2:45 AM ET ESPN News Services OAKLAND, Calif. — The first big league game with an automatic runner in extra innings was decided with a blast rather than a bunt. Marcus Semien began the bottom of the 10th on second base under the new, unpopular rule and scored on Matt Olson‘s grand slam, sending the
MLB
7:43 AM ET After throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Thursday night’s MLB season opener, Dr. Anthony Fauci now has a baseball card of his own. Even though his pitch was way off the mark, Topps honored Fauci with a baseball card on Friday. The front shows a picture of Fauci on the mound
12:21 AM ET CHICAGO — Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo brought pandemic courtesy to the baseball diamond on Friday when he offered hand sanitizer to Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Orlando Arcia after a third-inning single. “Just sitting around with some of my friends, joking around: ‘First guy that gets on, I’m going to give him some
1:59 AM ET ESPN News Services The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles acknowledged the nation’s social justice movement prior to their Opening Day game at Fenway Park on Friday night. Players wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts, and a Major League Baseball-issued Black Lives Matter sign was spread across the center-field bleachers. Players from both
2:45 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN We dipped our toes into the waters of the 2020 baseball season with two games on Thursday. On Friday, we dove in headfirst with 14 contests — the first time since the regular season ended on Sept. 29, 2019, that we had coast-to-coast baseball. That was 299 days ago, and
12:29 AM ET Most years, Opening Day for Major League Baseball is a time for fans to pile into the stands and welcome the return of America’s pastime. But the coronavirus pandemic and the need for social distancing to prevent its spread necessarily kept seats empty and fans watching from home. In their place, teams
9:21 PM ET Clayton Kershaw‘s back, which landed him on the 10-day injured list four hours before he was scheduled to throw the first pitch of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season on Thursday night, is progressing well enough to make him believe he won’t be sidelined much longer. Kershaw said Friday that the injury, classified
5:47 PM ET Associated Press BRISTOL, Conn. — The pandemic-delayed Major League Baseball opener was the sport’s most-watched regular-season game on any network in nine years. The New York Yankees‘ rain-shortened 4-1 win at the Washington Nationals on Thursday night averaged 4 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen fast national ratings. The game peaked
11:26 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — From All-Star MVP to ace, and Shane Bieber‘s only getting better. Bieber struck out 14 over six scoreless innings in a historic outing as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 2-0 in their delayed home opener on Friday night. The 25-year-old passed Bob Gibson and Lon
10:57 PM ET Chicago Cubs righty Kyle Hendricks threw the majors’ first Opening Day complete game since 2013 as he shut down the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 on Friday night. It was also the first Opening Day complete game by a Cub since Bill Bonham accomplished the feat in 1974, and it earned new manager David