Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman threw a 101 mph fastball near the head of pinch-hitter Michael Brosseau while closing out his first save of the season, prompting the benches to empty after New York ended a six-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night.Chapman’s first pitch to Brosseau with two outs in the ninth inning whizzed past Brosseau’s head, and umpires met before issuing warnings to both benches amid a budding rivalry that’s been dominated this season by Tampa Bay. Chapman struck out Brosseau to end it, and Brosseau began walking toward the visiting dugout before turning back to exchange words with someone on the Yankees. The dugouts and benches emptied and players gathered near home plate, but they mostly kept their distance before dispersing to their respective clubhouses.DJ LeMahieu homered twice, and Gio Urshela hit a tiebreaking, three-run Little League homer in the sixth inning as New York beat the Rays at Yankee Stadium for the first time... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit a grand slam with one out in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Texas Rangers for the third straight game, 6-3 Wednesday night.Machado’s 11th career grand slam and sixth walkoff homer came off Rafael Montero (0-1), whose only out in the 10th came on pinch-hitter Greg Garcia’s sacrifice.Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit his MLB-leading 12th homer earlier, drew a walk off Montero to load the bases ahead of Machado, who hit his sixth homer of the season.The Padres have hit grand slams in three straight games for the first time in club history.Texas had gone ahead 3-2 in the top of the inning when Willie Calhoun’s dribbler in front of the plate off Tim Hill (1-0) scored Nick Solak with two outs.Joey Gallo had tied the game at 2 with a homer off Matt Strahm leading off the ninth, his seventh. The Padres beat the Rangers in Arlington on Monday and Tuesday.Roughned Odor homered off Chris Paddack with one out in the second, his third.INDIANS 6, PIRATES... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The positive COVID-19 test that forced the Cincinnati Reds to postpone their two games against Pittsburgh over the weekend has also forced the Royals' Matt Harvey to delay his year-long wait to return to a big league mound.The Reds and Royals were supposed to begin a two-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday night, but Major League Baseball decided to postpone the game to give Cincinnati more time for testing. Now, the clubs will play a doubleheader Wednesday with the first seven-inning game taking place at 4:05 p.m. CDT and the second about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game..“It's not strange. It's more exciting than anything,” said Harvey, who pitched against the Royals for the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series, and will be starting Game 2 against Trevor Bauer (2-0) after looking good at the club's alternate training site.Harvey hasn't pitched since the Los Angeles Angels released him last July.“A couple years ago there was probably going to... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The positive COVID-19 test that forced the Cincinnati Reds to postpone their two games against Pittsburgh over the weekend has also forced the Royals' Matt Harvey to delay his year-long wait to return to a big league mound.The Reds and Royals were supposed to begin a two-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday night, but Major League Baseball decided to postpone the game to give Cincinnati more time for testing. Now, the clubs will play a doubleheader Wednesday with the first seven-inning game taking place at 4:05 p.m. CDT and the second about 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game..“It's not strange. It's more exciting than anything,” said Harvey, who pitched against the Royals for the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series, and will be starting Game 2 against Trevor Bauer (2-0) after looking good at the club's alternate training site.Harvey hasn't pitched since the Los Angeles Angels released him last July.“A couple years ago there was probably going to... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The positive COVID-19 test that forced the Cincinnati Reds to postpone their two games against Pittsburgh over the weekend has also forced the Royals' Matt Harvey to delay his year-long wait to return to a big league mound.The Reds and Royals were supposed to begin a two-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday night, but Major League Baseball decided to postpone the game to give Cincinnati more time for testing. Now, the clubs will play a doubleheader Wednesday with the first seven-inning game taking place at 4:05 p.m. CT and the second about 30 minutes later.“It's not strange. It's more exciting than anything,” said Harvey, who pitched against the Royals for the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series, and will be starting Game 2 after looking good at the club's alternate training site.Harvey hasn't pitched since the Los Angeles Angels released him last July.