Bob Watson, an All-Star slugger who became the first black general manager to win a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996, has died. He was 74. The Houston Astros, for whom Watson played his first 14 seasons in a baseball career spanning six decades, announced his death...
Altuve Nicked by Pitch, Astros Stars Booed on Road vs Tigers
LAKELAND, Fla. — José Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn't avoid a pitch that grazed him. “He was hit in the foot. That ain’t nothing, you know what I mean?” Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over Detroit at half-empty Joker Marchant...
Player Discipline Possible for Future Sign-Stealing Offenses
Major league players could be punished for future sign-stealing violations in the wake of the Houston Astros' scandal that only resulted in discipline for managers, coaches and executives. Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark both said Tuesday that MLB and the players' association are discussing potential rules changes...
Sticking to Script: Bregman, Astros Discuss Sign Stealing
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Alex Bregman spoke for about 30 seconds and said he was sorry, but did not say why. He said he had learned, but did not say what. On a patch of grass between the Houston Astros' spring training building and fields, under a sun obscured...
LA City Council Says Dodgers Should Be Awarded Series Titles
LOS ANGELES — With Los Angeles fans reeling from news that two of the Dodgers' recent World Series opponents were linked to a cheating scandal that tipped off batters to what pitch was about to be thrown, the City Council voted Tuesday to ask Major League Baseball to strip the...
Stolen Away: Brooklyn Pitcher Recalls '51 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...
Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Fired in Sign-Stealing Scandal
BOSTON — Alex Cora has already been identified as a ringleader in an illegal system of sign stealing when he was with the Houston Astros. The Red Sox didn't wait to see what punishment Major League Baseball might give him for possibly bringing a similar scheme with him to Boston....
Hinch, Luhnow Fired for Astros' Sign Stealing
HOUSTON — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's use of electronics for sign-stealing during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season. In U.S. sports' largest scandal since...
Nationals Top Astros in Game 7 to Win 1st World Series Title
HOUSTON — Stephen Strasburg paraded the MVP trophy for delirious fans packed behind the dugout. Max Scherzer tearfully hugged his teammates. Gerardo Parra did the Baby Shark chop, Sean Doolittle flapped snow angels next to the mound. Almost out of contention in May, champs in October. Howie Kendrick, Anthony Rendon and...
With Each Pitch at Series, Call Gets Louder for Robot Umps
HOUSTON — From the box seats to the far reaches of the bleachers, all 40,000 umpires in the stands at Nationals Park were sure they could tell: Gerrit Cole's fastball to Victor Robles missed the strike zone. By at least an inch, clearly. That's not how Lance Barksdale saw it....