This has been the year of the no-hitter — and it’s only May.  Already, six pitchers have gone the full nine innings without allowing a hit. Add in a seven-inning, no-hitter from Madison Bumgarner, which MLB is not recognizing as an official no-no, and 2021 would already have tied the record for most no-hitters in a season. As of May 21, it seems almost […]

The moment the Chicago White Sox announced that they had hired 76-year-old Tony La Russa to be their manager, eyes rolled and head shook wondering what they were thinking.  La Russa basically justified the critics by not knowing the extra-inning rules earlier this season and in the past week going old school on his thoughts concerning swinging at 3-0 pitches. During Monday's 15-4 rout, the […]

It was just a couple of years ago when Washington Nationals right-hander and Cy Young winner Max Scherzer was climbing the career strikeout leaderboard and asked about the thrill of approaching the exclusive 3,000-strikeout club. “I wish I could tell you it really meant something,’’ Scherzer said, “but back when those guys pitched, hitters were embarrassed to strike out. Nowadays, […]

The Chicago White Sox haven’t slowed down one bit since taking over our No. 1 spot in Week 6, but they are hardly the only team playing well heading into this edition of our MLB Power Rankings. How high did strong stretches from the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants move them on our list? What did […]

There were no apologies. No regrets. No second thoughts. Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa instead doubled down on his criticism Wednesday of his own player, and their hottest hitter, Yermin Mercedes, for swinging at a 3-and-0 pitch in the final inning of a 16-4 blowout over the Minnesota Twins. “It’s not acceptable,’’ La Russa said. “Whoever doesn’t like […]

Marcus Stroman is among Shohei Ohtani’s biggest fans. The Mets’ pitcher took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Angels’ two-way phenom and had nothing but good things to say about him. He called Ohtani “a mythical legend in human form” and spoke of just how other-worldly the fourth-year player has performed in 2021. Stroman’s description of Ohtani is spot-on. The Angels’ […]

Maybe “Malcolm in the Middle” expressed it best: The future is now, old man. Tony La Russa — White Sox manager and gatekeeper of the Unwritten Rules and the Right Way to Play and all those other nonsense old-school baseball ideologies that are clinging to a door like Jack Dawson in “Titanic — made waves in recent days for failing to support […]

Tony La Russa's doubled – tripled? – down on the matter of baseball's "unwritten rules" and stood by the criticism of his own player from the last two days.  During a 15-4 blowout Monday and a Minnesota Twins position player, Willians Austidillo, on the mound, Chicago White Sox catcher Yermin Mercedes blasted a home run to center field on a 3-0 pitch. Baseball […]

Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi and second baseman Jean Segura put a heated dugout confrontation behind them. The two were seen feuding during the first inning of Sunday's loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Girardi criticizing Segura following an error and Segura eventually having to be restrained by third-base coach Dusty Wathan in the dugout.  Both of them told reporters Tuesday […]

As New York Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar begins his recovery from the facial fractures he suffered when hit by a pitch on Monday night, another healing process is taking place on the opposite side. The incident also left a vivid impression on Atlanta Braves pitcher Jacob Webb, who threw the 95 mph fastball that hit Pillar in the top of the […]