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The difference between playing a mostly representative NPB season — as opposed to 50 or 60 games — or having it all fall apart was always as tenuous as some dinner plans. That was laid bare last week as the league experienced its first midseason coronavirus cluster, with five Hanshin […]

New York – DJ LeMahieu became the first player to win undisputed batting titles in both leagues and Juan Soto became the youngest NL champion as Major League Baseball’s shortest regular season since 1878 ended Sunday. Home runs were down from last year’s record level in a mini-season of diminished […]

Los Angeles – Shohei Ohtani wants to remain a two-way player for the Los Angeles Angels, even though he didn’t come close during the shortened season to matching his performance from 2018. Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a strikeout — and grounded out to first for the final out — in […]

Chicago – Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish became the first Japanese pitcher to lead a major league in wins after his closest competitor in the National League dropped out of contention on Saturday. Darvish collected his eighth win of the season on Friday after tossing seven shutout innings in the […]

Washington – The New York Mets were eliminated from playoff contention in a mistake-filled loss to the Nationals in the opener of a doubleheader on Saturday, and not much changed in the nightcap as an error extended a big inning for Washington, which won 5-3 to sweep the twinbill. Entering […]

Chicago – Yu Darvish pitched seven strong innings for his NL-leading eighth win, Willson Contreras homered twice and the Chicago Cubs moved to the brink of clinching the NL Central title by pounding the crosstown White Sox 10-0 Friday night. Victor Caratini, Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez also went deep […]

Five Hanshin Tigers players, four from the Central League’s club’s top team, have tested positive for the new coronavirus, the club said Friday — before the team, minus the infected players and those deemed to have been in close contact them — took on the Yakult Swallows in Tokyo. Infielders […]

Buffalo, New York – Barred from playing in their own ballpark this year because of COVID-19, the vagabond Toronto Blue Jays have found a home in the playoffs. The slumping New York Yankees, meanwhile, look likely to play on the road in the postseason, where they’ve struggled all year. Hyun […]

New York – Confetti instead of champagne. Silly string instead of beer. The Tampa Bay Rays, long accustomed to doing more with less, figured out a way to maximize the division-clinching celebration they were allowed to enjoy during a 2020 season shortened by the coronavirus. Randy Arozarena homered twice and […]

Seattle – Marco Gonzales pumped his fist and let out a scream after striking out Michael Brantley on a full-count pitch to finish off eight shutout innings. The emotion poured out. Seattle’s ace was determined to finally get the best of the Astros, and in the process he helped provide […]