Yankees' Derek Jeter, Rockies' Larry Walker Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Derek Jeter

Former New York Yankee shortstop, Derek Jeter, and outfielder Larry Walker were both elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday night, though their paths to glory could not have been more different.

Jeter, now the CEO of the Miami Marlins, received all but one first place vote in his first time on the ballot. Walker got 76.6% of the votes on his 10th and final try, making the grade by a mere 10 votes. Walker joins former Cubs' pitcher Ferguson Jenkins as the only other Canadian-born member of the Hall.

Jeter played every season of his 20-year career - from 1995 though 2014 - with the New York Yankees, during which the Bronx Bombers won five World Series, reaching the playoffs in all but four seasons. Jeter won various awards including Rookie of the Year (1995), All-Star game MVP, World Series MVP (2009), and five gold gloves.

During his run, Jeter had 3465 hits in 11195 at-bats for a .310 regular season average.Jeter socked 260 home runs, drove in 1311, and scored 1923 times. He swiped 358 bases and finished with an on-base percentage of .377.

For all his accomplishments, Jeter never won a batting title nor a regular season MVP award, finishing second in 2006, and third in the voting in both 1998 and 2009. His base hits total of 3465 is sixth all-time, trailing only Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Tris Speaker.

Larry Walker

Walker, a five time All-Star, played 17 seasons starting in 1989, six of them with the Montreal Expos, nine full seasons with the Colorado Rockies, and part of 2004 with the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he finished his career in 2005.

A prolific hitter, Walker had 2160 hits in 6907 at-bats for a lifetime .313 regular season batting average. He led the National League in batting three times, hitting .363 in 1998, .379 in 1999, and .350 in 2001. He earned the NL MVP award in a season in which he did not win the batting title. In 1997, he batted .366 and led the league with 49 home runs, 409 total bases, a .452 on-base percentage, .720 slugging, and 1.172 OPS.

Walker's post-season play was limited to just three seasons, two with the Cardinals (2004 and 2005) and one with the Rockies (1995). His best performance was in 2004, when the Cardinals were swept by the Red Sox. Walker batted .357 (5-for-14) with two doubles, two homers, and three RBI.

Induction to the Hall will be made official on July 26 at Cooperstown, NY along with catcher Ted Simmons and former players' association head Marvin Miller, who were voted in last month by the Hall's Modern Era Committee.

Yankees Get One Back as Aaron Hicks, James Paxton Stymie Astros in Game Five

Players of the Day for Friday, October 18, 2019

American League

Paxton: 6IP, 4H, 1ER, 9K

New York Yankees 4 Houston Astros 1

After Houston pushed across a run in the top of the first, Justin Verlander ran into immediate trouble in game five of the AL Championship Series, allowing a leadoff home run to DJ LeMaheiu, followed by a three-run blast off the bat of Aaron Hicks in the bottom of the inning.

Hicks belts 3-run homer

Those four runs were more than enough for Yankee starting pitcher, James Paxton, who shut down the Astros over the next five innings, keeping them from scoring again. Paxton worked six solid frames, giving up four hits and four walks, striking out nine. After 112 pitches, Paxton hit the bench, Tommy Kahnle, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman finished up, Chapman firing a hitless ninth inning for his first save of the series.

Paxton was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA during the regular season. Friday's victory was his first of the post-season. In just 221 regular season at-bats, Hicks batted .235 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in a season shortened by injuries.

With five games on the books, Houston still leads, three games to two, with game six slated for an 8:08 start on Saturday night at Yankee stadium.

The winner of the AL pennant will face the Washington Nationals, champions of the National League, in the 2019 World Series.

ALCS: Yankees Grab Game One Behind Gleybar Torres; NLCS: Nationals Take 2-0 Lead Over Cardinals

Apologies in advance for the brevity of this reporting. Half of the internet seems to be down (possibly due to rolling blackouts in California?) and access is limited and slow.

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 12, 2019

American League

Torres: 3-for-5, HR 5 RBI

New York Yankees 7 Houston Astros 1

Opening the AL Championship Series in Houston, the New York Yankees took the initiative with a 7-0 whitewash of the Astros, on a big night for second baseman Gleyber Torres.

Torres got the Yankees on the board first with a double in the fourth inning, plating DJ LeMaheiu. In the sixth, Torres homered to put New York ahead 2-0. Giancarlo Stanton added a solo shot in the same inning.

In the seventh, Torres' bases-loaded single brought in two more runs as the Yankees pulled away. Torres completed the scoring with a ground out to short that brought home LeMaheiu from third base.

Yankee starter, Masahiro Tanaka held the Astros scoreless though the first six innings, allowing one hit and a walk, striking out four. Three New York relievers finished up, each throwing a scoreless inning.

Game two is Sunday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Game time is

National League

Washington Nationals 3 St. Louis Cardinals 1

Washington took a two games to one edge in the NLCS, taking down St. Louis 2-0 on Friday night and taking the second of the Cardinals' home games by a 3-1 score on Saturday.

The series heads to Washington for the next three games, beginning with game three on Monday. Game four is Tuesday and game five, if needed, is Wednesday.

ALDS: Didi Gregorius Slams Twins in Yankee Romp; Gerrit Cole Fans 15 in Houston Victory

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 5, 2019

Gregorious socks slam

American League

NY Yankees 8 Minnesota Twins 2

Didi Gregorius socked a third inning grand slam as the Yankees erupted for seven runs in the frame and never looked back, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

Masahiro Tanaka struck out seven over five innings of work, earning the win. Tanaka allowed three hits and one earned run.

