3:34 PM ET ESPN News Services After an awkward exchange following Game 7 of the World Series in which he said he was “not employed by the team,” free agent Gerrit Cole, a front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award, said his “thank you” to the Houston Astros and their fans via social media on
MLB
12:35 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies have hired former Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price as their pitching coach. Price joins new manager Joe Girardi’s staff after going 279-387 with Cincinnati over parts of five seasons from 2014 to 2018. He previously was pitching coach for the Reds (2010-13), Diamondbacks (2006-09) and Mariners
12:29 PM ET The New York Yankees have declined their $20 million club option for Edwin Encarnacion for next season, the team announced Thursday. With the Yankees exercising the $5 million buyout, the first baseman/designated hitter becomes a free agent. Encarnacion, who missed most of the final two months of this season with an oblique
12:00 PM ET Forget the odds, even if they all were against the Washington Nationals. On their way to a raucous October celebration, they became the first team to defeat two 105-win teams in the playoffs. They became the first team to win five postseason elimination games when trailing, and no team had come back
8:24 AM ET CHICAGO — An offseason of change for the Chicago Cubs began in earnest earlier this week when the team introduced David Ross to replace Joe Maddon as its manager. The news conference Monday worked to allay the fears of fans on two fronts: Ross’ ability to manage his former teammates and his
11:09 AM ET The Kansas City Royals have named Mike Matheny as their new manager. The Royals announced the decision Thursday, less than a year after hiring Matheny as a special adviser for player development. “Our entire organization is delighted to announce and celebrate the hiring of Mike Matheny,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said
9:40 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” The Magic Poker Equation: The more crucial the hand of poker being played, the better the players’ hands are. — TV Tropes 1. The wild-card game The Milwaukee Brewers‘ greatest strength, if
9:35 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” HOUSTON — In a corridor next to the celebration that nobody wanted to end, the man who started the game that won the Washington Nationals a World Series wrapped his arm around
3:30 AM ET HOUSTON — Everything about the Houston Astros, and the colossus they have become, and the unstoppable force they’ve been built to be, was on display during the World Series. It just turned out to not be enough. The Astros didn’t choke. There wasn’t a blown umpire’s call that would be remembered forever.
1:17 AM ET The 2019 World Series goes in the books as the first in which the road team won every game, with the Nationals taking the first title in franchise history by winning Games 6 and 7 in Houston. In addition to those historical tidbits, here are some other World Series superlatives: Best game: