MLB

AP Sports WriterBaseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81By PAUL NEWBERRYATLANTA (AP) Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers.Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time.But the knuckleball carried Niekro to more than 300 wins, earned him...

AP Sports WriterBaseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81By PAUL NEWBERRYATLANTA (AP) Phil Niekro threw a pitch that baffled hitters and catchers.Heck, he didn't even know where it was going most of the time.But the knuckleball carried Niekro to more than 300 wins, earned him...

AP Sports WriterBaseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81By PAUL NEWBERRYATLANTA (AP) Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after...

AP Sports WriterBaseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81By PAUL NEWBERRYATLANTA (AP) Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after...

Atlanta Braves say Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, a knuckleballer who baffled hitters for more than two decades, dies at 81ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta Braves say Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, a knuckleballer who baffled hitters for more than two decades, dies at 81.

Rangers sign Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara to $6M contractARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Texas Rangers have signed Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara to a $6 million, two-year contract.The right-hander spent six years with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball. The Rangers paid a $1.2 million posting fee...

Nats' Rizzo says Bell trade won't prevent Zimmerman reunionWASHINGTON (AP) Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo says the team isn't ruling out a reunion with Ryan Zimmerman after acquiring slugger Josh Bell to play first base this week.The Nationals acquired Bell, a 2019 All-Star, from the Pittsburgh Pirates...

Pirates' Polanco breaks wrist in winter ball, OK for springPITTSBURGH (AP) Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco broke a bone in his right wrist playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic.The Pirates said Saturday that Polanco has a small nondisplaced fracture of the triquetrum bone and that the wrist...

Rangers sign Japanese pitcher Arihara to $6.2M contractARLINGTON, Texas (AP) The Texas Rangers have signed Japanese pitcher Kohei Arihara to a $6.2 million, two-year contract.The right-hander gets $3.6 million in 2021 and $2.6 million in 2022 and can earn $50,000 in performance bonuses each year.He spent six years...

AP Sports WriterPirates trade slugger Josh Bell to NationalsBy WILL GRAVESPITTSBURGH (AP) Josh Bell is heading to the Washington Nationals.The Pittsburgh Pirates traded the slugging first baseman to Washington on Thursday for pitching prospects Will Crowe and Eddy Yean.The 28-year-old Bell was an All-Star in 2019 following a...

AP Sports WriterPirates trade slugger Josh Bell to NationalsBy WILL GRAVESPITTSBURGH (AP) Josh Bell embraced everything about being a Pittsburgh Pirate. He understood as the club retooled following the departure of stars Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole that he would serve as the de facto face of the...

Red Sox sign RHP Andriese to $2.1 million, 1-year dealBOSTON (AP) The Red Sox have signed right-hander Matt Andriese to a $2.1 million, one-year deal to bolster the back end of their starting rotation.Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom announced the agreement Wednesday. Andriese will earn a $1.85 million...