CHICAGO (AP) — Glenn Beckert, a four-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s and '70s, died Sunday. He was 79.Citing his family, the Cubs said he died of natural causes in Florida.Playing alongside Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins, Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 and made four straight All-Star teams for Chicago starting in 1969. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971.Beckert batted .283 in 11 seasons with Chicago (1965-73) and the San Diego Padres (1974-75).He is survived by daughters Tracy Seaman and Dana Starck and longtime partner Marybruce Standley. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Glenn Beckert, a four-time All-Star second baseman for the Chicago Cubs in the 1960s and '70s, died Sunday. He was 79.Citing his family, the Cubs said he died of natural causes in Florida.Playing alongside Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ferguson Jenkins, Beckert won a Gold Glove in 1968 and made four straight All-Star teams for Chicago starting in 1969. He had the best strikeout-to-at-bat ratio in the National League five times and finished third in average when he hit a career-high .342 in 1971.Beckert batted .283 in 11 seasons with Chicago (1965-73) and the San Diego Padres (1974-75).He is survived by daughters Tracy Seaman and Dana Starck and longtime partner Marybruce Standley. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

April 91913 — Ebbets Field opened in Brooklyn and Philadelphia defeated the Dodgers 1-0 before a crowd of 10,000. The stadium, which cost $750,000 to build, was named after Charles Ebbets, the club’s principal owner.1947 — Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended for one year by commissioner Happy Chandler for “the accumulation of unpleasant incidents” detrimental to baseball.1959 — The Baltimore Orioles, playing against the Washington Senators, became the first team in history to execute a triple play on opening day. The Senators won the game, 9-2.1965 — The Houston Astrodome opened with an exhibition game between the New York Yankees and Astros. President Johnson attended and Gov. John Connally threw out the first ball. Mickey Mantle hit the first home run, but the Astros won 2-1 in 12 innings.1969 — Billy Williams of Chicago hit four consecutive doubles to lead the Cubs to an 11-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.1974 — San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc criticized his club over... [More]

(April 9)1913 — Ebbets Field opened in Brooklyn and Philadelphia defeated the Dodgers 1-0 before a crowd of 10,000. The stadium, which cost $750,000 to build, was named after Charles Ebbets, the club’s principal owner.1947 — Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended for one year by commissioner Happy Chandler for “the accumulation of unpleasant incidents” detrimental to baseball.1959 — The Baltimore Orioles, playing against the Washington Senators, became the first team in history to execute a triple play on opening day. The Senators won the game, 9-2.1965 — The Houston Astrodome opened with an exhibition game between the New York Yankees and Astros. President Johnson attended and Gov. John Connally threw out the first ball. Mickey Mantle hit the first home run, but the Astros won 2-1 in 12 innings.1969 — Billy Williams of Chicago hit four consecutive doubles to lead the Cubs to an 11-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.1974 — San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc criticized his club over... [More]

April 61972 — For the first time in history, the major leagues failed to open on schedule because of a player strike, which started on April 1. The traditional season opener between Houston and Cincinnati was canceled and a total of 86 games were lost before the strike was settled.1973 — Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees became the first major league designated hitter. With the bases loaded in the first inning, he was walked by pitcher Luis Tiant, but the Red Sox won 15-5.1973 — At the Oakland Coliseum, Tony Oliva became the first designated hitter to homer. The Twins DH hit a two-run shot in the first inning off of Catfish Hunter to Minnesota to an 8-3 win.1974 — Due to renovations at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees' home opener took place at Shea Stadium. It was their first home game outside Yankee Stadium since 1922.1977 — The Seattle Mariners played their first regular-season game and lost 7-0 to the California Angels at the Kingdome.1982 — A freak storm that brought subfreezing... [More]

Marlins second. Starlin Castro homers to center field. Harold Ramirez singles to left field. Isan Diaz homers to right field. Harold Ramirez scores. Austin Dean lines out to shortstop to Sean Rodriguez. Bryan Holaday flies out to right field to Bryce Harper. Sandy Alcantara called out on strikes.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Marlins 3, Phillies 0.Marlins third. Jon Berti singles to center field. Martin Prado homers to left field. Curtis Granderson flies out to left field to Brad Miller. Starlin Castro flies out to center field to Adam Haseley.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Marlins 4, Phillies 0.Phillies third. Nick Williams pinch-hitting for Edgar Garcia. Nick Williams lines out to center field to Harold Ramirez. Cesar Hernandez grounds out to second base, Isan Diaz to Martin Prado. Brad Miller homers to center field. Bryce Harper singles to center field. Rhys Hoskins strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Marlins 4, Phillies 1.Phillies seventh. Cesar Hernandez singles to shallow infield. Brad Miller homers to center field. Cesar Hernandez scores. Bryce Harper strikes out swinging. Rhys Hoskins singles to right center field. Adam Haseley singles to right center field. Rhys Hoskins to second. Maikel Franco pops out to shallow center field to Jon Berti. Andrew Knapp strikes out swinging.