Guardians’ David Fry becomes first true position player to pitch 4 innings since 1988 in blowout loss to Twins

Things did not go well for the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night, but David Fry still made history at Progressive Field.

The catcher and utility man threw four innings in the Guardians’ blowout 20-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Monday, which made him the first true position player to pitch four innings in a game since 1988. Jose Oquendo was the last position player to pitch more than three innings that season for the St. Louis Cardinals, though he took the mound in a marathon 19-inning game, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

Fry allowed seven runs and 10 hits during his stint on the mound. All 64 of his pitches were slower than 60 miles per hour, which set another Major League Baseball record. No pitcher in the pitch tracking era ...

Dodgers’ Julio Urias arrested on domestic violence charges

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence charges late Sunday night.

Urias, 27, was taken into custody after 11 p.m. Sunday night and released just after 1 a.m. Monday morning on $50,000 bond.

Urias was previously involved in a domestic violence incident in 2019, when he was accused of pushing a woman he was with.

The lefty was not charged, as the alleged victim told investigators she fell.

Urias was suspended 20 games by MLB under the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy.

Young Pitchers Have Never Been Worked Less, So Why Are They Still Getting Injured?

Until 2020, every season since 1901 included at least 11 qualified pitchers 25 and under. Teams developed young starters by letting them pitch. But the past four seasons have seen only seven, three, six and eight young starters throw at least one inning for every team game (162 in a full season). It’s not that they can’t do it. It’s because they are being trained to pitch less.

Consider Rodriguez, the Orioles’ righthander, who ranks in the top 90th percentile in velocity and the top 95th percentile in extension. With one month still to go, Rodriguez has started 26 games this season (including the minors), which already is three more than in his previous pro high. He has thrown 134⅓ innings, already 31⅓ innings more than ever ...

New documentary highlights White Sox rebrand’s place in hip-hop history

Few baseball hats have impacted hip-hop culture as much as the current White Sox cap that debuted in the 1990s.

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop—it was 50 years ago that the cultural movement was born in The Bronx—the Chicago White Sox have produced Fitted in Black, a short documentary highlighting the team’s rebrand in the ‘90s and its intersection with hip-hop, pop culture and fashion.

The documentary discusses the era that led to the popularization of the White Sox cap and apparel. The documentary also explores what the Sox hat symbolizes and how it impacts the culture and community of those who are still proud to wear the hat today. The interview list is a star-studded group of members closely tied to the White Sox ...

Yost’s belief, trust in those around him led to Royals Hall of Fame

According to Ned Yost, the moment everything changed for the Royals was in the seventh inning of the 2014 American League Wild Card Game on Sept. 30, 2014.

The Royals were down four runs to the A’s with Jon Lester on the mound, but Yost heard a murmur throughout the home dugout that got louder by the second.

“We’re not losing tonight, not to this guy,” Yost remembers hearing. “Let’s get on, let’s get over. We’re not losing this game.”

The Royals scored three in the eighth and tied it in the ninth before Salvador Perez’s walk-off hit in the bottom of the 12th. It was a historic moment in Kansas City.

And for Yost?

“That was the moment they went from thinking they were good to knowing in their heart that they were ...

OMNICHATTER for September 2023

Reds place Hunter Greene on injured list with COVID-19 as cases rise in the region

Reds pitcher Hunter Greene won’t be playing a game for a little while. He was placed on the injured list Thursday due to COVID-19.

The team made the announcement Friday morning on social media.

COVID-19 is trending upward in Southwest Ohio and Kentucky. New cases are the highest they’ve been since February, according to newly released data.

Five days after the Reds traveling party spent more than 8 hours on their charter plane on a tarmac in PHX they’re experiencing a COVID outbreak.

Lively and Cruz join Greene on COVID IL.

— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) September 1, 2023

Sources: MLB Won’t Adjust the Pitch Clock for the Postseason

The pitch timer in postseason play will remain unchanged from regular-season play. After a meeting of its Executive Council, MLB informed the Competition Committee on Friday afternoon that it will not be presenting any proposals to amend rules for postseason play this year, according to a league official.

The notification is an indication that owners are satisfied with its pace-of-play initiatives and how players have adapted to the new rules. Thanks largely to a timer, which requires a pitch within 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners, the average time of game has been cut from 3:03 to 2:39.

As hitters have grown more comfortable in using one timeout per plate appearance, time of game has crept up from 2:37 in ...

Yankees’ Steinbrenner excited about young players, says team will evaluate analytics department

The Yankees (65-69) are in danger of having their streak of 30 consecutive winning seasons end this year, and Steinbrenner said every facet of the team will be looked in detail going forward.

