DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout. “It's probably a little slower from a conversation standpoint at a winter meetings than it normally would,” New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday. Behind Ohtani in the hitters free-agent pecking order are Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman, both represented by the sport's biggest agent, Scott Boras. Among starting pitchers, the market includes Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, also represented by Boras. “He’s going to make other pitchers better.”___AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

Persons: ., Shohei, Mike Trout, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, “ It's, ”, David Stearns, hasn't, ” Ohtani, Nez, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Scott Boras, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Farhan Zaidi, “, Ross Atkins, Atkins, San Diego, Juan Soto, Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, Evan White, Cole Phillips, Jackson Kowar, Gonzales, White, Eugenio Suárez, Carlos Vargas, Seby Zavala, Scott Servais, “ That’s, Jackson Chourio, “ There’s, I’m, ” Chourio, Milwaukee, Wade Miley, Pat Murphy, “ He’s, Teresa M, Walker, ___ Organizations: ” New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Creative Artists Agency, Gaylord, Convention, Boras, San Francisco Giants, CBA, Blue Jays, San, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta, Seattle, ” Mariners, Brewers Locations: Tenn, Nez Balelo, ” Toronto, Nashville, Seattle, Arizona, Milwaukee

SEATTLE (AP) — The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Jarred Kelenic, pitcher Marco Gonzales and infielder Evan White from the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night for right-handed pitchers Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar. The move added a veteran lefty to the Braves pitching staff, along with Kelenic, who at one time was one of baseball's top young prospect. In the process, Seattle cleared a chunk of salary off its payroll, giving up on Kelenic in order for the Braves to take the contracts of Gonzales and White. Gonzales is owed $12 million for the 2024 season, while White has $17 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract. Gonzales pitched in only 10 games last season before undergoing surgery to relieve pressure on a nerve in his left arm.

Persons: Jarred Kelenic, Marco Gonzales, Evan White, Cole Phillips, Jackson Kowar, Kelenic, Gonzales, White, Jerry Dipoto, Robinson Cano, Edwin Díaz, Louis, Phillips, Tommy John, Alex Anthopoulos, Eddie Rosario, Kelencic, Vaughn Grissom, Grissom, signee Reynaldo López, Anthopoulos, Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder Organizations: SEATTLE, The Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Braves, Atlanta, Seattle, Baseball, New York Mets, Mariners, Mets, Kansas City, Puerto Rican, Gonzales Locations: Seattle, White, Atlanta, St, Puerto

☆ Duolingo will run its first Super Bowl ad as it expands beyond TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Duolingo is set to take its viral TikTok marketing to the Super Bowl. The language-learning app plans to run a five-second ad during the Super Bowl game on February 11, Manu Orssaud, Duolingo's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider. It won't be a national Super Bowl ad and instead target local markets regionally. The Super Bowl ad is also set to include a digital component and be "something surprising, something that hopefully will get people talking," Orssaud said. YouTube Shorts' audience skews toward men more than TikTok, and Duolingo is creating repeatable, series-driven content specifically for YouTube Shorts, Orssaud said.

Persons: Manu Orssaud, Orssaud, Reddit, Duolingo Duolingo, Duolingo, Duo, Barbie, Lily, there's Organizations: Super, Business, Warner Bros, YouTube, Brands, Adidas Locations: Germany, Japan, TikTok

☆ The WNBA commissioner says the massive NIL success for women's college basketball players will be a 'huge positive' for the league
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Name, image, and likeness is creating a new crop of superstars in women's college basketball who could be game-changers for the sport as a whole. Those players are already driving more interest in women's college basketball. But for many of the women's college basketball players, "they've got Nike and Adidas. The women's college basketball season has already been exciting for viewers, especially those following the sport's biggest stars. Here are the women's college basketball teams Englebert is watching this season:

Persons: Angel Reese, Hailey Van Lith, Cathy Engelbert, It's, Engelbert, Englebert, We'll, they've, They've, Reese, Van Lith Organizations: WNBA, Reebok, Adidas, Business, Nike, Gatorade, Mercedes, State Locations: Bay

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Aaron Nola wanted to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies. “It’s the most comfortable place for me.”Nola became the first top-level free agent to reach a deal. “Enjoyable and not enjoyable at the same time,” he said of free agency, “Not really about the money. He would get a $1 million assignment bonus if traded in 2024 or 2025. Nola also would get $100,000 for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for finishing second in the voting and $25,000 for third.