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Marlins 4, Phillies 3.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Charlie Morton struck out 11 over seven innings and the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep by beating David Price and Boston 3-2 in a game that the Red Sox protested on Wednesday.Confusion reigned in the top of the eighth when a series of defensive changes involving reliever Adam Kolarek prompted Boston manager Alex Cora to protest the game due to the placement of subs into the Rays lineup after the designated hitter was removed.Kolarek replaced Morton and retired pinch-hitter Sam Travis on a pop fly. The left-hander then shifted to first base when Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in reliever Chaz Roe, who got a fly ball from Mookie Betts.After Kolarek then returned to the mound and Nate Lowe entered to play first base, Cora met with the umpires, which prompted around a 15-minute stoppage as the umpires discussed the matter.After the protest was made and the game resumed, Kolarek got a first-pitch grounder from Rafael Devers.An unhappy Cora again talked... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies placed veteran outfielder Jay Bruce on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique on Wednesday and recalled outfielder Nick Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.Bruce was injured on a checked swing in the third inning of the Phillies' 9-8 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.He is batting .256 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 33 games with the Phillies since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners on June 2.Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said the club will miss Bruce's bat and his intangibles."You lose a veteran presence who understands how to approach most pitchers and has a lot of experience against many of them," Kapler said. "He gives you a high quality veteran at-bat. That profile, along with his production, is difficult to replace."Williams is batting seventh and starting in left field for Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. He is hitting .173 with a homer and four RBIs in 50 games with Philadelphia this season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies placed veteran outfielder Jay Bruce on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique on Wednesday and recalled outfielder Nick Williams from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.Bruce was injured on a checked swing in the third inning of the Phillies' 9-8 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.He is batting .256 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 33 games with the Phillies since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners on June 2.Williams is batting seventh and starting in left field for Wednesday night's game against the Dodgers. He is hitting .173 with a homer and four RBIs in 50 games with Philadelphia this season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bryce Harper's latest chance to play in his old ballpark will have to wait a day.The Philadelphia Phillies' game at the Washington Nationals was postponed because of rain. The start of Monday's game was delayed for nearly three hours before a decision was made to call it entirely.The game will be made up at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday, as part of a day-night doubleheader.It is the Phillies' second trip to Washington since Harper agreed a 13-year, $330 million contract in March. He was 5 for 7, including a home run, in two games at Nationals Park in early April.After a fast start, Harper's batting average fell to .219 on May 14. He's rebounded and arrived in Washington with a .247 average, 12 homers and 49 RBIs. He has at least one hit in nine of his last 11 games."Over the last couple of days, he's looked as good as he's looked," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said. "I actually think he started off really well, then he struggled for a while and now he's been on a slow trajectory... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bruce Willis was moonlighting for the Philadelphia Phillies.Willis, star of "The Sixth Sense" and "The Fifth Element" threw the first pitch in his No. 19 Phillies jersey before Philadelphia played the Milwaukee Brewers. Willis wasn't within striking distance of the plate — he one-hopped the pitch to Phillies ace Aaron Nola.Willis took his cuts Wednesday in batting practice against coach Dusty Wathan using a bat borrowed from Phillies outfielder Nick Williams. Willis grew up in the southern New Jersey town of Carney's Point and has filmed movies in Philadelphia, including "Glass.""I just like to hit the ball," Willis said in his red pinstripes. "I just like the noise. I grew up with the Phillies."The 64-year-old Willis chatted with Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins and manager Gabe Kapler . Kapler, in his second year, played Scrooge and refused to believe Willis' 1988 classic "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie."I maintain, not a Christmas movie," Kapler said during a lively debate with beat writers in his office. "Aren't most Christmas movies centered around the celebration of Christmas in some way or another?"___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Gary Sánchez hit his first career grand slam in a five-run fifth inning for his first hit following nearly two weeks on the injured list, and the New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 on Saturday for their 10th win in 12 games.Sánchez had been 0 for 9 with seven strikeouts since returning Wednesday from a strained left calf. His batting average down to .220, he crushed a high sinker from Derek Holland (1-4) that traveled 467 feet deep into the left-field seats for a 6-0 lead.J.A. Happ (1-2) allowed five hits in seven scoreless innings. Aroldis Chapman struck out Pablo Sandoval for his fifth save.RAYS 2, RED SOX 1BOSTON (AP) — Yandy Diaz hit the second pitch from David Price (1-2) over the Green Monster and Mike Zunino added a fourth-inning RBI single off the Monster for the AL East-leading Rays.Charlie Morton (3-0) gave up two hits in six shutout innings. Five relievers completed a five-hitter, with Emilio Pagán pitching the ninth for his third save.Mookie... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — For years, the NL East has been soft as a bunt single.Not anymore.Even before Bryce Harper decided to stay inside the division, four of the five teams spent this offseason swinging for the fences. In addition to defending champion Atlanta, the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals all have enough firepower to potentially contend for the playoffs."This is probably going to be the stiffest competition in a division race in my career," Nationals ace Max Scherzer said at spring training.It's certainly a noticeable transformation.In the past eight seasons, the NL East has won a grand total of two playoff series and produced one pennant winner — with the 2015 Mets responsible for the entirety of that October success.Two years ago, Washington finished a whopping 20 games in front, and no other team in the division was better than 77-85.Last season, Atlanta rolled to a surprise title at 90-72, the fewest wins of any postseason participant. No... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — For years, the NL East has been soft as a bunt single.Not anymore.Even before Bryce Harper decided to stay inside the division, four of the five teams spent this offseason swinging for the fences. In addition to defending champion Atlanta, the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals all have enough firepower to potentially contend for the playoffs."This is probably going to be the stiffest competition in a division race in my career," Nationals ace Max Scherzer said at spring training.It's certainly a noticeable transformation.In the past eight seasons, the NL East has won a grand total of two playoff series and produced one pennant winner — with the 2015 Mets responsible for the entirety of that October success.Two years ago, Washington finished a whopping 20 games in front, and no other team in the division was better than 77-85.Last season, Atlanta rolled to a surprise title at 90-72, the fewest wins of any postseason participant. No... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — With spring training underway, Philadelphia Phillies president Andy MacPhail is certain his team is built to win right now.As for adding someone like outfielder Bryce Harper or third baseman Manny Machado, he's not fueling any speculation."There's been no shortage of brainpower devoted to trying to size up players that are available to us and what they bring," MacPhail said. "We are uniquely poised right now because they are some great talents out there. They could go to any club and make a significant difference."MacPhail said the goal is to win immediately and set up the Phillies to have a long window to compete for championships."(Owner) John Middleton wants to win, all of our ownership group wants to win," MacPhail said. "Really for that matter all 29 different owners want to win.""I think the thing that separates John is that if we won this year he'd want to win just as much next year and the year after that. That why it's important to us to make sure we have... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen and the Philadelphia Phillies finalized a back-loaded $50 million, three-year contract on Wednesday, a deal that includes a team option for 2022.McCutchen gets $10 million next season, $17 million in 2020 and $20 million in 2021. The Phillies have a $15 million option for 2022 with a $3 million buyout.The 32-year-old was an All-Star each season from 2011-15, topping .300 in batting average from 2012-14. He was the NL MVP in 2013.McCutchen spent nine years with Pittsburgh before he was traded to San Francisco last winter. He was dealt to the New York Yankees on Aug. 31 and hit .255 with 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 155 games overall this year.McCutchen has 223 homers, a .287 average and 790 RBIs in 10 major league seasons.He would get a $100,000 bonus for winning another MVP, $50,000 for finishing second in the voting and $25,000 for third. He would get $100,000 for World Series MVP, and $50,000 each for League Championship Series MVP, Gold... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen and the Philadelphia Phillies have finalized to a $50 million, three-year contract, a deal that includes a team option for 2022.The 32-year-old was an All-Star each season from 2011-15, topping .300 in batting average from 2012-14. He was the NL MVP in 2013.McCutchen spent nine years with Pittsburgh before he was traded to San Francisco last winter. He was dealt to the New York Yankees on Aug. 31 and hit .255 with 20 homers and 65 RBIs in 155 games overall this year.McCutchen has 223 homers, a .287 average and 790 RBIs in 10 major league seasons.Philadelphia remains interested in Bryce Harper, the top free agent on the market, but has a surplus of outfielders, including Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr and Roman Quinn.Rhys Hoskins is moving from left field to first base after the team traded Carlos Santana to Seattle for infielder Jean Segura last week.Herrera, a former All-Star, is a trade candidate. He struggled in the second half last season and finished with career lows in batting average (.255) and on-base percentage (.310).Philadelphia pursued Patrick Corbin and is still seeking a left-handed starter.___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports