NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton hit a grand slam over the visitors’ bullpen that landed in the left-bleachers 471 feet from home plate, helping New York hand Baltimore its first loss this season. New York was ahead 1-0 on Aaron Judge’s fourth-inning homer when starter Jorge López (0-1) walked the bases loaded in the fifth, and Shawn Armstrong forced in a run with a walk to slumping Aaron Hicks. Stanton sent a 92 mph fastball soaring for the longest home run of the young major league season and his eighth career slam. New York improved to 8-0 when Judge and Stanton homer in the same game, including three postseason wins. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery (1-0) allowed four hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. BLUE JAYS 6, RANGERS 2 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Steven Matz struck out nine in his Toronto debut, Marcus Semien and Cavan Biggio hit back-to-back homers and the Blue Jays spoiled Texas’ home opener before the largest MLB crowd since the pandemic. Toronto, 3-1 for the... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Susanna Frare said her family decided to take a “calculated risk” attending the home opener of the Texas Rangers, the first major U.S. pro sports event to approach capacity in a stadium since the coronavirus shutdown more than a year ago. The crowd of 38,238 at Globe Life Field was announced as a sellout Monday for the 6-2 loss to Toronto. The retractable roof was open on a 75-degree day with 15 mph winds. “Since it’s at full capacity, that was something that we gave a lot of thought about,” said Frare, holding one young child with another sitting next to her at a table behind seats in the upper deck in left field about two hours before the game. “But since masks are required and we’re doing our part and we know that the ballpark is doing their part to keep everything clean and sanitized as much as possible, we just thought it was worth it to come on out here," she said. The Rangers gained national attention with their announcement last month to make all tickets... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Susanna Frare said her family decided to take a “calculated risk” attending the home opener of the Texas Rangers, the first major U.S. pro sports event to approach capacity in a stadium since the coronavirus shutdown more than a year ago. The crowd of 38,238 at Globe Life Field was announced as a sellout for the game against Toronto on Monday. The retractable roof was open on a 75-degree day with 15 mph winds. “Since it’s at full capacity, that was something that we gave a lot of thought about,” said Frare, holding one young child with another sitting next to her at a table behind seats in the upper deck in left field about two hours before the game. “But since masks are required and we’re doing our part and we know that the ballpark is doing their part to keep everything clean and sanitized as much as possible, we just thought it was worth it to come on out here," she said. The Rangers gained national attention with their announcement last month to make all tickets... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Susanna Frare said her family decided to take a “calculated risk” attending the home opener of the Texas Rangers, the first major U.S. pro sports event to approach capacity in a stadium since the coronavirus shutdown more than a year ago. The crowd of 38,238 at Globe Life Field was announced as a sellout for the game against Toronto on Monday. The retractable roof was open on a 75-degree day with 15 mph winds. “Since it’s at full capacity, that was something that we gave a lot of thought about,” said Frare, holding one young child with another sitting next to her at a table behind seats in the upper deck in left field about two hours before the game. “But since masks are required and we’re doing our part and we know that the ballpark is doing their part to keep everything clean and sanitized as much as possible, we just thought it was worth it to come on out here," she said. The Rangers gained national attention with their announcement last month to make all tickets... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Susanna Frare said her family decided to take a “calculated risk” attending the home opener of the Texas Rangers, the first major U.S. pro sports event to approach capacity in a stadium since the coronavirus shutdown more than a year ago. All tickets at 40,518-seat Globe Life Field were for sale, and the retractable-roof stadium was about three-fourths full at first pitch against Toronto on Monday. The roof was open on a 75 degree day with 15 mph winds. “Since it’s at full capacity, that was something that we gave a lot of thought about,” said Frare, holding one young child with another sitting next to her at a table behind seats in the upper deck in left field about two hours before the game. “But since masks are required and we’re doing our part and we know that the ballpark is doing their part to keep everything clean and sanitized as much as possible, we just thought it was worth it to come on out here," she said. The Rangers gained national attention with their... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Miguel Cabrera hit the first home run of the new Major League Baseball season, a drive through the snow in Detroit's chilly opener against Cleveland on Thursday. The temperature at game time was 32 degrees, and the snow at Comerica Park was becoming a bit more intense when Cabrera hit a first-inning shot to right field off Cleveland ace Shane Bieber. It wasn't easy to see through the ball through the snow, and Cabrera slid into second base, unsure if he'd cleared the wall. But a replay review confirmed the ball left the park, and Cabrera's 488th career homer was upheld. The 37-year-old Cabrera is five homers shy of tying Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 28th on the career list. The new season began at Yankee Stadium, where Gerrit Cole threw the first pitch of the year, a ball to Toronto's Marcus Semien. César Hernández of the Indians got the first hit, a double. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole’s dad will watch him pitch at Yankee Stadium in pinstripes for the first time, one of about 10,850 fans allowed in to watch New York’s opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. “I had trouble sleeping last night, so I probably anticipate going to be the same thing tonight,” Cole said Wednesday. “There’s just a lot of different emotions. Everybody is tired of spring training, ready for opening day. Most people’s families are in town, which is special. There’s a lot of hope. There’s a lot of excitement. There’s a lot of projections. There’s a lot of baseball out in front of you. And you’ve prepared up to this point and there’s nothing else. You just want the gates to open and you want it to start.” Cole’s first season with Yankees was played entirely without fans because of the pandemic. “It was a bit surreal at first, and then it became kind of standard operating procedure. There were more important things that we needed to focus on,” Cole said. “Every time I see... [More]

