After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe

Konnor Pilkington knew it was coming. The Mississippi State pitcher had seen all the viral video clips. He'd been warned by his coaches and teammates. He'd heard horror stories. He'd hoped, he'd prayed, that it wouldn't happen to him. "Oh yeah, they're known for that," Pilkington, now in the D-backs

DETROIT -- The Tigers shied away from baseball’s trend of myriad alternate jerseys for years, sticking with their traditional home whites and road grays with the Olde English D. Fittingly, their jump into baseball’s City Connect series is both a tribute to Detroit’s rich history and a nod to the

A version of this story originally ran in June 2020.

A version of this story originally ran in January 2023.

Yankees star Juan Soto is no stranger to making jaw-dropping plays on the diamond. But Soto produced the same effect with a small gesture of kindness outside the white lines Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Soto ranged to his left to catch a Javier Báez fly ball to right for the

CINCINNATI -- Gunnar Henderson has been known for his bat after taking home AL Player of the Month honors while slugging a league-best 10 home runs in March and April. But the Orioles shortstop is also showing off another bat, one he brought out for May the Fourth, informally known

LOS ANGELES -- Before Friday’s game against the Braves, Shohei Ohtani walked into Dave Roberts’ office. Ohtani, with a straight face, delivered the news to his skipper that he got him a car to commemorate whenever he passes the manager for most homers by a Japanese-born player in franchise history.

A version of this story originally ran in March 2021.

The patrons of Minor League Baseball are perhaps more accustomed to odd game delays than their Major League counterparts (see Tuesday’s bee incident), but Friday’s San Antonio Missions game still left many scratching their heads. In the top of the third inning, now-Marlins prospect Nathan Martorella was on second base

If you owned a gorgeous farm in the French countryside, what would you do with it? Would you devote much of your day to cultivating crops and maintaining the grounds to the best of your abilities? You probably would. That’s what farmers are known to do, after all. But what

This story was excerpted from the Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. TORONTO -- Don Mattingly has never watched that episode of The Simpsons. He’s still having fun with it, though, autographing Simpsons-style images of himself

Welcome to Promo Preview, a monthly compendium of Minor League Baseball promotions to look forward to. May's highlights include nonagenarian icons, Mardi Gras sweets, reinterpretations of local disasters and, of course, much more. Let's get to it.

Beekeeper-turned-folk hero Matt Hilton had quite the experience on Tuesday night, saving the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game from a swarm of bees. His legend has only continued to grow since then. Topps announced that it has signed a deal with Hilton and is making autographed cards to commemorate his performance. The moment

During his 22-year playing career, Dave Winfield made milestones all over North America. He made his first All-Star Game while playing in San Diego. He won a World Series in Toronto. He notched his 3,000th hit in his home state of Minnesota. He earned a Hall of Fame plaque in

For former big leaguer Jayson Werth, owning a competitive racehorse is a lot like playing in the Majors -- with one big exception. “I never stressed out, I never worried about one [baseball] game as long as I lived,” Werth said Wednesday in an appearance on MLB Network. “Coming into

PHOENIX -- A few hours before Christian Walker’s second homer of the game gave the D-backs a 4-3 walk-off win over the Dodgers in the 10th inning, a crucial series of events was about to start unfolding at a different type of ballgame on the Westside of the Valley. A

SAN DIEGO -- It’s not often that a manager willingly chooses to take a run off the board, but Padres skipper Mike Shildt did exactly that Tuesday night. His faith was promptly rewarded, courtesy of Manny Machado. With one out in the fifth inning of San Diego’s 6-4 victory over

CHICAGO -- To be frank (ba dum tss), it boggles the mind that this is a story that needs to be (well) done, but ... here we are. Baseball players can be superstitious to an extreme, and never has that become more apparent than when a summer sausage started getting

ST. PETERSBURG -- On and off the field, the Rays dare to be different. They have become the modern example of small-market success by creatively defying conventional thinking, boldly going against the grain and unapologetically embracing what makes them unique. That attitude inspired the theme and design of their City

Some mascots are good for a laugh. Some get you amped up. Some make you feel warm and fuzzy. Mudonna T. Pig -- a neon-pink porcine cheerleader nicknamed "the divine swine" and "the dutchess of pork" who has been entertaining St. Paul Saints fans for over 20 years -- was

The great Hank Aaron passed away in 2021, but his legacy in the sports world persists -- even on the football field. Aaron’s great-nephew, Kimani Vidal, was selected in the sixth round (No. 181 overall pick) of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

MEXICO CITY -- Just hours after landing in Mexico City and with a busy schedule ahead of them -- MLB’s Play Ball event and the first game of the Mexico City Series are scheduled for Saturday at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú -- the Rockies’ Elias Díaz and Nolan Jones, along

While there’s nothing quite like experiencing your favorite MLB ballpark in person, you can now bring a literal taste of that experience into your home with Ballpark Bites presented by Mastercard. Major League Baseball, in collaboration with Virtual Dining Concepts, has launched this new, ballpark-inspired menu that’s available on food

There are a kajillion reasons to love baseball -- especially Minor League Baseball. The bobblehead, which has been greeted with an enthusiastic "Yes" from baseball fans at least since MLB put out a set featuring the likes of Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays in 1960, combines many of