believe. Hey, after Cal Raleigh clinched Seattle’s playoff spot and ended the franchise’s 21-year-old playoff drought with a dramatic pinch-hit, two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth, 3-2 count, walk-off home run — and then Seattle pulled off the comeback of all postseason road comebacks to eliminate Toronto on Saturday. Maybe destiny really is on the Mariners’ side. If you want a baseball reason, the bullpen is deep and built for October. But they’ll need to score some runs and to do that, how about a dream scenario: Rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez returns from the sore back that sidelined him at the end of September and has a postseason for the ages. — Schoenfield
What could send them home soon: The pitching will need to carry them, but it also looked a little fatigued at times down the stretch. Luis Castillo had three rough September starts when he suddenly lost it in the middle innings. Rookie George Kirby had been a model of consistency until a recent bad outing (and is well beyond his innings total from 2021). Robbie Ray had two scoreless starts in September mixed in with three mediocre ones. The bullpen was pushed hard throughout the season and closer Paul Sewald has been homer-prone of late. The Mariners don’t score enough runs to leave much margin for error, so the entire staff will need to bring it. — Schoenfield
One thing they do that could take down the Astros: The Astros won 12 of 19 games against the Mariners, but they outscored Seattle by only eight runs. In the six games started by Justin Verlander, however, the Astros outscored their division rivals 30-11. Houston won five of those starts. In his past three outings against Seattle, Verlander allowed three runs in 21⅔ innings. In other words — it’s going to be crucial for Seattle to take advantage on the days Verlander doesn’t pitch. Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier have a 5.40 ERA in 48⅓ innings against the M’s this year. — Gonzalez
Wild-card opponent: Yankees (37.7% chance of advancing)
World Series odds: 2.9% | Caesars odds: +3500
Predicted date of their last game: Oct. 17
How they could stay around longer: The Guardians have drawn comparisons to the 2014-15 Royals for their style of play: Contact hitting, speed, defense … and a dominant bullpen. Emmanuel Clase is as good as any closer this side of Edwin Diaz and the top three setup relievers in front of him — James Karinchak, Trevor Stephan and lefty Sam Hentges — have all been outstanding. They’re hard to hit, they strike batters out and all four are stingy with the home run. The pen has been even better since the beginning of July, with the second-best ERA in the majors behind the Dodgers. Get a lead through five or six and the Guardians almost always hold it. October baseball has become more and more about the bullpens and Cleveland can match up with any team. — Schoenfield
What could send them home soon: Lack of power. The Guardians have the fewest home runs of the playoff teams and you win in the playoffs by hitting home runs. Don’t buy that? In last year’s postseason, the team that hit more home runs went 25-2-10 — that’s 25 wins, two losses and 10 games where the teams hit the same number. No, the Royals didn’t hit a lot of home runs in 2014 or 2015, but they did hit them in the playoffs (and that was an era with fewer home runs in general). It certainly would be fun to see the Guardians scratch and claw their way to the World Series, but more likely they’ll have to power up. — Schoenfield
One thing they do that could take down the Astros: The only AL team that put the ball in play more often than the Astros was the Guardians — by a pretty sizable margin. Cleveland also stole the third-most bases in the majors and led the sport in going first to third on a single. Putting the ball in play and running the bases both effectively and aggressively is the Guardians’ recipe for success in October, not just against the Astros but against everyone. The Astros are the second-best defensive team in the postseason field, according to outs above average. But Martin Maldonado was below league average in caught-stealing percentage this season. The Guardians need to get on base and they need to run — and just hope the series doesn’t turn into a slugfest. — Gonzalez
ALDS opponent: Guardians (62.3% chance of advancing)
World Series odds: 15.6% | Caesars odds: +500
Predicted date of their last game: Oct. 25
How they could stay around longer: Maybe it’s unfair, but it feels like so much is riding on Gerrit Cole’s performance, especially since Frankie Montas wasn’t the big rotation addition the Yankees expected. When Cole bombed out early in the wild-card game against the Red Sox last season, the Yankees went home. He’s still striking out a ton of batters, but he also led the American League with 33 home runs allowed — 16 of them off his four-seam fastball. Cole was especially homer-prone in September with 10 in 36 innings and in his four career postseason starts with the Yankees he has allowed six in just 20⅓ innings. He has to figure out how to keep the ball in the park. — Schoenfield
