Latest news with #ALWildCard
Boston Globe
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Ernie Clement blasts tiebreaking homer in ninth to cap Blue Jays' rally past Dodgers to increase AL East lead
As a result, the AL-best Blue Jays (69-50) now own a four-game lead over the Red Sox (65-54). The Red Sox also lost hold of the top AL Wild Card slot, as the streaking Mariners (winners of seven straight) are now a game up on the Sox. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up For the Blue Jays, Mason Fluharty earned his first career save in spectacular fashion after replacing erratic closer Jeff Hoffman in the ninth with the bases loaded and one out. The rookie left-hander struck out Ohtani with a full-count breaking ball before getting Mookie Betts on a game-ending grounder. Advertisement Flu Game. Take a bow, Mason 👏 — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) After Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a tying homer and Addison Barger followed with a go-ahead shot for Toronto off struggling Blake Treinen in the eighth inning, Clement hit the first pitch from Alex Vesia (2-2) in the ninth into the left-field bleachers. FIRST. PITCH. AMBUSH. — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) Hoffman (7-4) walked Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to blow Toronto's lead in the eighth, and he walked three of the Dodgers' first four batters in the ninth. Advertisement Ohtani drove Eric Lauer's fourth pitch 400 feet. The three-time MVP's third homer in four games tied him with Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. Back-to-back days with a homer from Shohei! — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) Freeman also homered in the first. Ohtani had two hits and was intentionally walked twice. The Dodgers' bullpen wasted another strong start by Tyler Glasnow, who yielded two runs on four hits and four walks while pitching into the sixth and striking out eight. Glasnow's winless streak stretched to 10 starts since March 31 despite his 1.82 ERA since coming off the injured list. The Red Sox, though, still sit 2½ games up on the Yankees for the second Wild Card slot, after Houston won, 7-1, in front of upset fans at the Stadium. Jason Alexander pitched one-hit ball through six innings, and Jose Altuve hit his 250th career homer to power Astros. Alexander (3-1) allowed his first hit in the sixth inning, a one-out single to Cohasset's Ben Rice. Alexander did not allow a run for the second straight start. He walked three and struck out three in a game in which he relied mostly on changeups and sinkers over 87 pitches. Altuve, as designated hitter, homered to left in the first and became the 11th player whose primary position is second base to reach 250 homers. Altuve had two hits and scored three runs, including on a double by Christian Walker in the third and on a single by Ramón Urías that fell in between shortstop Anthony Volpe and left fielder Cody Bellinger in the ninth. Rookie Cam Smith had a two-out bases-loaded single that scored two runs in the fifth to help the Astros win for the fourth time in six games. Advertisement Max Fried (12-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings and lost for the third time in four starts. The Yankees managed three hits and lost for the seventh time in nine games and were booed after the final out. Manager Aaron Boone was ejected for the fifth time this season after arguing a called strike on Ryan McMahon in the third inning. The Astros next welcome the Red Sox to Houston. They did not announce a starter for the series opener Monday, against Sox ace Garrett Crochet (13-4, 2.24). The Yankees, meanwhile, host Minnesota starting Monday, and the Blue Jays host the Cubs in a series that begins Tuesday.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Former Manager of the Year Named Option for Yankees to Replace Aaron Boone
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The New York Yankees entered Thursday in third place in the American League East and with a 1 1/2 game lead for the final AL Wild Card spot. At this point, it's hard to believe the Yankees once had the top spot in the division and were in a position to run away with it. Their recent woes have led some fans to call for Aaron Boone to be fired. While MLB insider Jon Heyman notes that the Yankees will not fire him, FanSided's Christopher Kline named former Miami Marlin manager Skip Schumaker as a potential replacement for Boone. "The Miami Marlins and Skip Schumaker parted ways after only two seasons together," wrote Kline. "He led them to 84 wins and a surprise postseason berth in 2023. Then Miami undercut the front office with Kim Ng's firing and the team fell apart. It's rather difficult to pinpoint exact managerial tendencies in today's game, but Schumaker has proven that he can rally a group of underdogs to outperform expectations. Just imagine what he might do with a team of high-paid stars