MLB

5:17 PM ET In Game 1 of the 2021 World Series, the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros saw a little bit of everything. Designated hitter Jorge Soler became the first player to lead off the top of the first inning with a home run. Adam Duvall helped his team stay hot in the third with

7:00 AM ET HOUSTON — IT’S CARLOS CORREA’s time. And the 2021 Astros are his team. The 27-year-old shortstop is on a mission to win another World Series as the leader of an often maligned Astros’ organization while the clock ticks to his free agency. So don’t expect him to back down now that the

2:35 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” HOUSTON — Inside the training room of the visiting clubhouse at Minute Maid Park during Game 1 of the World Series, friends kept dropping by to apologize to Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie

9:32 PM ET The 2021 World Series has arrived. The Atlanta Braves face the Houston Astros in Game 1 on Tuesday night. The Astros, with their sign-stealing scandal hanging over the past two years, are in their third Fall Classic in the past five seasons. The Braves return for the first time since 1999. Atlanta

6:45 PM ET Freddie Freeman‘s batting practice sessions, by his own admission, are the most boring in baseball. He does nothing but hit line drives into left field, over and over. Picture a slicing liner that barely clears the glove of a leaping shortstop and you’ll get the idea of each ball’s trajectory. And now

12:49 PM ET ESPN News Services The St. Louis Cardinals have hired Oliver “Oli” Marmol as their new manager. Marmol has been the Cardinals’ bench coach the past two seasons. He was the favorite from the start of the search, and he worked his way up with the team since being drafted by St. Louis

7:36 PM ET HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are sticking to a theme they’ve mastered since returning to the national stage after their sign-stealing scandal came to light in 2019: They’re not out to prove anything — except that they’re the best team in baseball. They’ll get a chance to prove that beginning Tuesday when

7:00 AM ET Here we go, the Houston Astros versus the Atlanta Braves for World Series glory. While this matchup would have been a reasonable prediction back in spring training, it was an unlikely scenario at the trade deadline on July 30, when the Braves had a 2% chance to represent the National League and

3:50 PM ET HOUSTON — The Houston Astros will start left-hander Framber Valdez against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the World Series, which begins Tuesday night. Valdez, 27, is coming off the best start of any pitcher this postseason after going eight innings and giving up just one run against the Boston Red

9:08 PM ET The St. Louis Cardinals plan to hire Oliver Marmol as their new manager, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday night, confirming an earlier report. Marmol, 35, served as St. Louis’ bench coach last season and is extremely well regarded within the organization. He was the favorite from the start of the

11:56 PM ET ATLANTA — For the first time since 1999, the Atlanta Braves are going back to the World Series. Eddie Rosario continued a torrid postseason with a three-run homer just inside the foul pole in the fourth inning, breaking a 1-1 deadlock and propelling Atlanta to a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles

12:05 AM ET For the first time in the 21st century, the Atlanta Braves are in the World Series, having claimed their first National League pennant since 1999. It’s not an insult or a revision of history to say that the Braves began this October run as something of an afterthought. The oddsmakers in Vegas

10:53 PM ET Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Max Scherzer will not make his scheduled start in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, sources told ESPN, confirming news first reported by the Los Angeles Times. Scherzer’s replacement for Saturday night at Truist Park is not yet known, but there is no logical choice to

11:49 PM ET HOUSTON — The Houston Astros are headed to the World Series for the third time in five years after yet another pitching gem, beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 in Game 6 of the ALCS on Friday night. Houston won the final three games of the best-of-seven series to clinch it. Two

3:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” HOUSTON — Here’s the thing: The Houston Astros really are just that damn good. They were that damn good in 2017 when they were cheating, and they are still that damn good

3:40 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Cody Bellinger had goosebumps. It was the eighth inning of a game his Los Angeles Dodgers already led by nine runs, but Chris Taylor was up to bat, sitting on three home runs, and Bellinger could sense a fourth one coming. “I felt like he was really going to

7:00 AM ET The 2021 World Series matchup will be decided this weekend. The Houston Astros have pushed the Boston Red Sox to the brink in the American League Championship Series, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have managed to stay alive in the National League against the Atlanta Braves. The Red Sox (down 3-2) meet

12:00 AM ET LOS ANGELES — When Chris Taylor hit his third homer of the game in the seventh inning, Braves manager Brian Snitker sat in his dugout chair and stared, unblinking, at some random spot in the Dodger Stadium outfield. What was taking place in front of him, and his reaction to it, seemed