MIAMI (AP) — Miami Marlins executive Michael Hill's 19-season tenure with the franchise has ended. Hill was president of baseball operations for the past six years and provided continuity after a 2017 change in ownership, but his contract expired and he will not be back next season, CEO Derek Jeter said Sunday. “I had to approach this as a new negotiation,” Jeter said. “We had conversations over the last week or so, and I just felt it would be best for the organization at this particular time to move on without Mike.” The Marlins will cast a wide search for a replacement, but potential candidates are unlikely to include vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo, who has been instrumental in the franchise turnaround and is expected to remain in his current role. “We have a lot of smart baseball minds in our organization, and there are smart baseball minds around the game,” Jeter said. “We’re going to sit down and see what type of person we need in this role.” Hill joined... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager bashed his way to NLCS MVP. Once the Los Angeles Dodgers finally finished off the Atlanta Braves, the choice was obvious. Seager helped power Los Angeles to its third World Series in four years, and another chance to win its first title since 1988. The sweet-swinging shortstop set NLCS records with five homers and 11 RBIs as the Dodgers eliminated the Braves in seven games. Even though he went 0 for 5 and left five runners on base in the Dodgers’ clinching 4-3 win Sunday night, Seager homered three times in the previous two games when they were also facing elimination. “Obviously it wasn’t just me. That was a complete team effort right there,” Seager said. “Absolutely grinded throughout that series. That was a test every single night. We’re up for the next one too.” The Dodgers, who stay in Texas to play Tampa Bay in the World Series, matched an LCS record with their 16 homers. That included clutch drives by Kiké Hernández and Cody Bellinger in Game... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts is leaping into the World Series, carrying to the Los Angeles Dodgers with his glove rather than with his bat. The star right fielder made his third terrific catch in three days, this time robbing Freddie Freeman of a home run and helping the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 4-3 Sunday night in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Los Angeles trailed 3-2 in the fifth inning, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts already had brought on his third pitcher when the Braves made a bid to widen their lead. Freeman drove a cutter deep to right field, and Betts sprinted 64 feet to the wall and jumped, just to the side of a credit-card advertisement. His glove above the 8-foot top, he snatched the ball as it was headed over. Run saved! Another web gem, perhaps even more impressive than his robberies of Dansby Swanson in Game 5 with a shoestring grab and of Marcell Ozuna in Game 6 against the wall a little bit more toward center. “The one yesterday was probably the... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tyler Glasnow will start Tuesday night's World Series opener for the Tampa Bay Rays against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw. Blake Snell will be on the mound for the Rays in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Glasnow, a 27-year-old right-hander, was 5-1 with a 4.08 ERA in 11 starts during the regular season and 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in four postseason starts. His fastball averaged nearly 98 mph this season. Snell, a 27-year-old left-hander who won the 2018 AL Cy Young Award, was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 regular-season starts and 2-2 with a 3.20 ERA in four postseason starts. Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, was 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA during the season. He is 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA in four postseason starts, leaving him with an 11-12 record and 4.31 ERA in his postseason career, including 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four World Series starts and a relief appearance in Game 7 in 2017. Los Angeles did not announce a Game 2 starter. The Dodgers must decide whether to start current ace Walker Buehler on three days' rest or to have him pitch Game 3 on Friday with extra rest. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Andrew Friedman isn’t quite torn. The Dodgers’ president of baseball operations since October 2014, he helped build Los Angeles into a power that reached the World Series for the third time in four seasons. He had been Tampa Bay’s executive vice president of baseball operations since 2006, building a team that reached the World Series in 2008 and overseeing the acquisition of Kevin Kiermaier, Blake Snell and Diego Castillo and a staff with many holdovers still in place. With the Dodgers, he oversaw the acquisition of Mookie Betts and Brusdar Graterol, the drafting of Walker Buehler and the signing of A.J. Pollock, Max Muncy and Blake Treinen. "It kind of hit me today waking up and processing all the text messages and questions about it,” Friedman said Monday, a day before the Dodgers and Rays face each other in the World Series opener. “It’s definitely surreal. Some of my best friends in life are there. And we joked when I left the team that we were going to meet... [More]

