A look at the best-of-seven American League championship series between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays:
They rushed toward the mound, these remarkable Rays, and immediately formed a circle. Jumping together like fraternity brothers, they resembled party regulars in the postseason.
The young, resilient Rays are one win from breezing into the American League championship series. All-Star Scott Kazmir settled down after a shaky start, Akinori Iwamura hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and the AL East champions beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2 Friday for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.
A look at the best-of-five American League division series between the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays:
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As the American League playoffs get going, it's easy to paint the Tampa Bay Rays as a cute, cuddly story, a worst-to-first baseball turnaround that comes around every generation or so. It would be easy to suggest the Rays’ 15 minutes of fame have expired, that it’s time to exit stage right, time to let the big boys take over.
Roy Halladay has never made the playoffs in 11 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He still remains convinced his team is on the right track and he is certainly doing his part.
Mickey Vernon, a two-time American League batting champion with the Washington Senators and seven-time All-Star first baseman during a 20-year career in the major leagues, has died. He was 90.
A late-season meeting between the two top teams in the American League's Central Division highlights tonight's full baseball schedule. Minnesota opens a three-game series against first-place Chicago in the Metrodome. The White Sox have a two and a half game lead over the Twins and a magic number of 5.
The White Sox hope Carlos Quentin could return from his broken wrist in time for the postseason.
Marquee starters were long gone. So were nearly all the other pitchers. His bullpen empty, National League manager Clint Hurdle approached David Wright and asked whether he had the right stuff to take the mound and close out the All-Star game. Did the New York Mets third baseman think chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon or general manager Omar Minaya would mind?
Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Boston Red Sox are back on top in the AL East, just as they were at last year's All-Star break. They're hoping this season ends the same way.
Indians closer Joe Borowski, last year's American League saves leader, was designated for assignment on Friday.
Felix Hernandez's wild night began with one stunning swing and ended after a frustrating injury. Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years, then left with a sprained ankle before he could qualify for a win Monday night in the Seattle Mariners' 5-2 victory over the New York Mets.
David Wright homered in his first two at-bats a night after getting his first day off this season, helping John Maine and the New York Mets rebound from two lackluster losses to the lowly Seattle Mariners with an 8-2 victory Wednesday.
Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years when the Seattle Mariners ace connected Monday night off Johan Santana of the New York Mets.
Mike Mussina tied for the American League lead in wins, Derek Jeter passed Mickey Mantle on the Yankees career hits list and New York played a crisp, compact ballgame in beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 Wednesday night.
Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has made an inspiring comeback from drug and alcohol abuse, was chosen as the American League player of the month for May on Monday.
Fighting for first-place in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox have quickly developed a testy rivalry.
Howie Clark's single over the head of Josh Hamilton in center field lifted Minnesota to a 7-6 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night in a game that saw reliever Bobby Korecky become the first Twins pitcher to get a hit in an American League game since the designated hitter was instituted in 1973.
Bartolo Colon felt as if it were 11 years ago and he was on the mound at Fenway Park.
Chien-Ming Wang has turned into the New York Yankees' stopper. Wang became the American League's first six-game winner, ending the Yankees' three-game losing streak with a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on a chilly Friday night.
The Tampa Bay Rays are counting on James Shields to blossom into one of the top pitchers in the American League. The 26-year-old right-hander, who has less than two full seasons of experience in the majors, agreed Wednesday to a $11.25 million, four-year contract.
Carlos Pena's breakout season also landed the American League comeback player of the year a hefty pay raise. All-Star pitcher Scott Kazmir did pretty well for himself, too.
Start the bidding on Yankees bug spray. Who could forget New York rookie Joba Chamberlain getting doused with pest repellant during the American League playoffs last month? Well, here's your chance to own an authentic bottle.
Last night, the Los Angeles Angels were eliminated from the American League playoffs, and the denoument occurred, appropriately, in the ninth inning.
The Atlanta Braves' next manager needs a job.
By just about every measure, the 16 teams in Major League Baseball's National League are inferior to the 14 in the American League. The AL has won 11 of the last 16 World Series, including three of the last four.
I'm guessing I'm not the only one who can no longer use their 1st-gen iPhone after trying to update to the new 2.0 firmware. Reports are saying it's due to a "global failure" on one of the iTunes servers that is keeping the activation process from completing itself.
The Atlanta Braves sit squarely on the fence, one foot each dangling on each side of the divide between 2008 and 2009. That puts general manager Frank Wren in a tough spot when he looks toward the July 31 trade deadline. Will the Braves by buyers, or sellers?
A new species of carnivorous slug has been discovered in Wales.
Capping a dreadful three-game showing against the NL East leaders, the Braves lost to Philadelphia 4-1 Thursday at Turner Field, finishing a sweep that drops Atlanta seven games out in the East and a season-worst six games below .500.
Interactive relationship map of Major League Baseball - thought this was interesting because of today's release of the Mitchell report on the use of performance enhancing substances in baseball...
This article has merit. I am not pleased with Barry Bonds and I feel that the proces should lead us where it does.
Once upon a time, baseball was king, the players were gods and the country literally stopped when the World Series was on.
It would be easy to answer "yes" to that question. And I'd like to. But recent history suggests maybe we should hold off before counting them out before Joe Borowski gets that final out with the bases loaded and the count three and two on Manny.
You have to give it to the Yankees this year. Twice they've looked like they were roadkill and twice they've come back....ending up the regular season with one of the best records in baseball.
Saying the American League wild-card bid is "beneath the dignity of the Yankees organization" and "an affront to everything [we] stand for," New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and manager Joe Torre told reporters during a press conference Wednesday that the Yankees have r …
Covering the Yankees in the playoffs against the Indians is a good assignment and special for me because the locale resonates in my memory.
The Boston Red Sox have snagged their first division crown in 12 years ... and a certain sheep is very happy about it.
The Dodgers are trying to make a run in the NL Wild Card race. Apparently David Wells is the answer. The Dodgers are expected to announce a deal with the 44-year old lefty this morning.
The sure-handed Hall of Fame shortstop, nicknamed the Scooter, went on to become a beloved broadcaster.
Took in the Orioles come from behind win at Camden Yards today. Kevin Millar's three-run walkoff job won it in the bottom of the tenth. Miggy Tejeda's two-run blast had tied it in the eighth.
Magglio Ordonez keeps on hitting big home runs against the A's. On Sunday, it landed him a share of history.
The baseball owners keep track of and quickly penalize under-performance in baseball. They have a great deal to lose if they don't. Out of 30 major league teams, 8 had new managers in 2006. So far in 2007, there are 7 replacements.
It's two short weeks into the 2007 MLB season and a number of the top hitters in the majors don't live at the corners. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins and second baseman Ian Kinsler lead the list of middle infielders who are eating your favorite pitcher's lunch.
We'll hear it all season. Every baseball pundit, blogger, columnist and talking head will rant on and on about how the American League is so superior and how the National League just can't live up to its former glory as the once dominant Senior Circuit.
Manny Acta has paid his dues in the minor leagues. Now the quiet leader is being given a chance to manage in the majors. But his job will not be easy. He's taken over the Washington Nationals, who clearly are a rebuilding team.
Arroyo was the Reds' lone All-Star last season, when he was 14-11 with a 3.29 ERA. But Arroyo had no complaint when it was announced that Harang, who was 16-11 (3.76) last year, would start Opening Day. Harang tied for the National League lead in wins last season.