Category: Major League Baseball (MLB)

The Nevada Senate passed a $380 million bill on Tuesday to help fund the construction of a new stadium for the Athletics on the Las Vegas Strip.

Two amendments were added to the bill on Tuesday morning, leading to a 13-8 vote that supported the use of public tax dollars to build a new home for the Athletics, who are contemplating a move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Senate Bill 1 — the formal name of the bill — will now be sent to the Nevada Assembly, where it must be approved by a majority vote. Gov. Joe Lombardo would then have to sign the bill into law, a move that should come without hesitation.

Athletics ownership would have to come up with the rest of the money for the $1.5 billion project, and major league owners would need to approve it. The league’s other 29 owners are expected to do so unanimously.

Although the bill passed, the Athletics are not guaranteed to join the NHL’s Golden Knights and the NFL’s Raiders in Las Vegas. However, Tuesday’s decision is a huge step in that direction.

Many fans in Oakland are against the move and trying to get Athletics owner John Fisher to sell the team rather than relocate it. A “reverse boycott” was scheduled for Tuesday, when fans planned to sell out Oakland Coliseum to show that it isn’t the team or the fanbase that is the problem, but the ownership.

The Athletics’ new stadium would contain 30,000 seats and sit on a nine-acre plot at the site of the Tropicana Hotel.

–Field Level Media

Carlos Correa hit a walk-off, two-run home run to complete a four-run, ninth-inning rally as the Minnesota Twins earned a 7-5 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday in Minneapolis.

Michael A. Taylor homered to lead off the ninth against Devin Williams, pulling Minnesota within 5-4. Edouard Julien walked and was replaced by pinch runner Willi Castro, who stole second and scored the tying run on Donovan Solano’s single to center.

Correa then connected on a 1-1 changeup, sending it 408 feet to left, giving the Twins their third win in four games.

Williams (3-1) had allowed one earned run all season in 21 appearances, 21 2/3 innings, before Monday. He blew a save for the first time in 11 chances this year as Milwaukee lost its fifth game in a row.

The Brewers’ Christian Yelich got the scoring started with a two-run double to right field in the third inning. Two batters later, Rowdy Tellez hit a deep single off the center-field wall to put the hosts up 3-0.

Minnesota answered in the same inning as Solano drove in a run with a single and Correa grounded into an RBI forceout, bringing the Twins within one.

Both starting pitchers made quality starts, with Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez going six innings, allowing three runs on four hits, walking one and striking out nine.

After Lopez was pulled, Yelich came through again. The former MVP hit a two-run home run to left field in the seventh off Jose De Leon, putting Milwaukee up 5-2.

The Brewers sent starter Corbin Burnes back out for the seventh, and Kyle Farmer led the inning off with a home run, ending the right-hander’s night.

Burnes went six-plus innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out eight.

Twins reliever Josh Winder (1-0) went two scoreless innings for the win.

The Monday game was the first of a two-game series between the nearby interleague rivals.

–Field Level Media

Josh Donaldson delivered a tiebreaking pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the sixth inning on Tuesday night for the visiting New York Yankees, who came back to beat the New York Mets 7-6 in an eventful first meeting of the season between the Big Apple rivals.

The Yankees, who overcame a 5-1 deficit by scoring five times in the fourth against Max Scherzer, have alternated losses with wins in their last six games. The skidding Mets have lost nine of their last 10.

Mets reliever Drew Smith was ejected due to having a sticky substance on his hand before he threw a pitch in the seventh inning. Smith is subject to an automatic 10-game suspension. Scherzer served a 10-game suspension for the same reason from April 20 through May 2.

Giancarlo Stanton homered in the first for the Yankees before Brandon Nimmo answered with a leadoff blast in the bottom half of the frame for the Mets, who went ahead later in the inning on Brett Baty’s two-out RBI single and extended the lead to 4-1 on Jeff McNeil’s opposite-field, two-run single in the second.

Mark Canha collected an RBI with a fielder’s choice in the third to make it 5-1 before the Yankees began rallying against Scherzer, who gave up one hit in the first three innings but surrendered six while recording just one out in the fourth. DJ LeMahieu hit a two-run homer before Anthony Volpe had an RBI double and Jake Bauers laced a go-ahead, two-run single.

Luis Guillorme chased Yankees starter Luis Severino with a two-out RBI single in the fifth before Donaldson, pinch-hitting for Bauers, lofted the sacrifice fly against Jeff Brigham.

