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☆ Baseball’s Favorite Word at Playoff Time Is ‘Crapshoot’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: braves, dodgers, orioles

☆ Baseball’s Underdogs Have Their Moment This Postseason
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: orioles, diamondbacks

☆ An American Phillies Fan in Paris
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Joe Queenan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When I got to Paris two weeks ago, I was seriously jet-lagged. So I started staying up late watching Phillies games on Major League Baseball’s streaming service. It was fun. It filled me with joie de vivre. So much so that even after the jet lag began to dissipate I continued my nocturnal revels.

Persons: joie Organizations: Phillies, Major League Locations: Paris

☆ Baseball’s Shift Ban May Help Send The Rangers To The Postseason
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones, corey, seager

☆ Brooks Robinson, Baseball’s ‘Human Vacuum Cleaner,’ Dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: orioles Locations: baltimore

The Brewers have reached the playoffs five of the last six years, the exception coming last season. There’s a sense of urgency associated with this playoff berth because of the long-term uncertainty surrounding some key figures. The Brewers were one win away from the World Series in 2018 when they lost a Game 7 at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they haven’t won a postseason series since. Although Milwaukee owns a combined 2-10 record against the Atlanta Braves and Dodgers — the NL’s top two playoff seeds — the Brewers’ pitching gives them reason for optimism. The Brewers have lost seven of their last eight postseason games, a stretch that started with that Game 7 defeat in 2018.

Persons: “ We’ve, ”, Brandon Woodruff, Woodruff, Cy Young, Corbin Burnes, Craig Counsell, Counsell, we’re, ” Counsell, Ron Roenicke, —, haven’t, Brice Turang, Andruw Monasterio, Sal Frelick, Carlos Santana, Mark Canha, Josh Donaldson, William Contreras, Freddy Peralta, Wade Miley, Devin Williams, they’d, Joel Payamps, Elvis Peguero, “ I’ll, Willy Adames, “, We’ve, Christian Yelich Organizations: MILWAUKEE, The Milwaukee Brewers, They’re, Milwaukee, NL Central, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, The Brewers, Brewers, AL, Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Braves

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. joined baseball’s exclusive 40-40 club Friday night by hitting his 40th home run of the season for the Atlanta Braves to go along with his 68 stolen bases. Acuña became the fifth player in major league history to have at least 40 homers and 40 steals in the same year. The others were Alfonso Soriano for the Washington Nationals in 2006, Alex Rodríguez for the Seattle Mariners in 1998, Barry Bonds for the San Francisco Giants in 1996, and Jose Canseco for the Oakland Athletics in 1988. Acuña connected off Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin leading off the top of the first inning. A leading contender for the NL MVP award, the 25-year-old Acuña was already the only player in big league history with 30 homers and 60 stolen bases in one season.

Persons: — Ronald Acuña Jr, Acuña, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodríguez, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Patrick Corbin Organizations: WASHINGTON, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Nationals, NL

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox fired Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom on Thursday as the team stumbled toward a third last-place finish in four seasons. “We’re aiming for World Series championships. We’re here to win World Series championships. That’s what the Boston Red Sox are all about." After going 86 years without a World Series championship, the Red Sox have won four since 2004, the most for anyone this century.

Persons: Chaim Bloom, “, Sam Kennedy, ” Bloom, Mookie Betts, Betts, Alex Verdugo, Bloom, Xander Bogaerts, Kennedy, ” Kennedy, “ We’re, we’re, John Henry, Tom Werner, Brian O’Halloran “, ”, Eddie Romero, Raquel Ferreira, Michael Groopman, — Theo Epstein, Ben Cherington, Dave Dombrowski, ” Epstein, ___ Organizations: BOSTON, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Boston, Tampa Bay Rays, Red Sox, AL, AL East

☆ Baseball’s ‘Woke Hillbilly’ Had More Songs to Write
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Scott Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Night had fallen, spirits were moving and the songwriting baseball coach was rounding third base and headed for home. Twice in the autumn of 2020, doctors had advised a gravely ill Tim Flannery to say goodbye to his family. The right arm that sent home so many San Francisco base runners during the Giants’ three World Series titles from 2010 to 2014 waved away a final coda. The road back from the brink was as unlikely as the man himself. An infielder turned popular coach, Flannery was always something more.

