LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Turner homered in the sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their World Series ring ceremony day with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday. Walker Buehler (1-0) pitched six strong innings as the Dodgers won a tidy pitchers’ duel in their home opener without injured star outfielders Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger. Joe Ross threw five scoreless innings for the Nationals, who lost their third straight after starting the season late and short-handed due to coronavirus cases and quarantines. Former Los Angeles reliever Luis Avilán (0-1) got the loss. The Dodgers received their World Series championship rings in a pregame event in front of the fans who weren’t allowed inside Dodger Stadium in 2020 while their franchise won its seventh title. Clayton Kershaw, Betts and their teammates were cheered by a pandemic-limited sellout crowd of 15,036 while they got their jewelry at Chavez Ravine. Corey Knebel struck out the side in the ninth for... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Infielder Rougned Odor was traded Tuesday from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees for minor league outfielders Antonio Cabello and Josh Stowers. The 27-year-old Odor did not make the Rangers’ opening day roster and was designated for assignment on April 1. He is a left-handed hitter, and the Yankees have a mostly right-handed lineup. “Hopefully we can help him get that talent out that we've seen flash over the years,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Odor is a second baseman but also played third at spring training. He has two guaranteed seasons at $12 million each remaining as part of a $49.5 million, six-year contract. The deal includes a $13.5 million team option for 2023 with a $3 million buyout. Texas will pay the Yankees $11,060,806 to cover all but a prorated share of the $570,500 minimum this year and all but the 2022 minimum, which is still to be negotiated, a cash amount that currently projects to $11,429,500. Texas would pay New York an additional $3 million... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Infielder Rougned Odor was traded Tuesday from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees for minor league outfielders Antonio Cabello and Josh Stowers. The 27-year-old Odor did not make the Rangers’ opening day roster and was designated for assignment on April 1. He is a left-handed hitter, and the Yankees have a mostly right-handed lineup. “Hopefully we can help him get that talent out that we've seen flash over the years,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Odor is a second baseman but also played third at spring training. He has two guaranteed seasons at $12 million each remaining as part of a $49.5 million, six-year contract. The deal includes a $13.5 million team option for 2023 with a $3 million buyout. Texas will pay the Yankees cash to cover most of what Odor is owed. Odor has a .237 career average with 146 homers and 458 RBIs in seven major league seasons. He hit .167 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and batted .200 with two homers... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Infielder Rougned Odor was traded Tuesday from the Texas Rangers to the New York Yankees for minor league outfielders Antonio Cabello and Josh Stowers. The 27-year-old Odor did not make the Rangers’ opening day roster and was designated for assignment on April 1. He is a left-handed hitter, and the Yankees have a mostly right-handed lineup. “Hopefully we can help him get that talent out that we've seen flash over the years,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. Odor is a second baseman but also played third at spring training. He has two guaranteed seasons at $12 million each remaining as part of a $49.5 million, six-year contract. The deal includes a $13.5 million team option for 2023 with a $3 million buyout. Texas will pay the Yankees cash to cover most of what Odor is owed. Odor has a .237 career average with 146 homers and 458 RBIs in seven major league seasons. He hit .167 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and batted .200 with two homers... [More]

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. DODGERS 10, ATHLETICS 3 OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Will Smith homered off the left-field foul pole, Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry each drove in three runs, and Los Angeles pounded winless Oakland. Justin Turner also went deep as the defending World Series champions provided... [More]

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]

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]

NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo Germán was cheered by Yankees fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension but struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing three runs over three innings in New York's 3-1 loss Sunday. Germán hadn’t pitched since Sept. 18, 2019, due to an 81-game ban under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy after an alleged incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. “It was very exciting to be back on a major league mound and compete,” Germán said via translator. “I wanted to stay calm and take it all in. Definitely had some issues in the game today, but overall, exciting.” The 28-year-old was applauded by fans in right field after he bolted out of the dugout for warmups about 35 minutes before first pitch — he pointed and acknowledged them as he sprinted by. He got more cheers from the virus-restricted, sellout crowd of 10,066 after completing a 12-pitch first inning. The right-hander allowed a solo homer to Vladimir Guerrero... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jean Segura hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies over the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in their season opener Thursday. After Nate Jones (0-1) intentionally walked Did Gregorius, Segura hit a bouncer down the third-base line to score Bryce Harper, who began the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a grounder. In the top of the 10th, center fielder Roman Quinn made a perfect throw to the plate to retire Ozzie Albies, who was trying to score on Marcell Ozuna’s fly ball. Catcher J.T. Realmuto caught the ball and slid in front of the plate in one slick motion, successfully blocking Albies’ path. Phillies ace Aaron Nola was one strike away from tossing seven scoreless innings before pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval ripped an 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field to tie it at 2. The Phillies got 3 1/3 scoreless innings from four relievers, with Connor Brogdon (1-0) working the 10th. They had the worst... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Major league home run champion Luke Voit needs knee surgery to repair a partial meniscus tear, an injury that opened a New York Yankees roster spot for Jay Bruce on Saturday as a converted first baseman. Voit will not have any baseball activities for three weeks after the operation on his left knee, manager Aaron Boone said. Voit is expected back in May. “Let’s have the surgery, see how the early days are and then we will be able to evaluate,” Boone said. The injury to Voit, who hit 22 homers in the pandemic-shortened season, played a role in the decision to add Bruce, who attended spring training with a minor league contract. “We're going to be missing Luke but I know Jay Bruce is going to come in and do some special things for us,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “Luke is a big part of this team, big part of this offense. He’s a really vocal guy in the clubhouse who gets us motivated. I’m excited to have Jay Bruce on his team. This is why he came to this team,... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Major league home run champion Luke Voit needs knee surgery to repair a partial meniscus tear, an injury that opened a New York Yankees roster spot for Jay Bruce on Saturday as a converted first baseman. Voit will not have any baseball activities for three weeks after the operation on his left knee, manager Aaron Boone said. Voit is expected back in May. “Let’s have the surgery, see how the early days are and then we will be able to evaluate,” Boone said. The injury to Voit, who hit 22 homers in the pandemic-shortened season, played a role in the decision to add Bruce, who attended spring training with a minor league contract. “We're going to be missing Luke but I know Jay Bruce is going to come in and do some special things for us,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “Luke is a big part of this team, big part of this offense. He’s a really vocal guy in the clubhouse who gets us motivated. I’m excited to have Jay Bruce on his team. This is why he came to this team,... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Major league home run champion Luke Voit needs knee surgery to repair a partial meniscus tear, an injury that opened a New York Yankees roster spot for Jay Bruce on Saturday as a converted first baseman. Voit will not have any baseball activities for three weeks after the operation, manager Aaron Boone said. Voit is expected back in May. “Let’s have the surgery, see how the early days are and then we will be able to evaluate,” Boone said. The injury to Voit, hit 22 homers in the pandemic-shortened season, played a role in the decision to add Bruce, who attended spring training with a minor league contract. Bruce has played 1,510 major league games in the outfield and 54 at first base, including two last season. “It was part of the equation,” Boone said. “So, Jay is with us. I expect him to play a lot and a lot of first base for us. Excited to see what he can do for us.” Bruce gets a contract paying $1.35 million while in the major leagues and $150,000 should he be assigned... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Outfielder Jay Bruce has made the New York Yankees' opening day roster, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The Yankees notified Major League Baseball that Bruce's contract will be selected from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the person said Saturday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been announced. Bruce gets a contract paying $1.35 million while in the major leagues and $150,000 should he be assigned to the minors. He entered Saturday with a .194 average, two homers and three RBIs in 31 at-bats during spring training. Bruce making the team could lead to a trade of outfielder Michael Tauchman, who is out of minor league options. Bruce is a rare left-handed bat on the heavily right-handed Yankees. In their projected batting order, switch-hitting center fielder Aaron Hicks is joined by eight right-handed hitters. Left-handed-hitting outfielder Brett Gardner, projected as a reserve behind Clint Frazier,... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Corey Kluber overcame occasional wildness, allowing two runs and four hits over four innings in his second start, and the New York Yankees beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday. Kluber is a two-time Cy Young Award winner with his third team in three years. He has thrown one inning since being hit on the right forearm by a comebacker in May 2019, none since tearing a muscle in his right shoulder in his Texas debut last July 26. That injury ended his season after one inning. Kluber hit two batters, threw a wild pitch and allowed a third-inning solo homer to Troy Stokes Jr. He struck out two in an outing when the Pirates went down in order just once. “Some pitches, probably, could have been located a little better, been a little sharper” Kluber said. “The home run, first pitch, left it a little too much over the plate. Definitely some stuff to work on. Fine tuning location, things like that.” “I was happy with the way I felt physically,” he said. The right-hander allowed... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Corey Kluber overcame occasional wildness, allowing two runs and four hits over four innings in his second start, and the New York Yankees beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 on Saturday. Kluber is a two-time Cy Young Award winner with his third team in three years. He has thrown one inning since being hit on the right forearm by a comebacker in May 2019, none since tearing a muscle in his right shoulder in his Texas debut last July 26. That injury ended his season after one inning. Kluber hit two batters, threw a wild pitch and allowed a third-inning solo homer to Troy Stokes Jr. He struck out two in an outing when the Pirates went down in order just once. “Some pitches, probably, could have been located a little better, been a little sharper” Kluber said. “The home run, first pitch, left it a little too much over the plate. Definitely some stuff to work on. Fine tuning location, things like that.” “I was happy with the way I felt physically,” he said. The right-hander allowed... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Domingo Germán pitched two scoreless innings for the New York Yankees in his spring training debut Friday, a week after publicly apologizing for actions that led to his 2019 suspension under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. There was no noticeable reaction from the socially distanced crowd of 2,352 at Steinbrenner Field when Germán took the mound to start against the Detroit Tigers. "I felt welcomed,” Germán said through a translator. Germán struck out four and allowed one hit, a double by Wilson Ramos. The 28-year-old righty walked none. “Exciting to be back on the field, be back with my teammates,” Germán said. ”I felt relaxed, confident.” Germán was 18-4 with a 4.03 ERA for the Yankees when MLB put him on administrative leave while investigating an alleged domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child. Germán missed the final nine games of the regular season and all nine of New York’s playoff games. On Jan.... [More]