Ron Marinaccio (3-3), the first of six Yankees relievers, earned the win after allowing a hit and a walk over an inning. Clay Holmes entered with the bases loaded and one out in the eighth and struck out Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte before Michael King earned his fourth save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Josh Walker (0-1), the Mets’ second reliever, was charged with one run on two hits in one-third of an inning.

Severino allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks while striking out four over 4 2/3 innings. Scherzer gave up six runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out two over 3 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

Randal Grichuk collected two hits, including a two-run double in the top of the 10th inning, to help the Colorado Rockies pick up a 7-6 road victory against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

Grichuk’s double came against Justin Garza (0-1) and broke a 4-4 tie. Coco Montes and Nolan Jones scored on the play.

The Rockies extended their lead to 7-4 when Jurickson Profar drove in Grichuk with a sacrifice fly.

Rafael Devers hit his second two-run home run of the game to make it 7-6 in the bottom of the 10th, but the Red Sox stranded the tying run on second base.

Daniel Bard (3-0) picked up the win — his second victory in as many games — by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Pierce Johnson recorded the final two outs to earn his 12th save.

Colorado’s win came in the second game of a three-game series and extended Boston’s home losing streak to five games. The Rockies beat the Red Sox 4-3 in 10 innings on Monday.

The Rockies built a 4-0 lead by scoring three runs in the third and one in the fourth. Elias Diaz hit a three-run double that scored Profar, Ezequiel Tovar and Ryan McMahon in the third. Grichuk singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Brenton Doyle’s double in the fourth.

Devers sliced Colorado’s lead in half when he homered in the bottom of the fourth. Justin Turner, who reached on a single, also scored on the play, which made it a 4-2 game.

The Red Sox climbed within a run after Turner’s RBI single scored Pablo Reyes in the fifth, and tied the game at 4-4 when Adam Duvall scored on Christian Arroyo’s sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Boston’s Kutter Crawford pitched the first four innings and gave up four runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked three.

Colorado starter Chase Anderson exited the mound after 4 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits, struck out six and walked one.

–Field Level Media

Gunnar Henderson had three hits, including a grand slam, and the Baltimore Orioles cruised to an 11-6 rout of the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.

Henderson, the reigning American League Player of the Week, has homered in three straight games. He is 13-for-24 (.542) with four homers, 10 RBIs and six runs over his past six games.

Adam Frazier, Ryan O’Hearn and Aaron Hicks also homered for the Orioles, who pounded out a season-high 17 hits in winning their fifth straight game.

With his team staked to a big lead, Baltimore’s Dean Kremer (7-3) worked six innings. He gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out six without a walk.

Toronto starter Chris Bassitt (7-5), who had given up just two runs over his past two starts spanning 15 2/3 innings, departed after allowing eight runs on 11 hits over three innings.

Cavan Biggio homered in his second straight game and Daulton Varsho had three hits for the Blue Jays, who have lost three of their last four.

Toronto took an early 1-0 lead when George Springer led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Baltimore took the lead in the second when Austin Hays opened with a double and, one out later, Frazier homered to right center.

The Orioles broke the game open with a six-run third. After Anthony Santander led off with a single, O’Hearn lined a home run to center. Hicks singled and, with two outs, Ramon Urias singled and Jorge Mateo walked, bringing up Henderson. He sent a 1-0 cutter out to center for his 10th homer of the season, and the Orioles’ lead was 8-1.

Alejandro Kirk’s RBI single in the fourth made it 8-2, but Hicks’ solo homer with two outs in the bottom half of the frame pushed the lead to 9-2.

Santander added an RBI single in the fifth and Frazier’s single in the sixth scored Hays to make it 11-2 before Biggio’s solo homer highlighted a two-run eighth.

Toronto added a pair of runs on a forceout and an RBI single in the ninth.

–Field Level Media

The San Francisco Giants lost third baseman J.D. Davis and left fielder Mitch Haniger to injuries on back-to-back plays in the third inning of their Tuesday road game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Davis sprained his right ankle during an awkward slide into third base. A Giants trainer came out to work on Davis’ leg before the veteran player slowly walked off.

The next batter up after that play was Haniger, who was hit in the wrist by a pitch from St. Louis starter Jack Flaherty. Haniger was diagnosed with a fractured right forearm.

Casey Schmitt pinch-ran for Davis and took over at third base in the bottom half of the inning. Blake Sabol replaced Haniger in left field.

Davis, 30, leads the Giants this season with 35 RBIs, and he improved his batting average to .286 by going 1-for-2 on Tuesday.

Haniger, 32, is in his first season with San Francisco after a productive stint with the Seattle Mariners. He is batting .230 with four homers and 22 RBIs after finishing 0-for-1 on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

The Baltimore Orioles placed first baseman Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Saturday, amid his bout with vertigo.

In other moves on Tuesday, the Orioles called up catcher Mark Kolozsvary from Triple-A Norfolk and designated right-hander Noah Denoyer for assignment.

Mountcastle, 26, last played on Thursday, with the team citing illness as he missed the next three games. He has struggled this season, batting a career-low .227 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. He has struck out 64 times in 60 games.

Kolozsvary, 27, was a seventh-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2017 draft and appeared in 10 games for the Reds last season. He hit .200 with one homer and three RBIs.

In 25 games between Norfolk and Double-A Bowie this season, Kolozsvary is batting .172 with three homers and nine RBIs.

Denoyer, 25, was 1-0 with a 5.04 ERA across 30 1/3 innings at Norfolk. His control has been a concern with 22 walks to go with 31 hits allowed over 14 appearances (four starts). In 2022, he issued just 17 walks in 71 2/3 innings spread across three minor league teams.

–Field Level Media

The oldest professional ballpark in the country will host the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2024 Field of Dreams Game, the San Francisco Chronicle and The Athletic reported Tuesday.

Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., which opened in 1910, will be the site of the annual game, the San Francisco Chronicle first reported. MLB has not made any comment about the game as of Tuesday. The Athletic reported that an official announcement would be coming within the next few days.

“I would love (wearing throwbacks), that would be really cool,” Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’ll definitely give you the full effect of the game. I hope it is us who wears the jerseys for sure. That would be something to remember forever.”

Hall of Famer Willie Mays, a Giants legend in New York and San Francisco, played at Rickwood Field when he was in the Negro Leagues as a member of the Birmingham Black Barons.

The first two Field of Dreams games were played in Dyersville, Iowa, on the site of the popular movie with the same name, complete with the cornfield beyond the outfield. The Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played in the inaugural game in 2021, and the Chicago Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds last year. Both games were on the second Thursday of August of each year.

The Iowa site is currently under construction and no game is slated for this season.

Rickwood Field also has served as a location for films such as “Cobb” (1994), “Soul of the Game” (1996) and “42” (2013). It is one of two Negro League ballparks still standing along with Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, N.J.

Rickwood Field is the home field for Miles College, a Historically Black College and University in Fairfield, Ala.

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Blue Jays placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to left hamstring inflammation.

The move is retroactive to Sunday.

Toronto also placed right-hander Adam Cimber on the paternity list and reinstated catcher Danny Jansen from the 10-day IL. Jansen is active for the Blue Jays’ game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.

Belt, 35, is hitting .263 with four homers and 16 RBIs through 48 games this season. Cimber, 32, has gone 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA through 20 relief appearances spanning 18 2/3 innings.

In a pair of additional moves, second baseman Ernie Clement and right-hander Bowden Francis were both recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, while catcher Tyler Heineman was optioned to Triple-A.

–Field Level Media

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said Tuesday that struggling rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe is not in danger of being sent down to the minor leagues.

Steinbrenner spoke to reporters ahead of Major League Baseball owners meetings and said the Yankees have had “zero conversations” about sending Volpe, 22, to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

New York named Volpe its starting shortstop at the conclusion of spring training.

“I told Anthony at the end of spring training, ‘I said you were starting shortstop of the New York Yankees,’ ” Steinbrenner said. “‘This isn’t a three-week trial. So you’re going to be that through the ups and through the potential downs, and there probably will be downs.’”

Ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the rival New York Mets, Volpe has played in all 67 of the Yankees’ games this season, which leads the majors. But he’s batting just .186 and has seen his spot in the batting order drop from leadoff to ninth.

Volpe has nine home runs, five doubles, two triples and 26 RBIs, along with 14 stolen bases. But he’s in the midst of a 3-for-29 slump dating to May 31. He has struck out 77 times with 22 walks in 250 plate appearances.

He has also committed seven errors.

“My belief in Anthony is that the cream is going to rise to the top,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Tuesday’s game. “I believe in his ability and the person, that he’s going to be an outstanding player in this game.”

Steinbrenner also said the Yankees would be buyers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but declined to hint at what positions they would target.

The owner stressed that the team has not been fully healthy for most of the season. Reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge is on the injured list for the second time and left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon, a free agent signing expected to upgrade the starting rotation, has yet to make his team debut while working back from forearm and back injuries.

“We’ve got to get healthy,” Steinbrenner said. “I know everybody has injuries, but it’s been pretty bad this year from Day One. Unlike last year where we were doing very, very well and then we got hit with injuries in July-ish, this has just been a constant thing.”

–Field Level Media