Persons: Tim Flannery, Flannery, — Organizations: Giants, Major League Baseball Locations: San Francisco

☆ Knocked Off Their Perch, the Rangers Hope to Climb Back Up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is the first season in Major League Baseball’s modern era in which all teams play each other. Consider the Mets’ current homestand, with series against the Los Angeles Angels, the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners. Sure, the Mets abandoned the pennant race a month ago, but the American League West version is flourishing in Flushing. “Hey, you’re past those dog days,” said Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy, who has seen a race or two. The Mariners, baseball’s hottest team since the start of July, overtook Texas for the division lead, with the defending champion Houston Astros close behind.

Persons: ”, Bruce Bochy Organizations: Major League, Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, American League, Rangers, ”, The Mariners, baseball’s, Texas, Houston Astros Locations: Flushing, “

☆ Speakeasies, Golf and a Pool: 5 Baseball Parks That Go Beyond Baseball
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Gerald Narciso | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Let’s go Mets,” Mr. Thompson, a resident of Manhattan, told the guard. The couple walked into the Cadillac Club to catch a game between the Mets and their crosstown rival Yankees. feel, but you are a little isolated from the normal ballpark,” said Mr. Thompson, who was given the tickets (membership cost: up to $25,000 each per season) through a friend. Hip lounges, inventive culinary offerings and original in-game vantage points are some of the ways M.L.B. teams are elevating the ballpark experience this summer.

Persons: Chad Thompson, Kitty, “ Let’s, ” Mr, Thompson, Starling Marte, ”, “, you’ve Organizations: Citi Field, New York Mets, League Baseball’s, Mets, Cadillac, Yankees Locations: Manhattan

☆ A Relationship That Transcends Analytics
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Matt Martell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The weeks leading up to Major League Baseball’s trading deadline are always tense. Every team has to evaluate where they are in the standings, what the organization’s long-term outlook is and how much could be changed by acquiring a few veterans. Along the way, players are left to ponder what moves their teams will make and whether they will soon be on the move. Not knowing which city they will be living in the following week can be overwhelming, even for professional ballplayers. Those challenges are universal, but they are heightened whenever a catcher is involved.

Organizations: Major League Baseball’s, Mets

☆ ‘You Knew Who the Hall of Famers Were’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sometimes, a new Hall of Fame class fits neatly together in baseball history. Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott, 500-homer sluggers in the shadow of Babe Ruth, went in together in 1951. Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski, one-city institutions who met in a sublime World Series, took their turn in 1989. Both reached the World Series twice, winning once. More than anything else, the pairing of McGriff and Rolen is a powerful reflection of the changing standards for baseball’s highest honor.

Persons: Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Jackson, Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen, McGriff, Rolen Organizations: of, Star, Contemporary Baseball

☆ In ‘The League,’ Black Baseball’s Field of Dreams
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Robert Daniels | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Pollard’s documentary “The League” introduces audiences to the teams, stars and little-known figures who populated the Negro leagues by chronicling how Black professional baseball first sprouted. It covers the period from just before the majors instituted a gentlemen’s agreement banning African Americans from playing with white players, to the Negro leagues becoming one of America’s biggest Black-owned businesses, to its demise. In an audio interview, Pollard spoke about how he set about constructing his film, and the ways he connected the Negro leagues to the Civil Rights movement. Where did you find the archival Negro league interviews? Byron also interviewed, through his dad, former Negro league players on video.

Persons: Sam Pollard’s, Bob Motley, Pollard, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Byron Motley, Byron Organizations: Negro, Civil

☆ Shohei Ohtani: MLB two-way superstar entering ‘uncharted waters’ on brink of record-breaking contract
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Sahil Kurup | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The figures you hear mentioned, whether that be $50 million, $60 million, he will set a new standard. This season, he’s currently in the top three in both categories — Ohtani is doing things previously thought to be inconceivable in the sport. Steph Chambers/Getty Images“[Ohtani] increases interest in Japanese baseball — who’s going to be the next Ohtani?” Fellenzer said. It increases interest in Japanese baseball here. Ohtani receives his 2021 American League MVP trophy alongside his teammate and three-time MVP outfielder Mike Trout.