With the win, New York is one game away from sweeping the Twins, champions of the AL Central division. The series resumes Monday in Minnesota.

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Houston Astros 3 Tampa Bay Rays 1

Cole: 15 Ks

Gerrit Cole fanned 15, dominating the Tampa Bay Rays over 7 2/3 innings, leading the Astros to their second straight post-season victory.

Cole gave up four hits, blanking Tampa until he was lifted with two down in the eighth inning after allowing a Kevin Kiermaier double and a walk to Willy Adames. Roberto Osuna struck out Yandy Diaz to end the threat.

Alex Bregman ripped a solo homer leading off the fourth to give Houston a 1-0 lead. RBI singles by Martin Maldonado in the seventh and Carlos Correa in the eighth padded the Astros' lead.

The Rays loaded the bases after scoring a run in the top of the ninth, but Will Harris struck out Travis d'Arnaud and got Kiermaier on a ground out to first.

The teams travel to Tampa Bay on Sunday, the series resuming Monday. Houston can move on to the AL Championship Series with a win.


National League

There were no National League games on Saturday. NLDS continues Sunday. St. Louis hosts Atlanta at 4:05 pm ET; Washington hosts the LA Dodgers at 7:45 pm ET. Both series are tied 1-1.

ALDS: Verlander Leads Astros, LeMahieu Powers Yanks; NLDS: Foltynewicz Hurls Braves to Win, Strasberg Solid for Dodgers

Players of the Day for Friday, October 4, 2019

American League

LeMaheiu powers Yanks

The New York Yankees opened their best-of-five divisional series against Minnesota at home with a bang, most of the noise provided by leadoff hitter DJ LeMahieu, who was 3-for-5 with two runs and four RBI in the Yankees' 10-4 triumph.

With his team down 2-0 in the third, LeMahieu, who was second in batting in the AL regular season with a .327 average, singled, and scored on Edwin Encarnacion's double. The Yankees would tally twice more in the frame and never look back. LeMahieu socked a solo home run in the sixth inning and ripped a bases-loaded double in the seventh, plating all three and completing the Yankees' scoring.

Game two of the series is Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Verlander wins Game 1

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Justin Verlander got the ball for game one of the Astros' divisional series against the Rays and he did with it what he's been known for throughout his career, blanking Tampa Bay on one hit over seven innings in a dominant performance, fueling a 6-2 Houston win.

Verlander didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning, and struck out the side in the seventh to complete his day's work. He fanned eight and walked three. Verlander led the majors with a 21-6 record over the regular season. He and teammate Gerrit Cole are leading candidates for the AL Cy Young award.

The series picks up with game two in Houston on Saturday.

Foltynewicz leads Braves

National League

Atlanta tied its division series with St. Louis via a strong pitching performance from Mike Foltynewicz in a 3-0 game two victory.

The Braves scored a run in the bottom of the first and added two more on Adam Duvall's two-run pinch hit homer in the seventh.

Tied 1-1, the best-of-five series resumes Sunday in St. Louis.

Strasburg fans 10

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Evening their series in Los Angeles at a game apiece, Stephen Strasburg out-pitched LA starter, Clayton Kershaw, hurling the Washington Nationals to a 4-2 win over the Dodgers.

Strasberg allowed just one earned run on three hits over six innings, fanning 10. The Nationals scratched out a run in the first inning and two in the second off Kershaw, who was lifted in the sixth inning.

The Dodgers and Nationals resume their series in Washington on Sunday.

Masahiro Tanaka Hurls Yankees to AL East Crown; Matt Carpenter Homers, Leads Cards Past Cubs

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 19, 2019

American League

Tanaka pitches clincher

Through all the injuries, doubts, and player changes, the New York Yankees managed to overcome all of it and clinch the AL East with a little more than a week left in the regular season.

Masahiro Tanaka controlled the mound and the LA Angels while his teammates knocked out four homers en route to a 9-1, no-doubt victory, their 100th of the season.

Tanaka improved to 11-8, allowing four hits and one earned run over seven innings of work. He fanned six and did not walk any batters.

Tanaka needed to throw only 86 pitches for the win. The lone Angel run came off the bat of Kole Calhoun, who roped a leadoff homer in the fourth inning.

The Yankees are tied with Houston at 100 wins. The Dodgers, leading the National League, have 98.

New York hosts the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series beginning Friday.

National League

Carpenter wins it in 10th

If St. Louis wins the NL Central or takes one of the wild card slots, it will be in spite of its bullpen, not thanks to it.

The Cardinals squandered an excellent pitching performance by Jack Flaherty (again) and a 4-1 lead, but were bailed out by Matt Carpenter's 10th inning home run, defeating the Cubs, 5-4.

Flaherty worked eight innings, allowing one run on four hits, the lone Chicago run coming on an Anthony Rizzo solo home run in the third inning.

Carlos Martinez, the on-again, off-again closer for St. Louis, was charged with three runs in the bottom of the ninth, allowing the Cubs to tie the score.

Carpenter socked his 13th home run of the season into the left-center stands of Wrigley Field off Cubs' reliever, Craig Kimbrel. Giovanny Gallegos put down the Cubs in order in the bottom of the inning to seal the win, leaving the Cardinals with a three-game edge over Milwaukee in the Central division, with the Cubs four games out.

Milwaukee defeated the Padres Thursday, 5-1, and has won 12 of its last 14 games.

The St. Louis win opened a four-game series in Chicago. The Cubs and Cardinals go at it again on Saturday, with the series extending through Sunday and game four on Monday. The two NL Central rivals close out the season with three games in St. Louis next week.