“A couple years ago there was probably going to be a few more fans that game than there will be,” Harvey said.... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals signed former All-Star Matt Harvey to a minor league contract.The Royals announced the move before Tuesday night's game at Detroit. The 31-year-old Harvey has struggled to recapture the form that made him a key member of the New York Mets when they faced Kansas City in the 2015 World Series.Harvey went 3-5 with a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts for the Los Angeles Angels last year. The right-hander made 28 starts the previous season for the Mets and Cincinnati Reds.Harvey was an All-Star in 2013 and helped the Mets to the World Series two years later after returning from Tommy John surgery. He hasn't had a winning season since and has struggled to stay healthy.___More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

June 201912 — The New York Giants outslugged the Boston Braves 21-12 with the teams scoring a total of 17 runs in the ninth inning. The Giants scored seven runs to take a 21-2 lead and the Braves scored 10 runs in the ninth.1932 — Philadelphia’s Doc Cramer hit six singles in six at-bats and Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx and Mule Haas each drove in four runs in the Athletics’ 18-11 win over the Chicago White Sox. Haas hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to put the A’s up 12-6.1951 — Bobby Avila hit three home runs, a double and single in the Cleveland Indians’ 14-8 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.1956 — Mickey Mantle hit two home runs into the right centerfield bleachers at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Mantle hit both blasts off Billy Hoeft in the 7-4 win. He became the first player to reach the bleachers since they were were built in the late 1930s.1973 — San Francisco’s Bobby Bonds broke Lou Brock’s National League record for leadoff home runs. Bonds’ 22nd career leadoff home run... [More]

April 191900 — The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Braves 19-17 in 10 innings to set a major league record for most runs scored by two clubs on opening day. The Braves scored nine runs in the ninth inning to put the game into extra innings.1920 — Al Schacht, who later became the “Clown Prince of Baseball,” was all business as he pitched the Senators to a 7-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.1938 — Emmett Mueller of the Phillies and Ernie Koy of the visiting Dodgers each homered in their first major league at-bats as Brooklyn defeated Philadelphia 12-5.1956 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 in 10 innings at Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium, the first major league game held in New Jersey.1981 — In an International League night game, the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox played to a 2-2 tie through 32 innings before play was suspended at 4:07 a.m. The game was completed later in the season with Pawtucket scoring the winning run in the 33rd inning... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The shutdown that shook baseball paid off for Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.It just took seven seasons.Strasburg was voted MVP of the World Series following the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday night, the first title in the 51 seasons of the Washington/Montreal Expos franchise.Ending the most prolific of 10 big league seasons for the 31-year-old right-hander, Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts and one relief appearance, including victories in Games 2 and 6 of the Series.Long after Strasburg was shut down because of an innings limit following Tommy John surgery, he helped lead the Nationals to the championship."I slept like a baby when we made the decision," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. "I knew more information than the people criticizing. I've got a pretty thick skin being in the game this long."Selected by Washington with the first pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Strasburg... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The shutdown that shook baseball paid off for Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.It just took seven seasons.Strasburg was voted MVP of the World Series following the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday night, the first title in the 51 seasons of the Washington/Montreal Expos franchise.Ending the most prolific of 10 big league seasons for the 31-year-old right-hander, Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts and one relief appearance, including victories in Games 2 of 6 of the Series.Seven years after Strasburg was shut down because of an innings limit following Tommy John surgery, he helped lead the Nationals to the championship."I slept like a baby when we made the decision," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. "I knew more information than the people criticizing. I've got a pretty thick skin being in the game this long."Selected by Washington with the first pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Strasburg... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — General manager Billy Eppler said the Los Angeles Angels' abrupt firing of manager Brad Ausmus wasn't all about Joe Maddon.In his first comments on the move made after the club finished its worst season since 1999, Eppler flatly denied the Angels already know who will be their second new manager in two seasons.The availability of Maddon, the longtime Angels employee who wrapped up his World Series-winning tenure with the Chicago Cubs last weekend, wasn't a factor in the Angels' move, according to Eppler."We have a hiring process to go through, so I think it's premature to say anything contrary to that," Eppler said. "We're going to collect names this afternoon, and particularly plan on sitting down with a number of candidates. I would not handicap it any other way at this moment in time."Maddon spent 31 seasons working for the Halos, and he was their bench coach when they won their only World Series title in 2002. Maddon and Angels owner Arte Moreno have a cordial... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Manager Brad Ausmus has been fired by the Los Angeles Angels after just one difficult season in charge.Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the decision to move on swiftly from Ausmus on Monday, a day after they finished 72-90 for the franchise's worst record since 1999.The dismissal of Ausmus immediately sparked speculation that former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, who parted ways with the Chicago Cubs one day earlier, will return to the franchise where he spent three decades of his career.A candidate of Maddon's magnitude would be an obvious reason for such an abrupt change of plan by the Angels, who have had four consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 1993-96. Maddon was with the Angels when Arte Moreno bought the ballclub in 2003, and the two have a cordial relationship.Ausmus got a three-year contract last October as the Angels' hand-picked replacement for Mike Scioscia, who spent 19 years on the Angels' bench and won their only World Series... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Manager Brad Ausmus has been fired by the Los Angeles Angels after just one season in charge.Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the decision to move on swiftly from Ausmus on Monday, a day after they finished 72-90 for the franchise's worst record since 1999.The dismissal of Ausmus has sparked speculation that former bench coach Joe Maddon, who was let go by the Cubs this weekend, will take over as the Angels' manager.Ausmus was the Angels' hand-picked replacement last October for Mike Scioscia, who spent 19 years on the Angels' bench and won their only World Series title in 2002.After Ausmus was let go by the Detroit Tigers in late 2017 following four seasons as their manager, he spent the 2018 season as a special adviser to Eppler, gaining comprehensive insight into every level of the organization.But that knowledge didn't translate to wins as the 17th manager in the franchise history of the Angels, who regressed in his sole season with a poor pitching... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles Angels are picking up the option on general manager Billy Eppler's contract for next season.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because the move has not been announced.Eppler is in his fourth year with the Angels. They began the day with a 64-71 record and appear headed for their fifth straight losing season. The Angels haven't been to the playoffs since 2014.Eppler signed two-time AL MVP Mike Trout to a 10-year, $360 million contract extension before the season. But his free-agent signees for this year — catcher Jonathan Lucroy, pitcher Matt Harvey and reliever Cody Allen — are no longer with the club.Eppler spoke before the Angels' game against the Boston Red Sox about the findings into the July 1 death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. A Texas coroner said in his report that Skaggs died with a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that the Los Angeles Angels are picking up the option on general manager Billy Eppler's contract for next season.The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because the move has not been announced.Eppler is in his fourth year with the Angels. They began the day with a 64-71 record and appear headed for their fifth straight losing season. The Angels haven't been to the playoffs since 2014.Eppler signed two-time AL MVP Mike Trout to a 10-year, $360 million contract extension before the season. But his free-agent signees for this year — catcher Jonathan Lucroy, pitcher Matt Harvey and reliever Cody Allen — are no longer with the club.Eppler spoke before the Angels' game against the Boston Red Sox about the findings into the July 1 death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. A Texas coroner said in his report that Skaggs died with a toxic mix of alcohol and the powerful painkillers fentanyl and oxycodone in his system.