For the first time, the MLB postseason is headed to neutral stadiums amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That means it’s time to get your eyes ready for the unusual sights ahead. Think Clayton Kershaw exorcising his playoff demons in Texas, cardboard celebs taking in the action at Dodger Stadium (sans Dodgers) or a Yankees slugger belting
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12:38 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Supreme Court on Monday denied Major League Baseball’s request to dismiss a class certification in a lawsuit filed on behalf of minor league players, paving the way for a case in
7:00 AM ET And just like that, we’re down to eight playoff teams in the strangest Major League Baseball season in memory, with eight opponents left steaming over their 2020 MLB playoffs experience being so brief. But for these eight teams, there are no maybes or might-have-beens — they’re baseball’s elite eight. And that means
7:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN The MLB playoffs made it through the wildness of the wild-card series, whittling the field to a more conventional eight teams for the division series. Everything won’t be the same as it ever was, however, as all the games will be played at neutral sites and there will be no
9:20 PM ET I don’t expect Fernando Tatis Jr. to hit a triple, slide into third base, get tangled up with Justin Turner and then pop up and try to punch Turner in the face, like what happened with George Brett and Graig Nettles in the 1976 American League Championship Series. I don’t expect the
7:25 PM ET Ahead of the American League Division Series kicking off on Monday, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said outfielder Austin Meadows is “in a pretty good spot right now” but that the team is holding off on announcing whether he will be on the team’s roster when the ALDS begins. Meadows has
8:00 AM ET John Carpino, the Los Angeles Angels‘ president, and Joe Maddon, their decorated manager, sat on adjacent couches on Wednesday morning, a day when 16 other teams would participate in the postseason. Displayed between them was the World Series trophy from 2002, a persistent reminder of the glory that still eludes this franchise
6:24 PM ET ESPN News Services SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former professional baseball player Charles Haeger, sought in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend in a Phoenix suburb, was found dead Saturday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the Grand Canyon, police said. Haeger’s body was discovered at about 4 p.m. on a trail along the
4:49 PM ET Mike Clevinger could make an appearance for the San Diego Padres in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told ESPN’s Pedro Gomez. Clevinger left a Sept. 23 start after one inning with an arm injury and has not appeared in a game since. The Padres were without Clevinger and Dinelson
4:19 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Matt Klentak’s inability to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to the postseason or even a single winning season cost him his job as general manager. Klentak stepped down after a third straight September collapse left the team out of the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. The 40-year-old will