The road to the World Series once again runs through Chavez Ravine. With the Phillies’ 6-3 loss to the Nationals on Saturday, the Dodgers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the National League and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. Los Angeles is guaranteed to finish ahead of Philadelphia for

NEW YORK -- The Yankees could be without Anthony Rizzo for the beginning of their postseason drive, as the veteran sustained fractures to the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand after being hit by a pitch in Saturday’s 9-4 loss to the Pirates. Rizzo was hit by a

NEW YORK -- Paul Skenes’ smile told the whole story. The Pirates' rookie right-hander had only two innings before he was going to be pulled from his final start of the season. The semi-fluid innings target for his first full professional season was the 155-165 range, and his two scoreless

The final weekend of the regular season has arrived, and there is plenty at stake. From a team perspective, there is still a battle for the final two NL Wild Cards spots, and the top teams trying to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage. As enticing as these playoff

DENVER -- Shohei Ohtani continues to re-write the record book among his countrymen.

What better way to enjoy your favorite team celebrating a playoff berth than doing so with the club itself? After Detroit clinched its first playoff berth since 2014 on Friday, the team brought down Tigers superfan Josh Tebeau to bask in the celebration. Tebeau was enjoying the Tigers’ playoff clinch

SAN FRANCISCO -- Has Blake Snell made his final start for the Giants? That was the prevailing question after the Giants announced that Snell would not make his scheduled start against the Cardinals in Saturday afternoon's eventual 6-5 win, officially ending his 2024 campaign and possibly his tenure in San

CHICAGO – Kyle Hendricks walked off the mound at Wrigley Field on Saturday afternoon, patting his heart and then clapping his glove as a lengthy, rousing ovation continued all around him. When the pitcher reached the dugout, he embraced each teammate and staff member awaiting him. And then Hendricks headed

You could practically hear the exhale from Rangers fans in that magic moment last fall when the final strike -- a strike that had famously proved elusive in the 2011 Fall Classic -- crossed the plate and Texas secured a franchise-first World Series title. Those 2023 Rangers did as intended,

NEW YORK -- Oneil, meet O’Neill. On Saturday, Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz met his namesake, former Yankees outfielder and current broadcaster Paul O'Neill. The two had a video chat and O’Neill sent over a jersey the last time the Pirates played in Yankee Stadium in 2022, but this time,

The vast majority of this offseason’s free-agent class will put the final touches on their résumé on Sunday, when they conclude the regular season. For the ones fortunate enough to find themselves with a ticket to October, however, there’s a significant opportunity for them to make a powerful closing statement

NEW YORK -- Luis Gil presents a compelling argument for consideration as the American League’s Rookie of the Year, having stepped into the rotation in the aftermath of a spring injury to Gerrit Cole, then approximating the ace’s output for the better part of two electric months. Yet if Gil

WASHINGTON -- Zack Wheeler isn’t afraid of a challenge, so this spring he said publicly that he wanted to win the National League Cy Young Award. He reiterated his goal earlier this month. Wheeler made his closing argument in Saturday afternoon’s 6-3 loss to the Nationals at Nationals Park. He

MILWAUKEE – Sal Frelick is usually seen running around right field with reckless abandon, so the sight of the Brewers outfielder limping into a room with a crutch under his right arm said more than anything else about how much he was hurting Saturday. A day after he suffered a

BOSTON -- After holding the Red Sox to two runs over six innings in the Rays’ 7-2 win Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, Shane Baz can look back with quite a bit of pride on what he accomplished this season. Perhaps more importantly, the 25-year-old right-hander can finally look forward

DETROIT -- Tigers players were making plans for October as summer wound down. They didn’t necessarily involve the postseason. After trading away veterans at the Deadline and sitting under .500, it was only human nature to look ahead. It’s what the Tigers had done for years since their last postseason

ATLANTA -- The Royals don’t like talking about last year. This entire season, they’ve insisted that they don’t think about 2023. All that matters, manager Matt Quatraro says, is today.

DETROIT -- Garrett Crochet did his best to stave off the inevitable. And in the face of a single-season record-breaking 121 losses, the White Sox played their most complete series of ‘24 by sweeping three from the Angels to conclude the home portion of their ledger from Tuesday to Thursday

ATLANTA -- Max Fried acknowledged the raucous standing ovation and entered the dugout hoping this wouldn’t be the last of the many gems he has produced over the years for the Braves. “Walking off and hearing that, it was emotional,” Fried said. “I’m extremely thankful and very grateful.”

In baseball, we talk about five-tool players all the time. They're the players who can do it all -- hit for contact and power, with the speed, glove and arm to be the ultimate all-around stars. But what do those tools look like in action? With the regular season wrapping

PHOENIX -- It's official: Postseason baseball is back at Petco Park. Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series in San Diego is slated for Tuesday. The Padres beat the Diamondbacks, 5-3, on Friday night at Chase Field, San Diego’s 92nd victory of the season. That mark ties the

MINNEAPOLIS -- Members of the Orioles’ 2023 American League East championship team got to experience the atmosphere of October baseball at Camden Yards. That squad ended the franchise’s seven-year postseason drought and hosted its first playoff home games since ‘14. It was electric. The sellout crowds were packed with orange

MILWAUKEE -- Toward the end of his night of misfortune, Francisco Alvarez walked gingerly off the field with a trainer’s hand wrapped around his waist. Alvarez had already endured a lamentable evening at American Family Field, allowing five stolen bases and getting called out on strikes in an at-bat that

PHOENIX -- If the series opener Friday night is any indication, a D-backs-Padres postseason matchup would be must-see TV. Of course, the Padres’ 5-3 victory at Chase Field hurt Arizona's chances of making the postseason. With two games left to play in the regular season, the D-backs are in a

MILWAUKEE – An otherwise grand night for the Brewers was tarnished by a tinge of concern for one of their starting outfielders – exactly the sort of thing they wanted to avoid with their postseason position set and Game 1 days away. Sal Frelick, who grew up playing hockey in