Kris Bryant Drives in 4, Cubs Pound Pirates; Brett Gardner Delivers for Yankees in Blue Jay Blowout

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 14, 2019

American League

Gardner: 2 HR, 5 RBI

Closing in on 100 wins, the Yankees (98-52) reduced their magic number to four with a blowout, 13-3, win over the Blue Jays in Toronto.

The Yankees amassed 19 hits, three of them by Brett Gardner, who doubled and went yard twice, driving in five runs for the AL East division leaders. Gardner got the Yankees on the board with a double in the second inning, followed up with a solo homer in the fourth and put the game out of reach with a three-run homer in the fifth. He totaled five RBI on the day.

Gardner, 36, has a career-high 25 home runs this season. He's driven in 66 runs, scored 79 and has 10 stolen bases.

The Yankees close out their series in Toronto on Sunday, starting at 1:07 pm ET, before returning home for their final home stand of the year, hosting three games each with the Angels and Blue Jays, starting Tuesday.

National League

Bryant: 3-3, HR, 4 RBI

With a commanding 14-1 win over Pittsburgh Saturday, the Cubs not only maintained their hold on the second wild card, but picked up a game on Central division-leading St. Louis, as the Cardinals were defeated by Milwaukee, 5-2.

Kris Bryant went 3-for-3 in the Chicago rampage, singling in a run in the second inning, whacking a two-run homer in the fourth, and taking one for the team when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth, with the bases loaded, accounting for his fourth RBI of the day.

Bryant is quietly having a solid season, batting .285 with 29 home runs and 73 RBI. He's picked up the pace as the Cubs are serious about making the playoffs, batting .391 with three homers and nine RBI in his last seven games.

Saturday's results left the Cubs 1 1/2 behind Washington in the wild card, holding second by a game over the Brewers, three over the Mets, and 3 1/2 over the Phillies. More importantly, Chicago pulled to within three games of the Cardinals in the division. The Cubs and Cardinals play each other seven more times in the final two weeks of the season.

Chicago, winners of three straight, finish their series in Pittsburgh Sunday.

Mets Pummel Arizona; Juan Lagares, 2HR, 6 RBI; Luke Voit Leads Yankees Over Detroit

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 12, 2019

Voit: 3-5, HR, 3R, 3 RBI

American League

Rained out on Wednesday, the Yankees played two in Detroit on Thursday with the worst team in the majors.

As expected, New York captured both ends of the double dip, winning the first game, 10-4, then taking the nightcap, 6-4.

Luke Voit had himself a nice day at the plate, especially in game one, where he singled, doubled and hit a two-run homer run in the first inning, scoring three times and driving in three. In the second game, he went 1-for-3 and scored a run.

Voit has 20 homers and 58 RBI on the year.

Detroit is now 43-102, 3 1/2 games worse than the Orioles, each at the bottom of their respective divisions.

The Yankees improved to 97-51, the best record in the majors and two games better than Houston, which currently gives the Yanks home field advantage for the duration of their playoff run. With 14 games left on the schedule and a 10-game edge on Tampa Bay, the Yankees magic number to clinch the AL East is FIVE.

The Yankees head to Toronto Friday for a three-game weekend series with the Blue Jays.

National League

Lagares: 2 HR, 6 RBI

Making their way into the heart of the NL wild card race, the New York Mets completed a sweep of the visiting Diamondbacks, taking four straight from the team that until recently, had been the hottest in the majors.

Arizona had won 11 of their last 13, losing the series finale in Cincinnati before heading to New York. With the Mets' 11-1 win Thursday, New York handed Arizona its fifth straight loss and passed them in the wild card standings.

Juan Lagares led a barrage of six home runs with two of his own: a grand slam in the third inning and a two-run homer in the fifth, totaling six RBI for the game. The Mets outscored Arizona, 26-4, in the four games, winning 9-0 on Wednesday.

The win kept the Mets tied with the Phillies, two games behind Chicago and Milwaukee, who are tied for the second wild card spot. Washington continues to lead in the #1 position, 3 1/2 up. Arizona is another 1 1/2 behind the Mets and Philly. Other than Arizona, all five of the wild card contenders won on Thursday.

Arizona heads home to meet the Reds starting Friday; the Mets host the Dodgers in a three-game weekend series.

Jack Flaherty Dominates Giants in 1-0 Cardinal Win; James Paxton Wins 7th Straight As Yanks Bomb Rangers, 10-1

Players of the Day for Tuesday, September 3, 2019

American League

Paxton has 7 straight wins

James Paxton struck out five of the first seven batters he faced and took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, eventually settling for a one-hit effort over seven innings as the Yankees took down the visiting Rangers, 10-1.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa broke up Paxton's no-hit effort with a two-out single in the fifth. Paxton walked one and fanned 12, throwing 66 of 95 pitches for strikes, improving to 12-6 in his first year with the Yankees. Paxton, who extended a personal winning streak to seven straight starts, was acquired from Seattle in the off-season.

The Yankees slugged five homers in support, two by catcher Gary Sanchez, who has 34, a career high.

Winning for the seventh time in their last nine games, the Yankees hold a 9 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East. The Rays split a twin bill with the Orioles.

Texas and New York wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday. Game time is 6:35 pm ET.

National League

Flaherty is 5-1 last 7 starts

St. Louis remains red hot and on top of the NL Central.

On Tuesday, Jack Flaherty took a no-hitter into the sixth inning to pick up his ninth win against seven losses as the Cardinals won for the 14th time in their last 17 games with a 1-0 win over the Giants.

Marcel Ozuna's sixth inning solo homer provided the difference as Flaherty dominated San Francisco batters, fanning eight and allowing one walk over eight innings.

