LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is already well-known as a pitcher and a slugger.

The Dodgers superstar has recently taken on another role: children's book author.

Ohtani's dog, Decoy, is already known as the cutest Nederlandse Kooikerhondje on the planet (and quite possibly the only one to be immortalized in bobblehead form).

He has also ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — After a frustrating 2 1/2 months, the Red Sox falling a low as five games under .500 and more than 10 games out of first place, signs of life appeared. And then on June 15, they completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park, allowing only four runs.

That night, with much of New England beginning to believe again...Read more

ATLANTA — It was past 1 a.m. Wednesday at Truist Park. The stadium lights still cast their beams onto the diamond. Sprinklers watered the outfield grass. Armed with leaf blowers, stadium workers cleaned up the stands and concourses.

It had the feel of a high-school gym after homecoming. After the rush of a lively and memorable celebration, ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — MLBPA boss Tony Clark met with the media during All-Star Week to talk about the economics of baseball, and of course, that means attacking the idea of a salary cap in baseball.

After watching some of the clips of the interview and reading the quotes, I wasn't sure if Clark was doing the talking or if he was just taking marching ...Read more

NEW YORK — The first half of the MLB season did not disappoint.

Cal Raleigh made home run history, Aaron Judge flirted with .400 and Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited return to the mound.

But this is where the real fun begins.

Baseball’s stretch run starts Friday when all 30 teams kick off the season’s second half.

Three of the six ...Read more

MIAMI — Things are looking up for the Miami Marlins.

Those eight words alone are a bit of a revelation, an epiphany, a parade of syllables rarely uttered or thought in South Florida — especially by myself, a forefront critic. Or by Marlins fans whose collective frustration is reflected by a ballpark two-thirds empty most games.

“If I ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — We all know who to blame first for the Pirates' hideous face plant this season. The Buc stops with one man.

Bob Nutting should not own a Major League Baseball team. It's embarrassing.

Year after year, we watch the Pirates and their piddling payroll play Washington Generals to the rest of the league. The only saving grace is that...Read more

DETROIT — The stars were out in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

But the spotlight was on Detroit as Major League Baseball celebrated its 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park.

And while the results on the field were far from a smash hit, the Tigers’ present — and presence — was unmistakable from start to finish Tuesday, especially as MLB ...Read more

ATLANTA — The baseball world saw how the Braves treat their own — and their former — during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. In some ways, this All-Star Week has been a sales pitch.

Truist Park is known for its lively atmosphere, and it lived up to that billing in hosting the Midsummer Classic. But it also showcased a passionate fan base that ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Baseball’s All-Star Game on Tuesday in Atlanta was a spectacular success.

You should, of course, thank Bud Selig.

You should also — and this might sound strange, considering the source — blame the media for making this great game difficult to watch.

Baseball has always staged the best All-Star game of any long-running ...Read more

SEATTLE — If that blown five-run lead vs. the New York Yankees spawned dejection, then these past three games should have spawned dopamine.

If getting swept by New York last week seemed like the catalyst to a second-half Seattle Mariners tailspin, then sweeping the Detroit Tigers over the weekend felt like the cure.

It isn’t easy being a ...Read more

ATLANTA — Not many of the 41,702 who filled Truist Park will remember the All-Star Game’s score. They may remember it was decided in a home-run derby reminiscent of a soccer penalty-kick shootout after the score was tied at 6-6 at the end of nine innings. (The National League won in the first-ever swing-off.)

But maybe nearly all of them ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — There were no tears.

There were no tears when he addressed the crowd in a Fox interview that was played over the Truist Park sound system.

There were no tears when manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game in the top of the third inning so the fans could salute him one final time.

Freddie Freeman didn't cry Tuesday at the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — We need bat flips.

The home run swing-off to end Tuesday's All-Star Game was great. Whether you embrace it as a revelation or dismiss it as a gimmick, baseball needs more of that kind of imagination on the national stage. On the morning after the game, it's what you're talking about.

But baseball cannot count on a tie score ...Read more

ATLANTA — A few hours before Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Truist Park, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was considering which bat to use.

He picked up a colorful model from his locker and showed it to the media. The bat included a cartoon of the Cubs mascot, Clark the Cub, on the barrel. Using it would’ve been a marketing ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Don Kelly has managed the Pirates to a 27-32 record since he took over, and that is a significant improvement for the team. Derek Shelton was 12-26 to start the season, and that is one of the reasons that he is no longer the manager.

I am not smart enough to suggest that Kelly has found some magical formula to make the Pirates ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — More than any other sport, baseball requires patience.

The game is played without a clock, and its calendar stretches from Valentine’s Day to Halloween. Historically, Major League Baseball invites fewer teams to the postseason than the NFL, NHL or NBA, and prospects take years to work their way through the minor leagues.

...Read more