HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees went to the bullpen early and kept a parade of relievers going to the mound — even CC Sabathia.But New York's bullpen buckled in the 11th inning when Carlos Correa led off with a home run off J.A. Happ, the Yankees' ninth pitcher, to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 win Sunday that tied the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.On a night when starter James Paxton lasted just 2 1/3 innings and 51 pitches, Yankees manager Aaron Boone treated the third inning like he would the sixth during the regular season."Just felt like we were covered as far as today with getting some length and having guys rested. Obviously going into an off day tomorrow we're just going to be aggressive," Boone said.Paxton allowed Correa's RBI double in the second, escaped further trouble, then was replaced by Chad Green with one on and one out in the third."Thought he was struggling with his command," Boone said.Green retired six straight batters, and Yankees went ahead 2-1 on Aaron Judge's... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees went to the bullpen early and kept a parade of relievers going to the mound — even CC Sabathia.But New York's bullpen buckled in the 11th inning when Carlos Correa led off with a home run off J.A. Happ, the Yankees' ninth pitcher, to give the Houston Astros a 3-2 win Sunday night that tied the AL Championship Series at one game apiece.On a night when starter James Paxton lasted just 2 1/3 innings and 51 pitches, Yankees manager Aaron Boone treated the third inning like he would the sixth during the regular season."Just felt like we were covered as far as today with getting some length and having guys rested. Obviously going into an off day tomorrow we're just going to be aggressive," Boone said. "Thought he was struggling with his command. And it ends up ... doesn't end well."Chad Green relieved Paxton with one on and one out, then retired all six batters he faced. The Yankees went ahead 2-1 on Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the fourth off Justin Verlander, but... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — A man in the Astros dugout who was not in uniform was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Houston's Michael Brantley during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series and exited with a towel over his head.The Astros released statement late in Sunday night's game on behalf of Harris County Emergency Corps, which said one of its employees was hit and taken to a hospital, where he was evaluated and in stable condition. The company, which provides paramedic services, provided no other details.Play between the Astros and New York Yankees was briefly halted after the accident in the fifth inning, and Houston manager AJ Hinch came on the field to console a shaken-up Brantley.Several Astros players were shown in the dugout looking distraught, as were Yankees players who had a view into Houston's dugout. Houston stars Carlos Correa and George Springer both could be seen putting their hands on their heads and then looking away seconds after the ball entered the dugout.Play resumed after a couple of minutes and Brantley struck out but reached first on a wild pitch by Adam Ottavino.The Astros extended the protective netting at Minute Maid Park to cover more of the seating area earlier this year, but there is no such protection for the dugouts. The move came after a 2-year-old girl sustained a skull fracture when she struck by a foul ball during a May game in Houston.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — A man in the Astros dugout who was not in uniform was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Houston's Michael Brantley during Game 2 of the AL Championship Series and exited with a towel over his head.It was unclear who the person was, but he was not an Astros player or coach. A report by Fox, which was televising the game Sunday night, said he was a security officer. A team spokesman said the club did not have any details or an update on the man's condition.Play between the Astros and New York Yankees was briefly halted after the accident in the fifth inning, and manager AJ Hinch came on the field to console a shaken-up Brantley.Several Astros players were shown in the dugout looking distraught, as were Yankees players who had a view into Houston's dugout. Houston stars Carlos Correa and George Springer both could be seen putting their hands on their heads and then looking away seconds after the ball entered the dugout.Play resumed after a couple of minutes and Brantley struck out but reached first on a wild pitch by Adam Ottavino.The Astros extended the protective netting at Minute Maid Park to cover more of the seating area earlier this year, but there is no such protection for the dugouts. The move came after a 2-year-old girl suffered a skull fracture when she struck by a foul ball during a May game in Houston.