What could send them home early: Opponents pitch around Aaron Judge and the rest of the lineup fails to knock him in. When the Yankees struggled with a 10-18 record in August, they averaged just 3.61 runs per game — even as Judge hit nine home runs and drove in 22 runs. But as he continued mashing throughout the season, teams started walking him more often: 13 times in May, 15 in June, 17 in July, 25 in August and 30 in September. The Yankees led the AL in runs, but they can’t expect one man to carry them for an entire postseason. It’s worth noting that in seven games against the Astros they hit just .151. — Schoenfield
One thing they do that could take down the Astros: The Astros famously got the best of the Yankees during the regular season, winning five of seven. The encouraging news if you’re a Yankees fan: All seven games were decided by three runs or fewer. The not-so-encouraging news: The Yankees didn’t throw a single pitch with a lead. Both of their victories came as a result of come-from-behind rallies followed by walk-off hits from Judge. But the Astros were one of few teams that were actually able to keep Judge mostly in check, holding him to a .148/.258/.370 slash line. Needless to say, Judge’s bat needs to come alive in this potential heavyweight matchup. And the Yankees will have to play a clean, mistake-free brand of baseball. — Gonzalez
ALDS opponent: Mariners (63.8% chance of advancing)
World Series odds: 18.2% | Caesars odds: +380
Predicted date of their last game: Nov. 2
Why they are the AL’s team to beat:Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman, the two veteran holdovers from the 2017 World Series champions who continue to get booed around the league, do serious damage at the plate. Altuve quietly had one of his best seasons, with an OPS+ that matched his MVP season in 2017. Bregman, meanwhile, had a big second half, the best he’s hit since 2019. Altuve has been outstanding in his postseason career (.286/.361/.567, 23 home runs in 79 games) while Bregman less so (.226/.339/.400, 12 home runs in 73 games), but if they’re getting on base in front of Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker, good things can happen. — Schoenfield
What could send them home early: The bottom of the lineup fails to contribute. The Astros don’t get much from their catchers, Martin Maldonado and Christian Vazquez (who hasn’t homered for Houston since coming over from Boston at the trade deadline). Yuli Gurriel had a rough season. Trey Mancini, the other trade acquisition, has hit under .200 for the Astros. Rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena has seen his numbers drop in the second half. This lineup simply lacks the depth of some other Houston teams of recent vintage. If the big four don’t click, it could be a quick exit — no matter how dominant Justin Verlander and the rest of the rotation is. — Schoenfield
Their biggest advantage if MLB’s two best teams meet in November: Most of the Dodgers’ postseason pitching plan remains a mystery, but one thing has already been declared by manager Dave Roberts: Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson will make up three-fourths of their postseason rotation. What do they all have in common? They’re all lefties. And the Astros — with a right-handed-heavy lineup headlined by Bregman and Altuve — feasted on left-handed pitching this season. Their best hitter, the left-handed-hitting Alvarez, was elite against lefties, too. In a matchup of two teams that are pretty closely matched, it could make the difference. If the Astros can make a habit out of scoring early, they could claim their second World Series title against the Dodgers — and their first without a cheating scandal. — Gonzalez
How they could stay around longer: The bullpen falls into place. Philadelphia has a 5.04 bullpen ERA since the beginning of September, a big contributor to Philly’s near-collapse down the stretch. Injuries have included Corey Knebel (done for the season) and Brad Hand (question mark for the playoffs). David Robertson will be a part of the high-leverage mix. Other solutions have emerged: converted starter Zach Eflin has flourished out of the bullpen, and Jose Alvarado has been as hot as any reliever. Struggling Seranthony Dominguez regaining the dominant form he flashed before an August injury might be enough to push the Phillies over the hump. — Doolittle
What could send them home soon: .The Phillies own MLB’s third-highest homer rate and while they aren’t the most longball-dependent offense in the postseason, they aren’t far off. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins & Co. need to combine for two or three bombs per game or the Phillies will have a hard time turning the scoreboard. — Doolittle
One thing they do that could take down the Dodgers: The 2019 Washington Nationals proved you don’t need to be incredibly deep or even well-rounded to defeat the Dodgers in a short series. Sometimes, if the top of your roster is elite, you just need your best players to perform to their capabilities. Harper and Schwarber combined for a 1.315 OPS in 54 plate appearances against the Dodgers this season, but Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler combined to allow nine runs in 17⅔ innings. In those four — and catcher J.T. Realmuto — the Phillies boast upper-echelon talent. They’ll need them to do most of the heavy lifting to defeat L.A. — Gonzalez
NLDS opponent: Dodgers (24.8% chance of advancing)
World Series odds: 3.5% | Caesars odds: +2800
Predicted date of their last game: Oct. 16
How they could stay around longer:Juan Soto goes off. Soto went into a funk not long after the monumental midseason trade that sent him to San Diego. While his overall San Diego numbers are down even from his subpar pre-trade numbers in Washington, Soto has quietly been trending up over the past couple of weeks. And let’s not forget that when the Nationals won the World Series in 2019, Soto’s huge postseason as a 20-year-old had a lot to do with it. All the hand-wringing over Soto’s post-trade play would be forgotten if he has a big October. — Doolittle
What could send them home soon: The Padres’ rotation, especially Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove, carried them into the playoffs down the stretch. That success needs to continue, but it wouldn’t have mattered had closer Josh Hader not straightened himself out. After a catastrophic start to his Padres career, Hader finished strong — making his midseason slump all the more bewildering. What happens if the bizarro Hader returns? San Diego will be done, that’s what will happen. Sure, you can say the same thing about every team that leans on a primary closer — but not every team saw its relief ace pitch like Hader did in August. — Doolittle
One thing they do that could take down the Dodgers: The Padres struggled mightily against their Southern California rivals this season, losing 14 of 19 and getting outscored by a combined62 runs. To beat L.A., they’ll need to make sure Yu Darvish pitches as often as possible and Sean Manaea doesn’t pitch against the Dodgers at all. They’ll need Soto and Manny Machado to be at their best. They’ll need Hader to be the lockdown closer they thought they were getting at the start of August. And they’ll need contributions from several others. Most of all, perhaps, they’ll need to summon some confidence. — Gonzalez
NLDS opponent: Phillies (61.2% chance of advancing)
World Series odds: 13.2% | Caesars odds: +600
Predicted date of their last game: Oct. 24
How they could stay around longer: If the bullpen falls into place like it did last October, look out. The Braves’ are entering the playoffs with a more stable rotation outlook than a year ago, so Brian Snitker shouldn’t need to lean quite as heavily on his fireman as he did en route to the 2021 title. But even if he does, the Atlanta bullpen as a group has been smoking hot of late — led by trade acquisition Raisel Iglesias, who has allowed one earned run in 27 outings since he joined the Braves. Kenley Jansen has been very good, as have Collin McHugh, A.J. Minter and Dylan Lee. If Tyler Matzek can find last season’s consistency, there might not be a bad lever for Snitker to pull. — Doolittle
What could send them home early: A couple of lifeless cutters in the wrong situation by Jansen. This isn’t to pick on Jansen. He’s had an excellent first season in Atlanta. He leads the NL in saves and is on a pretty good roll entering the playoffs. But he still isn’t the shutdown hammer he was during his prime, and the Braves are such a complete team that there isn’t much else that might be a glaring issue. — Doolittle
One thing they do that could take down the Dodgers: The Braves and Dodgers have met in back-to-back NLCS, splitting the two series, and they seem poised square off again. Outside of the Astros, the Braves might be the closest to matching the Dodgers’ depth and balance. Their separator could be in the bullpen. The three guys who entered this season as the Dodgers’ most important back-end relievers are either lost for the year (Daniel Hudson), pitching in low-leverage situations because of ineffectiveness (Craig Kimbrel) or recovering from injury (Blake Treinen). The Braves are as deep as ever in the back end of their bullpen, and this is a clear advantage for them. — Gonzalez
Why they are the team to beat in all of MLB: During the regular season, depth is what jumps to mind. L.A. has a roster and system of processes with so much quality redundancy built in that it’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t simply pencil the Dodgers in for a playoff spot before a season began. Depth isn’t irrelevant in the playoffs, but it’s clearly not as big a factor with the possible exception of the back of the bullpen. The thing is, the Dodgers aren’t just about depth. They are about all of the things, and a team with star power like this has a talent edge on everyone. And, oh yeah, they just won 111 games with the run differential that suggests they were actually a little unlucky. — Doolittle
What could send them home early: The term “Achilles’ heel” has become such a sports cliche. If the Dodgers falter, maybe we’ll have to update it to “L.A. closer.” Like in the NFL, you might say, “They have an airtight defense but their L.A. closer is the lack of a quality third corner.” The Dodgers have run roughshod over the majors all season and have such a depth of impact talent in the organization that it’s dizzying. And yet they enter the playoffs with an uncertain end-of-game situation because of the struggles of Craig Kimbrel. It’s hard to fathom. — Doolittle
Their biggest advantage if MLB’s two best teams meet in November: First, a tangible one: Mookie Betts, Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers’ dynamic top-of-the-lineup trio is what separates them from everyone, even the most elite. No team can boast the combination of bat-to-ball skills, power and baserunning that those three possess in abundance. –
Now, an intangible one: Revenge. Betts, Turner and Freeman were not with the Dodgers when they lost the 2017 World Series to an Astros team that was later found to have illegally stolen signs. But a few others — Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger and Austin Barnes — were. And beating the Astros on this stage would qualify as the ultimate payback, no matter how much these rosters have changed over the last five years. — Gonzalez
But on Sunday night, they might’ve lost a little dignity, too.
Trailing the Padres 4-0 in the final game of the best-of-three series, the Mets apparently griped that San Diego pitcher Joe Musgrove was shutting them down with the help of a foreign substance to doctor the baseball.
So Mets manager Buck Showalter had the umps check him out ― including his ears, which were glistening with what the team and its fans seemed to think was more than just sweat.
The umps stopped the game and gathered around the mound. One ump checked out Musgrove’s hat, glove… and ears.
You can see Musgrove gamely playing along and his various teammates’ reactions ― including one who shakes his head in disbelief:
Mets manager Buck Showalter asked the umpires to check Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove for foreign substances after it appeared Musgrove’s ears were shiny. pic.twitter.com/U6alihJnfD
After the game, Showalter was unapologetic, saying the team is “privy” to more information, that he “loves” Musgrove as a pitcher and that he feels “kind of bad about it,” according to the LA Times.
“I’m charged with doing what’s best for the New York Mets,” he said. “If it makes me look however it makes me look or whatever, I’m going to do it every time and live with the consequences.”
One of the more immediate consequences was this reaction from Musgrove after he got out of the inning:
“I mean, I get it dude,” Musgrove said after the game. “They’re on their last leg, they’re desperate. They’re doing everything they can to get me out of the game at that point. It is what it is.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Musgrove was part of a cheating club: He was on the infamous 2017 Astros, which used an elaborate ― and illegal ― sign-stealing scheme as they ultimately won a World Series that even Musgrove himself isn’t proud of.
“I still don’t feel great about wearing that ring around or telling people that I was a World Series champion on that team,” he admitted to the Associated Press last week. “I want one that feels earned and that was a true championship. So that’s the goal.”
He ultimately threw seven innings, giving up just one hit and a walk while recording five strikeouts as the Padres won 6-0 to advance to the next round.
But on Twitter, all the talk was about Musgrove’s ear-check:
The umpires were rubbing Joe Musgrove’s ears on national television. No notes.
The regular season is officially in the books (OK, maybe there is still a game or two trickling slowly to its finish as you read this) and the 2022 MLB playoffs are set to start Friday — and this year’s postseason could be epic.
In addition to a new format that features 12 teams and a three-game wild-card round that is guaranteed to bring drama to October from the very start, there are so many storylines to follow throughout that it has a chance to be an all-time great month of baseball.
Below, we highlight the 12 themes that will dominate the entire sport as the new 12-team format begins.
I think baseball finally nailed it. Yes, there are those who will always favor the old setups of two pennants or four division winners, but the 12-team arrangement is an improvement over 10 teams (which had been the norm for the past decade). The do-or-die wild-card game, which had been around since 2012, never felt right and, frankly, never really turned into the must-see drama that the sports world stopped everything to watch anyway.
