MLB

ESPN, ESPN2, ABC average 1,836,000 viewers in wild cardNEW YORK (AP) ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC averaged 1,836,000 viewers for 16 broadcasts in Major League Baseball's expanded wild-card round, drawing far more viewers for 16 games but an average down vastly from the single-knockout contests in previous years.The most-watched...

LEADING OFF: Homers fly in playoffs, Atlanta arms dominateBy The Associated PressA look at what's happening around the majors today:OCTOBER OCTANEMaybe it's the Southern California air or the atmosphere indoors in Texas, but the ball is really flying this postseason.With Randy Arozarena, Chad Pinder, Travis d'Arnaud and others powering...

AP Sports WriterPadres finally go deep, but can't avoid 0-2 hole vs DodgersBy SCHUYLER DIXONARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Manny Machado tried to awaken a slumbering San Diego offense by screaming at his teammates after connecting for a homer against Clayton Kershaw.It almost worked, but the Padres fell into a...

AP Sports WriterPadres finally go deep, but can't avoid 0-2 hole vs DodgersBy SCHUYLER DIXONARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Manny Machado tried to awaken a slumbering San Diego offense by screaming at his teammates after connecting for a homer against Clayton Kershaw.While it almost worked, the Padres fell into a...

AP Sports WriterAstros' Greinke holds up 2 fingers, then allows HR on sliderBy JOE REEDYLOS ANGELES (AP) Houston pitcher Zack Greinke' held up two fingers toward Oakland's Ramon Laureano and Astros catcher Martin Maldonado in the second inning of their AL Division Series Game 4 on Thursday, and...

Injured Drake replaced by Richards on Rays' ALDS rosterSAN DIEGO (AP) Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Oliver Drake was replaced on the AL Division Series roster by right-hander Trevor Richards just hours before Game 4 against the New York Yankees on Thursday night at Petco Park.Tampa Bay leads 2-1...

Slumping Sánchez benched for 3rd time in 4 games by YankeesSAN DIEGO (AP) Slumping catcher Gary Sanchez was benched by the Yankees for the third time in four games, with New York facing elimination from the postseason in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay.Kyle...

MLB free-agent qualifying offer price jumps to $18.9 millionNEW YORK (AP) The price of qualifying offers for Major League Baseball free agents rose by $1.1 million to a record $18.9 million.Determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year, the figure announced Thursday is...

Slumping Sánchez benched for 3rd time in 4 games by YankeesSAN DIEGO (AP) Slumping catcher Gary Sanchez was benched by the Yankees for the third time in four games, with New York facing elimination from the postseason in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay,Kyle...

Sánchez benched by Yanks for Higashioka in Game 3 vs RaysSAN DIEGO (AP) Gary Sanchez has been benched by the New York Yankees, who started Kyle Higashioka to catch Masahiro Tanaka in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay on Wednesday night.Sanchez, a 27-year-old who...

AP Sports WriterIndians' Francona underwent surgeries during health scareBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (AP) Terry Francona's mind briefly wandered to a life without baseball while he battled through a major health scare.Retirement stared him in the face.''Some days when I was extremely frustrated, the thought crossed my mind,'' the Indians...

AP Sports WriterIndians' Francona underwent several surgeries during seasonBy TOM WITHERSCLEVELAND (AP) Indians manager Terry Francona revealed he underwent several surgeries in a four-day span and required an extended stay in intensive care while dealing with major health issues that sidelined him for most of the 2020 season.Francona...