Category: Baseball

Don Denkinger, Umpire Whose Stellar Career Was Overshadowed by Blown Call, Dead at 86

NEW YORK—Don Denkinger, a major league umpire for three decades whose blown call in the 1985 World Series overshadowed a career of excellence, died Friday. He was 86. Denkinger died at Cedar Valley Hospice in Waterloo, Iowa, Denise Hanson, one of his three daughters, said. Denkinger joined the American League staff in 1969. He worked…


Streaking Dodgers Shut out Padres 4–0 for 3-Game Sweep, 5th Win in a Row

LOS ANGELES—Mookie Betts slammed a two-run homer, blew a kiss to his mother in the stands, and helped the Los Angeles Dodgers complete a three-game sweep of the San Diego Padres. Even on Mother’s Day, the All-Star slugger won’t be changing diapers when he gets home. “No, I don’t do that. That’s rough,” said Betts,…


Josh Naylor’s Blast Helps Guardians Beat Angels

Josh Naylor crushed a three-run tie-breaking homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead the host Cleveland Guardians to a 4–3 victory and series win against the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, May 14. Naylor’s blast, a 360-foot shot into an 18-mph wind, came off the third pitch from Angels closer Carlos Estevez,…


Martinez’s 3-run Shot Lifts Dodgers Over Padres 4–2, Win 4th in Row

LOS ANGELES—Just off the injured list, J.D. Martinez made his presence felt with a big blast. He hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the first inning, Julio Urías tossed seven strong innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 4–2 on Saturday for their fourth straight victory. The NL West leaders earned…


MLB Roundup: Jays’ Chris Bassitt Shuts out Braves

Chris Bassitt pitched his second career shutout as the Toronto Blue Jays blanked the visiting Atlanta Braves 3–0 on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series. George Springer delivered the tiebreaking single in the fifth inning, and Daulton Varsho homered in the eighth for Toronto, which improved to 10–3 at home. The complete-game…


Astros Hang on After Ohtani’s 2-run Homer in 9th Inning, Beat Angels 5–4

ANAHEIM, Calif.—Cristian Javier struck out 11 over six strong innings of three-hit ball, and the Houston Astros overcame Shohei Ohtani’s two-run homer in the ninth inning for a 5–4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, May 10. Ohtani made things interesting with a two-run shot off Houston closer Ryan Pressly in the ninth,…


Shohei Ohtani Passes Babe Ruth in Pitching Strikeouts

Since Shohei Ohtani made his major league debut in 2018, the comparisons to Babe Ruth have been unrelenting. On Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Angels two-way pitcher/designated hitter passed The Babe—at least in the eyes of Major League Baseball. Ohtani’s strikeout of Houston’s Jeremy Pena in the second inning at Anaheim, California, was the Japanese…


Freeman Gets 3 RBIs, Kershaw Wins NL Best 6th Game in Dodgers’ 8–1 Rout of Brewers

MILWAUKEE—Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs and Clayton Kershaw won his National League-best sixth game as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8–1 on Wednesday, May 10, to take the three-game series. Will Smith and Miguel Vargas also went deep for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who top the NL in home…


Dodgers Lose Syndergaard Early but Still Beat Brewers 6–2

MILWAUKEE—The Los Angeles Dodgers withstood Noah Syndergaard’s early exit, getting home runs from Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Miguel Vargas on Tuesday night, May 9, in a 6–2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Syndergaard lasted only one inning because of a cut on the index finger of the 30-year-old right-hander’s pitching hand. Syndergaard headed to…


The Restorative Power of Never Giving Up

Commentary PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania—When Drew Maggi stepped into the batter’s box in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, fans at PNC Park knew they were about to witness something extraordinary. Maggi, a 33-year-old infielder who had played over 1,100 games for over 13 seasons in the minor leagues, was about to take his first pitch…