“We’re going to take a very deep dive into everything we’re doing,” Steinbrenner said. “We’re looking to bring in possibly an outside company to really take a look at the analytics side of what we do. Baseball operations in general. We’re going to have some very frank conversions with each other. This year was obviously unacceptable.”

General manager Brian Cashman called the season “a disaster” last week. Cashman, 56, has been general manager since 1998 and agreed last December to a four-year contract. Aaron Boone took over as ...

Harrison Bader, Hunter Renfroe claimed off waivers by Reds (sources)

The Reds bolstered their outfield with two established veterans on Thursday when they claimed Harrison Bader off waivers from the Yankees and—as sources told MLB.com—Hunter Renfroe from the Angels. The Renfroe claim has not been confirmed by the teams, and the Reds have made no official announcement.

Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, Matt Moore claimed by Guardians

The Guardians added a host of solid pitchers on Thursday, claiming right-handers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López from the Angels, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. They also claimed southpaw Matt Moore from the Halos, reported Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. None of the teams have confirmed.

Speakeasies, Golf and a Pool: 5 Baseball Parks That Go Beyond Baseball - NO PAYWALL

Like at every noteworthy speakeasy, it started with a knock.

After Chad Thompson and his wife, Kitty, found the secret door in an unassuming section of Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, they faced one more test that day in June before securing access to perhaps Major League Baseball’s most exclusive new fan experience. They needed to recite the correct password. It had three words.

“Let’s go Mets,” Mr. Thompson, a resident of Manhattan, told the guard.

The couple walked into the Cadillac Club to catch a game between the Mets and their crosstown rival Yankees. Once inside, the Thompsons snacked on bacon-wrapped dates and complimentary glasses of prosecco and Glenfiddich 15-Year-Old Solera Reserve. They sat in plush brown ...

White Sox promote Chris Getz to GM after firing Rick Hahn, team’s president role remains vacant

Eight days after parting with long-time lead decision-makers Ken Williams and Rick Hahn, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has chosen Chris Getz to be the club’s new head of baseball operations. The club has officially named Getz senior vice president and general manager, the same two titles held by Hahn before he was fired. 

Williams’ job title was president and it appears that spot has been left vacant, at least for the time being.

Getz, 39, has for the past seven years guided the White Sox’s minor-league operations and player-development apparatus. For the last three years, he’s also served as an assistant general manager. Before that, Getz worked in the Royals’ front office under Dayton Moore during Kansas City’s championship run.

...Read More...

RoyalsRetro (AG#1F) Posted: August 31, 2023 at 10:56 AM | 12 comment(s)
  Beats: chris getz, white sox

Sources: D.R. investigating second complaint against Wander Franco

A special prosecutor in the Dominican Republic is investigating a second formal complaint that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco engaged in a relationship with a minor, the latest of three accusations against the 22-year-old, sources told ESPN’s Juan Recio.

After the first complaint against Franco was filed July 17, another girl alleged to the specialized prosecutor’s office for boys, girls and adolescents that she had a relationship with Franco as a minor, sources said. While the third girl has not spoken to authorities, they are still investigating her alleged relationship with Franco, sources said.

Prosecutors from the division, which investigates crimes committed against children, hope to speak with Franco in the coming weeks, ...

Is Pete Alonso toxic? ‘Ridiculous.’ But Mets, Polar Bear in need of cold compromise

“Mets staffers familiar with Cohen’s thinking don’t expect negotiations with Alonso to be handled much differently than other star players around the league just because the boss upstairs has a net worth of $17.5 billion. They’ve learned while working under the third-year owner that he operates within a line of reason.

In Flushing, baseball is a business, too. Those that have gotten to know Cohen say it’s important to him not to get emotional or sentimental with player contracts — like the Polar Bear’s. So, Cohen might not overpay for Alonso or aggressively approach his asking price if he and his brain trust determine the parameters of such a deal are unreasonable. There is a limit to everything, though the line that Cohen has ...

Yankees Reportedly Place Harrison Bader On Waivers

The Yankees have placed center fielder Harrison Bader on waivers, reports Erik Boland of Newsday (Twitter link). As is the case with the Angels’ series of waiver placements, New York’s hope is that another team will claim the remaining salary on a player who was headed to free agency in a couple months.

Angels salary dump: Why Lucas Giolito, Hunter Renfroe, others were reportedly cut weeks after trade

The Los Angeles Angels have placed starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, relief pitchers Matt Moore and Reynaldo López, and outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk on waivers, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Trades are not allowed after the Aug. 1 deadline for players who have appeared in the majors this season, meaning that the Angels will not receive any compensation if/when other teams claim those players. In other words, this is a mass salary dump.

The waiver-wire order goes from worst record to best, meaning that the teams vying for a wild-card spot could be in an advantageous position here. That could be good news for the likes of the San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, and Cincinnati Reds, presuming they’re willing to take on what ...

Yankees release Josh Donaldson from roster

The Yankees released third baseman Josh Donaldson from the roster before Tuesday’s game against the Tigers. Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, had been working his way back from a right calf strain that sidelined him in mid-July.

The 37-year-old had only played in 33 of New York’s 131 games this year, batting .142/.225/.434 with 10 home runs and 15 RBIs. He came to the Yankees in the March 2022 trade that sent Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins.

Acuña steals 60th base, eyes creating his own special club

Ronald Acuña Jr. moved a step away from history as he was serenaded with MVP chants while helping the Braves roll to a 14-4 win over the Rockies on Monday night at Coors Field.

Acuña hit his 29th homer in the fifth inning, stole his 60th base in the seventh and then increased his MLB-leading stolen-base total to 61 in the eighth inning. He now stands as one of four players to hit 20-plus homers and steal 60-plus bases in the same season.

Acuña joins Rickey Henderson (three times), Joe Morgan (twice) and Eric Davis as the only players to steal 60-plus bases and hit 20-plus homers in the same season. Henderson had been the most recent to reach the plateau in 1990, when he hit 28 homers and swiped 65 bags for the A’s.

It’s the baseball game that never ends—on purpose and for charity

I’m guessing Steve Traschel will pitch?

Picture this: It’s 3 a.m. and the world is asleep, save for night owls, insomniacs and the trucks downshifting on the highway. Everything is quiet and still.

Everything, that is, except for a small baseball field in Kansas City, where 60 men and women will be playing non-stop, night and day this weekend to raise over $300,000 for charity.

The idea came to Scott Reinardy, a true baseball diehard (he makes his own baseball bats) and professor at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas, during a local baseball tournament he played at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum last summer.

“We had a morning game and an afternoon game, and then that night ...

Nonprofits Get a Cut of Petco Park Food Proceeds, But One of the Biggest Nonprofits at the Stadium Doesn’t Exist

Many Padres fans don’t even realize when they buy a $10 hot dog or a $20 tall boy: Roughly 10 percent of the take at many stands is supposed to be donated to charity.

Charities staff those concession stands at Petco Park and, in return, they get to keep anywhere from nine to 12 percent of the proceeds for their charity.

A group called Chula Vista Fast Pitch operates more stands than any other charity in the park – netting it potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, according to documents obtained by Voice of San Diego. The only problem is Chula Vista Fast Pitch does not exist.

Chula Vista Fast Pitch doesn’t have a website and it has no permits to use fields in Chula Vista. Official tax and business filings, as well ...

Former MLB manager, coach, catcher Pat Corrales dies at age 82

Corrales was a backup catcher with four teams over a nine-year career in the majors, but he was more notable as MLB’s first manager of Mexican-American descent when he took over the Rangers for the final game of 1978 season.

Corrales was fired by the Phillies in 1983, even though the team was tied for first place in the NL East. General manager Paul Owens replaced Corrales and guided the Phillies to the World Series, where they lost to the Baltimore Orioles in five games.

Corrales’ managed the Rangers for two full seasons after his one-game interim stint, finishing with a record of 160-164 in Arlington.

He was hired as the Phillies manager in 1982, going 89-73 in his only full season with the team. Corrales was let go with Philadelphia ...

Jose Altuve cycle: Astros second baseman records ninth cycle in franchise history vs. Red Sox

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve recorded the franchise’s first cycle since 2013 on Monday night in a blowout victory against the Boston Red Sox (box score)....

Overall, this represents the ninth cycle in franchise history. Here’s a list of the others, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart:

César Cedeño: August 2, 1972
César Cedeño, August 9, 1976
Bob Watson, June 24, 1977
Andújar Cedeño, August 25, 1992
Jeff Bagwell, July 18, 2001
Craig Biggio, April 8, 2002
Luke Scott, July 28, 2006
Brandon Barnes, July 19, 2013
Jose Altuve, August 28, 2023

Behind the scenes of ‘the show’: Deconstructing a baseball telecast

In the truck, Withers addresses one of his staffers behind him: “Font 1 if we get a foul ball.”

The monitor labeled Font 1 shows the heat map of umpire Alfonso Marquez’s strike-calling bias waiting to be delivered into living rooms across the Chicago TV market. They’re waiting for a foul ball; it’ll allow for a bit more time between pitches to explain the chart. Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras fouls away the next pitch.