Mike Yastrzemski singled with two outs in the sixth to ruin Flaherty's bid. Carlos Martinez worked a scoreless ninth - giving up a second single to Yastrzemski - to pick up his 18th save.

Flaherty has been exceptional since the start of August, going 5-1 in his last seven starts with an extraordinary ERA of 0.59 over that stretch. He's allowed just 20 hits and three earned runs over his last 46 innings.

Coupled with Chicago's 6-1 win over Seattle, St. Louis maintained a three-game edge over the Cubs in the Central division. Chicago continues to hold the #2 wild card spot, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals and 2 1/2 up on the Phillies.

St. Louis hosts the Giants Wednesday at 7:45 pm ET in game three of their four-game series.

Elsewhere, the Mets certainly aren't helping themselves in their bid for the playoffs, blowing a six-run lead in the ninth inning to the Nationals, who walked off on Kurt Suzuki's three-run homer off reliever Edwin Diaz.

Philly, Arizona, and Milwaukee all kept pace in the wild card race with wins.

Domingo Herman Nothes 17th Win As Yanks Down Dodgers; Dallas Keuchel, Josh Donaldson Lead Braves to 8th Straight

Players of the Day for Sunday, August 25, 2019

Herman: 17 Ws tops MLB

American League

Domingo Herman out dueled the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw en route to a 5-1 win in Los Angeles as the Yankees took the series, two games to one.

After giving up a leadoff home run on the first pitch in the first inning to Joc Pederson, Herman settled in, giving up just four more hits over six innings to earn his 17th win against a mere three loses.

Herman's 17 wins are two more than any other major league hurler. At 4.03, Herman's ERA is a little on the high side, but the results speak for themselves. He's been very efficient at keeping runs from scoring in key situations. He's fanned 136 batters in 127 1/3 innings, walking 30. While hitters are averaging .233 against him, he keeps chalking up wins. In his last 10 starts, Herman is 8-1 as the Yankees have maintained a huge lead in the AL East.

D.J. LeMahieu, Mike Ford and Aaron Judge each socked solo homers off Kershaw.

With the Rays losing, the Yankees improved to a nine-game bulge in the division. On Monday, they head to Seattle for a three-game series, wrapping up a nine-game road trip.

Keuchel: 7 scoreless

National League

Winning their eighth straight, the Atlanta Braves rode the arm of Dallas Keuchel to a 2-1 win over the Mets, completing a three-game series sweep of their NL East opponents.

Donaldson: 2 solo HRs

Keuchel (5-5, 3.78) blanked the Mets for seven innings, allowing four hits while fanning seven. Sean Newcomb worked a scoreless eighth and Mark Melancon gave up a run in the ninth but still managed the save, his sixth of the season.

Josh Donaldson's two solo homers provided the winning edge. Donaldson has 32 homers on the season.

The win left Atlanta six up on the Nationals in the NL East. The Mets are in fourth place, 12 games out, 1/2-game behind the Phillies, both struggling to keep up in the wild card race. The Nationals have won five straight and hold a four-game lead over the Cubs for the top wild card. Chicago is 1 1/2 ahead of the Phillies for the second spot.

The Braves head to Colorado on Monday for a make-up game before two in Toronto, Tuesday and Wednesday, wrapping up their road trip.

Nationals Top Reds, Trea Turner Drives In 4; Yankees' Gleyber Torres Bombs Orioles

Players of the Day for Monday, August 12, 2019

American League

Torres: 13 HR vs. Orioles

The Yankees routinely spank the Orioles, especially at Camden Yards in Baltimore, where they've won all ten games this season.

Opening a four-game series with a day-night double-header Monday, the Yankees took two more from the moribund O's, 8-5 in the opener and 11-6 in the night game.

The player who's been particularly damaging to the Orioles all season is Yankee shortstop, Gleyber Torres, who homered once in the opener and twice in the nightcap, reaching 13 home runs against the Orioles this season.

Torres' 13 homers against Baltimore tied Roger Maris' number in 1961 against Cleveland for the second-most against one team in a season for the Yankees, behind Lou Gehrig's record total of 14 in 1936, also against the Indians.

With a solo homer in the opener, Torres followed up with an evening encore, mashing a pair of three-run shots, one each in the fifth and sixth innings. He also singled in the first, scoring on Brett Gardner's bases-loaded triple.

Torres is batting .283, with 26 homers and 69 RBI.

The Yankees are 15-2 against Baltimore this season. They haven't lost against them since March 31. The season series concludes with games Tuesday and Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. For the Orioles, those games cannot come soon enough.

National League

Turner leads Nationals

Surging through the second half of the season, the Washington Nationals have themselves in position to challenge for the NL East title or the wild card. Presumably, the Nat would rather overtake the Braves in the division than face a one-game elimination in the wold card.

Opening a three-game series with the visiting Reds with a 7-6 win, the Nationals find themselves six games off the pace in the division race and with a one game edge on St. Louis in the wild card.

Trea Turner provided important offense for Washington, socking a three-run homer in the fourth inning and adding a run with an RBI single in the seventh.

Up 7-2 entering the eighth, Washington's bullpen barely held the lead, giving up two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Part of the Reds' late rally was a two-run blast by rookie Arisides Aquino, setting an MLB record with his eighth home run in his first 12 games.

Game two of the series between the wild card contenders - the Reds are 6 1/2 games back - is slated to start at 7:05 pm ET.

Gio Urshela's 2 HRs Lead Yankees Over Blue Jays; SF's Madison Bumgarner Shuts Down Phillies

Players of the Day for Thursday, August 8, 2019

American League

Urshela: 3-4, 2HR, 4RBI

A near lock to make the playoffs as the pennant winner in the AL East, the New York Yankees opened a four-game series in Toronto by doubling up the Blue Jays, 12-6.