NEW YOIRK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — More was not merrier for Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went with an opener against the team that invented the concept, sending Tony Gonsolin to start Game 2 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays as the first of seven pitchers -- one shy of the record for a nine-inning Series game. By the end of the Dodgers’ 6-4 defeat Wednesday night, which evened the Series at one game apiece, it appeared the Dodgers are down to essentially a two-man rotation of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw. Coming off games on seven straight days against Atlanta in the NL Championship Series under this year's unique postseason schedule, with just Monday's off-day, Roberts felt he had no rested alternative. “We didn’t have anybody that was on regular,” he explained. Seems like a throwback to the Boston Braves of Spahn and Sain and pray for rain, as Gerald V. Hern of the Boston Post poetically memorialized the pitching tandem of Warren Spahn and Johnny... [More]

Game 1 of the World Series was all about Mookie Betts and his quest to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a title and fans across the country a free taco. Game 2 gave us a $27.50 hot dog that could feed the family, and a reminder that the Tampa Bay Rays may be even better than the sum of their bargain basement parts. Now Major League Baseball can only hope that fans are hungrier for more. A World Series unlike any other is knotted 1-1 after the Rays jumped on a parade of early Dodger pitchers on their way to a 5-0 lead Wednesday night that they never relinquished. They did it behind two opposite-field home runs from Brandon Lowe, who had been mired in a deep postseason slump, and a succession of pitchers who held the Dodgers to just five hits — though three of them left the park at spacious Globe Life Field in Texas. Betts wasn’t a factor, but the Dodgers' makeshift pitching rotation was. A day after ace Clayton Kershaw pitched six strong innings, Tony Gonsolin got only four outs and the six... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals agreed to terms on a $1 million, one-year contract Thursday with utility man Josh Harrison. The 33-year-old returns to Washington after hitting .278 with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs, six walks and 11 runs scored with the Nationals last season. He hit .309 as a starter as manager Dave Martinez wrote Harrison into the lineup at second base, third base, left field, right field and designated hitter. Harrison can make an additional $250,000 in performance bonuses as part of the deal: $50,000 for 200 plate appearances and additional increments of $50,000 up to 400. He made 91 plate appearances in 33 games during the shortened, 60-game 2020 season. A two-time National League All Star, Harrison spent his first eight major league season with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011-2018. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 2019 and spent spring training and summer camp with the Philadelphia Phillies before signing with the Nationals in late July. Harris is a career .273 hitter with 56 home runs, 291 RBIs and 384 runs scored in 911 games over 10 seasons. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals agreed to terms on a one-year contract Thursday with utility man Josh Harrison. The 33-year-old returns to Washington after hitting .278 with two doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs, six walks and 11 runs scored with the Nationals last season. He hit .309 as a starter as manager Dave Martinez wrote Harrison into the lineup at second base, third base, left field, right field and designated hitter. A two-time National League All Star, Harrison spent his first eight major league season with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011-2018. He joined the Detroit Tigers in 2019 and spent spring training and summer camp with the Philadelphia Phillies before signing with the Nationals in late July. Harris is a career .273 hitter with 56 home runs, 291 RBIs and 384 runs scored in 911 games over 10 seasons. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Oct. 23 1910 — Philadelphia’s Jack Coombs won his third game of the World Series, beating the Chicago Cubs 7-2 as the Athletics took the championship in five games. Eddie Collins had three hits, including two doubles, to lead the A’s attack. 1935 — Gabby Hartnett was selected National League MVP by the Baseball Writers Association of America, with Dizzy Dean finishing second. 1945 — Branch Rickey announced the signing of Jackie Robinson by the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. 1981 — The Los Angeles Dodgers beat New York 5-4 in the third game of the World Series to narrow the Yankees’ lead to 2-1. 1985 — John Tudor tossed a five-hit, 3-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-1 lead in the World Series. 1986 — Bruce Hurst’s complete-game victory gave the Boston Red Sox a 4-2 win and 3-2 lead in the World Series against the New York Mets. 1993 — Joe Carter became the second player in baseball history to end a World Series with a home run, hitting a three-run... [More]

Game 1 of the World Series was all about Mookie Betts and his quest to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a title and fans across the country a free taco. Game 2 gave us a $27.50 hot dog that could feed the family, and a reminder that the Tampa Bay Rays may be even better than the sum of their bargain basement parts. Now Major League Baseball can only hope that fans are hungrier for more. A World Series unlike any other is knotted 1-1 after the Rays jumped on a parade of early Dodger pitchers on their way to a 5-0 lead Wednesday night that they never relinquished. They did it behind two opposite field home runs from Brandon Lowe, who had been mired in a deep postseason slump, and a succession of pitchers who held the Dodgers to just five hits — though three of them left the park at spacious Globe Life Field in Texas. Betts wasn’t a factor, but the Dodgers' makeshift pitching rotation was. A day after ace Clayton Kershaw pitched six strong innings, Tony Gonsolin got only four outs and the six... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — More was not merrier for Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went with an opener against the team that invented the concept, sending Tony Gonsolin to start Game 2 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays as the first of seven pitchers -- one shy of the record for a nine-inning Series game. By the end of the Dodgers’ 6-4 defeat Wednesday night, which evened the Series at one game apiece, it appeared the Dodgers are down to a two-man rotation of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw. Seems like a throwback to the Boston Braves of Spahn and Sain and pray for rain, as Gerald V. Hern of the Boston Post poetically memorialized the pitching tandem of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain in 1948. Of the 125 innings pitched by the Dodgers in the postseason, Buehler is 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings and Kershaw is 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings, a combined a 2.45 ERA . The rest of the staff is 6-3 with a 4.11 ERA. Gonsolin lasted just four outs, leaving... [More]

Players who have hit two or more home runs in a single World Series game (r-rookie): Three Home RunsPablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants, Oct. 24, 2012, consecutive Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals, Oct. 22, 2011, consecutive Reggie Jackson, New York Yankees, Oct. 18, 1977, consecutive Babe Ruth, New York Yankees, Oct. 9, 1928, 2 consecutive Babe Ruth, New York Yankees, Oct. 6, 1926, 2 consecutive Two Home RunsBrandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays, Oct. 21, 2020 Steve Pearce, Boston Red Sox, Oct. 28, 2018 Roberto Perez, Cleveland Indians, Oct. 25, 2016 r-Michael Conforto, New York Mets, Oct. 31, 2015, consecutive Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies, Nov. 2, 2009 Jayson Werth, Philadelphia Phillies, Oct. 31, 2009 Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies, Oct. 28, 2009, consecutive Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, Oct. 26, 2008 Jeff Kent, San Francisco Giants, Oct. 24, 2002, consecutive Tim Salmon, Anaheim Angels, Oct. 20, 2002 Troy Glaus, Anaheim Angels, Oct. 19, 2002 Chad Curtis, New York Yankees,... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — After winning the Division Series and AL Championship Series in San Diego, the Tampa Bay Rays played before fans in the World Series opener for the first time since spring training. “Playing a playoff game with zero fans in it has got to be one of the weirdest, most bizarre things I’ve ever experienced in baseball,” Rays pitcher Charlie Morton, scheduled to start Game 3, said Wednesday. “But at the same time, one of the most memorable things I’ve ever experienced in baseball. I’ll appreciate everyone that made this possible for as long as I live.” He appreciated the atmosphere at Globe Life Field, where the opener Tuesday drew a crowd of 11,388. That was about 28% of the 40,518 capacity at the new $1.2 billion retractable-roof stadium of the Texas Rangers. “This stadium, even though it’s not filled to capacity, there’s something about this place,” Morton said. “It’s very robust. It’s big -- it feels big. They have the big screen right above the field. It’s feels... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Game 2 of the World Series (all times local): 5:20 p.m. The Los Angeles Dodgers have certainly settled into the new ballpark deep in the heart of Texas. Game 2 of the World Series will be the Dodgers’ 15th game at the $1.2 billion Globe Life Field. That is already half as many as the 30 games the Texas Rangers have played in their new home, which opened during the pandemic-shortened season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday night’s game that all the experience there has made it feel more like a home field and is definitely an advantage. Los Angeles, which had the best record in the majors during the regular season, has been in the home clubhouse and home dugout for more than two weeks. That run began with a three-game sweep of San Diego in the National League Division Series, then a seven-game National League Championship Series win over Atlanta before facing Tampa Bay in the World Series The Dodgers were on the other side for a three-game... [More]

Oct. 22 1845 — The first known box score is published in the New York Morning News a month after the first set of rules were written by Alexander Cartwright. 1910 — After three straight defeats and trailing Philadelphia 3-2 in the ninth, the Chicago Cubs tied the score and then won 4-3 in 10 innings for their only victory as the A’s won the World Series in five games. 1972 — The Oakland A’s won their first World Series with a 3-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 7. 1975 — A ninth-inning RBI single by Joe Morgan gave the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox and the World Series title in seven games. It was the first title for the Reds in 35 years. 1986 — Gary Carter’s two home runs at Fenway Park gave New York a 6-2 victory and pulled the Mets even with Boston Red Sox in the World Series after four games. 1987 — The St. Louis Cardinals won their third straight home game to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series with a 4-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins. 2000 —... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Wednesday: ___ BULLPEN SAVED The Dodgers were so good in Game 1 of the World Series, they helped themselves for Game 2. Top relievers Kenley Jansen, Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol should all be fresh for a bullpen game against Tampa Bay after they weren't needed in an 8-3 win Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts will try to stitch together nine innings with a flurry of arms after the Dodgers burned through most of their rotation closing out the NL Championship Series against Atlanta over the weekend. Tony Gonsolin will pitch first for LA, but after throwing 41 pitches Sunday, his leash figures to be short. Jansen has more blown saves (three) than conversions (two) in two previous World Series and also struggled this fall, but he seemed to have himself righted by the end of the NLCS. The Rays have 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell tabbed for Game 2. Manager Kevin Cash — uncharacteristically slow to pull starter Tyler Glasnow in Game 1 — also... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Mookie Betts slid headfirst across home plate, then popped up and did a double pump with his right fist. An inning later, he got to trot around the bases after going deep. That big commitment to Betts is already paying off for the Los Angeles Dodgers this postseason. After run-saving catches in three consecutive potential elimination games to get the Dodgers this far, Betts put his speed, instincts and power on display in Game 1 of the World Series. There was a Ruth-like journey around the bases to score — and that was before his solo homer in an 8-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. Betts led off the Dodgers fifth with a walk and stole second base. After NL Championship Series MVP Corey Seagar drew a walk behind him, they pulled off a double steal. Then, with the Rays infield playing in, Max Muncy hit a bouncer to first baseman Yandy Diaz, who threw on the run after Betts broke quickly for the plate. He slid past the attempted tag for a 3-1 lead. The... [More]

Cody Bellinger bashed a home run in the World Series opener, and celebrated with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates. Foot taps — not forearm knocks. Much easier on his delicate right shoulder that popped out of its socket during a home run celebration in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. Bellinger’s two-run shot gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and they went on to an 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. Instead of jumping up and banging elbows, a grinning Bellinger ran up to teammate Max Muncy and exchanged foot taps before making his way down a line of Dodgers doing the same thing. Bellinger and Mookie Betts traded taps with their right feet as Justin Turner laughed, Will Smith clapped and manager Dave Roberts appeared to be smiling behind his face mask. There had been concern about Bellinger's shoulder after the Dodgers wrapped up the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. He said it felt sore going into the World Series. His shoulder took another hit in... [More]