Persons: Shohei Ohtani, –, he’s, Jeffrey Fellenzer, Ohtani, Tim Heitman, “ Sho, ”, He’s, Dusty Baker, Yu Darvish, Hideo Nomo, Scott Miller, “ Nobody, Babe Ruth, Ruth, Steph Chambers, ” Fellenzer, Tommy John, — Ohtani, “, ” Ohtani, Mike Trout, Phil Nevin, we’ve, ” Nevin Organizations: CNN, ” University of Southern, CNN Sport, ”, Pacific League, Major League Baseball, LA Times, Los Angeles Angels, New York, Texas Rangers, ” Houston Astros, peerless, Los Angeles Dodgers, The Dodgers, Hokkaido, Ham Fighters, Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Angels, MLB, American League, Kyodo, White Sox Locations: ” University of Southern California, America, Hokkaido Nippon, Japan

☆ MLB Made Dramatic Rule Changes. These All-Stars Adapted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEATTLE—Making it to baseball’s All-Star Game this year required more than the usual on-the-field excellence that merits a trip to the Midsummer Classic. This class of All-Stars had to do it while navigating the first season of radical rule changes that have upended the pace and strategy of the game.

Organizations: SEATTLE

☆ Trade Baseball’s Best Player? It Really Could Happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ At the All-Star Game, Learning Opportunities Abound
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The All-Star Game is baseball’s ultimate learning lab: the best of the best, teammates for a moment, swapping stories and secrets. The days of Bob Gibson snarling through the festivities, impervious to camaraderie with enemies turned teammates, are gone. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can.”López is not alone. The All-Star Game — scheduled for Tuesday at the home of the Seattle Mariners — was once the setting for Roy Halladay learning a cutter grip from Mariano Rivera. He was more of a shaman, a possessor of wisdom who inspired teammates by his mere presence.

Persons: Bob Gibson snarling, who’ve, ”, Pablo López, “, Seattle Mariners —, Roy Halladay, Mariano Rivera, Halladay, Rivera Organizations: Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Hall of Fame Locations: Cooperstown

☆ M.L.B. Draft Trades Magic for Efficiency
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Tyler Kepner | More About Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Sunday in Seattle, for the fourth year in a row — enough for a full class of college prospects — Major League Baseball will hold a streamlined version of its amateur draft. From an event with unlimited rounds to one with 50 rounds, then 40, and now just 20, the draft is exclusive and efficient, in keeping with baseball’s restructured minor league system. But efficiency has a cost: the countless long-shot careers that may never be realized. Dozens of current major leaguers turned pro after being drafted in rounds that no longer exist. Chosen 941st overall from a community college in Illinois, he has won three Gold Gloves, played in the World Series and earned more than $60 million in an 11-year career.

Persons: ”, Kevin Kiermaier, ” Kiermaier Organizations: — Major League Baseball, baseball’s, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays Locations: Seattle, Illinois

☆ Domingo Germán Proves Perfection Can Come at Any Time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Tyler Kepner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The threadbare A’s are baseball’s worst team, already 40 games under .500, consumed by their vision of a new home in Las Vegas. Yet they have endured many dreadful seasons, and this was the first perfect game against the franchise since 1904, when Boston’s Cy Young did it to the Philadelphia Athletics. When Larsen did it, the feat had not been accomplished since 1922, by a nondescript Chicago White Sox rookie named Charlie Robertson. Yu Darvish, Yusmeiro Petit and Max Scherzer each lost a bid when the 27th batter reached base. The Yankees’ Carlos Rodón — as a member of the White Sox in 2021 — lost his attempt when a slider nicked the top of a batter’s shoe in the ninth inning.

Persons: Boston’s Cy Young, Connie Mack —, —, Larsen, Charlie Robertson, Germán’s, Hernández, Yu Darvish, Yusmeiro Petit, Max Scherzer, Carlos Rodón —, ” Rodón Organizations: Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Yankees, White Sox Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Luis Arraez Is Chasing One of Baseball’s Sacred Feats and Sports Divinity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Arraez, a Venezuelan who is 5 feet 10 inches, is chasing more than a match of Williams, who finished that ’41 season with a .406 average. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line, which had been in place since the 19th century. No player has ever finished a season batting at or above .400 since Major League Baseball became an integrated game. Consider the ancient Greeks. And just as we are today, the ancient Greeks were obsessed with reputation.