At the center of the blowout was third baseman Gio Urshela, who whacked a pair of home runs for the second straight game.

After tearing up Baltimore on Wednesday, Urshela unleashed a two-run homer in the opening frame and added another in the third inning. He also singled and scored in the ninth as the Yankees pounded Blue Jay pitching.

Called up early in the season as a replacement for injured Miguel Andujar, Urshela has proven to be much more than an ordinary replacement. In 94 games (303 at-bats), Urshela is batting .323, with 16 home runs and 59 RBI. He's delivered an inordinate number of big hits as the Yankees - with numerous injuries to key players - haven't skipped a beat en route to the top of the division.

New York holds a 10 1/2 game lead over Tampa Bay and recently swept the Red Sox four straight, ending their hopes for the post-season. The Yankees have won nine straight.

Game two of the series is Friday at 7:07 pm ET.

National League

Bumgarner: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Straight from the "too little, too late" department, San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner had his best game of the season, shutting out the Phillies for seven innings on one hit in the Giants' 5-0 win Thursday.

After setting down the first ten batters in order, Bumgarner walked Rhys Hoskins with one out in the fourth, then set down the next five batters before Cesar Hernandez broke up the no-hit bid with one gone in the sixth inning.

With the Giants holding a safe lead, Bumgarner (7-7, 3.74) worked through the seventh before sitting down, having thrown just 85 pitches, striking out three, allowing just the one hit.

This effort was of little solace to Giants' fans, as San Francisco is in third place in the NL West, trailing the Dodgers by 19 1/2 games. They also have slim hopes of making the playoffs as a wild card, five back of the current leader, Washington.

Losing seven of their last ten games, the Giants have been unable to gain any ground.

The Giants host game two of their four-game series with Philly Friday at 10:15 pm ET.

Yankees' Mike Tauchman Belts a Pair In Baltimore; Christian Yelich Homers Twice as Brewers Top Pirates

Players of the Day for Monday, August 5, 2019

American League

Tauchman socks 2 HRs

After dusting off the Red Sox four straight in New York, the Yankees opened a three-game series down the road in Baltimore and did what they usually do when in Maryland, pummel the last place Orioles, winning with a barrage of home runs, 9-6.

Wracked with injuries, the Yankees have relied on call-ups from their AAA affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for healthy bodies. One such player is Mike Tauchman, an accomplished outfield who is also proving that he can handle a bat pretty well.

Tauchman belted two of the Yankees' five home runs, a solo shot in the sixth and a two-run blast in the ninth. Tauchman also singled, going 3-for-4 on the night.

As a frequent fill-in, Tauchman is batting .294 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 170 at-bats.

The victory was the sixth straight for the Yankees, who lead the AL East by nine games over Tampa Bay. The Orioles host game two of the series Tuesday night, 7:05 pm ET.

National League

Yelich: 39 HRs leads MLB

Christian Yelich bookended a pair of solo home runs - one in the first inning and another in the ninth - taking over the major league lead with 39, helping the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Yelich also singled twice, boosting his batting average to .336, locking him into a battle with the Met's Jeff McNeil and LA's Cody Bellinger.

The win snapped a four game losing streak for Milwaukee, including being swept by the Cubs in Chicago over the weekend, leaving the Brewers four games out in the NL Central, behind the Cubs and the Cardinals, who are 2 1/2 off the pace.

While Milwaukee's recent woes haven't knocked them completely out of contention in the division, the Brewers now sit fourth in the wild card, two games behind the Nationals and Phillies, currently sharing the top spot.

Yelich, meanwhile, is backing up his 2018 NL MVP award with another outstanding season. In addition to his 39 homers, he's driven in 74 runs and has a solid shot at repeating as the league's batting champion.

Milwaukee will look to make it two straight in Pittsburgh when they face the Pirates, Tuesday, 7:05 pm ET.

Didi Gregorius 5-5, 7 RBI in Wild Yankee Win over Twins; Mets' Robinson Cano Socks Three HR

Players of the Day for Tuesday, July 23, 2019

American League

Gregorius: 5-5, 7 RBI

It took more than five hours, 14 pitchers throwing 432 pitches, 35 hits, and a bases-loaded, circus catch by Aaron Hicks, but the Yankees finally prevailed over the Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, 14-12, in 10 innings.

Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius had a career night, going 5-for-5 with two singles, two doubles, and a three-run homer. He collected seven RBI in total and scored twice, including the game-winning run.

The Twins built an early 8-2 lead after four innings, but the Yankees batted back with three in the fifth and a five-run eighth. They finally took the lead with two runs in the ninth on Aaron Hicks' two-run homer, but the Twins came back to tie it with a run in the bottom fo the frame.

In the 10th, Gregorius singled with one out, moved to second on Austin Romine's single, and scored on a single by Gleyber Torres. Romine scored an insurance run on a wild pitch.

Minnesota mounted a rally in the home half of the 10th, loading the bases on three walks, but the game ended when Aaron Hicks made a diving catch in center field on Max Kepler's line drive.

The win kept the Yankees 10 games up on both Boston and Tampa Bay in the AL East. Minnesota's loss was not damaging, keeping them three games ahead of the Indians in the Central. Cleveland dropped a 2-1, 10-inning decision in Toronto.

Tied at a game apiece, the two teams finish up their three-game series on Wednesday, 8:00 pm ET.

National League

Cano: 4-4, 3HR, 5 RBI

Both the Mets and Pardes fell out of their respective divisional races in June, but the games still have to be played.

