October 3, 2019 12:46 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Mickey Callaway has been fired by the New York Mets after missing the playoffs in both his seasons as manager. The move Thursday, which was widely expected, comes four days after New York wrapped up an 86-76 season that marked a nine-win improvement over his 2018 debut. But a strong second half wasn’t enough to save the embattled Callaway, who had one year remaining on his contract. New York went 46-26 following the All-Star break and made an unlikely charge into the National League wild-card race, only to be eliminated during the final week. The Mets become the seventh team seeking a new manager this offseason, joining the Angels, Cubs, Giants, Padres, Pirates and Royals.
October 3, 2019 3:43 am
Former Cardinals owner William V. Bidwill has died at 88, according to the team. The bowtie-wearing Bidwill headed a family operation that dated to 1932, when his father Charles purchased the Chicago Cardinals, reportedly for $50,000. Young Bidwill was a ballboy for the 1947 team that won the franchise’s lone NFL championship.
October 2, 2019 3:51 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Cubs coaches Mark Loretta and Will Venable are being considered for the team’s managerial opening. Loretta and Venable join David Ross as the club’s only internal candidates to replace Joe Maddon, whose contract expired after the Cubs missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2014. The 48-year-old Loretta was Maddon’s bench coach this year after spending the previous nine seasons in San Diego’s front office. He hit .295 in 15 years in the majors with Milwaukee, Houston, San Diego, Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Venable has been the Cubs’ first base coach for the past two seasons. He also worked in Chicago’s front office before moving to the coaching staff. The 36-year-old Venable played in the majors for nine years, batting .249 with 81 homers.
October 2, 2019 3:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Washington’s Juan Soto delivered a bases-loaded single against Josh Hader that scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Nationals rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in the NL wild-card game Tuesday night. After Hader loaded the bases by hitting one batter, walking another and allowing a bloop single, Soto took a 96 mph fastball to right, and the ball skipped under outfielder Trent Grisham’s glove. That error allowed one of the runs to cross the plate. Stephen Strasburg threw three scoreless innings to earn the win in the first relief appearance of his major league career, regular season or playoffs. Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth for the save. The Nationals, so familiar with playoff heartache, advanced to face the NL West champion Dodgers in the best-of-five Division Series. Game 1 is Thursday in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea will start Wednesday’s AL wild-card game for the Oakland Athletics against the Tampa Bay Rays just more than a year removed from shoulder surgery. The left-hander earned the nod over Mike Fiers in a tough decision. Manaea returned from injury later than he had hoped but immediately found a groove. He went 4-0 with 1.21 ERA in five September starts following the operation last September.
October 1, 2019 3:53 am
UNDATED (AP) – Another major league team is in the market for a manager. Angels skipper Brad Ausmus has been dismissed after going 72-90 in his lone season at the helm. He took over for Mike Scioscia (SOH’-shuh), who led Los Angeles to its only World Series title in 2002 and lasted 19 years at the post. The Angels have made the playoffs just once since 2009 and struggled this year despite the presence of star outfielder Mike Trout, two-way player Shohei Ohtani and others. The dismissal has sparked speculation that former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon will take over. Maddon and the Cubs parted company on Sunday.
September 30, 2019 3:57 am
UNDATED (AP) – Manager Joe Maddon will not be back with the Cubs next season after they failed to make the playoffs for the first time in five years. Maddon and Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein announced the move before the team’s season finale at St. Louis. Maddon’s contract expired after Sunday’s game. The Cubs ended a 108-year World Series championship drought when Maddon led the club to the 2016 title. The Cubs also made it to the NL Championship Series in 2015 and 2017 and reached the playoffs as a wild card last season. Chicago was poised to reach the postseason this month until a nine-game losing streak led to the Cubs’ elimination.
September 29, 2019 7:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Less than an hour before Pittsburgh kicked off against Delaware at Heinz Field on Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi still wasn’t sure who his starting quarterback would be. Regular starter Kenny Pickett had suffered a shoulder injury the week before against UCF and though he returned to star in that upset, he didn’t practice much in the week leading up to the meeting with the Blue Hens. When the final decision was made, Pickett was out and redshirt freshman Nick Patti was in. With Pickett and more than a half-dozen other starters on the sidelines with injuries, the Panthers were in for an unexpectedly close battle with the Blue Hens. Trailing in the fourth quarter, Patti directed an eight-play, 90-yard drive, finding Taysir Mack in the end zone from 12 yards out to put Pitt in the lead for good for a closer-than-expected 17-14 victory. Patti and Mack utilized a connection built during the week of practice to hook up five times for 124 yards, including a crucial 48-yard completion on a third-and-17 to keep that scoring drive moving. Patti finished 23 of 37 for 271 yards and two touchdowns while making his first career start, but a poor decision on a first-half interception let the Blue Hens into the game. After a Patti was picked off on a pass thrown right to Blue Hens defensive back Tim Poindexter, Nolan Henderson passed 7 yards to Gene Coleman II to tie the game. When Pitt receiver Maurice Ffrench fumbled in the third quarter to give Delaware another short field, Henderson hit Jourdan Townsend with a 5-yard score to give the Blue Hens a four-point lead. That’s when Pitt’s offense found a much-needed spark in the fourth quarter to turn the tide of the game.
September 28, 2019 3:58 am
(AP) – Antonio Brown has indicated he’s not retiring from the NFL.
That comes only a few days after announcing he was done with the league in a Twitter rant. The four-time All-Pro wide receiver wrote: “I’m still the best why stop now.” Brown has been accused of sexual misconduct by two women. He was released by the Patriots last week after playing only one game. Brown has been dumped by three teams in the last six months.
Brown says he’ll practice at high schools one day a week, starting in Miami.
September 27, 2019 3:54 am
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – The Philadelphia Eagles are a .500 team at the one-quarter mark of their NFL schedule after handing the Green Bay Packers their first loss of the season. Nigel Bradham picked off Aaron Rodgers’ pass in the end zone with 20 seconds left to secure the Eagles’ 34-27 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field. Jordan Howard gashed Green Bay for his second career three-touchdown game as Philadelphia ended a two-game skid. Howard finished with 15 carries for 87 yards with two touchdowns rushing and one receiving. Carson Wentz went 16 for 27 for 160 yards, three scores and no turnovers in helping the 2-2 Eagles drop the Packers to 3-1. Rodgers completed his first 10 passes and finished 34 for 53 for 422 yards, two touchdowns and a fumble that set up a short Philadelphia scoring drive. Davante Adams had a career-high 180 yards on 10 catches before a toe injury kept him off the field for Green Bay’s final drive.
September 27, 2019 3:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals say they’re more focused on picking up their first win of the season instead of any lingering bad blood between the clubs. Both teams are 0-3 heading into Monday night’s game in Pittsburgh. The series between the AFC North rivals has been marked by some questionable hits over the past few seasons, though most of the faces involved have moved on. Pittsburgh has dominated the Bengals in recent years, winning eight straight over Cincinnati.