As we saw with the temporary 16-team bracket in 2020, these quick, three-game series are fun. They’re still plenty pressure-packed, but they feel more like baseball than a winner-take-all matchup.
Crucially, this format still rewards the best teams with a first-round bye and the opportunity to rest a pitching staff and line up a rotation. My only nit with where baseball landed this year is that a seven-game division series would be better than five — maybe next year, when the start of the season won’t be delayed by a lockout.
2. There’s a 111-win superteam and nobody is sure what to make of its World Series chances
The Los Angeles Dodgers won 111 games — the most ever for a National League team in a 162-game season and a total topped only by the 2001 Seattle Mariners and 1998 New York Yankees. If they win it all, they go down alongside that Yankees team as one of the greatest of all time; if they don’t win it all, they’re relegated to the back pages of history alongside those Mariners.
Since 2017, the Dodgers have had four 104-win seasons, a remarkably long period of domination … but just one World Series title. Their sole championship came in the shortened 2020 season, with playoff games played in front of empty stadiums or at neutral sites. It counts — or as a friend of mine who is a longtime die-hard Dodgers fan told me, it counts as one-third of a title. And don’t forget that teams were allowed to play with 28-man rosters that postseason, which allowed the Dodgers to use starters as relievers and relievers as starters and do things they might not have been able to do with a 26-man roster.
Alden Gonzalez had a good breakdown of the pressure the Dodgers face this October. In a sense, they’re playing for two championships: 2022 and a validation of 2020. While manager Dave Roberts told ESPN he “absolutely” considers the Dodgers a dynasty — and four 104-win seasons certainly back that claim up — two titles would definitely secure their place in history as one of the greatest teams of all time.
3. We’ve got a real chance of a repeat
After winning the World Series in 2021, the Atlanta Braves lost Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers — and got younger and better, winning 101 games and their fifth straight division title. No team has repeated as World Series champs since the Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000; the Braves have the power, the pitching and the momentum — after stealing the NL East in the final week with a three-game sweep of the New York Mets — to do it.
And it’s not just a repeat, the Braves might be on their way to a dynasty here. Their turnaround from a 10½-game deficit to the division title began when they called up Michael Harris II to play center field in late May and moved Spencer Strider to the rotation. From June 1 — the first win in a 14-game winning streak — to the end of the regular season, they went 78-34. Strider’s injured oblique might keep him out of the playoffs, but they still have Max Fried, 20-game winner Kyle Wright and October hero of the past Charlie Morton, plus a lineup that led the NL in home runs.
4. Speaking of dynasties … what do we make of the Houston Astros?
You might have noticed by now, but there are a lot of good teams at the top of this year’s playoff bracket. We have four 100-win clubs in the Dodgers, Astros, Braves and Mets, with the Yankees finishing at 99 wins. The you-can’t-predict-baseball nature of the postseason doesn’t guarantee we’ll see two of these teams in the World Series, but if we do, there’s a good chance we’ll see a classic series. The last matchup of 100-win teams in the World Series was 2017, when the Astros beat the Dodgers in seven thrilling games. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 1970 to have two 100-win teams in the World Series.
The Astros also have four 100-win seasons since 2017, including 107 in 2019 and 106 this season. Sign-stealing scandal or not, if they win the World Series, perhaps they go down as the dominant franchise of this era. And an added bonus? After 25 years of managing in the big leagues and making his 12th trip to the postseason, manager Dusty Baker is hoping to finally win that final game of the season.
To make matters more interesting, the Astros appear on a collision course to meet the Yankees in the American League Championship Series for the third time since 2017. Remember the war of words in the spring between Astros owner Jim Crane and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman after Cashman cried that the only thing that had stopped the Yankees in previous seasons from reaching the World Series was “something that was so illegal and horrific.” A Yankees-Astros ALCS would be an epic battle — even if it is one Evil Empire versus another.
5. New York baseball is B-A-C-K
This is now the Yankees’ 13th season since last appearing in a World Series in 2009 — an unacceptable length of time for baseball’s richest and most historically successful franchise with 27 titles in a sport where the wealthiest teams have a decided advantage. Longtime fans will note the Yankees are closing in on the infamous World Series drought from 1982 to 1995, the reign of terror era under George Steinbrenner when he cycled through 13 managers and seven general managers.
On the other side of town: The Mets won 100 games for just the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 1988, but they enter the postseason with the bitter taste of defeat after losing that final series to the Braves. Everyone knows that Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer can carry a team through a postseason — but deGrom allowed 14 runs and six home runs in 21 innings over his final four starts, so the Mets will need him to find that groove where he posted a 1.66 ERA over his first seven starts after returning in August. Still, this is hardly a two-man team: Pete Alonso led the NL in RBIs, Francisco Lindor might finish in the top 10 of the MVP voting, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker are solid 3-4 starters and Edwin Diaz has been a lockdown closer. The Mets have had their moments since that run of success in the 1980s, including two World Series appearances, but it’s been 36 years since their iconic 1986 team won it all.
6. Did you really think we forgot about Aaron Judge?
Yes, both teams have made New York baseball interesting all season, but nobody has been more at the center of that than the man who just finished up a 62-home run campaign — and has fans of both New York teams envisioning his free agency will end with him signing with their club.
Now, we have Judge trying to cap off what might be arguably the greatest season of any player in history — by that, I mean a historic regular season, a great postseason and a World Series title. Ted Williams in 1941? Didn’t even win the pennant. Carl Yastrzemski in 1967? The highest single-season WAR for a position player other than Babe Ruth, but the Red Sox lost the World Series. Bob Gibson in 1968? A 1.12 ERA and a record 17 strikeouts in one World Series game, but he lost Game 7. Dwight Gooden in 1985? The Mets missed the playoffs. Pedro Martinez in 1999? The Red Sox lost in the ALCS. Barry Bonds in 2001? The Giants didn’t make the playoffs. Bonds in 2002? He had a great postseason, but the Giants lost Game 7 of the Fall Classic. Mookie Betts in 2018? A 10.7-WAR season that matches Judge and the Red Sox won the World Series, but Betts had a lackluster postseason (.210/.300/.323).
7. Can the GOAT go out on top?
Let’s not forget the other slugger who made home run history this season — Albert Pujols. Every player would love to go out on top, either still playing well or with a dogpile on the field. Almost none of them do. Pujols and Yadier Molina have a chance to do that — and maybe Adam Wainwright joins them in retirement as well (he’s yet to officially announce his status for 2023).
The three St. Louis Cardinals legends reunited this season when Pujols returned after a 10-year exile, and all three will play a key role in what happens to the club in October. As will Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, two of the greatest players of their generation who will likely finish 1-2 in the MVP voting in the NL — and who both seek their first trip to the World Series.
8. The playoff drought-busters
While the Cardinals come into this postseason with loads of October experience, there are two franchises about to get their first taste of the playoffs in a long, long time. The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies ended the sport’s two longest playoff droughts in securing wild-card spots, although both teams will be on the road for the first round — Seattle at Toronto, Philadelphia at St. Louis.
When Cal Raleigh hit his pinch-hit walk-off home run to clinch a wild-card spot, the Mariners celebrated like they had won the World Series. Can you blame them? Twenty-one years is a long time between playoff appearances. Sure, they had plenty of terrible teams along the way, but also several near misses: 93 wins in 2002 and 2003, 88 wins in 2007, one win short in 2014, three short in 2016, alive until the final day last season. They aren’t even guaranteed a home playoff game if they don’t beat the Blue Jays, although you can bet the watch party at T-Mobile Park will have a playoff-like atmosphere.
The good news is Julio Rodriguez returned from his back problem to play a couple of games at the end of the regular season (and homered in the season finale). The bad news is second-half spark plug Sam Haggerty and outfielder/DH Jesse Winker both just landed on the injured list. The rotation and bullpen are healthy, however — Luis Castillo looks like a legitimate ace when he’s on, while Logan Gilbert had a 2.00 ERA in September, allowing one run or less in five of his six starts. If you like a good underdog story, believe in the Mariners.
Meanwhile, the Phillies had the majors’ second-longest playoff drought, making it for the first time since 2011. They have Bryce Harper, back in the postseason for the first time since 2017, and power-hitting Kyle Schwarber, who led the NL in home runs. Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez (2.95 ERA since July 16) are a strong rotation trio. I wouldn’t bet on them in the tough NL, but there are similarities here in roster construction to the 2019 Nationals, who went from the wild card to World Series champs.
