NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning . But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track , and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning . But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track , and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series."That's the one team that you don't want to lose to," outfielder Brett Gardner said. "We hate losing to them and we love beating them. Obviously, they just had our number this year."New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic replay review before the out call was upheld following a 63-second delay. Kimbrel and the Red Sox — suspended in mid-celebration for a minute — resumed bouncing around in excitement.After... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday:MOVING ONThe Red Sox are set for a postseason rematch with the World Series champion Astros. Boston eliminated the Yankees with a dramatic 4-3 victory Tuesday night in Game 4 of their AL Division Series, and now rookie manager Alex Cora and his club will wait until Saturday night to open the AL Championship Series against Houston at Fenway Park. Ace lefty Chris Sale figures to get the ball after making an impressive turn in a setup role for the eighth inning Tuesday. It'll also mark a reunion for Cora and the Astros — he was the bench coach during their championship run last season."I've been talking about them the whole season, so now we go," Cora said. "Best of seven. They know me. I know them. It should be fun."The Yankees, meanwhile, begin an offseason that's sure to bring a few changes. CC Sabathia, Brett Gardner, David Robertson and J.A. Happ can become free agents, and New York could be major a player in an anticipated free agent... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees couldn't wait to get back home.Now, that's exactly where they're staying.CC Sabathia became the latest pitcher to put New York in an early hole as rookie manager Aaron Boone again stuck with his starter too long, and the Yankees fell just short of extending their season Tuesday night with a 4-3 loss to the rival Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of their AL Division Series.New York mounted a last-ditch rally against wild closer Craig Kimbrel, scoring twice in the ninth inning. But the Yankees' comeback stalled when Gary Sanchez's bases-loaded sacrifice fly was caught on the left-field warning track, and rookie Gleyber Torres grounded out with two on to end it — sort of.The play at first base was close, so both teams and a sellout crowd held their breath during a dramatic replay review before the out call was upheld following a 63-second delay. Kimbrel and the Red Sox — suspended in mid-celebration for a minute — resumed bouncing around in excitement.After... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Luis Severino will start Game 3 of the AL Division Series for the New York Yankees and CC Sabathia will start Game 4 against the Red Sox if necessary.That's the word from Yankees manager Aaron Boone.Boone announced the rotation before the series opener on Friday night. J.A. Happ was scheduled to face Chris Sale in Game 1, with Masahiro Tanaka starting Game 2 for New York against David Price.Severino started the AL wild-card game against Oakland on Wednesday night, pitching four shutout innings as the Yankees advanced to the ALDS. He would be on the usual four days' rest.The Red Sox have said Sale and Price will be followed by Rick Porcello in Games 2 and 3 and Nathan Eovaldi in Game 4, if necessary.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:NO OPENERS NEEDEDCy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber will start the AL Division Series between the Astros and Indians at Minute Maid Park in a matchup that figures to buck the October trend of bullpen "openers."Verlander, a 14-year veteran, believes the AL West champion Astros and AL Central champion Indians have the top two rotations in the AL. He thinks the performance of each team's starters will be paramount to success."Us and the Indians probably being 1 and 2, however you like to slice it, us and them, them and us," he said. "Pick your poison. We both have very defined starters who have a great track record and have good stuff. This should be a really fun series."ON SALEChris Sale waited eight years to make his first postseason start and then another 365 days for a chance to put that memory behind him. The Red Sox left-hander will open Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, one year after... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Friday:NO OPENERS NEEDEDCy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber will start the AL Division Series between the Astros and Indians at Minute Maid Park in a matchup that figures to buck the October trend of bullpen "openers."Verlander, a 14-year veteran, believes the AL West champion Astros and AL Central champion Indians have the top two rotations in the AL. He thinks the performance of each team's starters will be paramount to success."Us and the Indians probably being 1 and 2, however you like to slice it, us and them, them and us," he said. "Pick your poison. We both have very defined starters who have a great track record and have good stuff. This should be a really fun series."ON SALEChris Sale waited eight years to make his first postseason start and then another 365 days for a chance to put that memory behind him. The Red Sox left-hander will open Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, one year after... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Boston, 7:32 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Boston, 8:15 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at New York, 7:40 p.m.; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at New York, 8:07 p.m.; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Boston, 7:40 p.m. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Red Sox won 10-9.___Projected Lineups:Yankees: LF Andrew McCutchen (.255, 20 HRs, 65 RBIs for Pirates and Yankees), RF Aaron Judge (.278, 27, 67, 152 Ks in 112 games), CF Aaron Hicks (.248, 27, 79 in 137 games), DH Giancarlo Stanton (.266, 38, 100, 211 Ks), 1B Luke Voit (.322, 15, 36 in 47 games for Cardinals and Yankees; .333, 14, 33 in 39 games with Yankees), SS Didi Gregorius (.268, 27, 86 in 134 games), 3B Miguel Andujar (.297, 27, 92, 47 2Bs), C Gary Sanchez (.186, 18, 53 in 89 games), 2B Gleyber Torres (.271, 24, 77 in 123 games).Red Sox: RF Mookie Betts (.346, 32, 80, 129... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale waited eight years to make his first postseason start and then another 365 days for a chance to put that memory behind him.The Red Sox left-hander will start Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees on Friday night, one year after he was bombarded by the championship-bound Houston Astros in his playoff debut.He's thought about it. He's learned from it.And he wants to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes again."Last year, obviously, I got my feet wet. Didn't do too well. But sometimes you learn from the bad more than the good," Sale said Thursday, a day before the AL East rivals open their best-of-five series."It happened. I'm not going to run away from it. I don't think that's the right thing to do," he said. "I'm not going to hide from it. You can Google it now, tomorrow and 100 years, and it's going to be there. I own it. I accept it. And like I said, I'm going to be better. I'm going to go do everything I can to be better. That's all... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Chris Sale waited eight years to make his first postseason start and then another 365 days for a chance to put that memory behind him.The Red Sox left-hander will start Game 1 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees on Friday night, one year after he was bombarded by the championship-bound Houston Astros in his playoff debut.He's thought about it. He's learned from it.And he wants to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes again."Last year, obviously, I got my feet wet. Didn't do too well. But sometimes you learn from the bad more than the good," Sale said Thursday, a day before the longtime AL East rivals open their best-of-five series."It happened. I'm not going to run away from it. I don't think that's the right thing to do," he said. "I'm not going to hide from it. You can Google it now, tomorrow and 100 years, and it's going to be there. I own it. I accept it. And like I said, I'm going to be better. I'm going to go do everything I can to be better.... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Boston, 7:32 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Boston, 8:15 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at New York, TBA; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at New York, TBA; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Boston, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Red Sox won 10-9.___Projected Lineups:Yankees: LF Andrew McCutchen (.255, 20 HRs, 65 RBIs for Pirates and Yankees), RF Aaron Judge (.278, 27, 67, 152 Ks in 112 games), CF Aaron Hicks (.248, 27, 79 in 137 games), DH Giancarlo Stanton (.266, 38, 100, 211 Ks), 1B Luke Voit (.322, 15, 36 in 47 games for Cardinals and Yankees; .333, 14, 33 in 39 games with Yankees), SS Didi Gregorius (.268, 27, 86 in 134 games), 3B Miguel Andujar (.297, 27, 92, 47 2Bs), C Gary Sanchez (.186, 18, 53 in 89 games), 2B Gleyber Torres (.271, 24, 77 in 123 games).Red Sox: RF Mookie Betts (.346, 32, 80, 129 runs, 30 steals),... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Fans have been waiting for another one of these rumbles: baseball's most-bitter rivals set to tangle again, this time as 100-win heavyweights in the playoffs.Munson vs. Fisk, Pedro vs. Popeye , A-Rod vs. Varitek and earlier this year Brock Holt vs. Tyler Austin .The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees back at each other in the postseason for the first time in 14 years."We're a team that can play with anybody, and we're not afraid to go in there," Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks said after a 7-2 wild-card win over Oakland sent New York to a best-of-five AL Division Series that starts Friday in Fenway Park.Yankees fans were chanting "We want Boston!" during the late innings. The Red Sox tweeted "We want New York" after the final out in the Bronx."I think they're ready and relish the opportunity to go up against the game's best this year," Yankees rookie manager Aaron Boone said of his players.That is the same Aaron Boone whose 11th-inning homer in Game 7 of the 2003 AL... [More]

Familiar faces in the American League, new blood in the National League.That's one way to describe this year's postseason. The two Division Series in the AL will include the same four teams as a year ago. Meanwhile, the NL welcomes the Braves, Brewers and Rockies to this stage. None of them have played in an NLDS since Atlanta in 2013.With four teams left in each league, there are 16 possible matchups for the World Series. Here's a list of them all — and what could make each of them noteworthy. The matchups are listed in descending order of likelihood, using probability figures from Fangraphs.com heading into Thursday's action.___INDIANS-DODGERS (14.6 percent)FanGraphs likes the Dodgers and Indians, although neither team was overwhelming during the regular season. If they meet in the World Series, managers Terry Francona and Dave Roberts could spend some time reminiscing about their title run with the 2004 Red Sox, but we know what the real question would be during a Cleveland-Los Angeles... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — For a team that finished with the best record in baseball — setting a franchise record for victories along the way — the Boston Red Sox sure have a lot of questions about their bullpen.Even as they coasted to their third straight AL East title, with two Cy Young Award candidates and two MVP contenders, not everything has gone smoothly for Boston this year. Red Sox relievers have been the problem — especially down the stretch in September, when they posted a 4.84 ERA that was the worst in the AL.Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday he remained confident in his bullpen, insisting the late-season woes weren't a local phenomenon."You look around the league in September, there were some great bullpens that became bad," he said Wednesday before the Red Sox learned they will be facing the rival Yankees in the AL Division Series. "They were hit around. They were giving up leads."It's the nature of 162 games," Cora said. "We're going to the same guys, and it seemed like some of them hit... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — For a team that finished with the best record in baseball — setting a franchise record for victories along the way — the Boston Red Sox sure have a lot of questions about their bullpen.Even as they coasted to their third straight AL East title, with two Cy Young Award candidates and two MVP contenders, not everything has gone smoothly for Boston this year. Red Sox relievers have been the problem — especially down the stretch in September, when they posted a 4.84 ERA that was the worst in the AL.Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday he remained confident in his bullpen, insisting the late-season woes weren't a local phenomenon."You look around the league in September, there were some great bullpens that became bad," he said Wednesday as the Red Sox awaited the winner of the Oakland-New York wild-card game. "They were hit around. They were giving up leads."It's the nature of 162 games," Cora said. "We're going to the same guys, and it seemed like some of them hit the wall."And part... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora knows first-hand the way things change in October. That's why the Boston Red Sox manager wants to keep everything the same for his club.Routine served Boston well during the regular season. Under their rookie skipper, the Red Sox posted a franchise-best 108 wins and secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.They will enter the American League Division Series on Friday with two AL MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, plus Cy Young Award candidate Chris Sale and former Cy Young winners David Price and Rick Porcello — both coming off solid regular seasons.The Red Sox won't have an ALDS opponent until Wednesday when the Yankees host the Athletics in the wild-card game. Cora said the team will gather for dinner that night and watch together. Other than that, their preparations will be the same — from meetings, to batting practices, to bullpen sessions."That's why I feel they're gonna be fine, because nothing's gonna change," Cora said.Boston is... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Last year's World Series between the Astros and Dodgers was a thriller, ending in Houston's Game 7 victory for its first championship.Might they have an encore in store? Perhaps one with a Hollywood ending this time?Time to find out. After two tight NL division races stretched the regular season to a pair of Game 163s, the Rockies and Cubs are set to begin the playoffs Tuesday night with the NL wild-card game at Wrigley Field.Before they do, a look at the 2018 postseason, from A to Z:A: ACES OUT — Good news for NL hitters: Many of the league's top starting pitchers have already begun their offseasons. Cy Young Award favorites Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Aaron Nola won't throw a postseason pitch. Same for Patrick Corbin and 18-game winner Miles Mikolas. Of course, longtime rotation leaders like Clayton Kershaw and Jon Lester are still in play.B: BETTS IN SHOW — Mookie Betts enters his third postseason as the AL MVP favorite, though Boston's dynamic leadoff hitter has a... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Shortly after their playoff spot was assured, the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Albert Almora Jr.'s single with two outs in the 10th inning Wednesday night.The NL Central-leading Cubs clinched their fourth straight postseason appearance when Milwaukee beat St. Louis. The Brewers, who sealed a playoff slot with their win, are a half-game behind Chicago. One of them will win the NL Central, the other will play in the NL wild-card game.After Pittsburgh tied it in the ninth on a two-out, two-run double by Starling Marte, the Cubs bounced back to win. Ian Happ led off the 10th with a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Terrance Gore. Mike Freeman's sacrifice moved up Gore, and he took third on a groundout. Almora singled to left on an 0-2 pitch from Richard Rodriguez (4-3).Jason Heyward homered and drove in three runs for the Cubs. Javier Baez singled for his NL-leading 111th RBI as the Cubs won after blowing a five-run lead. Star third baseman Kris Bryant... [More]