On Tuesday night in New York, Robinson Cano made the most of it, going 4-for-4, belting three home runs and driving in all of the Mets' runs in New York's 5-3 win.

After singling in the first, Cano whacked a solo homer in the fourth off San Diego starting pitcher, Chris Paddack (6-5). In the sixth inning, he victimized Paddock again, lining a two-run homer in the sixth. Cano completed the trifecta with a two-run blast in the seventh off Logan Allen.

Acquired from the Mariners after the 2018 season, Cano has not been productive for the Mets, batting .254, with nine home runs and just 27 RBI. In his last 15 games, however, Cano has hit .316 with five home runs and nine RBI.

The Mets and Padres take up game two of their three-game set at 7:10 pm ET on Wednesday.

American League Highlights: Yankees Loaded On IL; Red-Hot Rays; Seattle Ripping the West

We're just about two weeks into the new season, and, since nobody pays much attention to baseball until after the NHL playoffs end (June), just figure that nobody missed our insights and observations.

Here's a quick run-down of the start of the season and what to watch going forward.

American League

The Yankees are Banged Up

Before the season even started, the Yanks put their ace, Luis Severino, on the IL. Since then, they've been subjected to more hurt, including these notables:

• Miguel Andujar
• Dellin Betances
• Jacoby Ellsbury
• Didi Gregorious
• Ben Heller
• Aaron Hicks
• Jordan Montgomery
• CC Sabathia
• Giancarlo Stanton
• Troy Tulowitzki

As this writer points out, these guys could likely beat the current Giants' roster. Whether that's true or not, there are some good names out there, especially Stanton, Hicks, and Andujar, but Tulowitzki gets injured waking up, and Ellsbury's been gone so long, nobody really misses him. He's going to retire soon, because he's slowed down and the Yankees have some good, young outfielders.

Thus, the Yankees entered Thursday tied with the Orioles at 5-7, both chasing 10-3 Tampa Bay. The Rays have opened up the biggest lead in the majors, a whopping 4 1/2 games, and they're not going to be looking over their shoulders. Tampa has plenty of pitching (Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Diego Castillo, and José Alvarado, to name just a few), a bevy of young, hungry players, and manager Kevin Cash may be one of the great innovators of any generation.

His use of relievers as starters and rotating his staff via short stints is revolutionary. If the Rays win the AL East by 5-10 games, it wouldn't surprise this writer.

(Incidentally, the Orioles are about done. Saying good-bye to second place with an 8-5 loss to the visiting A's Thursday, the O's dropped 1/2 game behind the idle Yankees. Chris Davis, who is currently extending the longest hitless streak in MLB history, went 0-for-3, putting the new mark at 52. The former record was 46. Davis is still in the midst of a $116-million contract, but there's not enough money in the world worth keeping this guy on the field. He's become a serious distraction on a team which is struggling for respectability. Sending him to the minors might be a sympathetic move. The O's cleaned house last season, but could find no takers for Davis. It's just sad.)

Seattle Soaring

Other than the Rays, the surprise thus far has to be Seattle and their 12-2 start. The M's are scoring at a blistering pace, putting up 110 runs for an average of 7.86 per game. Tim Beckham is batting .386; Domingo Santana leads the league in RBI with 19, Jay Bruce has belted seven homers and Mitch Haniger hasn't even gotten started (.254, 3HR, 10RBI).

Obviously, the Mariners aren't likely to keep up that pace, and the Astros, A's and Angels are likely to offer plenty of resistance. Right now, though, the West division looks to be up for grabs.

Central Casting

In the Central, Cleveland's already up close, within 1/2 game of the Tigers. The Twins are one game back of Detroit and it looks like the White Sox and Royals may have to wait until next year to be considered contenders.

Cleveland has the best roster in the division, and they could easily run away with it again, but Minnesota is on the move and should keep the Indians honest (no pun intended, really).

One bright spot for the Royals is the amazing hitting streak of second baseman Whit Merrifield, who extended his hitting streak from last season to 31 games, a number that bettered the franchise mark owned by Hall of Famer, George Brett. In his second full season with the Royals, Merrifield has stamped his name in baseball's annals. A pure singles hitter, only five of his 16 hits this season have been for extra bases. He's worth watching as one of major league's least-heralded upcoming stars.

UPDATE: On Thrusday, Merrifield went 0-for-6, snapping the streak at 31. The Royals blew a 6-4 ninth inning lead, with Seattle winning in 10, 7-6. Merrifield had more than his fair share of opportunity. He struck out in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

We'll take a look at the National League tomorrow. There are some solid weekend series coming up.

Gary Sanchez Homers Twice As Yankees Even Series With Boston; Gerrit Cole Stymies Indians In Houston Win

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 7, 2018

Sanchez: 2 HR, 4 RBI

American League

Yankees 6 Red Sox 2

Gary Sanchez socked a pair of homers and drove in four runs as the Yankees evened their series at Boston at a game apiece. After Aaron Judge homered in the first, Sanchez belted a solo shot in the second to put the Yankees up 2-0. With New York leading, 3-1, in the seventh, Sanchez delivered the kill shot, blasting a three-run, 479-foot bomb to center field. Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were aboard for the ride.

Masahiro Tanaka picked up the win for the Yanks, allowing one run on three hits over five innings. Boston starter, David Price, lasted just 1 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on three hits and a pair of walks.

The series shifts to New York on Monday for game three.

Cole: 7 IP, 1 ER. 12 K

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Astros 3 Indians 1

Gerrit Cole spun magic on the mound as Houston took a two-games-to-none lead over the visiting Cleveland Indians in the AL divisional series, working seven innings for the win.

Cole allowed a mere three hits and one run, fanning 12 without surrendering a walk. Cole threw 70 of 98 pitches for strikes, most of which the Cleveland batters could not handle, their only run coming on a third inning solo home run by Francisco Lindor. After the Lindor homer, Cole retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced, striking out the side in the fourth and fanning two each in the fifth and sixth innings.

Alex Bregman homered for the second straight game, socking a solo shot in the seventh inning. Marwin Gonzalez went 4-for-4 and drove in two runs with a double in the sixth that gave Houston a 2-1 lead.

Houston will be seeking a sweep of the five-game series when the teams meet Monday in Cleveland for game three.


National League

There were no games in the National League on Saturday. The Dodgers lead the Braves, two games to none, and the Brewers have the same edge over the Rockies.

Both series continue Sunday, with the Dodgers at Atlanta (8:07 pm ET) and the Brewers at Colorado (4:37 pm ET). A win by either Los Angeles or Milwaukee would constitute a sweep of the best-of-five series.

Aaron Judge Homers, Sends Yankees To ALDS Vs. Red Sox

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 3, 2018

American League

Judge: HR, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

Aaron Judge socked a two-run homer in the first inning and Luis Severino and the Yankee bullpen made it stand up as the Yankees downed the Oakland A's, 7-2, in the AL Wild Card game.

Judge, who was sidelined with a broken wrist much of the second half of the season, lifted a 2-1 pitch from Oakland's Liam Hendriks 427 feet into the left field stands. Andrew McCutchen, who walked to lead off the inning, was on first base when Judge set off his blast. Judge finished the game 2-for-3, adding a double and scoring in the sixth inning when the Yankees tacked on four more runs.

Severino only lasted into the fifth, but he didn't allow a hit through the first four, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam on an error and two walks in the fourth, the Yankee ace gave up two singles in the fifth before getting any outs and was replaced by Dellin Betances, who got the win, throwing two hitless, scoreless innings.

The Athletics finally struck in the eighth on a two-run homer by Khris Davis, but by then the Yankees had built the lead to six runs. Giancarlo Stanton finished the scoring with his first post-season home run, a solo shot in the Yankee eighth.

Boston, which finished the regular season with the best record in the majors (108-54), awaits their arch-rival in the division series which begins Friday at Fenway Park. Game time is 7:32 pm ET. Houston hosts Cleveland in the other division series. Game one is Friday at 2:05 pm ET.

National League

There were no games in the National League on Wednesday.

The NL division series starts Thursday. The Colorado Rockies play at Milwaukee (5:07 pm ET) and Atlanta is at Los Angeles (8:37 pm ET).

Juan Soto Helps Washington Rip Rockies, Sending NL Into Chaos; Miguel Andujar Breaks DiMaggio Record As Yankees Down Red Sox

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 29, 2018

American League

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

Andujar breaks NY record

Thanks to rookie third baseman, Miguel Andujar, part of him, at least, has gone down a memory hole as Andjusr shattered a record held since 1936 by the Yankee Clipper.

Andujar lashed a pair of doubles and drove in two runs as the Yankees defeated Boston, 8-5, at Fenway Park. DiMaggio's Yankee rookie record of 44 doubles in a season was broken as Andujar hit one on Friday to tie it and upped his total to 46 with his two doubles Saturday.

Andujar should easily capture the AL rookie of the year award.

The Yankees set a major league record in the win. With home runs by Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton, they surpassed the record set in 1997 by the Seattle Mariners for most home runs by a team in a single season. The previous record was 264, which was tied when Aaron Judge launched the last of four Yankee homers Friday night. The new record of 266 - to which the Yankees can add on Sunday in their regular season finale - also includes a footnote. The Yankees became the first team to get at least 20 home runs from each of the nine batting positions when Gleyber Torres broke the record with his fourth-inning smash.

The Yankees and Red Sox complete the regular season Sunday at Fenway.

National League

Soto: 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI

The Washington Nationals aren't headed to the post-season, but, in the best baseball tradition, they played spoiler on Saturday by hammering the Colorado Rockies, 12-2, sending the NL West into a tie for first place between the Rockies and Dodgers. Los Angeles defeated the Giants, 10-6, leaving the two teams at 90-71 each with one game left to play.

Rookie outfielder, Juan Soto, got the Nationals on the bard early, knocking in two runs with a double in the first inning. From there on, the Nationals continued to pour it on, racking up 18 hits against five Colorado pitchers as the game got away.

Soto drove in two more runs, one with a solo homer in the fifth (his 22nd), and another on a ground out in the eighth inning. His four RBI gave hime 70 on the year. Soto's numbers, which include a .294 batting average, make him the leading candidate for rookie of the year.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, St. Louis was eliminated from the wild card race, despite their 2-1 win over the Cubs in Chicago. With Milwaukee downing Detroit, 6-5, that left the Cubs and Brewers tied for the lead in the NL Central, at 94-67.

With the Atlanta Braves having already clinched the NL East, the other four post-season positions are up for grabs. The Cubs host St. Louis, the Rockies host Washington, LA is at San Francisco and Milwaukee hosts Detroit. The games are all the last of the regular season for the teams involved. If ties are produced in either division, an additional playoff game would be needed to determine the winner. Either the Cubs or Brewers will host the wild card game against the second place team in the West, either the Dodgers or Rockies.

Ian Desmond Lifts Rockies Past Nationals; Aaron Judge Homers, Yankees Wrap Up Wild Card

Players of the Day for Friday, September 28, 2018

Aaron Judge

American League

The suspense is over.

The New York Yankees - by virtue of their 11-6 win at Boston and Oakland's 8-5 loss to the Angels - will host the al wild card game on Wednesday, October 3.

Tearing through the Boston pitching staff with 13 hits, every Yankee player had at least one hit, including Aaron Judge, recently returned from the disabled list, who went 2-for-4, including his first home run since July 21.

Judge finished off the scoring for the Yankees with a booming solo homer to Fenway Park's center field. He had been sidelined with a fractured wrist since July 24, coming off the DL on September 14. Earlier, the Yankee right fielder had walked and singled, scoring in both the third and fourth innings as the Yankees piled on the runs. They led 8-0 before Boston struck for four runs in the sixth on Steve Pearce's grand slam.

Miguel Andujar stroked his 44th double in the fourth inning, tying Joe DiMaggio for the most doubles by a rookie in Yankee history. DiMaggio hit his 44 in 1936.

Now that the wild card locale has been decided, all positions in the AL are set in stone. Boston, Houston and Cleveland are division champions, with the Yankees and A's set to duel in the single-elimination game next week. The winner of the wild card game would open the division series in Boston while the Indians would will travel to Houston. Both series would begin on Friday, the 5th of October.

National League

Ian Desmond

Getting hot at the most opportune time has taken the Colorado Rockies from playoff wannabes to a possible game away from claiming the National League West division crown. Winners of eight straight, the Rockies rocketed past the Cardinals in the wild card and beyond the Dodgers into first place in the division in just over a week.

Friday's 5-2 win over the visiting Nationals was testimony to their timely play and grit under pressure.

Starting pitcher, Kyle Freeland, worked out of jam after jam in his six innings of work, allowing just two runs on 11 hits and one walk. Freeland, 17-7, worked himself into and out of bases-loaded situations in the second and third innings without surrendering a run, but Trea Turner's two-out triple in the fourth plated a pair of runs for the Nationals. Freeland gave up a single in the fifth and a double in the sixth, leaving the game with a 4-2 lead thanks to a Charlie Blackmon solo homer in the third, Ian Desmond's two-run fifth inning blast, followed directly by Chris Iannetta's solo homer.

In the bottom of the sixth, Dan Dahl stroked a solo homer to complete the scoring. It was the fifth consecutive game in which Dahl has gone yard, With his solo shot in the sixth, joining Dante Bichette (1995), Larry Walker (1999) and Arenado (2015) as Rockies' players to accomplish the unique five-in-five feat.

Desmond, who played for Washington from 2009 through 2015, came back to bite his former team, his homer turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 Colorado lead that the Rockies would never relinquish. Desmond's homer was his 22nd of the season, to go with 88 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

With the Dodgers winning, 3-1, at San Francisco, the Rockies maintained their one game lead in the division. St. Louis lost their fourth straight, dropping an 8-4 decision at the Chicago Cubs, leaving the Cardinals with almost no hope of post-season play. The Cubs remain a game behind Milwaukee in the Central, as the Brewers knocked off Detroit, 6-5.

Colorado can clinch at least a tie for the division title with a win or an LA loss on Saturday. Any combination of Colorado wins and Dodger losses equalling two would clinch the division outright. The regular season ends Sunday with all games starting between 3:05 and 3:20 pm EDT.

Yankees Closer To Hosting Wild Card As Giancarlo Stanton Belts Two HRs; Cubs' Jon Lester Blanks Pirates Over Six

Players of the Day for Thursday, September 27, 2018

American League

Stanton smacks a pair of HRs

The New York Yankees took another step closer to hosting the single-elimination wild card game against the Oakland Athletics with a 12-1 rout of Tampa Bay, taking three of four at Tropicana Field from the Rays.

Giancarlo Stanton could not be kept off the base paths. The Yankee outfielder, acquired in the off-season from Miami, walked twice and scored three times, twice on solo homers, his 36th and 37th of the season.

Stanton, who's numbers haven't been quite up to his usual eye-popping figures, is still having a very solid season, batting .262 with 97 RBI. Last season, Stanton had 59 homers and 132 RBI with the Marlins.

The win left the Yankees two games up on the idle A's, with three left to play. The Yankees need any combination of two wins or two A's losses to wrap up the top wild card spot. That may be hard to come by, as the Yankees open a season-ending three-game series at Boston, while the A's wrap things up with three games in LA with the Angels.

National League

Lester: 6 scoreless

The Cubs got a big effort at an opportune time from starter Jon Lester, who blanked the Pirates for six innings in the finale of their four-game series, leading to a 3-0 Chicago win at wrigley Field.

After the Pirates took the first two games of the series, the red-hot Brewers began breathing down Chicago's neck, closing to within a half game of the division leaders. Taking the third and fourth game of the series, the Cubs improved their lead to one game over the Brewers, who were idle on Thursday.

Lester improved to 18-6 on the year, pitching in and out of trouble most of his six innings. Lester walked four, struck out three, but allowed only three hits. Pittsburgh threatened, with runners on base in each of the first four innings, but failed to get anybody across home plate. Lester finished up by putting the side down in order in the fifth and sixth.

Starting Friday, the Cubs host the Cardinals for three games to end the season. St. Louis trails the Dodgers by one game for the second wild card spot. Milwaukee has already clinched the top wild card spot and will host the single game unless they get some help from St. Louis and nip the Cubs for the division title.

The same condition exists in the West, where the Dodgers trail the Rockies by one game. All teams have three games left. The Rockies host the Nationals, the Dodgers are at San Francisco, while the Brewers host the Detroit Tigers to close out the regular season.