Sports News

NAGOYA – Daisuke Matsuzaka was yanked after throwing just 32 pitches, during which the former major leaguer allowed eight runs on eight hits and a hit batsman in the Chunichi Dragons’ 12-3 Central League loss to the DeNA BayStars on Saturday. Matsuzaka was making just his second start of the […]

SEATTLE – Mallex Smith still has things to learn about being an everyday center fielder in the major leagues. But a sure sign that the lessons are starting to sink in came Friday night. The 26-year-old speedster hit a sharp single up the middle with two outs in the bottom […]

DETROIT – A former clubhouse attendant has brought a discrimination lawsuit against the Detroit Tigers and former pitching coach Chris Bosio. In a complaint filed this week in Wayne County Circuit Court, Derrell Coleman II, who is black, accuses Tigers management of tolerating “a culture of racism” and says Bosio […]

Yangervis Solarte hasn’t even been in Japan that long and yet Hanshin Tigers fans already love him. He made it hard not to in his first game. Solarte made his NPB debut a memorable one on Friday night, hitting a towering, tiebreaking two-run homer in the top of the seventh […]

BOSTON – Masahiro Tanaka gave up 12 runs and 12 hits in 3⅓ innings, the worst outing of his career in Japan and the major leagues, in the New York Yankees’ 19-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night. According to STATS, it was the second-worst record in […]

NISHINOMIYA, HYOGO PREF. – Shota Imanaga threw a four-hitter on Thursday, leading the Yokohama BayStars to a 6-0 victory over the Hanshin Tigers. Imanaga (9-5) issued one walk, while striking out four in a 124-pitch effort for the BayStars at Koshien Stadium. He also singled and scored a run in […]

MORIOKA – Hard-throwing high school pitcher Roki Sasaki, who is being heavily scouted by major league clubs, stayed on the bench to avoid injury as his team was eliminated from contention for a prestigious national title on Thursday. Sasaki, who threw a pitch at 160 kph on Sunday in the […]

LOS ANGELES – Two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka threw the ceremonial first pitch prior to Wednesday’s Los Angeles Dodgers-Los Angeles Angels game. While she said she was nervous and lacked practice ahead of the pitch, the world No. 2 women’s singles player, threw the ball to Dodgers pitcher […]

TORONTO – Cleveland right-hander Shane Bieber wrapped up a shaky pregame bullpen session and shared a worried look with catcher Kevin Plawecki. “I was like ‘Let’s just find a way to get it done,’ ” Bieber told his battery mate. “Fortunately, I was able to do that.” He sure was. […]

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden was arrested again in New Jersey on Monday night, this time on charges of driving while intoxicated. He was pulled over after driving the wrong way down a one-way road, Newark police said. It was the second time he […]