KYLE HIGASHIOKA

Mookie Betts had three hits and two RBIs, rookie Gavin Stone retired his first 15 batters and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 5-2 in a testy game delayed more than two hours by rain.

Juan Soto gave some new meaning to pride of the Yankees.

In his first public comments since the Yankees acquired him from San Diego, three-time All-Star Juan Soto deflected questions about a possible long-term deal with the Yankees.

Juan Soto’s arrival is a sign the New York Yankees want stars to help them rebound from their worst season in three decades.

The New York Yankees have acquired All-Star slugger Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the cost-cutting San Diego Padres.

Aaron Judge homered and singled twice in his second game back from the injured list and the New York Yankees topped the Baltimore Orioles 8-3.

Touted prospect Colton Cowser hit an RBI single in his major league debut and scored the go-ahead run when fellow rookie Jordan Westburg followed with a two-run triple, sending Dean Kremer and the Baltimore Orioles past the New York Yankees 6-3.

Domingo Germán retired his first 16 batters, staying in the game after an extensive sticky substance check by umpires, leading the New York Yankees over the Twins 6-1.

The Yankees’ season keeps coming down to Gerrit Cole.

Alex Bregman hit an early three-run homer, Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Oscar Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run with Cleveland’s second straight bloop hit in the 10th inning, and the Guardians overcame a two-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 4-2 and even their best-of-five AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is still at 61 home runs with two games left.

Aaron Judge went 0 for 2 with two walks and was hit by a pitch, remaining at 61 homers on the 61st anniversary of Roger Maris setting the American League record, and the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-0.

Leadoff man Aaron Judge singled twice during a six-run first inning off Corey Kluber as the New York Yankees started with seven straight hits for the first time since 1990 and routed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-3.

Kevin Gausman tossed seven sharp innings and the Toronto Blue Jays became the latest team to shut out the New York Yankees, beating the AL East leaders 4-0.

Michael Wacha pitched seven innings in his return from a shoulder injury, and Rafael Devers homered to lead the last-place Boston Red Sox past the division-leading New York Yankees 3-0.

Carlos Santana snapped an 0-for-17 slump with a go-ahead two-run homer during Seattle’s three-run seventh inning, and the Mariners rallied to beat the slumping New York Yankees 4-3.

Jordan Montgomery blanked his old teammates over five innings and Nolan Arenado drove in the lone run as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Yankees 1-0.

Luis Castillo pitched five-hit ball into the seventh inning in his Seattle debut, and the Mariners used a fast start to beat Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees 7-3.

Aaron Judge hit a grand slam for his major league-leading 30th home run and the New York Yankees routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 16-0 to split their two-game interleague series.

Come Monday, there is going to be a little more room in big league bullpens, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and plenty of places in between.

Frank Schwindel’s eephus pitch last weekend attracted the attention of Stephen Colbert.

Matt Carpenter homered twice and tied his career high with seven RBIs, powering the New York Yankees to complete a weekend sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 18-4 rout for their 11th win in 12 games.

Jameson Taillon took a perfect game into the eighth inning, then fell behind before the New York Yankees rallied past the Los Angeles Angels 2-1 on a clutch swing by pinch-hitter Anthony Rizzo.

Healthy for much of this season, the AL-leading Yankees are suddenly dealing with injuries to several key players.

Jose Trevino hit a game-ending single in the 11th inning and the ailing New York Yankees overcame injuries to two All-Stars to end their first three-game skid of the season, beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-6.

First, Albert Pujols.

Tim Anderson hit a three-run homer and then put a finger to his lips to silence the booing fans, capping a tumultuous weekend at Yankee Stadium and helping the Chicago White Sox beat New York 5-0 for a doubleheader sweep.

Luis Robert singled off Aroldis Chapman to drive in the winning run in the ninth inning and Chicago White Sox edged the Yankees 3-2, stopping New York’s five-game winning streak.

The Major League Baseball batting average this April was a lousy.

Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. shook off a bloody gash on his right ring finger to hit three home runs against the rival Yankees, including two off ace Gerrit Cole.

Josh Donaldson capped his Yankees debut with an RBI single in the 11th inning, lifting New York over the Boston Red Sox 6-5 for its first walk-off win on opening day since Yogi Berra crossed the plate in 1957.

Major League Baseball is stepping up its experimentation with an electronic communication channel for calling pitches.

Francisco Lindor wasn’t the franchise-altering shortstop the New York Mets were hoping for last season.

Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees took a winding route into the AL wild-card game, squeezing in on the final day of a tumultuous season.

Gerrit Cole took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Aaron Judge tied it with his second homer of the game in the eighth inning, Mets infielder Javier Báez gave away the lead with an error a few at-bats later and the New York Yankees beat their crosstown rival 8-7 at Citi Field following a stirring ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Anthony Rizzo is back in the Yankees’ lineup after a bout with COVID-19, and closer Aroldis Chapman also was activated before New York’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox.

Newcomer Anthony Rizzo has become the latest Yankees player to test positive for the coronavirus.

Yankees left-hander Jordan Montgomery has tested positive for COVID-19, joining fellow starter Gerrit Cole among New York players sidelined by the virus.

The Dodgers and Giants are back at it Tuesday night, renewing their long rivalry in San Francisco with 12-game winner Julio Urias on the mound for Los Angeles against Logan Webb in the opener of a three-game series.

Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs to shake Fenway Park and storm past the New York Yankees 5-4.

Rougned Odor’s two-run double highlighted a four-run rally in the eighth inning after his two errors helped Boston build an early lead, and the New York Yankees beat the Red Sox 4-3.

Kiké Hernández hit a two-run double that tied the game with two outs in the ninth inning, and the Boston Red Sox took advantage of a record four wild pitches by Brooks Kriske in the 10th to rally past the rival New York Yankees 5-4 on a rainy night at Fenway Park.

Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.

For the first time in months, COVID-19 is creating chaos around Major League Baseball.

Gerrit Cole’s strikeouts and spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on sticky substances, and the Kansas City Royals rallied off Jonathan Loiasiga for four runs in the eighth inning to beat the New York Yankees 6-5.

After no-hitters on consecutive nights by Detroit right-hander Spencer Turnbull and Yankees newcomer Corey Kluber, is there a pitcher on the docket who can make it three days in a row.

Gleyber Torres’ tying single in the ninth inning and a winning infield single in the 11th helped the New York Yankees overcame Max Scherzer’s commanding 14-strikeout performance to beat the Washington Nationals 4-3.

José Altuve responded to jeering fans by marking his 31st birthday with a go-ahead, three-run homer off Chad Green in the eighth inning, and the Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 7-4 to avoid a three-game sweep.

Corey Kluber handcuffed Detroit batters to gain his 100th career win with his most dominant performance since 2018, and the New York Yankees beat the Tigers 2-0 to complete their first series sweep this season and get back to.

The last-place New York Yankees lost their fifth straight game as Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a tiebreaking double off Gerrit Cole in the seventh inning that lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-2 win and a three-game sweep.

The Minnesota Twins will see when they can next play after their COVID-19 problems wiped the rest of a series in Anaheim against the Angels.

Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and walked none over seven scoreless innings in his most dominant start since joining the New York Yankees, overwhelming the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 for his first win this season.

FILE - New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton winds up during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in New York, in this Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, file photo. Yankees left-hander Zack Britton is not throwing because of a sore pitching elbow, was to be examined by a doctor on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, and could miss the start of the season. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)LAKELAND, Fla. – New York Yankees left-hander Zack Britton needs surgery to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow and seems certain to miss the start of the season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced the need for an operation following New York's 6-5 loss to Detroit on Tuesday. Boone said Britton felt soreness Sunday night following a bullpen session and had an MRI of his elbow on Monday.

FILE - In this July 9, 2020, file photo, Texas Rangers pitcher Corey Kluber throws during an intrasquad game in Arlington, Texas. The New York Yankees reached a deal with Kluber worth $11 million for one year, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. Happ to become free agents, signed Kluber to an $11 million, one-year contract and acquired Taillon from Pittsburgh for four prospects. To drop payroll below the $210 million luxury tax threshold, Cashman traded right-hander Adam Ottavino to rival Boston, saving $7.15 million. New York enters spring training with a projected rotation of Gerrit Cole, Deivi García, left-hander Jordan Montgomery, Kluber and Taillon.

