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Matt Calkins: Could Julio Rodriguez be Mariners' next Hall of Famer?

Sports / Baseball /

SEATTLE — Twenty, maybe 25 years from now, do you see a player entering the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Mariners cap on?

If Félix Hernández, the former Cy Young winner who finished with just more than 20% of the vote this year, doesn’t garner enough support — is a current M up next, after Ichiro was voted in this week?

You have multi-...Read more

Keith Birmingham/The Orange County Register/TNS

Mirjam Swanson: Shohei Ohtani's Angels' tenure a cautionary tale for Roki Sasaki

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers aren’t ruining baseball. No one is ruining baseball. But if you want to be mad at a ball club for eroding parity in the game, if you’re peeved about the super-duper team that’s not your team, then go yell at the … Angels.

Maybe you’ve already forgotten — sometimes it feels like people have — but once ...Read more

Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times/TNS

St. Petersburg to Rays: No deadline in contract for repairing Tropicana Field

Sports / Baseball /

City Administrator Rob Gerdes has told the Tampa Bay Rays in a letter that St. Petersburg is under no obligation to repair Tropicana Field in time for opening day 2026, as the Rays now expect.

The back-and-forth written exchange between the Rays and the Pinellas County Commission over next steps after Hurricane Milton tore the roof off the ...Read more

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Dodgers officially welcome Roki Sasaki, plan 'to hit the ground running' with pitcher

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Dodger Stadium remains under construction, in the midst of significant offseason renovations for the defending World Series champions.

But hundreds of reporters flocked to Chavez Ravine nonetheless Wednesday, to witness the team put one of the key final touches on its 2025 roster.

Less than a week after announcing he would sign...Read more

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Mike Vorel: Why a unanimous Hall of Fame vote for Ichiro isn't what matters most

Sports / Baseball /

SEATTLE — There are two people you could talk about.

But only one Ichiro.

On Tuesday, Ichiro — perhaps the most globally impactful player to ever grace the game — earned election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. His induction, of course, was never in question, cemented by 4,367 hits across 28 seasons and two continents. He bagged...Read more

HYOSUB SHIN/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Ken Sugiura: Here's an attempt to divine meaning from Braves' lack of offseason action

Sports / Baseball /

ATLANTA — Thus far, the story of the Braves' offseason could be written on a Post-it Note, and probably a small one.

The club has made no moves of consequence, and pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report Feb. 10 to North Port, Fla. The countdown clock is draining away.

Without a notable acquisition, here’s a guess at two names that ...Read more

Roki Sasaki is down with L.A. New Dodgers pitcher learns city's fingers sign at Lakers game.

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki was shown Tuesday night on the Crypto.com Arena video screen during the first half of the Lakers' game against the Washington Wizards.

The crowd went nuts, giving the 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom a louder and more enthusiastic response than many celebrities receive while attending Lakers games.

Sasaki should...Read more

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Yankees Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, wife Clara accused of covering up child sex abuse

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, are accused of covering up the sexual abuse of a minor at their church and in their home, according to a lawsuit filed in New York.

The complaint claims the couple hid the abuse of a young girl associated with their church, Refuge of Hope in New Rochelle, where 55-year...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

'They all wanted him here.' How Shohei Ohtani, other Dodgers helped recruit Roki Sasaki.

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — When Roki Sasaki sat down for a sushi dinner with Dodgers officials and players last week, days before agreeing to sign with the club in one of the biggest coups of baseball's offseason, Shohei Ohtani was one of several stars in attendance.

It wasn't the first time the former Japanese teammates had dined together in recent ...Read more

Chris Graythen/Getty Images North America/TNS

Andruw Jones not elected to Hall of Fame, needs push in final two years on ballot

Sports / Baseball /

ATLANTA — Andruw Jones, the iconic former Braves center fielder, was not elected to the Hall of Fame in his eighth year on the ballot. His gains suggest he could be inducted in either of the next two years, but he’ll need a bump in support.