Persons: — Aaron Nola, “ I’ve, ” Nola, “, ”, Nola, Dave Dombrowski, Hunter, “ We’ve, It’s, Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suárez, ” Dombrowski, Cy, ___ Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank, Philadelphia, ” Phillies, Houston, Phillies, Arizona Locations: Philadelphia

Aaron Nola is returning to the Philadelphia Phillies on a seven-year deal, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The 30-year-old Nola was a first-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2014, debuted with Philadelphia the next year and has been there his entire career. Nola helped Philadelphia secure an NL wild card in 2023, and then went 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA in four playoff starts. Nola made five postseason starts when Philadelphia made it to the 2022 World Series before losing to Houston. Nola is 90-71 with a 3.72 ERA in 235 career starts over nine seasons — all with Philadelphia.

Persons: Aaron Nola, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Nola, He's, ___ Organizations: Philadelphia Phillies, Associated Press, ESPN, Phillies, Philadelphia, NL, Arizona, Houston, LSU Locations: Philadelphia, Baton Rouge , Louisiana

Four years after calling time on his playing career, Berbatov has grand ambitions of reshaping the football landscape in his native Bulgaria. “Bulgarian football is in major crisis,” Berbatov tells CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies from London in a recent interview. Mihaylov re-electedTwo years after submitting his resignation, Mihaylov stood again and was re-elected as BFU president for a fifth term when Berbatov was also a candidate. In the voting, 241 voted for Mihaylov, 230 for Berbatov, eight for a third candidate, and four did not vote. Dimitar Kyosemarliev/ReutersBulgaria last qualified for a major international tournament at Euro 2004, when a squad featuring Berbatov lost all three of its games.

Persons: CNN — Dimitar Berbatov’s, Berbatov, it’s, Amanda Davies, “, – Stiliyan Petrov, Martin Petrov, –, Borislav Mihaylov, Mihaylov, Mihaylov’s, Gareth Southgate, Boyko Borissov, Bulgaria “, ” Mihaylov, Borissov’s, ” Borislav Mihaylov, Georgi Paleykov, Georgi Ivanov, “ I’ve, ” Berbatov, Dimitar Dilkoff, Nikolay Doychinov, ”, Dimitar Kyosemarliev, hasn’t, Simon Holmes, Aleksander Čeferin, Čeferin, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Bulgarian, –, Manchester United, Bulgarian Football Union, England, Bulgaria, ”, Guardian, Balkan Insight, FIFA, UEFA, CNN Sport, Latvia, Getty, Bulgaria’s, Hungary, men’s, Plovdiv’s Hristo Botev Stadium, Police, Vassil Levski Stadium, Hungarian Football Federation, Reuters, Croatia Locations: Germany, England, France, Greece, India, Bulgaria, Europe, London, Sofia, Bulgarian, “ Bulgaria, AFP, Plovdiv, Reuters Bulgaria, BFU

NEW YORK (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. was a unanimous winner of his first National League Most Valuable Player award on Thursday after becoming the first big leaguer with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Otani won the American League honor, becoming the first two-time unanimous MVP. Mookie Betts received all 30 second-place votes and 270 points, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman with 227 points. Betts earned the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston and Freeman was the 2020 NL MVP with the Dodgers. Betts batted .307 with 39 homers and 107 RBIs, and Freeman hit .331 with 29 homers and 102 RBIs.

Persons: — Ronald Acuña Jr, Shohei Otani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Betts, Freeman, Acuña, Guaria, ____ Organizations: National League, Los Angeles Angels, American League, Atlanta Braves, Baseball Writers ’ Association of America, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston, Dodgers, NL, Braves, Philadelphia Locations: Atlanta

☆ The Mysterious Pre-Game Ritual of a World Series Star
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

On Josh Jung’s first day in the big leagues last year, he noticed that Corey Seager was nowhere to be found. As the Texas Rangers took the field together that evening, Jung at third base and Seager at short, the rookie looked over at his star teammate and realized it was the first time he’d seen him all day. By that point, Seager would have been at the ballpark for six or seven hours. Yet as Jung learned, no one knows much about what he does. He hides, even in the corners of his ballpark undergoing a routine that’s as mysterious as it is meticulous.

Persons: Josh Jung’s, Corey Seager, Jung, Seager, he’d Organizations: Texas Rangers

Seager’s third two-run homer of the Series capped the second, Semien’s drive punctuated the third and Jonah Heim added an eighth-inning shot. Forty-two of 49 previous teams to take 3-1 leads have gone on to win the World Series. After leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 2020 title, he could join Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson as the only two-time World Series MVPs. After a World Series opened with three errorless games for the first time, Arizona’s defense cracked at an inopportune time. TWO-OUT THUNDEROnly the Boston Red Sox scored more runs with two outs in a World Series game, getting 11 in the 2007 opener against Colorado.

Persons: — Marcus Semien's, Corey Seager, Jonah Heim, Nathan Eovaldi, Zac Gallen, Miguel Castro's, Christian Walker —, Seager, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Travis Jankowski, Adolis García, “ We’re, ” Seager, ” Andrew Heaney, José Leclerc, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Chris Stratton, Tommy Pham, Gabriel Moreno, Torey Lovullo, Josh Jung, Joe Mantiply, Castro, Jung, Kyle Nelson's, Nathaniel Lowe, Luis Frías, Heim, Walker, Jankowski, Ryne Nelson, Ketel Marte, Max Scherzer, Ezequiel Durán, LHP Brock Burke, Burke, “, Evan Carter, Gallen, ___ Organizations: PHOENIX, Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Diamondbacks, Senators, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland, Texas, AL, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona, Chase Field, Semien, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Locations: Texas, Arizona, Semien, Friday’s

“Just trying to make the play,” Seager said. YOUNG AND CLEAN(UP)Texas' Evan Carter became the fourth-youngest player to hit cleanup in a World Series game at 21 years, 62 days. BEEN A WHILEThis was the first World Series game played at Chase Field since Nov. 4, 2001, when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees 3-2 in Game 7 after Luis Gonzalez's walk-off hit against Mariano Rivera clinched the series. The D-backs lost Monday for the first time in the World Series at Chase Field. BIG SWINGThere have been 62 previous instances in World Series history when the series was tied at 1-1 after Game 2.

Persons: — Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Scherzer, Adolis, “ We’re, ” Seager, “, Seager —, —, Brandon Pfaadt, Christian Walker, García, Jon Gray, Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman, José Leclerc, ”, Marcus Semien, “ Adolis, haven’t, ” Gray, Leclerc, Gray, Emmanuel Rivera, Chapman, Geraldo Perdomo, Corbin Carroll, Seager, Ketel, Marcus, Walker, Pfaadt, Tommy Pham, Tony Perezchica, Torey Lovullo, Alek Thomas, Josh Jung, Thomas, he'll, Evan Carter, Bruce Bochy, Carter, Miguel Cabrera, Ty Cobb, Juan Soto, Luis Gonzalez's, Mariano Rivera, Lovullo, “ Don Drysdale, “ It’s, ” Drysdale, of Famer Sandy Koufax, Bochy, ___ Organizations: PHOENIX, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase, Diamondbacks, Chase Field, Ketel Marte, Rangers, Yankees, NEXT, Los Angeles Dodgers, of Famer, Dodgers Locations: Texas, Arizona, ” Texas, Semien, Southern California

Frank Howard, a four-time All-Star who slugged 382 home runs during a lengthy major league career that included a World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1963, has died. A spokesperson for the Washington Nationals said the team was informed of Howard's death by his family Monday. “Growing up a baseball fan in Washington D.C., Frank Howard was my hero,” Nationals owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “We didn’t score a whole lot of runs, and it was on his back a lot of times to score a few runs,” Bosman said. “I don’t think I saw him angry more than two or three times,” Bosman said.

Persons: Frank Howard, ” Dick Bosman, ” Howard, Mark Lerner, I’ll, Lerner, Frank’s, Howard, ”, “ Hondo, Bosman, ” Bosman, “, “ Frank, Mike Rizzo, that’s Organizations: Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Nationals, Howard, Associated Press, Washington Senators, NL, Dodgers, Senators, Rangers, Detroit Tigers, “, Washington D.C, ” Nationals, RFK, Arlington, The Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, American League, Nationals Locations: Washington and Texas, Texas, Washington

The D-backs and Texas Rangers have been great with the leather all season long. So far in the World Series, that trend is continuing. The D-backs and Rangers combined for zero errors over the first two games of the Fall Classic, which is the first time that's happened since 2018. This is the first World Series since 1993 — and fifth ever — that will feature all of its games on artifical turf. Arizona stole five bases in the first two games of the series, including four in Game 1.

Persons: Geraldo Perdomo, Christian Walker, That's, “, Walker, Brandon Pfaadt, righty Max Scherzer, Jonah Heim, Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Adolis García, —, Bruce Bochy, Josh Jung, Gabriel Moreno, Alek Thomas, Evan Longoria, perserve, Heim, Merrill Kelly, Ryan Thompson —, Thompson, there's, ”, Torey Lovullo, it’s, ” Lovullo, Lovullo Organizations: PHOENIX, — Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Rangers, ” Rangers, NL, Brewers, Arizona, Tampa Bay Rays Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, Texas, Walker . Arizona

Marte has a hit in every postseason game he's ever played. A night after wasting a two-run, ninth-inning lead in a 6-5, 11-inning loss, the Diamondbacks outhit Texas 16-4 and never trailed. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and 38-year-old Evan Longoria each singled in a run for Arizona, which got its first World Series road win after four losses dating to 2001. Political Cartoons View All 1223 ImagesThe Series, just the third between wild-card teams, shifts to Arizona for Game 3 on Monday in the first Series game at Phoenix since 2001. He singled in the second, hit opposite-field doubles to right in the fourth and sixth, and singled in the eighth.

Persons: — Merrill Kelly, Ketel Marte, Gabriel Moreno, Jordan Montgomery, Tommy Pham, Marte, Derek Jeter, Manny Ramírez, Hank Bauer, he's, Emmanuel Rivera, Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Evan Longoria, Kelly, detoured, Mitch Garver’s, Pham, Montgomery Montgomery, Moreno, Montgomery, Alek Thomas, Longoria, Josh Jung, Caroll, Martín, Walker, . Walker, Jonah Heim’s, Max Scherzer, Brandon Pfaadt, ___ Organizations: Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Diamondbacks outhit Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, New York Mets, Houston, AL, Diamondbacks, NEXT Texas, Detroit Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Arizona, South Korea, Washington

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bryce Harper wants big leaguers to play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says pausing the regular season to make that happen would be difficult. “Everyone appreciates the challenges associated with major league players playing in a tournament that is in the middle of our season,” Manfred said before Fridays' World Series opener. The 31-year-old has long been an advocate of MLB taking a break during the season to let major leaguers play in the Olympics. “Casey Wasserman has been supportive of getting baseball back in the Olympics, which we appreciate,” Manfred said.

Persons: — Bryce Harper, Rob Manfred, ” Manfred, “, Harper, ” Harper, they’ll, ” Casey Wasserman, “ Casey Wasserman, — I’m, ” Organizations: Angeles Olympics, Major League Baseball, Baseball, Olympics, MLB, Nippon Professional Baseball, U.S, Philadelphia Phillies, Team USA, NHL, USA, Los Angeles Games Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Japan

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Stolen bases and batting averages are up and game times are down in the first postseason with the pitch clock and larger bases. There have been an average of 1.4 steals per game through the League Championship Series, up from 0.8 through last year’s LCS. The overall postseason batting average has climbed from .213 to .241, and batting average for left-handed hitters has risen from .217 to .244 in the first year with defensive shift limits, although with the small sample size, any changes may be an aberration. Just seven pitch clock violations have been called through 36 postseason games. MLB, over the objections of the players' association, instituted a pitch clock set at 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base.

Persons: ___ Organizations: League, The Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, MLB, Elias Sports Bureau Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Before opening the World Series, the Arizona Diamondbacks wanted to recount a series of slights. Overlooked by oddsmakers and angered by analysts, the Diamondbacks find themselves in a Surprise Series against the also unexpected Texas Rangers. Texas starts Nathan Eovaldi, a 33-year-old right-hander and a two-time All-Star who has overcome two Tommy John surgeries. “We weren’t concerned with what people thought of us,” said first-year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy who led San Francisco to three titles from 2010-14. The Diamondbacks have allowed three unearned runs during the postseason and the Rangers one.