Michael Kopech is getting used to his new relief role with the Chicago White Sox. Judging by his first Cactus League appearance, it looks like he's going to be just fine. The talented right-hander worked a perfect fourth inning Tuesday against San Diego. It was his first game since he opted out of the pandemic-shortened season for a variety of reasons, including concerns about his mental health. “It’s been a while, obviously,” Kopech said. “But it just felt good to kind of knock some rust off and get back out there and compete.” The 24-year-old Kopech, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, was a starter coming up through the minors and likely will return to Chicago’s rotation at some point. But he is expected to begin the year in the White Sox bullpen. Part of his spring training work involves getting up to speed when it comes to life as a reliever. He worked out of the stretch against the Padres. “If I am going to be throwing out of the bullpen for part of this year at least and maybe... [More]

Michael Kopech is getting used to his new relief role with the Chicago White Sox. Judging by his first Cactus League appearance, it looks like he's going to be just fine. The talented right-hander worked a perfect fourth inning Tuesday against San Diego. It was his first game since he opted out of the pandemic-shortened season for a variety of reasons, including concerns about his mental health. “It’s been a while, obviously,” Kopech said. “But it just felt good to kind of knock some rust off and get back out there and compete.” The 24-year-old Kopech, one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, was a starter coming up through the minors and likely will return to Chicago’s rotation at some point. But he is expected to begin the year in the White Sox bullpen. Part of his spring training work involves getting up to speed when it comes to life as a reliever. He worked out of the stretch against the Padres. “If I am going to be throwing out of the bullpen for part of this year at least and maybe... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — After one of its strangest seasons ever, baseball returns to a full schedule this year. The All-Star Game is back. Fans are back, too, at least small crowds in some places. And an Iowa cornfield is about to welcome a bunch of special visitors. Here are a handful of dates to mark on the calendar: THURSDAY, APRIL 1 Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: Opening day begins in the Bronx, with George Springer and the Blue Jays taking on DJ LeMahieu and the Yankees. Springer finalized a $150 million, six-year deal with Toronto in January, part of an active offseason for the Blue Jays. He batted .265 with 14 homers and 32 RBIs during his final year in Houston. While Springer found a new home in free agency, LeMahieu stayed in New York for a $90 million, six-year contract after he led the majors with a .364 batting average last season. FRIDAY, APRIL 9 Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers: The last two World Series champions meet in the home opener at Dodger Stadium. The Nationals... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was determined not to show up to another spring training carrying more weight than he wanted. Embarrassed and apologetic after arriving out of shape at summer camp in 2020, the Blue Jays slugger worked aggressively on his conditioning this offseason, and said he has lost 42 pounds since last July. “I came to spring training out of shape for a couple of years,” Guerrero said through a translator Wednesday from Blue Jays camp in Dunedin, Florida. “One day at my house in the Dominican I just sat down and thought about all this. I decided right then that I was going to get ready, I was going to prepare myself, I was going to work very hard for this year. I did, because my main focus is just to be ready and help the team win.” A slimmer-looking Guerrero said he now feels stronger, quicker, and more resilient. “I worked very hard on my legs because I really wanted to trust my legs,” he said. “Before, I wasn’t getting to ground balls. Sometimes at the plate... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Shortstop Bo Bichette has big expectations for the upgraded Toronto Blue Jays. “I believe in the team, just like I did last year,” Bichette said Monday as the Blue Jays held their first full-squad workout in Dunedin, Florida. “Obviously we added some new names." “I think this year, if we go home without a trophy, that’ll be disappointing,” he said. Toronto was among the busiest teams on the free-agent market, agreeing to a $150 million, six-year contract with outfielder George Springer; an $18 million, one-year contract with shortstop Marcus Semien; a $5.5 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kirby Yates; a $3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a $1.75 million, one-year contract with right-hander David Phelps. “We’re very excited, we all believe in ourselves, and we believe that we can play with the best teams,” Bichette said. Semien said he’s already impressed by the winning attitude at camp. “There’s a level of confidence I’m excited about,”... [More]

