3:40 PM ET The 2022 MLB playoffs could be down to just two teams after today. The Philadelphia Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series — their first appearance since 2009 — in front a home crowd. Can the Houston Astros do the same in the Bronx with a sweep of the New York

12:32 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” NEW YORK — The empty blue seats started to grow in numbers during the sixth inning, by which time it had become abundantly clear that the first two games of the American

Oct 21, 2022 ESPN News Services Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. has been pushed back a day and will start Game 4 after suffering a small cut on his throwing elbow from a thrown champagne bottle Saturday. “Unfortunately, after the victory in Seattle, I caught a spare champagne bottle to the elbow bone,” McCullers

Oct 21, 2022 Associated Press TORONTO — By his own admission, John Schneider never amounted to much as a baseball player. On Friday, Schneider fulfilled a dream he’d pursued for 15 years since giving up on playing and choosing to coach instead. Toronto‘s former bench coach, Schneider was named the 14th manager in Blue Jays

Oct 21, 2022 HOUSTON — First, Framber Valdez made a mistake. Then, he made things way worse, and suddenly, the Houston Astros starter found himself trying to prevent Game 2 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees from unraveling. Valdez was working with a 3-0 lead after Astros third baseman Alex

1:22 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Jean Segura has played 11 seasons in the majors, made two All-Star teams and hit .300 three times, but he has never had an inning quite like the fourth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Friday night. Playing in his first postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies

6:14 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Fox and its related networks will televise next year’s World Baseball Classic, obtaining U.S. English- and Spanish-language rights to the tournament. Fox said Friday it will broadcast the U.S. opener against Britain on March 11 on the main Fox network. The tournament opens March 8 in Taiwan

1:20 PM ET Associated Press The Texas Rangers have hired Bruce Bochy as their manager, bringing the three-time World Series champion out of a short retirement to take over a team that has had six consecutive losing seasons. Texas made the surprising announcement Friday, just more than two weeks after its season ended. “If I

Oct 19, 2022 Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Hitting coach Jeremy Reed and assistant hitting coach John Mallee will not return to the Los Angeles Angels next season. The team confirmed the decisions Wednesday. Reed has been the Angels’ hitting coach since 2019, serving for four seasons under three managers after spending two years as

7:30 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” At the beginning of the Houston Astros‘ 2019 spring training, Michael Brantley couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Brantley is regarded as one of the purest professional hitters of his generation, a