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-seven American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Saturday, at Houston, 8:08 p.m.; Game 2, Sunday, at Houston, 8:08 p.m.; Game 3, Tuesday, at New York, 4:08 p.m; Game 4, Wednesday, at New York, 8:08 p.m.: x-Game 5, Thursday, at New York, 8:08 p.m; x-Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 19, at Houston, 4:08 p.m. or TBA; x-Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 20, at Houston, 7:38 p.m. (All games on Fox or FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Yankees: 1B DJ LeMahieu (.327, 26 HRs, 102 RBIs), RF Aaron Judge (.272, 27, 55 in 102 games), CF Brett Gardner (.251, 28, 74), DH Edwin Encarnación (.244, 34, 86 in 109 games for Mariners and Yankees), LF Giancarlo Stanton (.288, 3, 13 in 18 games), 2B Gleyber Torres (.278, 38, 90), C Gary Sánchez (.232, 34, 77 in 106 games), SS Didi Gregorius (.238, 16, 61 in 82 games), 3B Gio Urshela (.314, 21, 74 in 132 games).Astros: CF George Springer (.292,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Of course, the Yankees are the Bronx Bombers. Turns out this group is filled with fancy fielders, too."I don't think they want the attention," catcher Austin Romine said Thursday ahead of the AL Championship Series against Houston. "You got a bunch of guys that go out there and play good defense, and it's just now getting noticed."First baseman DJ LeMahieu, shortstop Didi Gregorius, second baseman Gleyber Torres and right fielder Aaron Judge may not necessarily be Baryshnikovs of the ballfield, but they can cha-cha and jitterbug quite nicely around the diamond. A series of outstanding defensive plays led to key outs in Monday's win that completed a Division Series sweep of Minnesota."Gleyber has made huge strides this year defensively," manager Aaron Boone said. "Overall defensively, I feel like we're a better club."New York was in the middle of the major leagues, with a 1.7 defensive runs above average according to Fangraphs, quite a turnaround from the -15.7 of the sclerotic... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Of course, the Yankees are the Bronx Bombers. Turns out this group is filled with fancy fielders, too."I don't think they want the attention," catcher Austin Romine said Thursday. "You got a bunch of guys that go out there and play good defense, and it's just now getting noticed."First baseman DJ LeMahieu, shortstop Didi Gregorius, second baseman Gleyber Torres and right fielder Aaron Judge may not necessarily be Baryshnikovs of the ballfield, but they can cha-cha and jitterbug quite nicely around the diamond. A series of outstanding defensive plays led to key outs in Monday's win that completed a Division Series sweep of Minnesota."Gleyber has made huge strides this year defensively," manager Aaron Boone said. "Overall defensively, I feel like we're a better club."New York was in the middle of the major leagues, with a 1.7 defensive runs above average according to Fangraphs, quite a turnaround from the -15.7 of the sclerotic Yankees of 2015 and the -1.9 a year ago.Oakland... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aroldis Chapman threw just 70 pitches in September.Alone among major league teams, the Yankees never used a pitcher three days in a row during the regular season.A bullpen featuring Chapman, Zack Britton, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle is a relief for New York fans and fear-inducing for opponents, a baseball Cerberus, the mythical multi-headed dog with snakes and a serpent protruding."I just think it's a luxury to have it happen this way," Ottavino said. "Luckily, we took care of business this year and got a nice lead and they were able to kind of stagger our appearances a little bit heading down the stretch. I think it's just good because we're expecting a big workload here in October."If ever relievers were ready and rested during the postseason, it is this group as the Yankees head into the AL Championship Series against Houston or Tampa Bay starting Saturday. And now they have four more days to rest up, increasingly important in a postseason in which none... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at New York, 7:07 p.m. (MLB); Game 2, Saturday, at New York, 5:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1 or MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at New York, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Yankees won 4-2.___Projected Lineups:Twins: C Mitch Garver (.273, 31 HRs, 67 RBIs, .630 slugging percentage in 93 games), SS Jorge Polanco (.295, 22, 79, 40 2Bs), DH Nelson Cruz (.311, 41, 108, .639 slugging percentage in 120 games), 3B Miguel Sanó (.247, 34, 79, 159 Ks in 105 games), LF Eddie Rosario (.276, 32, 109), CF Max Kepler (.252, 36, 90), 1B C.J. Cron (.253, 25, 78), RF Marwin Gonzalez (.264, 15, 55) or Jake Cave (.258, 8, 25 in 72 games) or LaMonte Wade Jr. (.196, 2, 5, 11 walks in 69 PAs), 2B Jonathan Schoop (.256, 23, 59) or Luis Arraez (.334, 4, 28 in 92 games).Yankees:... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at New York, 7:07 p.m. (MLB); Game 2, Saturday, at New York, 5:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1 or MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at New York, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Yankees won 4-2.___Projected Lineups:Twins: C Mitch Garver (.273, 31 HRs, 67 RBIs, .630 slugging percentage in 93 games), SS Jorge Polanco (.295, 22, 79, 40 2Bs), DH Nelson Cruz (.311, 41, 108, .639 slugging percentage in 120 games), 3B Miguel Sanó (.247, 34, 79, 159 Ks in 105 games), LF Eddie Rosario (.276, 32, 109), CF Max Kepler (.252, 36, 90), 1B C.J. Cron (.253, 25, 78), RF Marwin Gonzalez (.264, 15, 55) or Jake Cave (.258, 8, 25 in 72 games) or LaMonte Wade Jr. (.196, 2, 5, 11 walks in 69 PAs), 2B Jonathan Schoop (.256, 23, 59) or Luis Arraez (.334, 4, 28 in 92 games).Yankees:... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at New York, 7:07 p.m. (MLB); Game 2, Saturday, at New York, 5:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1 or MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Minnesota, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at New York, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Yankees won 4-2.___Projected Lineups:Twins: C Mitch Garver (.273, 31 HRs, 67 RBIs, .630 slugging percentage in 93 games), SS Jorge Polanco (.295, 22, 79, 40 2Bs), DH Nelson Cruz (.311, 41, 108, .639 slugging percentage in 120 games), 3B Miguel Sanó (.247, 34, 79, 159 Ks in 105 games), LF Eddie Rosario (.276, 32, 109), CF Max Kepler (.252, 36, 90), 1B C.J. Cron (.253, 25, 78), RF Marwin Gonzalez (.264, 15, 55) or Jake Cave (.258, 8, 25 in 72 games) or LaMonte Wade Jr. (.196, 2, 5, 11 walks in 69 PAs), 2B Jonathan Schoop (.256, 23, 59) or Luis Arraez (.334, 4, 28 in 92 games).Yankees:... [More]

DENVER (AP) — Tough times and bad timing defined the Colorado Rockies' hugely disappointing season that began with high hopes of ending the Dodgers' dominance out West but unraveled under the dual demons of frustration and failure.The pitching was horrendous, from the starters to the closers. Ace Kyle Freeland's mystifying plunge produced a cascading effect on the pitching staff and led to a bullpen implosion.The bats couldn't bail out the Blake Street Blunders once superstar Nolan Arenado endured a mid-summer slump."This is obviously not the season that we wanted to have," shortstop Trevor Story said as the Rockies wrapped up a 71-91 campaign that ended their two-year playoff run and sent them into an offseason of uncertainty. "We had some high expectations that we really didn't come close to meeting.""I thought we were going to be good," Arenado agreed.Although, he acknowledges that the Rockies sort of saw this coming when the front office let DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino leave last... [More]

Angels third. Matt Thaiss strikes out swinging. David Fletcher singles to right field. Andrelton Simmons walks. David Fletcher to second. Albert Pujols singles to left field. Andrelton Simmons to second. David Fletcher scores. Kole Calhoun walks. Albert Pujols to second. Andrelton Simmons to third. Kevan Smith singles to center field. Kole Calhoun to second. Albert Pujols to third. Andrelton Simmons scores. Brian Goodwin pops out to second base to DJ LeMahieu. Taylor Ward reaches on a fielder's choice to second base. Kevan Smith out at second.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Angels 2, Yankees 0.Yankees third. DJ LeMahieu walks. Aaron Judge homers to center field. DJ LeMahieu scores. Gleyber Torres doubles to deep left field. Didi Gregorius flies out to shallow right field to Kole Calhoun. Giancarlo Stanton grounds out to second base, David Fletcher to Albert Pujols. Gleyber Torres to third. Luke Voit called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Angels 2, Yankees 2.Angels... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dellin Betances' season appears to be over after just eight pitches.The New York Yankees reliever partially tore the Achilles tendon in his left foot when he hopped on the mound after striking out Brandon Drury, the second and final batter he faced in his season debut Sunday at Toronto.Betances appeared to think it was the third out of the inning and landed awkwardly on the artificial turf at Rogers Centre . He had a smile on his face and wasn't aware of the injury."It's about as freak as it can be," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.Betances was sore when he arrived at Yankee Stadium before Tuesday's game , and the team was concerned when he was unable to get on his toes.Betances was sent for a scan and examined by Dr. Justin Greisberg at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and he will get a second opinion from Dr. Martin O'Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery. At this point, the Yankees said the recommendation is to treat the injury conservatively, but the team said the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo was pulled from a game Sunday with a sprained right ankle, putting a damper on the Chicago Cubs' 16-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that completed a three-game sweep.Rizzo was injured fielding a bunt at first base, had to be helped off the field and could not put pressure on the leg. X-rays taken at Wrigley Field showed no fractures. He'll get an MRI on Monday.Chicago's postseason pursuit has already been hindered by an injury to shortstop Javier Báez, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture of his left thumb.The Cubs maintained their one-game lead over Milwaukee for the second NL wild card.Kris Bryant homered twice, and Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Jonathan Lucroy also connected for the Cubs, who outscored the Pirates 47-15 in the series.Brad Wieck (1-1) struck out both batters he faced. Trevor Williams (7-7) allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings.DODGERS 3, METS 2NEW YORK (AP) — Jedd Gyorko came off the... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo was pulled from a game Sunday with a sprained right ankle, putting a damper on the Chicago Cubs' 16-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that completed a three-game sweep.Rizzo was injured fielding a bunt at first base, had to be helped off the field and could not put pressure on the leg. X-rays taken at Wrigley Field showed no fractures. He'll get an MRI on Monday.Chicago's postseason pursuit has already been hindered by an injury to shortstop Javier Báez, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a hairline fracture of his left thumb.The Cubs maintained their one-game lead over Milwaukee for the second NL wild card.Kris Bryant homered twice, and Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber and Jonathan Lucroy also connected for the Cubs, who outscored the Pirates 47-15 in the series.Brad Wieck (1-1) struck out both batters he faced. Trevor Williams (7-7) allowed seven runs in 2 1/3 innings.BREWERS 7, CARDINALS 6ST. LOUIS (AP) — Ryan Braun overcame... [More]

Yankees second. Gary Sanchez lines out to third base to Rafael Devers. Edwin Encarnacion singles to left center field. Gleyber Torres homers to center field. Edwin Encarnacion scores. Brett Gardner flies out to center field to Jackie Bradley Jr.. Luke Voit grounds out to second base, Brock Holt to Mitch Moreland.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Yankees 2, Red sox 0.Yankees third. Mike Tauchman doubles to shallow left field. DJ LeMahieu singles to shortstop. Aaron Judge singles to deep left field. DJ LeMahieu to third. Mike Tauchman scores. Didi Gregorius pops out to shallow right field to Brock Holt. Gary Sanchez grounds out to shallow infield, Rafael Devers to Mitch Moreland. Aaron Judge to second. DJ LeMahieu scores. Edwin Encarnacion grounds out to third base, Rafael Devers to Mitch Moreland.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Yankees 4, Red sox 0.Red sox third. Sandy Leon singles to left field. Jackie Bradley Jr. homers to left field. Sandy Leon scores. Mookie Betts flies out to... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Josh Donaldson homered against Sean Doolittle in the top of the 10th, and the Atlanta Braves pulled out a 5-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday to take two of three in the series and pad their NL East lead to 6 1/2 games.After the Nationals scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, Donaldson swatted a fastball from Doolittle over the center-field wall for his 25th homer of the season.Adam Duvall homered for the fourth time in five games. Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Tyler Flowers also drove in runs for the Braves, who won consecutive series in Washington for the first time since 2013. They also won two of three in late June.Atlanta got another quality road start from Mike Soroka (10-2), who pitched seven innings and allowed just three hits, including a leadoff homer to Juan Soto in the second.Washington starter Aníbal Sánchez (6-6) could not keep pace, allowing four runs on 10 hits in five innings of work.YANKEES 7, DIAMONDBACKS 5NEW... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Mike Leake of the Seattle Mariners lost his bid to pitch a perfect game on a leadoff single in the ninth inning by rookie Luis Rengifo, then finished off the Los Angeles Angels for a 10-0 win Friday night.A week after the worst start of his career, Leake almost achieved baseball immortality.The Angels hadn't come close to a hit and Leake hadn't gone to a three-ball count before Rengifo grounded a clean hit to right field on Leake's 79th pitch.The fans gave Leake a standing ovation and he quickly waved to acknowledge their cheers.After a walk, Leake (8-8) retired the next three batters for a one-hitter, striking out Mike Trout on a full-count pitch to end it. Leake fanned six overall and walked one.Leake's second career shutout came exactly a week after he was tagged by the Angels in his previous start, giving up seven runs on eight hits and a walk while getting just two outs. The Angels pitched a combined no-hitter that night in Anaheim while the entire club wore jerseys... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Josh Donaldson's bases-loaded single off Fernando Rodney in the ninth inning lifted the Atlanta Braves over the Washington Nationals 4-3 on Friday night after Luke Jackson allowed a tying, two-run homer to Victor Robles in the top half.Ronald Acuña Jr., who had three hits, led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk off Rodney (0-3) and took second on Dansby Swanson's single. Freddie Freeman walked on four pitches, loading the bases.Nationals manager Dave Martinez brought in left fielder Juan Soto as a fifth infielder, including three on the left side against the right-handed hitting Donaldson.Donaldson hit a 2-0 pitch over Robles to center-field warning track, and the Braves boosted their NL East lead to 6½ games over the second-place Nationals. Atlanta had lost its previous five home games against Washington.YANKEES 8, ROCKIES 2NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Encarnación hit a go-ahead grand slam, a trio of ex-Rockies beat up on their former team and New York defeated Colorado.Encarnación... [More]