Persons: Williams, Arraez, Jackie Robinson, Milo of, ”, David Lunt, “ Organizations: Major League Baseball, Southern Utah University Locations: Venezuelan, Athens, Milo of Croton

☆ NHL joins MLB in advising teams to halt wearing ‘Pride’ jerseys
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said he has advised NHL teams to no longer wear specialty-themed jerseys during warm-ups, including Pride-theme jerseys. The decision follows Major League Baseball’s announcement last week that teams would not put Pride logos on players’ uniforms and after a handful of NHL players refused to wear Pride sweaters or participate in their teams’ Pride Nights due to their personal beliefs. Some hockey teams opted to forgo their planned Pride Night warmup jerseys altogether. “Thirty-two of our clubs did Pride nights, some do Heritage nights, everybody does Hockey Fights Cancer, some do military nights. Francois Lacasse/NHLI/Getty ImagesBettman also confirmed that NHL Pride jerseys will still be designed and sold and players are free to wear them when they are not on the ice.

Persons: Gary Bettman, “ I’ve, it’s, ” Bettman, Bettman, ”, “, that’s, Nick Suzuki, Francois Lacasse, Rob Manfred, ” Manfred Organizations: CNN — National Hockey League, NHL, League, Sportsnet, Cancer, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Bell Centre, NHL Pride, MLB, CNN Locations: Canadian, Montreal

☆ Mailbag: Does Trump Represent Half the Country?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nate Cohn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

I suppose it must be good news for the Nats at some level, but the Mets weren’t really their problem. Books by candidatesI previously mentioned that I don’t read books by aspiring presidential candidates. Of course, someone is unlikely to read a book by a candidate unless they are somewhat interested in that person. — Angie BoyterWhen I wrote that I don’t read a presidential candidate’s book, I was mainly thinking about the genre of political books written by someone just about to run for president. They largely go unread, but they offer an excuse for TV producers to book a presidential hopeful on their shows.

Persons: Haley, Nikki Haley — David Newberger, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis isn’t, Asa, Asa Hutchinson’s, — Merideth Tomlinson, I’m, Barack Obama, ” …, Angie Boyter, Obama’s, ”, ” —, Obama, Vance’s Organizations: Mets, Washington Nationals Locations: Arkansas

☆ The Grass Is Actually Greener Thanks to M.L.B.’s New Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( David Waldstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Now it’s another commodity for sale, another revenue stream.”But groundskeepers are learning how to accommodate multiple events, and innovations in field maintenance help to counter the stresses. In San Francisco, Elliott is at the forefront of baseball’s agricultural tech boom. The data can be combined with information on individual athletes to enhance performance and health. Elliott also brews his own microbial slurries, which are injected into the irrigation system and then sprayed on the grass. “The players are the best athletes in the world,” Sherry said, “and we are all the best groundskeepers in the world.”

Persons: ” Burns, Elliott, Clegg, ”, ” Elliott, ” Sherry Organizations: Raw, English Locations: San Francisco, British

☆ A Negro Leagues Star Is Still Sharing His Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Louie Lazar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The older pastor, wearing a long purple robe, ascended the steps to the pulpit. “God has always had a plan and a purpose for each of our lives,” the Rev. In his dark, silent study down the hall at Bethel Baptist, on a shelf stuffed with old theological books, is a photograph of the 1948 pennant celebration of the Birmingham Black Barons of baseball’s Negro leagues. Greason, 98, is one of baseball’s “forgotten heroes,” according to the Center for Negro League Baseball Research. Seventy-five years ago, he shut down the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League’s championship series and then earned the Black Barons’ only win in the final Negro World Series, which the Black Barons lost to the Homestead Grays.

Persons: William H, Greason, ’, Long, “, Barons ’ Organizations: Bethel Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist, Birmingham Black Barons, baseball’s Negro, Center for Negro League Baseball Research, Kansas City Monarchs, Negro American, Barons, Black Barons, Grays Locations: Birmingham, Ala, Bethel, baseball’s

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