and the Yankees logo across his chest." MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone looks on during batting practice prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 02, 2025 in Miami, Florida. MIAMI, FLORIDA - AUGUST 02: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone looks on during batting practice prior to a game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on August 02, 2025 in Miami, was the 2023 National League Manager of the Year. He is also a former player who spent 11 seasons playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. He won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. His career record is 146-178 as a manager, but the Marlins were not exactly in a position to be contenders when he took over. Regardless, he managed to lead them to the postseason. With the aggressive nature of the Yankees' front office, he could find success. Boone's current contract runs through 2027. There are no indications that a change is coming, but if the Yankees miss the postseason, conversations about Boone being fired will get louder. More MLB: Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt Has 3 Words to Describe David Bednar's Stellar Outing
CBS News
5 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Garrett Crochet tossed another dominant gem for Red Sox after his extended break
Garrett Crochet couldn't wait to take the mound Tuesday night at Fenway Park. After an extended 10-day break between starts, he was ready to go out and be the ace of the Boston Red Sox. The extra rest, part of Boston's workload management for Crochet, paid off for the lefty as he picked up right where he left off for the Red Sox. There was no rust on his left shoulder as Crochet tossed seven electric innings in a 6-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in front of a sellout crowd at Fenway Park. "I've been pretty hungry for this next one," Crochet said after the win. "And hopefully that's the last time that we feel as though I need a breather and that come October, I'm still feeling good and going full bore." After missing out on the team's weekend sweep over the Astros, Crochet was eager to get back to work Tuesday night in another game that carried a playoff feel. The Red Sox have solidified a spot atop the AL Wild Card standings, while the Royals are fighting to get back into the playoff picture. The six-game win streak Boston brought into the game created a notable buzz throughout the ballpark, though Crochet toeing the rubber added a lot to the atmosphere as he fired up the 37,013 fans in attendance with nearly every pitch. He surrendered just two runs off four hits and one walk over his seven innings Tuesday night. Crochet struck out eight batters, including the final two he faced to get out of a jam in the top of the seventh. Boston has now won seven straight games overall, and six straight games Crochet has started. The team is now 16-7 when Crochet takes the mound, after going 6-6 in his first 12 starts. "Aces stop the losing streaks, and they keep the winning streaks going," manager Alex Cora said Tuesday night. "That's what he's doing right now." Crochet picked up his MLB-leading 13th win Tuesday night, and he also leads baseball with 183 strikeouts, 148.1 innings pitched, and 10 starts of seven or more innings. He can also put a top ERA on his Cy Young resume, as he ranks third in the AL at 2.24. Crochet got through the first six innings with relative ease, allowing just one run off a Bobby Witt Jr. triple and a Maikel Garcia RBI double in the top of the fourth. He worked around a leadoff double in the top of the fifth, and then needed just 10 pitches to get through the bottom of the sixth. Crochet took the mound in the top of the seventh with a 3-1 lead thanks to a two-run single by Trevor Story in the bottom of the sixth. But he ran into some trouble when he walked Garcia on seven pitches to lead off the frame. He got the dangerous Salador Perez to fly out to right, though the F-9 brought about some drama as it flirted with being one of those Pesky's Pole homers that only happen at Fenway Park. Randal Crichuk then smoked a double to deep center, which hit off the glove of Jarren Duran and scored Garcia to make it a 3-2 game. With Crochet approaching the 100-pitch mark, it was time to buckle down and get out of the jam. So Crochet did what aces do: He reared back and fanned the next two batters to leave the tying run at second. Crochet gave the next nine pitches everything he had, and got both Nick Loftin and Luke Maile swinging and missing at strike three. Loftin went down on an 85 mph sweeper, while Maile whiffed at a 96 mph fastball. After Maile struck out, Crochet pounded his fist into his glove and let out an emphatic roar as he walked off the mound. Red Sox fans returned to favor, treating him to a massive ovation as he made his way to the Boston dugout. "It felt really good," Crochet said of finishing off the seventh. "For