Clayton Kershaw could start Game 4 of the NL Championship Series for the Dodgers if the left-hander’s back continues to improve. Kershaw was scratched from his scheduled Game 2 start because of back spasms, and manager Dave Roberts decided to stick with left-hander Julio Urías for Game 3 against Atlanta on Wednesday night. Veteran right-hander Zack Greinke delivered six gutsy innings in a 4-3 Game 4 victory for Houston's first win of the series, and usual No. A three-time World Series-winning manager, the 76-year-old La Russa joined the Angels prior to this season as senior advisor of baseball operations. He hasn’t managed since 2011, when he led St. Louis past Texas in the World Series.

His daughter, Tricia Solomon, said Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, that he was found dead at his house in Houston and the cause was not immediately known. (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay, File)NEW YORK – Jimmie Lee Solomon, a top executive for Major League Baseball under Commissioner Bud Selig who established youth academies and helped launch the annual Futures Game of top prospects, has died. His daughter, Tricia Solomon, said Friday that he was found dead at his house in Houston and the cause was not immediately known. He joined MLB in 1991 as director of minor league operations and was promoted to senior vice president of baseball operations in 2000 and executive vice president of baseball operations on June 1, 2005. He shifted to executive vice president of baseball development on June 11, 2010, and was replaced in the operations role the following February by Joe Torre.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)SAN DIEGO – Manager Kevin Cash and the Tampa Bay Rays introduced the concept of an opener to modern baseball two years ago. But just as New York almost certainly regretted using an opener in Game 2 when Deivi García and J.A. Glasnow threw 93 pitches in Game 2, getting the victory after tossing four-run ball over five innings. The Rays used an opener seven times in this year's 60-game regular season, going 6-1 when employing the scheme. “(Glasnow) has obviously got his heater, but he’s got one of the best curveballs in the game, too.

New York Yankees' Luke Voit, right, celebrates with Gleyber Torres (25) after Voit hit a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning in Game 4 of a baseball American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, in San Diego. Asked the Yankees mentality for Game 5, Voit said, “We're going to win it." It's a rematch of last year’s ALDS Game 5 between Houston and Tampa Bay. “We've seen him," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the third but got just one run, on Brandon Lowe’s fielder’s choice.

Stanton hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for New York's fourth home run of the game, and the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 9-3 on Monday in the opener of their AL Division Series at Petco Park. Beginning with this round, all postseason series were moved to neutral sites because of the coronavirus. The Yankees set a franchise record by hitting at least three home runs in three consecutive postseason games. Tampa Bay dominated the contentious regular-season series, going 8-2 against the rival Yankees and winning the AL East by seven games over second-place New York. Cole beat Tampa Bay twice in last year’s ALDS with Houston.

Gerrit Cole delivered for the Yankees in his first season since signing a $324 million, nine-year contract, going 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA. “We think this is a good matchup.”For all Bieber and Cole have accomplished in the shortened regular season, it will mean little if they don’t perform well to start the best-of-three series. For instance, Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka has only played 72 regular season games, including just two against wild-card foe Cleveland. Both were injured Friday, sat out the final two regular season games as a precaution, then participated in a workout at Target Field on Monday. They open a wild-card series in Oakland hoping ace Lucas Giolito can play stopper.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Cleveland. Here comes the New York Yankees and all their autumnal aura. And because of the condensed schedule, the Indians and Yankees will be meeting for the first time in 2020. Pitching will be more of a premium than ever, which is why the Indians feel so good confident because Bieber will get them started. It's the playoffs, and Indians All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor has been telling his younger teammates that there's nothing like it.

New York Yankees' Gary Sanchez reacts after he struck out swinging in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)CLEVELAND – Slumping slugger Gary Sánchez will be benched in favor of Kyle Higashioka in the New York Yankees lineup for their wild-card opener Tuesday night. “It’s kind of beyond what I would have imagined at the beginning of the season,” Higashioka said. Cole pitched to Higashioka in his final four regular season starts, a span when the Yankees ace was 3-1 with a 1.00 ERA. “I know Gary,” Higashioka said.