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and other baseball players will be pushing for changes that make more teams competitive as they think about looming labor negotiations that could lead to a work stoppage at the start of 2022. Many veterans who are not top stars have taken substantial paycuts in recent years. Others have turned down cuts and retired. The players’ association is upset that some teams have lowered major league payroll in favor of rebuilding with youth, a process it calls tanking and that management defends as long-allowed refocusing on retooling for long-term gain. “For me, it just goes back to competitiveness,” Cole said Thursday. “We have a lot of great veterans that offer great entertainment, a quality style of baseball, that continuously are being pushed out because of surplus value on younger players is too high — the analytics are driving the game in that direction. And we want to have an open field for the clubs to be able to find talent, find surplus value.” Cole... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays expect to split the home portion of this year's regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, New York, and the Rogers Center in Toronto. Toronto announced Thursday it will play the first two homestands of the season in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. Team president Mark Shapiro said a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer. “The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays expect to split the home portion of this year's regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, New York, and the Rogers Center in Toronto. Toronto announced Thursday it will play the first two homestands of the season in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. Team president Mark Shapiro said a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer. “The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Blue Jays expect to split the home portion of this year's regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, New York, and the Rogers Center in Toronto. Toronto announced Thursday it will play the first two homestands of the season in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. Team president Mark Shapiro said a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer. “The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said. The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays will play their first two homestands of the season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic. The team said Thursday it has been planning different scenarios for home games and had hoped to see improvements in public health. The Blue Jays cited the “ongoing Canada-U.S. border closure” in making the “difficult decision." The team added in its statement that it ”hopes of a return to play at Rogers Centre as soon as possible.” After starting the season with three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, Toronto’s schedule has a homestand with four games against the Los Angeles Angels from April 8-11 and the Yankees from April 12-14. The Blue Jays follow with a trip to Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay, then have home games against Washington on April 27-28 and Atlanta from April 30 to May 2. That is followed by a 10-game trip to Oakland, Houston and Atlanta. It remains... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays will play their first two homestands of the regular season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, because of Canadian government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made. A second person, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Blue Jays planned to make the announcement on Thursday morning. After starting the season with three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, Toronto's schedule has a homestand with four games against the Los Angeles Angels from April 8-11 and the Yankees from April 12-14. The Blue Jays follow with a trip to Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay, then have home games against Washington on April 27-28 and Atlanta from April 30 to May 2. That is followed by a 10-game trip to Oakland, Houston and Atlanta. It remains unlikely they would gain approval... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The busy Toronto Blue Jays agreed Friday to a minor league contract to keep second baseman Joe Panik, who will report to big league spring training. The 30-year-old hit .225 with one homer and seven RBIs in 120 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened season, his first with Toronto. He earned $1,055,056 in prorated pay from a $2.85 million salary. Panik is a seven-year major league veteran who has a .269 average, 39 homers and 240 RBIs for San Francisco (2014-19), the New York Mets (2019) and Blue Jays. Panik was an All-Star in 2015, when he hit .312 with eight homers and 37 RBIs, and he won a Gold Glove the following year. Toronto also announced big league spring training invites for a group that included pitchers A.J. Cole and Tim Mayza, and infielders Richard Ureña, Kevin Smith and Tyler White. Toronto has been among the busiest teams on the free-agent market, agreeing to a $150 million, six-year contract with outfielder George Springer, an $18 million, one-year contract with shortstop Marcus Semien, a $5.5 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kirby Yates, a $3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a $1.75 million, one-year contract with right-hander David Phelps. The Blue Jays also re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray to an $8 million, one-year contract. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TORONTO (AP) — The busy Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league contract to keep second baseman Joe Panik, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the agreement had not been announced. Panik will report to big league spring training. The 30-year-old hit .225 with one homer and seven RBIs in 120 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened season, his first with Toronto. He earned $1,055,056 in prorated pay from a $2.85 million salary. He is a seven-year major league veteran who has a .269 average, 39 homers and 240 RBIs for San Francisco (2014-19), the New York Mets (2019) and Blue Jays. Panik was an All-Star in 2015, when he hit .312 with eight homers and 37 RBIs, and he won a Gold Glove the following year. Toronto has been among the busiest teams on the free-agent market, agreeing to a $150 million, six-year contract with outfielder George Springer, an $18 million, one-year contract with shortstop Marcus Semien, a $5.5 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kirby Yates, a $3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a $1.75 million one-year contract with right-hander David Phelps. The Blue Jays also re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray to an $8 million, one-year contract. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports