Spotlight turns to baseball and Padres' weighty expectations
Just hours after confetti fell on the NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, the sports spotlight shifted to baseball as pitchers and catchers who will play in the World Baseball Classic began reporting to spring training complexes throughout the Phoenix area and in Florida.
Profar loses his cool, Padres lose to Phils in NLCS Game 3
Jurickson Profar lost his cool just before the San Diego Padres lost the game. With a runner on first and no outs in the ninth inning and the Padres trailing by two runs in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, Profar thought he checked his swing on a 3-2 pitch from Phillies reliever Seranthony Domínguez. Profar slammed his helmet, yelled an expletive at Tichenor and then kicked his helmet before being ejected by plate umpire Ted Barrett.
news.yahoo.comHarper, Schwarber HR as Wheeler, Phils top Pads to open NLCS
Bryce Harper homered again, Kyle Schwarber hit a jaw-dropping, 488-foot drive and Zack Wheeler was brilliant in throwing one-hit ball for seven innings to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the San Diego Padres 2-0 in the opening game of the all-wild card NL Championship Series.
Padres pull out 5-3 victory over Dodgers, tie NLDS 1-all
Manny Machado homered early and added an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and Jurickson Profar singled home the go-ahead run in the sixth inning as the San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 to even their NL Division Series at a game apiece.
62 and 700: Judge, Pujols closing in on home run milestones
Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols could make this a milestone week for home runs. Pujols, meanwhile, is somewhat improbably closing in on the 700-homer mark after hitting 12 since the start of August. Judge's pursuit of Maris has stirred debate over how to put this AL record in context, should he break it.
news.yahoo.comPadres star Tatis suspended 80 games for positive drug test
San Diego Padres dynamo Fernando Tatis Jr., one of the brighest, freshest stars in all of Major League Baseball, was suspended 80 games on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. The penalty imposed by MLB was effective immediately, meaning the shortstop cannot play in the majors this year for the postseason-contending Padres. MLB said the suspension — making Tatis one of the most prominent players penalized for PEDs — also will knock him out of playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
news.yahoo.comDodgers beat Padres 4-0, make statement with 3-game sweep
A few days after the Padres outmaneuvered the Dodgers for Juan Soto, San Diego rolled into Chavez Ravine with a formidable new lineup and big plans to raise a few questions about Los Angeles' dominance. The Padres are headed home from a sobering weekend knowing the Dodgers still have all the answers. Cody Bellinger hit two homers, Tyler Anderson allowed two hits over seven sparkling innings and Los Angeles completed a statement-making sweep of the revamped Padres with a 4-0 victory Sunday.
news.yahoo.comTrade deadline preview: Juan Soto sweepstakes down to wire
When Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year deal to stay with the Washington Nationals, it ensured Tuesday's 6 p.m. EDT trade deadline would have a little juice. A quick glance at the standings shows at least 18 teams with legitimate playoff aspirations — 18 clubs that might benefit from Willson Contreras, Josh Bell or Frankie Montas, among others. With Soto, there could be even more bidders than that.
news.yahoo.comExploring Juan Soto trades -- no matter how far fetched
The trade deadline became a bit more suspenseful this past weekend when the Athletic reported that Washington outfielder Juan Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract offer to stay with the Nationals. Suddenly, social media was ablaze with talk of Soto possibly being traded, and what kind of incredible offer it might take to acquire him. A deal involving the 23-year-old superstar would be seismic because of his talent, his youth and the fact that he's not due to be a free agent until after the 2024 season.
news.yahoo.comNats angered by Kapler's late aggression in Giants' 7-1 win
A six-run lead in the ninth inning wasn't enough for Giants manager Gabe Kapler, and the Nationals took exception. With two outs in the top of the ninth on Friday night and San Francisco ahead 7-1, the Giants' Thairo Estrada took off on an 0-1 pitch and Brandon Crawford blooped a single over Washington shortstop Alcides Escobar, who grabbed the ball and threw out Estrada at the plate.
news.yahoo.comNats new bopper Cruz makes immediate impact with pitcher tip
Nelson Cruz quickly showed the Washington Nationals he could bring more than a booming bat to his new team. After standing in the batter’s box as Erick Fedde threw a live bullpen, Cruz approached right-hander with a message: He was tipping his pitches. “I saw something before he threw me the last pitch,” Cruz said Thursday.
news.yahoo.comRed Sox rally in 9th, on brink of clinching wild-card berth
Christian Vázquez tripled home the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning and the Boston Red Sox moved to the brink of a postseason berth with a 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Boston is tied with the Yankees for the top AL wild card entering the final day of the regular season. The Red Sox will send ace Chris Sale to the mound Sunday needing a victory to punch a playoff ticket.
news.yahoo.comWashington Nationals beat Houston Astros in maiden World Series title
The Washington Nationals stunned the Houston Astros 6-2 in a winner-take-all Game Seven on Wednesday to secure their maiden Major League Baseball World Series title in a Fall Classic unlike any other. Manager Dave Martinez #4 of the Washington Nationals hoists the Commissioners Trophy after defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. Washington Nationals catcher Yan Gomes (10) celebrates after defeating the Houston Astros in game seven of the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park. The victory set off celebrations in Washington, a city whose last World Series victory came in 1924 when the Senators defeated the New York Giants. Fans react to the World Series Game 7 on a big screen just a block from Nationals Park at Walter's Sports Bar on October 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.
cnbc.comAltuve, Astros show up in World Series, win Game 3 in DC 4-1
WASHINGTON (AP) - The World Series finally showed up back in Washington, 86 years later - and, sparked by Jos Altuve, the Houston Astros finally showed up in this World Series. Houston can even things up in Game 4 on Saturday night at Nationals Park. Washington will start $140 million lefty Patrick Corbin, while Houston manager AJ Hinch said he'll go with rookie Jos Urquidy. Maybe that's why several Astros players gathered for a private meeting following their 12-3 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday. He is 1-2 with a 6.91 ERA, including one scoreless inning in relief during Game 1 of the World Series.
Washington Nationals win Game 1 of World Series against Houston Astros, 5-4
Washington Nationals' Asdrubal Cabrera and Juan Soto celebrate after Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, in Houston. Springer set a record by homering in his fifth straight World Series game, breaking a record he had shared with Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson. The first player ever drafted by the Washington Nationals hit the team's first World Series home run. before the Astros opened the World Series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. ___11 a.m.Chris Devenski replaced Bryan Abreu on the Houston Astros' World Series roster against the Washington Nationals in a swap of right-handed pitchers.
Washington Nationals win Game 1 of World Series against Houston Astros, 5-4
Washington Nationals' Asdrubal Cabrera and Juan Soto celebrate after Game 1 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, in Houston. Springer set a record by homering in his fifth straight World Series game, breaking a record he had shared with Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson. The first player ever drafted by the Washington Nationals hit the team's first World Series home run. before the Astros opened the World Series against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night. ___11 a.m.Chris Devenski replaced Bryan Abreu on the Houston Astros' World Series roster against the Washington Nationals in a swap of right-handed pitchers.