Persons: oddsmakers, Torey Lovullo, Paul Sewald, ”, Marcus Semien, Zac Gallen, Nathan Eovaldi, John surgeries, Gallen, Garrett Stubbs, “, Texas hasn't, Bruce Bochy, Chris “, ” Russo, You’ve, ” Lovullo, Howard Stern’s, NATE, Max Muncy's, ” Eovaldi, Lovullo, effusively, “ It’s Organizations: Arizona Diamondbacks, Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball's, ” Diamondbacks, MLB Network, Rangers, New York Yankees, ., Phillies, Philadelphia, Chase, Life, Minnesota Twins, Arizona, Louis Cardinals, Texas, Senators, MLB, Boston, Los Angeles Dodgers, Bochy Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Arizona, . Texas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Midtown Manhattan, Texas

For both the 30-year-old García and the Texas Rangers. García has helped the Rangers reached the Fall Classic for the first time since 2011 with his big bat and passionate approach. García angrily went face-to-face with catcher Martín Maldonado as benches and bullpens cleared before the Astros came back to win. “He’s someone who knows me, knows my abilities, knows what I can do,” García said of Arozarena. García went to spring training as a non-roster invite and hit .375 with three homers, 13 RBIs and four stolen bases in 22 games.

Persons: García, “ It’s, it’s, “, He's, ”, Mitch Garver, “ He's, He’s, Martín Maldonado, Randy Arozarena, Arozarena, ” García, Mike Foltynewicz —, wasn't Organizations: Texas Rangers, Rangers, AL, Houston, Astros, Tampa Bay, The Rays, Arizona, Louis Cardinals, Yomiuri Giants, Cardinals, ” The Rangers Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Cuba, St, Cuban, Japan, Dominican Republic, that’s, When Texas

HOUSTON (AP) — Dusty Baker has retired as manager of the Houston Astros, ending an illustrious 26-year career as a big league skipper highlighted by a World Series win last season. “I’m very grateful and thankful to (owner) Jim Crane and the Houston Astros for giving me this opportunity, and to win a championship,’’ Baker told the newspaper. The Astros have scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning that Baker, Crane and general manager Dana Brown are set to attend. He played with Hank Aaron in Atlanta and won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1981. Baker made two World Series trips before winning it all with Houston last season.

Persons: — Dusty Baker, Baker, “, Jim Crane, ’ ’ Baker, they’ve, I’ve, Jim, ’ ’, Crane, Dana Brown, Bruce Bochy, Dusty Baker, Jeremy Peña, “ I’ve, He’s, ” Baker, Hank Aaron, A.J, Hinch, Dave Roberts, Cito Gaston, Baker’s, Barry Bonds, he’d, collard, Aaron, Babe Ruth, ___ Organizations: HOUSTON, Houston Astros, USA, Astros, Rangers, of Fame, Texas Rangers, Houston, Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Blue Jays, Braves, Baker’s San Francisco Giants, Angels, Giants, Nationals Locations: Northern California, Atlanta, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Washington, Houston, California

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers are back in the World Series for the first time since twice being within one strike of winning the 2011 title. And these Rangers won't even be the first team to play in a World Series at Globe Life Field, their retractable-roof stadium that opened in 2020. Freese led off the 11th with a game-ending homer, and the Cards won Game 7 the following night. That 2016 division title is still the last for the Rangers, one of six big league teams without a World Series title. “I came here to get to the World Series, but I came here to win it.”___

Persons: “ We’ve, Chris Young, They're, Bruce Bochy, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis García, Josh Jung, Evan Carter, I’ve, ”, Bochy, “ It’s, Louis, Ron Washington, Seager, David Freese, Nelson Cruz, Lance Berkman, Freese, Texas, Yu Darvish, Darvish, Tommy John, Cole Hamels, Jose Bautista's, Sam Dyson, Cy Young, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, deGrom, Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Scherzer, “ Organizations: The Texas Rangers, Texas, Rangers, AL, Lone Star State, Astros, St, Life, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cards, Oakland, Toronto, AL West, Nathan Eovaldi . Texas, New York Mets Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Texas, Houston, San Francisco, St, Baltimore, Semien, Nathan Eovaldi .

☆ Want to Beat Your Return-to-Office Mandate? Try ‘Coffee Badging’ at Your Own Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Callum Borchers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A cup of coffee in the majors is the term for a short baseball career in the big leagues. Now some white-collar workers are leaving the office almost as soon as they arrive and calling the practice “coffee badging.”The difference is the ballplayer wishes he could stay; the people ditching their desks would rather not show up in the first place.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The streaky Texas Rangers are suddenly headed the wrong way again. The Rangers won the first two in Houston and matched the Astros' 7-0 start in the playoffs last year, when Houston won its second championship. That up-and-down stretch began with Houston sweeping Texas at Globe Life Field, hitting 16 homers while outscoring the Rangers 39-10. Texas played six of its first seven games on the road this postseason, winning twice in Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Houston. Houston has never rallied from a 2-0 deficit, and will have Justin Verlander on the mound for the final game of the series in Arlington.

Persons: Andrew Heaney, Corey Seager's, José Abreu's, Houston, Justin Verlander, It's, Jordan Montgomery, ___ Organizations: streaky Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Texas, Astros, Life, instate AL West, The Rangers, Houston, Rangers, Globe Life Locations: ARLINGTON , Texas, Texas, Houston, Tampa Bay , Baltimore, Arlington

The youthful playoff infusion is the continuation of one of the best regular seasons for rookie hitters in MLB history. Five rookies — Carter, Carroll, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and Minnesota’s Royce Lewis and Edouard Julien — had OPS totals over 1.000, and Jung wasn’t far behind at .947. “I’d say adrenaline-wise, it’s probably felt about the same as the regular season, maybe a tiny bit more,” Carroll said. It's probably no coincidence that the Rangers started to struggle around the time he got hurt — the third baseman hit 23 homers during the regular season. Texas had a 73-49 record in games he played during the regular season and a 17-23 mark when he didn't.

Persons: Johan Rojas, Corbin Carroll, Evan Carter, Josh Jung, — Carter, Carroll, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Minnesota’s Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien —, Jung wasn’t, Randy Arozarena, Jeremy Peña, —, Peña, Rojas, Ronald Acuña Jr, Rob Thomson, “, he’s, ” Arizona's Carroll, hasn't, it’s, ” Carroll, I’ve, ” They'll, they're, there's Jung, Carter, Jung, It's, Bruce Bochy, They’re, Corey Seager, Jung's, ” Seager, it's, — Henderson, Lewis, Julien, ” Rojas, Stephen Hawkins, ___ Organizations: Citizens Bank, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, MLB, Phillies, NL, Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Rangers, AL, ” Rangers, Houston Astros Locations: Texas, Arlington , Texas

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger said it would be a dream to play for Team USA when baseball returns for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. He would be 10 years into the contract and 35 years old, should he get the chance to play for Team USA in LA. The WBC is operated by MLB and takes place during spring training, meaning players do not need to miss regular season games to participate. Cricket, flag football, softball, lacrosse and squash also were confirmed Monday by the International Olympic Committee to be held at the Los Angeles Games. Phillies manager Rob Thomson, raised in Corunna, Ontario, was part of the Canadian squad that competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when baseball was a demonstration sport.

Persons: — Bryce Harper, Harper, texted, ” Harper, “, they’ll, it’s, Rob Thomson, ”, ___ Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Olympics, The Philadelphia Phillies, Team USA, Los Angeles Games, Major League Baseball, NHL, USA, Baseball, MLB, Phillies, Arizona, WBC, Winter, Cricket, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Canadian, Venezuela, Dodger Locations: Japan, LA, Mumbai, India, Corunna , Ontario, Los Angeles

Now the Rangers get another chance at the Astros when they meet for the first time in the playoffs in a Texas-sized showdown with a trip to the World Series on the line starting Sunday night in Houston. The Astros completed the regular season matchup against the Rangers with a three-game sweep at the beginning of September. But despite the lopsided results this season, both teams say they’ll start with a clean slate for the American League Championship Series. As manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2002, he lost the World Series to the Anaheim Angels. “In California we were in the World Series, two teams, us and the Angels, battling for bragging rights in California,” he said.

Persons: — Houston, Justin Verlander, Josh Jung, Adolis, Nathaniel Lowe, Evan Carter wasn’t, “, Evan, ” Lowe, Dusty Baker, ”, I’ve, Robbie Grossman, Jordan Montgomery, Verlander, Cy Young, Louis, Houston’s Framber Valdez, Nathan Eovaldi, Max Scherzer, Bruce Bochy, Scherzer, “ Max, ” Bochy, “ He’s, we’ll, Chris Young, Bryan Abreu, Abreu, hasn’t, Ryan Pressly, Jim Ross, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Turner, Stephen Hawkins, ___ Organizations: HOUSTON, Rangers, Astros, The Astros, Houston, American League, AL West, Lone Star, San Francisco Giants, Anaheim Angels, Angels, Mets, Minnesota, Montgomery, Orioles, Detroit, Dodgers, Arlington, Houston Mayor Locations: Texas, Houston, “, California, ”, Montgomery, St, Washington

Search resuls for: "Big League"

25 mentions found