MLB

7:00 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” For many of us, one of the first hints that are parents are not gods, not superheroes, not even particularly significant in a world of 7 billion, comes in the stands of

10:16 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman‘s suspension for throwing near the head of Tampa Bay’s Mike Brosseau was reduced from three games to two after he appealed the decision. Major League Baseball announced the result of the appeal on Thursday. It was heard by special assistant to the commissioner

12:09 PM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers will begin defense of their World Series championship on the road against the Colorado Rockies as part of an Opening Day quadruple-header to be broadcast on ESPN on Thursday, April 1, 2021. In all, ESPN will cover 11 season-opening games, involving 19 different teams, over the first week

11:42 PM ET Associated Press SAN DIEGO — Ron Fowler has stepped down as executive chairman of the San Diego Padres and lead investor Peter Seidler has been approved by fellow Major League Baseball owners to take over control of the team as chairman. Fowler will remain with the club in an advisory role and

7:10 PM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the latest baseball teams to implement layoffs as MLB faces the possibility of a second season with limited fan access amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The team informed employees throughout the franchise of layoffs on Wednesday. The Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are among

3:27 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and will be suspended for the entire 2021 season, sources told ESPN. It is the second PED suspension for

5:44 PM ET Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger underwent surgery Tuesday to repair the right shoulder he dislocated celebrating a home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, sources told ESPN. Bellinger is expected to miss 10 weeks, which would put him on track to return by spring training, sources told

3:52 PM ET Seattle Sounders FC announced on Tuesday that Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and Seattle Mariners legend Ken Griffey Jr. and his family have been added to the Major League Soccer club’s ownership group. – Carlisle: Can MLS complete playoffs outside bubble?– MLS Cup playoffs: Who’s in, fixtures and more– MLS on

12:13 PM ET Chicago Cubs drought buster Theo Epstein is stepping down as president of baseball operations Nov. 20. Epstein, 46, has been with the Cubs for nine seasons. When he first arrived he tore the club down to completely rebuild, and after a few very lean years, the project culminated in the 2016 World

12:40 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are the leading candidates returning to baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot in a year without any favorites among the new names. Schilling was third behind Derek Jeter and Larry Walker with 278 of 397 votes last year, finishing at 70%

6:24 PM ET San Diego Padres right-hander Mike Clevinger is set to undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and is expected to miss the entirety of the 2021 season. The team made the announcement Monday, saying that they’ve also re-signed Clevinger to a two-year deal. The agreement replaces Clevinger’s two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility.

1:26 PM ET The Atlanta Braves signed left-hander Drew Smyly to a one-year, $11 million contract on Monday, the team announced. The 31-year-old Smyly was 0-1 with a 3.42 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances last season for San Francisco, which signed him to a one-year major league contract in January. Smyly was

12:24 PM ET ESPN News Services Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda is hospitalized in intensive care in Orange County, California, the team announced Sunday. Lasorda, 93, is resting comfortably, according to the team. “The family appreciates everyone’s thoughts and prayers; however, they request their privacy at this time,” the Dodgers said. Lasorda attended

7:55 PM ET Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Personal memorabilia from the career of Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench was auctioned for just under $2 million. The sale that involved live and online bidding ended Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in Kentucky, not far from where Bench was a 14-time All-Star

2:02 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Ryan Tepera? Baseball fans love to argue over who should win big awards. But there likely was no debate Thursday about the most surprising name on the list of players getting National League MVP votes. That was Tepera, the Chicago Cubs reliever who was 0-1 with a

5:54 PM ET Sarah SpainespnW.com Close Sarah Spain (follow her on Twitter @SarahSpain) is the co-host of Spain & Fitz on ESPN Radio, host of the That’s What She Said podcast, a SportsCenter reporter and an espnW columnist since 2010. She was a heptathlete at Cornell and is a lifelong Chicago sports fan. Longtime baseball

6:32 PM ET White Sox superstar first baseman Jose Abreu won the AL Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday after helping power Chicago to its first playoff berth in 12 years. The 33-year-old slugger received 21 of 30 first-place votes and 374 points in voting announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Abreu finished

11:08 AM ET Associated Press FREEHOLD, N.J. — Former New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden has been sentenced to a year of probation in connection with a drug arrest in New Jersey in 2019. Gooden appeared before a judge in a virtual proceeding on Thursday. He had pleaded guilty in August 2019 to one count