NEW YORK – Three-time World Series champion manager Tony La Russa used a camera-aided system to steal signs from opposing MLB teams in the late 1980s, retired star Jack McDowell claimed Friday. McDowell told Charlotte radio station WFNZ that the Chicago White Sox had a system established by La Russa […]
Giants make Alyssa Nakken first female major league coach
SAN FRANCISCO – APAlyssa Nakken became the first female coach on a major league staff in baseball history Thursday when she was named an assistant under new Giants manager Gabe Kapler. Major League Baseball confirmed Nakken is the first woman coach in the majors. Nakken is a former softball standout […]
Beltran out as Mets manager amid scandal
NEW YORK – Carlos Beltran, called out on a curveball again. So for the second time since they last threw a pitch, the New York Mets are in the market for a new manager. Sign of the times. Beltran’s 2½-month tenure as Mets manager ended Thursday before he spent a […]
Stolen away: Brooklyn pitcher Carl Erskine recalls 1951 sign-stealing scam
NEW YORK – Stealing signals. Banging on a trash can. Beating the Dodgers in October. Sounds very familiar to Carl Erskine. “If they’re going to go back to 2017 with penalties for the Astros,” he said Wednesday, “then I want them to go all the way back to 1951 to […]
Mets remain silent on new manager Carlos Beltran’s future with team
NEW YORK – While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltran’s future. Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after MLB Commissioner […]
Blue Jays newcomer Shun Yamaguchi excited about change of scenery, opportunity to pitch in majors
TORONTO – Right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, the newest addition to the Toronto Blue Jays’ pitching staff, said Wednesday that overcoming eastern Canada’s cold weather will be his top priority as he competes for a rotation spot. After being introduced by Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins in a news conference at […]
Israel’s baseball team hopes to keep surprising run going at Tokyo Olympics
TEL AVIV – As a baseball-crazed kid growing up in Miami, Danny Valencia dreamed of playing in MLB. The thought of heading to the Olympics, for a foreign country no less, never crossed his mind. But after nine years and nearly 100 homers in the big leagues, that’s the next […]
MLB could fight tech with tech to stop sign stealing
PHOENIX – If Major League Baseball really wants to stop its teams from electronically stealing signs, it might consider fighting technology with more technology. In a sport that’s increasingly driven by analytics and advancements, the majority of signs between players and coaches are still transmitted by low-tech hand signals that […]
Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame voters strike out on Tuffy Rhodes again
Tuffy Rhodes could be tough to figure out. Sometimes, he’d flash a big smile and crack jokes. Catch him in a good mood, and you might forget you weren’t actually an old friend. Other times, Rhodes gave off an aura that said it’d be best to find whatever you were […]
Red Sox manager Alex Cora fired in sign-stealing scandal
BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora on Tuesday, a day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him in the sport’s sign-stealing scandal. Cora was the bench coach for the Houston Astros when they illicitly stole signs and won the 2017 World Series. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred […]