Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson and the Boys of Summer. Ted Williams to Yaz and the Impossible Dream.Manny Ramirez. Pedro Martinez. Bill Buckner.Fenway Franks and Dodger Dogs. Ebbets Field, the Green Monster. "Sweet Caroline" or "I Love L.A."Yet for all their rich history — dating back to Babe Ruth on the mound — the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have rarely crossed paths heading into this World Series. Only once before in October, and that was more than a century ago.In fact, Clayton Kershaw has never even pitched at Fenway Park.Consider this: Going into Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Dodgers have beaten the Red Sox in Boston just one time.That came on June 12, 2004. And guess who scored and drove in a run for the Dodgers during that 14-5 romp?Alex Cora, now the rookie manager of the Red Sox. One of his teammates that afternoon — Dave Roberts, ready to lead Los Angeles into its second straight Fall Classic."Two storied franchises, that draw more interest," Red Sox second baseman Ian... [More]

A look at the best-of-seven World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Tuesday, at Boston, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Wednesday, at Boston, 8:09 p.m.; Game 3, Friday, at Los Angeles, 8:09 p.m.; Game 4, Saturday, at Los Angeles, 8:09 p.m.; x-Game 5, Sunday, Oct. 28, at Los Angeles, 8:15 p.m.; x-Game 6, Tuesday, Oct. 30, at Boston, 8:09 p.m.; x-Game 7, Wednesday, Oct. 31, at Boston, 8:09 p.m.x-if necessary.___Season Series: Did not play.___Projected Lineups:Dodgers: 1B-DH David Freese (.282, 9 HRs, 42 RBIs with Pirates; .385, 2, 9 with Dodgers) or 1B-2B-DH Max Muncy (.263, 35, 79, .958 OPS), 3B Justin Turner (.312, 14, 52), SS Manny Machado (.315, 24, 65, .963 OPS with Orioles; .273, 13, 42, .825 OPS with Dodgers), CF-1B Cody Bellinger (.260, 25, 76, 151 Ks in 162 games), LF Chris Taylor (.254, 17, 63, team-high 178 Ks in 155 games) or Joc Pederson (.248, 25, 56) or Matt Kemp (.290, 21, 85, 115 Ks in 146 games), RF Yasiel Puig (.267, 23, 63),... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — With a championship at stake, AL MVP favorite Mookie Betts is ready to do anything manager Alex Cora asks.Even if that means dusting off his infielder's mitt.Cora said Saturday he might use the Gold Glove right fielder at second base during the World Series, a move that would make space in the lineup for slugger J.D. Martinez when the series shifts to Dodger Stadium.Martinez has two homers and nine RBIs as Boston's designated hitter this postseason, and when Boston loses the DH under National League rules in Los Angeles, Cora has to find a spot for him on the field. His best position is right field, but that's also where Betts has played while winning two straight Gold Gloves.So Betts may be moving to the dirt."A.C. has never steered us wrong," Betts said. "Naturally, if he trusts me then I should believe in myself. That's what it takes to win. I'll do whatever."Boston learned its World Series opponent Saturday night when the Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 in Game... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — With a championship at stake, MVP favorite Mookie Betts is ready to do anything manager Alex Cora asks.Even if that means dusting off his infielder's mitt.Cora said Saturday he may use the Gold Glove Award-winning right fielder at second base during the World Series, a move that would make space for slugger J.D. Martinez when the series shifts to an NL park.Martinez has two homers and nine RBIs as Boston's designated hitter this postseason, and when Boston loses the DH for games either at Los Angeles or Milwaukee, Cora has to find space for him on the field. His best position is right field, but that's also where Betts has played while winning two straight Gold Gloves.So Betts may be moving to the dirt."A.C. has never steered us wrong," Betts said. "Naturally, if he trusts me then I should believe in myself. That's what it takes to win. I'll do whatever."Boston was set to learn its World Series opponent Saturday night when the Dodgers and Brewers played Game 7 of the NL Championship... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Carlos Correa has been moved from seventh to fourth in the Houston Astros' batting order for Game 5 of the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.Astros manager AJ Hinch made the switch for his team's must-win game Thursday night after Correa had three hits and drove in two runs in Game 4. It was the first multi-hit game this postseason for Correa, the shortstop who has struggled with back problems for months."At the end of the day he's a middle-of-the-order bat. I've been wanting to get him back in the middle of the order," Hinch said. "Why not now? There may be no tomorrow, literally."Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland, who injured his right hamstring in Game 2 of the AL Division Series, gets his first start in the ALCS.Alex Bregman was still in the leadoff spot for Houston and Jose Altuve was the designated hitter for the third game in a row because of his bruised right knee."He's playing on one leg. If this was the regular season there's no way he could play,"... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman is in the leadoff spot for the Houston Astros in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox after batting third in the team's first six playoff games.Houston manager AJ Hinch made the change after the Red Sox walked Bregman seven times combined in the first three games of this series. Hinch made the change with the Astros trailing 2-1 going into Wednesday's matchup."I've never seen someone pitch any of our players the way that they're pitching Bregman. And that's a credit to their game plan but also they'll have a whole lineup behind him to deal with now," Hinch said.Bregman hit leadoff 12 times in the regular season but mostly batted second with 96 games in that spot. The change leaves former leadoff hitter George Springer in the second spot in the order, Jose Altuve hitting third and Marwin Gonzalez batting cleanup.Hinch says he likes the idea of speedy No. 9 hitter Tony Kemp batting before Bregman later in the game.Hinch says: "We'll give... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Gerrit Cole struggled at the beginning of his second playoff start with the Houston Astros.By the time he recovered, it was too late. Boston was well on its way to a big win.Cole's electric fastball was lined all over Fenway Park and he also committed a costly error in his first career appearance in the AL Championship Series, losing 7-5 to the Red Sox in Game 2 on Sunday."You know early, I thought he was a little over-amped," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He was pretty excited — a lot of energy, wasn't (executing) a ton of pitches."One night after Justin Verlander pitched Houston to a 7-2 victory in the series opener, Cole was unable to duplicate the success of his fellow hard-throwing right-hander. The 28-year-old Cole allowed a season-high five runs and surrendered six hits — all of them on fastballs — in six innings.Game 3 is Tuesday in Houston.Cole said his main trouble in the first inning was his inability to get his breaking pitches over the plate."I was just not... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Gerrit Cole struggled at the beginning of his second playoff start with the Houston Astros.By the time he recovered, it was too late. Boston was well on its way to a big win.Cole's electric fastball was lined all over Fenway Park and he also committed a costly error in his first career appearance in the AL Championship Series, losing 7-5 to the Red Sox in Game 2 on Sunday.One night after Justin Verlander pitched Houston to a 7-2 victory in the series opener, Cole was unable to duplicate the success of his fellow hard-throwing right-hander. The 28-year-old Cole allowed a season-high five runs and six hits — all of them on fastballs — in six innings.Game 3 is Tuesday in Houston.Cole went 15-5 with a 2.88 ERA in his first season with Houston after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh, helping the World Series champion Astros return to the playoffs with a second straight AL West title.He was terrific in the AL Division Series against Cleveland, striking out 12 while pitching... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has shuffled his lineup for Game 2 against the Houston Astros, putting infielders Ian Kinsler and Rafael Devers and catcher Christian Vazquez in the starting lineup for the first time in the AL Championship Series.Devers was batting sixth and playing third base in place of Eduardo Nunez, who had a fielding error and let a two-run single go by him in Boston's 7-2 loss Saturday night in Game 1. Kinsler was batting seventh in place of Brock Holt, who hit for the first postseason cycle in baseball history in the clincher against the New York Yankees.Vazquez will start in place of Sandy Leon.The Astros did not have any lineup changes, but manager A.J. Hinch said he plans to start Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton in Games 3 and 4.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-seven American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Saturday, at Boston, 8:09 p.m.; Game 2, Sunday, at Boston, 7:09 p.m.; Game 3, Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Houston, 5:09 p.m.; Game 4, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Houston, 8:39 p.m.; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 18, at Houston, 8:09 p.m.; x-Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Boston, 5:09 p.m.; x-Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 21, at Boston, 7:39 p.m. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineup:Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22 HRs, 71 RBIs), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), 1B Yuli Gurriel (.291, 13, 85), LF Marwin Gonzalez (.247, 16, 68), RF Josh Reddick (.242, 17, 47), SS Carlos Correa (.239, 15, 65), DH Tyler White (.276, 12, 42, .888 OPS in 66 games) or Tony Kemp (.263, 6, 30 in 97 games) or Evan Gattis (.226, 25, 78), C Martin Maldonado (.225, 9, 44 for Angels... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora led Boston to a victory over the hated Yankees. Next up for the first-year Red Sox manager: The team he left after winning a World Series as a bench coach last season."I've been talking about them the whole season, so now we go," he said after the Red Sox beat New York 4-3 in Game 4 of the AL Division Series to earn the right to play the Houston Astros for the pennant. "Best of seven. They know me. I know them. It should be fun."An infielder who spent 14 years with six big league teams, Cora was in Houston for one year before the Red Sox made him the first minority manager in franchise history — and one of its youngest, too. His first season is already a success, with a franchise-record 108 victories, a third consecutive AL East title and the team's first playoff series win since 2013.Now he has to do it again — against his former boss, A.J. Hinch, whose Astros swept Cleveland in the ALDS. Games 1 and 2 are Saturday and Sunday before the series moves to Houston for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Becoming the first player to hit for a postseason cycle earned Brock Holt a return to the Boston Red Sox bench.Ian Kinsler was back at second base Tuesday night for Game 4 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees and left-hander CC Sabathia.Holt, a left-handed batter, had four hits and five RBIs in Boston's 16-1 rout Monday night, his first appearance in the series. His cycle came in the 1,562nd postseason game in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau."I told him it's a tough league," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said with a smile. "I talked to him this morning, and he knew. He knew where we were going. Let's see how the game plays out. It's one of those that either we get to CC early and they bring (in) the righties, or we have to grind out at-bats against CC for five innings, and we need the righties. So he'll be ready."The right-handed-hitting Kinsler is 3 for 9 in the series with one RBI and five strikeouts.Cora inserted Eduardo Nunez... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Becoming the first player to hit for a postseason cycle earned Brock Holt a return to the Boston Red Sox bench.Ian Kinsler was back at second base for Game 4 of the AL Division Series on Tuesday night against the New York Yankees and left-hander CC Sabathia.Holt, a left-handed batter, had four hits and five RBIs in Boston's 16-1 rout on Monday night, his first game of the postseason. His cycle came in the major leagues' 1,562nd postseason game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.The right-handed-hitting Kinsler is 3 for 9 with one RBI.Boston manager Alex Cora inserted Eduardo Nunez at third base in place of Rafael Devers, who started Game 3. Christian Vazquez was behind the plate for the second straight night after Sandy Leon started the first two games.Steve Pearce was at first base for the second straight night; Mitch Moreland left Game 2 after hurting his right hamstring while running the bases.Boston leads 2-1 in the best-of-five series.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Austin Romine never expected to replace Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees' closer.A backup catcher, Romine was leaning on the dugout railing and watching New York get blown out by Boston in Game 3 of the AL Division Series when bench coach Josh Bard walked up to him in the eighth inning."Can you throw?" Romine recalled Bard asking."I can try," the seven-year big league veteran replied.Romine became just the second position player to pitch in postseason history. The 29-year-old right-hander — has he ever been called that before? — allowed Brock Holt's two-run ninth-inning homer, completing the first-ever postseason cycle. Romine got the last three outs of New York's 16-1 loss Monday night, the largest margin of defeat for the Yankees in their 396 postseason games."No, I didn't envision myself getting in these playoffs in that role," said Romine, whose previous playoff experience was one start at catcher plus one inning as a late substitute against Houston in last year's AL Championship... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland was out of the lineup for Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees.Moreland, a left-handed hitter with a good glove, was removed from Game 2 after he hurt his right hamstring running the bases. Right-handed hitter Steve Pearce was set to start at first base Monday night at Yankee Stadium against righty Luis Severino."Mitch is available, but he's not 100 percent," manager Alex Cora said.Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks remained out of the lineup after missing Game 2 with tightness in his right hamstring that forced him from the opener Friday night at Fenway Park. New York manager Aaron Boone said Hicks was doing "considerably better," and sitting him was a much more difficult decision than it was Saturday.Brett Gardner was back in center for the Yankees, batting ninth, and first baseman Luke Voit was slotted third in the order again. Boone said he wouldn't hesitate to use Hicks in any role off the bench.Hicks... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland was pulled from Game 2 of Boston's AL Division Series against the Yankees after apparently injuring his right leg while running the bases.Moreland scored on Ian Kinsler's double in the seventh inning Saturday night to pull the Red Sox within 6-2, but he grabbed at his hamstring between third base and home.Moreland was replaced at first base by Steve Pearce in the eighth inning.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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]

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]