9. The World Series curses we don’t talk about enough
The Cleveland Guardians are trying to win their first World Series since 1948. The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays are trying to win their first one, while the aforementioned Mariners remain the only franchise never to play in a World Series.
The Guardians’ World Series drought has never received as much attention as the ones for the Red Sox and Cubs did, but it’s now been 74 years since the Cleveland franchise won it all — longer than the 1986 Red Sox had gone (68 years) when they lost to the Mets. How about winning it all in the first season with the new nickname? They might make a movie out of that given this list of Cleveland’s postseason heartbreaks:
1995: The best team in baseball that year, but they lost the World Series to the Braves.
1997: Blew a ninth-inning lead in Game 7 of the World Series to the Marlins and lost in extra innings.
2007: Lost the ALCS to the Red Sox after being up 3-1.
2016: Were up 3-1 on the Cubs in the World Series and lost Game 7, again, in extra innings.
2017: Lost the division series to the Yankees after being up 2-0.
And then there’s the team that’s been around since 1969 — and never won it all. The Padres made World Series appearances in 1984 and 1998, but this is just the seventh postseason trip in franchise history.
But these aren’t your older brother’s Padres. This is a team that has spent the past three seasons acquiring an All-Star squad of talent while playing with a brash style that could make it very popular this postseason — if the Padres can stick around long enough for national fans to get familiar with their stars. They’ve gone all-in to dethrone the Dodgers in recent seasons — only to fall well short. But they squeaked in, and anything can happen in the playoffs, right? Especially with Manny Machado and Juan Soto and Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish and a suddenly rejuvenated Blake Snell (1.76 ERA over his final seven starts). The Mets-Padres wild-card series is the one to watch — with the winner facing the Dodgers in a colossal division series showdown.
10. The redemption stories
Let’s see here. We’ve got Justin Verlander, who after missing 2021 with Tommy John surgery, came back and went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA while leading the American League in wins, ERA, WHIP and lowest batting average allowed. His status as future Hall of Famer is secure, but with a big October and another World Series championship for the Astros, his legacy becomes that of an inner-circle Hall of Famer. DeGrom and Scherzer missed some time, and deGrom sputtered at the end of the season, but that dynamic pair could carry the Mets to their first title since 1986. And then of course, there is Clayton Kershaw. Yes, he got his ring a couple of years ago, but he was injured last October, and he hasn’t won a ring in a full season with a normal postseason. How will he perform?
11. The October introduction of some legit young stars
As my colleague Kiley McDaniel pointed out recently, this is the best rookie class since Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki debuted in 2001 — and most of the biggest names will be playing in the postseason (sorry, Adley Rutschman). We’ve got Rodriguez leading the Mariners and Harris and Strider on the Braves.
But it’s not just the rookies who will remind us how bright the future of baseball is this postseason …
While we often think of the Rays as a parade of bullpen arms, they also have two budding young superstars in Wander Franco and Shane McClanahan who could power another small-market success story this postseason. And across the AL East, Alek Manoah, Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. form a young core that makes the Blue Jays a team nobody wants to face this postseason. Of course, the question we’ll all be waiting to see answered is how these young stars will handle the bright lights of October … or should we say November.
12. It’s an October so great — it could take part of November to finish it
That’s right, thanks to the combination of the new format and the MLB lockout pushing back the start of the season, Game 7 of the 2022 World Series would take place on Nov. 5, the latest date of a playoff game in MLB history.
If every series goes the distance, we’ll get 53 postseason games with all of these incredible storylines fueling the possibility that any given night can become a must-see moment for baseball fans. Of course, in the end we need great games to have a great postseason.
That’s what still makes 1986 the gold standard for all postseasons. There were just 20 playoff games that October — the seven-game ALCS between the Red Sox and Angels, the six-game NLCS between the Mets and Astros, then the seven-game World Series when the Mets beat the Red Sox. Five of the 20 games went extra innings. Eight were decided by one run. Several are all-time classics, including Game 5 of the ALCS; Games 3, 5 and 6 of the NLCS; and Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.
The stage is set. I’m going with the Dodgers over the Astros. I’ll take Kershaw versus Verlander in Game 7 of the World Series, thank you very much.