Withers presses the button that allows him to speak into Benetti’s and Stone’s ears: “Here’s that scouting report.”

The scouting report appears on the live broadcast.

Says Benetti on the broadcast to Stone: “Here’s that scouting report you were talking about and it’s a good catch.”

Stone had referenced the wider ...

Sports Media: WBD Sports closer to exit from nearly all of its RSN business

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports is a little more than a month away from unwinding almost all of its regional sports network business.

When the current baseball season ends, WBD Sports is set to sell its RSNs in Pittsburgh and Houston to some of the teams in those markets and all signs point to the shuttering of its Denver-based channel, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.

Soon after the Oct. 1 conclusion of the MLB season, WBD Sports’ only RSN asset will be a 29% stake in the Seattle-based Root Sports Northwest. The Seattle Mariners have been the majority owner of that RSN since 2013.

WBD Sports already has agreed to a deal to allow Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, to take over AT&T SportNet Pittsburgh. Specific ...

Carl Crawford appreciative of induction to Rays’ Hall of Fame

In receiving his Hall of Fame jacket and custom plate from principal owner Stuart Sternberg, Crawford said how appreciative he was to be inducted, and thanked people who helped him, from youth league coaches to Rays staff and teammates to the fans.

He got emotional hearing the praise from former teammates Rocco Baldelli, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Evan Longoria and James Shields, and he was excited to see BJ Upton on the field at the Trop. He enjoyed throwing the first pitch to his son Justin, a promising Phillies prospect.

Sternberg had referred to Crawford as “the linchpin between the Devil Rays and the Rays and all the success we’ve had,” and called him “the third member, and the most deserving member” of the Hall, which ...

The Athletic: Why MLB umpires hope the art of the signature punch out won’t be lost

Masked and wearing the same uniform every day — the same as everyone else doing the job in 14 other cities across the game — it’s easy for an umpire to remain anonymous. That is, until they call strike three.

For any umpire, calling strike three is an art form. It is their signature, a reflection of who they are, a human element that can’t be replaced by a roboump. Some, such as 26-year veteran umpire Gary Darling, don’t see the need for exuberance. “It was just another strike,” he said. “I didn’t think I needed a major event strike three call.” But others like Tom Hallion — whose ferocious gesticulations became his calling card — dug deep for their motivation. In his case, his called strike three stemmed from a ...

Former Angels all-star exposes Angels in hilarious Twitter rant

The Tweets all started with Wilson exposing the fact that the Angels refused to spend money on a special treadmill for Albert Pujols because it was too expensive. The Angels spent $240 million to bring Pujols in for a decade, but deemed that a treadmill would be where they stopped spending.

Continuing on with Arte Moreno’s cheapness, really? No breakfast at Spring Training for two weeks in 2012? No weight room? How do you expect your players to be in the best condition possible to perform for six months and win the World Series if you don’t give them resources?

Often players had to settle for Chick-fil-A for breakfast instead of a meal that might be more nutritious.

In the current day, hitters watch video a lot to help them against ...

Chicago police confirm shooting at White Sox game, Vanilla Ice concert canceled

A shooting at the White Sox game caused some scary moments for some fans, and appeared to cancel the post-game concert.

The shooting apparently happened somewhere in the left field bleachers. Further details haven’t been released by the police, and the White Sox have not commented on the incident.

Tom Miller, who attended the game, said that he was sitting two rows behind where the shooting occurred. He said he didn’t hear or see what happened but moments later a woman appeared to be bleeding from the leg. He said he believed two people, possibly three, suffered some sort of wound.

“It happened just two rows in front me, and there was no one in front of us. All of a sudden this lady just starts bleeding from the leg,” Miller said. ...

Does Shohei Ohtani’s injury open the door for a different AL MVP? Seven more contenders for the 2023 award

Marcus Semien, Rangers: He might be the best chance here with the gaudy WAR showing while playing every day for what has been one of the best teams in the league this season, especially with that team being such a pleasant surprise. But are you moved by his .279/.349/.463 slash that’s good for a 120 OPS+? How about 31 doubles, four triples, 19 homers, 79 RBI, 96 runs and 13 steals? Great numbers, but we’re talking about MVP over Ohtani’s output.

Corey Seager, Rangers: He’s hitting a robust .343/.411/.651 (184 OPS+) and that’s absolutely an MVP slash line. Of course, he’s not even qualified for the batting title. Even if he plays every single game the rest of the way, he’ll finish with 119 games. That’s short of Ohtani. Seager would have ...