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Aug. 181915 — Boston opened Braves Field with a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.1931 — New York's Lou Gehrig played in his 1,000th consecutive game. Gehrig went hitless in the 5-4 loss to Detroit.1948 — Brooklyn's Rex Barney pitched a one-hitter for a 1-0 win over Robin Roberts and the Philadelphia Phillies at Shibe Park.1956 — The Cincinnati Reds hit eight home runs and the Milwaukee Braves added two to set a National League record for home runs by two clubs in a nine-inning night game. Bob Thurman's three homers and double led the Reds in the 13-4 rout.1960 — Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves pitched a no-hitter, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0. Burdette faced the minimum 27 batters.1965 — Hank Aaron of Milwaukee hit Curt Simmons' pitch on top of the pavilion roof at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis for an apparent home run. However, umpire Chris Pelekoudas called him out for being out of the batter's box when he connected. Nevertheless, the Braves won the game 5-3.1967... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — The Los Angeles Angels gave up on their $11 million investment in Matt Harvey, designating the 30-year-old right-hander for assignment on Friday.Harvey was 3-5 with a 7.09 ERA in 12 starts. He gave up six runs, seven hits and five walks over six innings in a 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday night."The decision was made because we felt like it would increase our chance of winning games," Angels manager Brad Ausmus said after discussing the move with general manager Billy Eppler. "Matt was a very well-liked teammate, a guy that everyone pulled for, including myself. But we're in the business of winning baseball games. In talking to Billy, we just felt like this was the best move to make in order to help us win games."Once dubbed The Dark Knight, Harvey was among baseball's most dominant starters for a time with the New York Mets. He started the 2013 All-Star Game at Citi Field but hurt his elbow later that summer and never consistently regained his 98 mph fastball... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees manager Aaron Boone got fired up at a rookie umpire in a profane rant, and New York awoke from a sleepy start to rally past the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 in a doubleheader opener Thursday.New York rallied to win the second game 5-1 and reopen an eight-game AL East lead over the second-place Rays. Luke Voit tied the score in the fifth with his first home run since June 14, and catcher Mike Zunino caused Charlie Morton to balk home the tiebreaking run in a four-run sixth that included Didi Gregorius' two-run single. The Yankees won three straight after wasting a ninth-inning lead in the series opener and improved to 34-11 against the AL East, including 12-5 against Tampa Bay.After Domingo Germán (12-2) gave up solo homers to his first two batters in the first game, Gio Urshela hit a tying home run in the second off Yonny Chirinos (9-5), and Gary Sánchez smashed a go-ahead 110 mph single off the glove of third baseman Yandy Díaz during a three-run fifth. Díaz had helped the... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:REMEMBER WHENRed Sox left-hander Chris Sale faces the Dodgers for the first time since he came out of the bullpen to finish last year's World Series, striking out the side in the ninth inning of Boston's 5-1 victory in Game 5. Sale struggled in his final two starts before the All-Star break, allowing 10 runs and 15 hits in 11 2/3 innings. Ross Stripling pitches for NL-leading Los Angeles.ON THE MENDAll-Star infielder Alex Bregman could return to Houston's starting lineup after he took a groundball off his chin during the Astros' 5-0 loss at Texas on Thursday night. Manager AJ Hinch says Bregman, who needed four stitches, has been evaluated a couple of times since getting hit and is doing OK. He says Bregman "has not been diagnosed with a concussion at all." Bregman was playing shortstop in the series opener when a grounder by Shin-Soo Choo popped up and hit him below his mouth in the third inning. Bregman, the team's primary third baseman,... [More]

June 231917 — In baseball's greatest relief effort, Ernie Shore of the Boston Red Sox relieved pitcher Babe Ruth with nobody out and a man on first. The base runner was cut down stealing and Shore retired all 26 batters he faced to gain a 4-0 victory over Washington. Ruth walked Eddie Foster to open the game and was ejected after arguing with umpire Brick Owens.1930 — Hack Wilson drove in six runs on five hits, including the cycle, to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 21-8 rout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field.1950 — Hoot Evers' game-winning home run in the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 10-9 victory over the New York Yankees as the teams combined for 11 home runs, a major league record. The Yankees hit six and the Tigers five.1961 — The Philadelphia Phillies overcame two, nine-run, deficits to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-11. The Phillies trailed 9-0 and 11-2 before they scored four runs in eighth and six runs in ninth.1963 — Jimmie Piersall, playing for the Mets in New... [More]