Jones appeared on 66.2% of ballots, an increase from his 61.6% in 2024. A player must be on 75% of ...Read more

Former Phillies closer Billy Wagner elected to Hall of Fame, joining Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia

Sports / Baseball /

PHILADELPHIA — Once more, for baseball immortality, Billy Wagner closed it out.

Wagner, the dominant closer who played a two-season sliver of his 16-year career with the Phillies, got elected Tuesday night to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his 10th and final year on the ballot. He will be joined in the Class of 2025 by all-time hit ...Read more

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Ichiro Suzuki to be first Japanese player to make Hall of Fame. Shohei Ohtani on track to be second

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Ichiro Suzuki is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

That has long been the assumption among baseball fans regarding the Japanese outfielder who played the majority of his 19-year MLB career with the Seattle Mariners, along with stints with the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins.

On Tuesday, that assumption is set to become reality, ...Read more

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images North America/TNS

CC Sabathia elected to Hall of Fame; Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner also make Class of 2025

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — CC Sabathia’s career ended abruptly.

Yes, the longtime Yankees left-hander had announced months earlier his plans to retire after the 2019 season, but his final appearance did not go as ceremoniously as Derek Jeter’s or Mariano Rivera’s.

As an appreciative Yankee Stadium crowd chanted “CC” in the eighth inning of an ALCS...Read more

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Bill Madden: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner make up electric Hall of Fame trio

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — In Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, the Baseball Writers Association delivered quite an eclectic trifecta to Cooperstown on Tuesday.

The first Japanese player ever elected to the Hall of Fame, a reformed alcoholic, and an under-sized, under-rated strikeout artist from rural Virginia who finally made it in his last year ...Read more

Jennifer Buchanan/The Seattle Times/TNS

Ichiro elected into Baseball Hall of Fame, 1 vote shy of unanimous selection

Sports / Baseball /

SEATTLE — Ichiro's iconic baseball career has formally reached its historic capstone.

The Mariners’ all-time hits leader received the expected call Tuesday afternoon officially welcoming him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Ichiro was the first Japanese position player to appear in an MLB game, and he will be the first ...Read more

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Pirates' Paul Skenes' rookie patch card uncovered in Los Angeles

Sports / Baseball /

PITTSBURGH — A preteen from Paul Skenes' home state has secured one of the most coveted baseball cards in the game.

Topps announced Tuesday that a special print card, which features Skenes' autograph and a jersey patch from the right-hander's MLB debut, was uncovered by an 11-year-old collector hailing from Los Angeles. Skenes, 22, was named ...Read more

Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Dodgers closing in on deal with Kirby Yates as they continue to reinforce bullpen

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Another day, another impact player potentially joining the Dodgers.

After adding star Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki on Friday, then agreeing to a four-year contract with top free-agent reliever Tanner Scott on Sunday, the Dodgers were closing in Tuesday morning on a deal with right-handed reliever Kirby Yates, according to a ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

How the Dodgers benefit from salary deferrals and signing bonuses to build their roster

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — It has become a predictable talking point around baseball the last couple of offseasons, amplified every time the Dodgers sign a star on what has become an increasingly common contract for the club.

Nine times in the last five years, the Dodgers agreed to deals with significant amounts of deferred money — large portions of ...Read more

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Jason Mackey: Bounce-back season for David Bednar crucial for Pirates in 2025

Sports / Baseball /

PITTSBURGH — They could name a roller coaster at Kennywood after what David Bednar has experienced over the past 10 months or so, the frustrations of a down year in 2024 juxtaposed with the excitement of soon becoming a new dad.

It's not all that dissimilar to the highs and lows experienced by Bednar's beloved Steelers, although he'd probably...Read more

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Paul Sullivan: Cubs begin the Sammy Sosa 2.0 era. Where will it lead?

Sports / Baseball /

CHICAGO — The 38th Chicago Cubs Convention fittingly ended around the same time as the brief TikTok outage, giving Cubs fans and TikTok users a chance to reboot their attention spans.

It’s going to be a long ride in 2025, so hop on board at your own risk.

It was, as advertised, the most interesting, buzz-creating and media-fueled Cubs ...Read more