that at bat, I felt like I was fairly in control and I just didn't want to give up the lead again. I had already given up one that inning, so it shortened the lead pretty quickly. I just wanted that strikeout pretty bad." Crochet has become must-see TV every time he takes the bump for the Red Sox. While he won't be skipping any starts in the foreseeable future, the team is going to make sure it works in extra days off whenever the schedule allows. Thanks to an off-day Thursday, he'll have five days off before he takes the mound again next week in Houston. "I think this is the last time we're going to skip a start from now on, obviously if he stays healthy," Cora said as he knocked on the wooden table he was sitting at. "We'll use the off-days to our advantage. This is something we talked about before the All-Star Game and I think, overall, we stayed very disciplined. Including himself, because it's hard. He wants to pitch, he wants to contribute." The White Sox spent the second half of last season limiting Crochet to four-inning starts, so he's really eager to be part of a playoff run with Boston. While a Tuesday night in August against the Royals is no playoff game, the atmosphere at Fenway Park gave Crochet a taste of what will come in October if the Red Sox continue their incredible run. "It's a fun atmosphere right now," said Crochet. "I can only imagine what it's going to be in a couple months, but that's why we've got to keep working. We've still got [47] games left. But, yeah, it feels really good playing here in Boston."
Axios
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Guardians trade Shane Bieber, keep Steven Kwan as deadline passes
The Guardians traded pitching ace Shane Bieber, but held on to fan favorite Steven Kwan at Major League Baseball's trade deadline Thursday. Why it matters: Retaining an All-Star in Kwan shows that Cleveland has not fully given up on making the playoffs this season, no matter how unlikely it may be. Driving the news: Cleveland traded former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays for top pitching prospect Khal Stephen. Bieber has not pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, but is expected to return later this month after making successful rehab starts for the Akron RubberDucks. State of play: The Guardians are nine games back of the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central and two games back of the final AL Wild Card spot heading into today's games. Yes, but: Cleveland is also without closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz. What they're saying:"We're not going to name a closer," manager Stephen Vogt said earlier this week in regard to the loss of Clase. "We're going to go [closer] by committee for right now … You'll see different people in the ninth. It could organically end up being one person. But for now, we're not going to officially name a closer." The bottom line: The Guardians probably can't catch the dominant Tigers.
New York Post
31-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Rangers trade for Merrill Kelly in deadline boost to starting rotation
Merrill Kelly is now a Ranger. The veteran right-hander was traded by the Diamondbacks to Texas ahead of Thursday's deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Advertisement The Rangers sent left-handed pitcher Kohl Drake and right-hander David Hagaman, who are No. 5 and No. 13 prospects in Texas' farm system, to Arizona in exchange for Kelly, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Kelly, 36, is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, posting a 3.22 ERA with 121 strikeouts across 128 ⅔ innings in 2025. Since debuting at 30 years old in 2019, Kelly has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball, making 162 starts over seven seasons with a 3.74 ERA. Kelly will slot in behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi in the Rangers' rotation, giving Texas one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the league. Advertisement Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Pittsburgh. AP The Rangers are currently 57-52, sitting five games back in the American League West and tied with the Mariners for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks' trade of Kelly is the latest in what has turned out to be a deadline fire sale for the franchise. Advertisement Merrill Kelly #29 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers to the plate during the first inning against the against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 13, 2025 in Anaheim, California. On Wednesday, they traded two-time All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the Mariners. Earlier this month, Arizona sent Josh Naylor to Seattle and Randal Grichuk to Kansas City. Advertisement The Diamondbacks are well out of the National League playoff race, trailing the Dodgers by 12 games in the NL West and the third NL Wild Card spot by nine games.