Jay Bruce made it to the New York Yankees, 3 1/2 years later than he first thought. Bruce had just reached a Philadelphia hotel room after a train ride that followed a hitless afternoon in the New York Mets’ loss to Texas at Citi Field on Aug. 9, 2017. He was with his family and hearing talk he was about to be dealt to the Yankees. Then that swap fell through and he was sent to Cleveland for minor league pitcher Ryder Ryan. “I wanted to go somewhere I had an opportunity to win a World Series,” he recalled. Two weeks later, the Indians started a winning streak that extended for an American League-record 22 games. “So I was extremely happy being in Cleveland. I would have been extremely happy being in New York,” Bruce said Friday at spring training in Tampa, Florida. “That’s why I absolutely picked the Yankees now, because I want to win the World Series.” Bruce agreed this month to a minor league contract that would pay a $1.35 million salary while in the major leagues and $150,000 while... [More]

In Brett Gardner’s mind, he’s a starter, even though he knows the New York Yankees project him as Clint Frazier's backup in left field. “I’ve always kind of gone into it with the mindset of having to fight for playing time, whether it was a young guy trying to beat out a guy like Melky Cabera or Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, even guy like Bobby Abreu,” the 37-year-old Gardner said Thursday at spring training. Gardner, the longest-tenured Yankee, returned for a 14th season with a contract finalized Tuesday. He mentors the 26-year-old Frazier, who last year put behind a 2018 spring training concussion and vastly improved his defense. “He’s such a good teammate. He’s such a jokester, like he’s a little kid,” Frazier said. “I swear he’s more immature than I am. He makes you feel comfortable, and he makes everyone around him better. There is still things that he can teach me as a player, teach me as a man moving forward.” Gardner is the last link to the Yankees’ 2009 title. He hit .223 with five... [More]