Blue Jays players embraced on the diamond at their temporary home of Sahlen Field in Buffalo after Rafael Dolis struck out Aaron Hicks to end it. The Blue Jays trail the Yankees by two games for second place in the AL East. The Blue Jays extended their lead when Cavan Biggio and Bo BIchette hit back-to-back, two-out doubles in the third. TRAINER’S ROOMBlue Jays: RHP Nate Pearson (elbow) was activated off the injured list and RHP Wilmer Font was designated for assignment. Blue Jays: RHP Taijuan Walker (4-3, 2.86) starts Friday in the opener of a three-game series against Baltimore.

Toronto Blue Jays' Jacob Waguespack reacts as New York Yankees' Kyle Higashioka runs the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)NEW YORK – Kyle Higashioka hit a career-high three home runs, DJ LeMahieu connected twice and the resurgent New York Yankees hit a season-best seven homers in another Bronx air show, thumping the Toronto Blue Jays 13-2 on Wednesday night. LeMahieu, Voit and Frazier also connected Tuesday — Voit homered twice — when New York hit six home runs and pummeled Toronto 20-6. Gerrit Cole (6-3) had another overpowering start for New York, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth. Higashioka had never topped three homers in a season but has four in the past six days while emerging as Cole's preferred batterymate.

New York Yankees pitcher Adam Ottavino walks to the dugout after being pulled during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. Green, Ottavino and Luis Cessa needed 67 pitches and 43 minutes to get three outs. Green's ERA jumped to 4.26, and Ottavino allowed six runs without getting any outs as his ERA rose to 7.82. Ottavino (2-3) relieved, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run, opposite-field single that bounced past Voit and down the right-field line. Sean Reid-Foley (1-0) won despite a bases-loaded walk to Aaron Hicks in the sixth that extended the Yankees lead to four runs.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow winds up during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)NEW YORK After a decade spent chasing their big-budget AL East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays are pummeling the New York Yankees. The AL East leaders improved to 7-1 against the Yankees this season and stretched their division cushion to 4 1/2 games. TRAINER'S ROOMRays: 3B Yandy Daz was pulled with left hamstring tightness in the fifth and is day to day. UP NEXTYankees RHP Masahiro Tanaka (0-1, 3.48 ERA) will start on extended five days' rest against Rays RHP Trevor Richards (0-0, 4.71).

With two outs and a runner on, Cole had a 1-2 count on Ji-Man Choi, who came back to hit an RBI double. Jose Martinez followed with a two-run homer on the 107th pitch from a clearly tiring Cole. Cole was bidding to tie Roger Clemens, Jake Arrieta and Rube Marquard for the third-longest streak ever. His only loss since May 2019 came in Game 1 of the World Series last October, pitching for Houston against Washington. ... Rays C Mike Zunino was mired in an 0 for 23 slide before doubling off Cole during the fifth.

Washington Nationals' Howie Kendrick (47) is greeted with "air high fives" by Juan Soto (22) after Kendrick scored them both on a two-run home run off Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Alex Cobb during an exhibition baseball game, Monday, July 20, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)WASHINGTON Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on the injured list Thursday, forcing him to miss the start of the pandemic-delayed season. Soto had missed the first two weeks of the teams summer camp this month after he was exposed to someone with COVID-19. Also Thursday, Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list as New York set its opening day 30-man roster before playing Game 1. "If you told me my dream, making the opening day roster for the yankees, as a young kid in New Jersey would come true, I wouldnt have believed you.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

He was like, Youre bothering me, Im trying to hit, recalled Girardi, now manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. I said, Well, Im trying to bother you, Chili.Girardi doesnt think that kind of chatter will happen as much this season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Some plate umpires are expected to wear their own face coverings. Im just trying to show that its easy to do and its the right thing to do, Frazier said. Neither is MLB players must use face coverings elsewhere in the ballpark, but not during on-field activities.

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during the first inning of an intrasquad game during baseball practice Tuesday July 7, 2020, in New York. But the team's new $324 million ace learned the hard way about one of baseballs new coronavirus safety protocols Tuesday night during an intrasquad game at Yankee Stadium. I liked that ball, Cole grumbled on the mound. Cole faced a Yankees B team in an intrasquad game that aired locally. ... C Kyle Higashioka was scratched from the intrasquad game with a sore neck.