HOUSTON (AP) — Aaron Judge was a rookie slugger who swung and missed a lot in his first postseason, as did several of those Baby Bombers who were just getting started with the New York Yankees.And they still came oh so close to getting to the World Series, losing Game 7 of the 2017 AL Championship Series at Houston in a matchup when the home team won every game.Now they face the Astros in the ALCS again, starting Saturday night at Minute Maid Park."Once you get experience, now you're comfortable in those situations and then it's just time to roll," Judge said Friday.That 2017 postseason was also the first for catcher Gary Sánchez and outfielder Aaron Hicks. While shortstop Didi Gregorius played in the 2015 AL wild card loss at home against Houston, that was his only playoff game before 2017.The group has experience now, including a three-game sweep over Minnesota in the Division Series after a 103-win regular season.New York still smarts over last year, when the Yankees beat Oakland in... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:SHOWTIMEZack Greinke is set to throw the first pitch in the hugely hyped AL Championship Series — Yankees-Astros, starting at Minute Maid Park."It's the matchup that everybody wants to watch. It's must-see TV right there," Houston shortstop Carlos Correa said.Jose Altuve, George Springer and a dominant rotation helped Houston lead the majors with a franchise-record 107 wins. Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge and a strong bullpen sent New York toward 103 victories.Greinke pitches the opener, to be followed by Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole as the Astros lined up their aces on regular rest. Masahiro Tanaka starts Game 1 for the Yankees, with James Paxton and Luis Severino up next.HOMETOWN KIDWashington ace Max Scherzer starts Game 2 of the NL Championship Series in his hometown of St. Louis. Scherzer also played college ball at the University of Missouri, but he had no interest in reliving old times."Yeah, grew up here, but at this point in time... [More]

Nationals second. Howie Kendrick doubles to deep right center field. Ryan Zimmerman grounds out to third base, Matt Carpenter to Paul Goldschmidt. Michael A. Taylor strikes out swinging. Yan Gomes doubles to deep center field. Howie Kendrick scores. Anibal Sanchez grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Nationals 1, Cardinals 0.Nationals seventh. Trea Turner lines out to shallow infield to Giovanny Gallegos. Adam Eaton triples to deep left center field. Anthony Rendon is intentionally walked. Juan Soto strikes out swinging. Howie Kendrick singles to shallow center field. Anthony Rendon to second. Adam Eaton scores. Ryan Zimmerman walks. Howie Kendrick to second. Anthony Rendon to third. Michael A. Taylor flies out to deep center field to Dexter Fowler.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. Nationals 2, Cardinals 0.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning on a clean single by St. Louis Cardinals pinch-hitter José Martínez in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series.Martínez lined an 82 mph split-finger fastball into center field, spoiling Sánchez's shot at the third no-hitter in postseason history. Two batters earlier, first baseman Ryan Zimmerman preserved the bid by diving to catch a line drive by Tommy Edman.Nationals manager Dave Martínez pulled Sánchez after the hit and brought in left-hander Sean Doolittle. Sánchez struck out five, hit two batters and walked one on 103 pitches. The right-handed Sánchez waved to standing fans in St. Louis as he left the field.Doolittle pitched cleanly out of the eighth to preserve a 2-0 lead. The Nationals are without closer Daniel Hudson, who was placed on paternity leave earlier Friday.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' first... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez has not allowed a hit through seven innings of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' first baserunner. He stole second and went to third on catcher Yan Gomes' throwing error, but Marcell Ozuna fouled out to end the inning.Sánchez has struck out five, walked one and hit two batters in his ninth career postseason start, throwing 89 pitches.Sánchez got a break in the fifth when Matt Carpenter tipped a 1-2 pitch that bounced off the dirt and into Gomes' mitt. Carpenter briefly argued the ball wasn't caught cleanly, but it was ruled a strikeout — that play can't be reviewed.The 35-year-old Sánchez pitched a no-hitter as a rookie with the Florida Marlins in 2006. He also threw six hitless innings in the opener of the 2013 AL Championship Series for Detroit against Boston but was pulled after 116 pitches. The... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Aníbal Sánchez has not allowed a hit through five innings of Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.Sánchez retired his first 10 batters before Kolten Wong walked in the fourth for St. Louis' only baserunner so far. He stole second and went to third on catcher Yan Gomes' throwing error, but Marcell Ozuna fouled out to end the inning.Sánchez struck out four in the first five innings of his ninth career postseason start. He's thrown 56 pitches.Washington led 1-0 on Gomes' two-out RBI double off Miles Mikolas in the second inning Friday night.___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]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are disappointed, though hardly discouraged.The overachieving franchise with baseball's smallest payroll returned home from losing to the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series confident that getting its first taste of postseason success since 2013 will make it stronger moving forward."We would have loved to be World Series champs, but reaching the ALDS for the first time in six years is a right step forward," defensive whiz Kevin Kiermaier said."You hate seeing it end right now, but at the same time, you think about Day 1 spring training, we accomplished most of our goals," the center fielder added. "We didn't finish where we wanted to, but at the same time ... what a fun year."After compiling the best record among major league teams failing to make the playoffs in 2018, the Rays improved from 90 to 96 victories this season to make the playoffs for the fifth time in club history. They beat Oakland in last week's wild-card game, then survived... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Zack Greinke will start the AL Championship Series opener for the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday night.After the 2009 AL Cy Young winner and midseason acquisition starts Game 1 at Minute Maid Park, the Astros will follow with Justin Verlander, the 2011 AL Cy Young winner, and then Gerrit Cole after his two dominating starts in the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay."Pretty easy layout. They'll all be on regular rest," Houston manager AJ Hinch said. "'Three exceptional starting pitchers, and happy to line them up that way."The Yankees, off since finishing their three-game sweep of Minnesota on Monday in the other AL Division series, will go with James Paxton for Game 2 and Luis Severino for Game 3 in New York on Tuesday night. The order in the ALDS was Paxton, Tanaka and Severino."Again, I felt like it was a good decision. Tough one to be made but similar to the Division Series, where I was going back and forth a lot," Yankees... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Zack Greinke will start the AL Championship Series opener for the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday night.After the 2009 AL Cy Young winner and midseason acquisition starts Game 1 on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park, the Astros will follow with Justin Verlander, the 2011 AL Cy Young winner, and then Gerrit Cole after his two dominating starts in the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay.Manager AJ Hinch on Friday called it a "pretty easy layout," with all three aces pitching on regular rest.The Yankees, off since Monday after sweeping Minnesota in the other AL Division series, will go with James Paxton for Game 2 and Luis Severino for Game 3 in New York on Tuesday night.Tanaka allowed one run with seven strikeouts over five innings in Game 2 of the ALDS last Saturday, and Severino went four scoreless innings in the clinching game against the Twins on Monday. Paxton struck out eight and allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings in the ALDS opener.Greinke allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings of his ALDS Game 3 start against Tampa, a night before Game 1 winner Verlander pitched on short rest and lost Game 4. Cole struck out 10 in the decisive Game 5 on Thursday night after 15 strikeouts to also win Game 2.Both Hinch and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said their Game 4 starters will be determined by the status of the series.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — Zack Greinke will start the AL Championship Series opener for the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday night.After the former NL Cy Young winner and midseason acquisition starts Game 1 on Saturday night at Minute Maid Park, the Astros will follow with Justin Verlander, a former AL Cy Young winner, and then Gerrit Cole after his two dominating starts in the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay.Manager AJ Hinch on Friday called it a "pretty easy layout," with all three aces pitching on regular rest.The Yankees, off since Monday after sweeping Minnesota in the other AL Division series, will go with James Paxton for Game 2 and Luis Severino for Game 3 in New York on Tuesday night.Tanaka allowed one run with seven strikeouts over five innings in Game 2 of the ALDS last Saturday, and Severino went four scoreless innings in the clinching game against the Twins on Monday. Paxton struck out eight and allowed three runs over 4 2/3 innings in the ALDS opener.Greinke allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings of his ALDS Game 3 start against Tampa, a night before Game 1 winner Verlander pitched on short rest and lost Game 4. Cole struck out 10 in the decisive Game 5 on Thursday night after 15 strikeouts to also win Game 2.Both Hinch and Yankees manager Aaron Boone said their Game 4 starters will be determined by the status of the series.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Washington Nationals were without one of their top relievers for the start of the NL Championship Series after Daniel Hudson was placed on the postseason paternity list.Hudson and his wife welcomed a baby girl Friday. Nationals manager Dave Martinez said everyone is healthy."He's going to try to get back here possibly tomorrow," Martinez said. "But for me, I told him, I said, 'Hey, family is always first.' I get it. I understand. The timing didn't work out like we thought. Baby wasn't ready to come out, so we get him back when we get him back."Right-hander Wander Suero will be on Washington's active roster against St. Louis until Hudson returns. Hudson, who has two saves and a win during the playoffs, is permitted to be away from the team for a minimum of one day and a maximum of three days. When he rejoins the Nationals, he will take Suero's spot.Major League Baseball approved the roster substitution and announced it Friday, hours before Game 1 in the best-of-seven... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — John Middleton runs the show in Philadelphia.The Phillies managing partner made that clear Friday, a day after manager Gabe Kapler was fired despite resistance from Team President Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak."A CEO's responsibility is to ensure an organization achieves its strategic objectives, and everything I do every day is working toward that end," Middleton said.Philadelphia's front office spent weeks deliberating Kapler's fate before Middleton decided to remove him. Kapler went 161-163 in two seasons.It's not the first time Middleton has overruled his front office. After promising last fall to spend "stupid" money, he was the driving force behind the decision to give Bryce Harper a $330 million, 13-year contract. He also made the move to fire hitting coach John Mallee in August and replaced him with former manager Charlie Manuel."The decision about a manager is much more directly connected to achieving the strategic objective of winning a World... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of qualifying offers for Major League Baseball free agents dropped for the first time, falling by $100,000 to $17.8 million.Determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year, the figure announced Friday reflects a flat market last offseason.In addition, large signing bonuses in the contracts of Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Mike Trout impacted on the drop, because the signing bonuses are prorated over the length of the contract rather than the year they were received. The trio had relatively low 2019 salaries and if their 2020 salaries had been included instead, the qualifying offer figure would have risen to $18.3 million.Harper's salary increases from $10 million this year to $26 million in 2020, Machado's from $10 million to $30 million and Trout's from $16 million to $36 million.Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Didi Gregorius and Jake Odorizzi are among the players eligible for free agency. They could be joined by Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Washington Nationals reliever Daniel Hudson was placed on the postseason paternity list Friday and won't be available to pitch at the beginning of the NL Championship Series against St. Louis.Right-hander Wander Suero will be on Washington's active roster until Hudson returns. Hudson, who has two saves and a win during the playoffs, is permitted to be away from the team for a minimum of one day and a maximum of three days. When he rejoins the Nationals, he will take Suero's spot.Major League Baseball approved the roster substitution and announced it hours before Game 1 in the best-of-seven series at Busch Stadium.Hudson's absence weakens a shaky Washington bullpen that had the worst ERA in the National League at 5.66. The right-hander went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA and six saves in 24 regular-season appearances for the Nationals after he was acquired from Toronto at the July 31 trade deadline. He's pitched in four playoff games this month against the Brewers and Dodgers, throwing... [More]

Oct. 121916 — The Boston Red Sox won the World Series in five games with a 4-1 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Ernie Shore pitched a three-hitter for Boston.1920 — Cleveland's Stan Coveleski won his third game in the World Series as the Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 3-0 and won the championship, five games to two.1929 — The Philadelphia Athletics, trailing the Chicago Cubs 8-0 in the fourth game of the World Series, scored 10 runs in the seventh inning to win 10-8.1967 — Bob Gibson pitched a three-hitter against the Boston Red Sox to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 7-2 win and the championship in seven games.1977 — The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 6-1 to even the World Series after two games. Catfish Hunter, who had not pitched in over a month, started the game for the Yankees. Ron Cey, Steve Yeager and Reggie Smith all homered and knocked out Hunter in the third inning.1982 — Paul Molitor of Milwaukee had five hits, a World Series record, in the 10-0 opener over... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Zack Greinke will start the AL Championship Series opener for the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees on Saturday night.After the former NL Cy Young winner and midseason acquisition starts Game 1 on Saturday night, the Astros will follow with Justin Verlander, a former AL Cy Young winner, and then Gerrit Cole after his two dominating starts in the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay.Manager AJ Hinch on Friday called it a "pretty easy layout," with all three aces pitching on regular rest.Greinke allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings of his ALDS Game 3 start against Tampa, a night before Game 1 winner Verlander pitched on short rest and lost Game 4. Cole struck out 10 in the decisive Game 5 on Thursday night after 15 strikeouts to also win Game 2.Hinch said the Game 4 starter against the Yankees will be determined by the status of the series.The Yankees were expected to announce their pitching plans later Friday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals are going with the same roster for the NL Championship Series that they used in the first round of the playoffs.The only notable exclusions for St. Louis are right-handers Michael Wacha and John Gant. Wacha is recovering from a strained shoulder. Gant went 11-1 with a 3.66 ERA this year, but the reliever struggled in the last part of the season.The roster includes 12 pitchers and 13 position players.The Cardinals host the Washington Nationals in Game 1 of the NLCS on Friday night.Washington has yet to announce its roster.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WELCOME TO THE NLCSThe Washington Nationals play in the NL Championship Series for the first time, taking on St. Louis at Busch Stadium. Aníbal Sánchez starts for the Nats against Miles Mikolas.Both teams won a deciding Game 5 on the road in the NL Division Series. The Cardinals scored 10 runs in the first inning and romped past Atlanta 13-1 while Washington rallied late and beat the Dodgers 7-3 in 10 innings.Nationals aces Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin all got plenty of work in the NLDS. Sánchez was 11-8 with a 3.85 ERA this season, then gave up one run in five innings in his lone appearance against Los Angeles.Washington manager Dave Martinez says he hasn't decided how he will line up the rest of his starting staff after Sánchez. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Adam Wainwright will start Game 2, followed by Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson, who will be available out of the bullpen at the beginning of the series.MAMMOTH... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Unable to beat three aces in a row, the Tampa Bay Rays finally folded against Houston.It didn't help that starter Tyler Glasnow was sure he tipped pitches in the first inning, when the Astros scored four fast runs.With baseball's most inexpensive roster, the young Rays tried all they could to avoid elimination again Thursday night. They had an infielder in the lineup who barely played in the past month, went to their bullpen early to bring in their own Cy Young Award winner and kept changing pitchers the same way they did throughout the playoffs.In the end, they still couldn't win three straight AL Division Series games against a trio of Astros arms with a combined salary of $66 million — about the same as the entire Tampa Bay payroll.Gerrit Cole struck out 10 more Rays in eight innings, following his 15-strikeout performance in Game 2, and Houston won 6-1 in the decisive Game 5 to end Tampa Bay's outstanding season and advance to a third consecutive AL Championship Series."I... [More]