MLB

7:00 AM ET Eric GomezMexico writer Three of the four World Baseball Classic semifinalists this year are among the most decorated baseball powers in the world. Sunday night, the U.S., the defending champions, defeated Cuba, who finished third in the inaugural event. Japan, the tournament favorite, has won two titles and never missed the championship

7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Roki Sasaki is 21 years old, and in the eyes of some talent evaluators, he is already in the discussion for the title of best pitcher in the world. Yes, right there

10:43 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” MIAMI — The best No. 9 hitter in the world helped send Team USA to the World Baseball Classic finals. One day after his go-ahead grand slam saved its tournament, Trea Turner

6:02 PM ET Associated Press New York Mets outfielder DJ Stewart talked himself into another at-bat against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday after bench coach Eric Chavez tried to tell him he was coming out after three hits in his first three plate appearances. Stewart came up again in the seventh inning and hit

9:08 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Lars Nootbaar’s imaginary pepper-grinder was the talk of World Baseball Classic games in Japan, but the fun-loving gesture by the St. Louis Cardinals outfielder does not appear welcome in Japan’s popular high school baseball tournament. When a player for Tohoku High School twisted his two fists together —

11:08 PM ET MIAMI — Trea Turner didn’t jog his way to first base. He hopped. Pranced. Flexed. Roared. With his team trailing by two in the eighth inning of its World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game against Venezuela, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ shortstop and Team USA catalyst unleashed a prodigious grand slam, providing the two-run lead

4:29 PM ET ESPN News Services PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo has a strained knee and ankle and will be re-evaluated on a week-to-week basis, general manager Billy Eppler told reporters on Saturday. “He woke up and had a little knee pain,” Eppler said. “So, we ended up doing

10:31 PM ET MIAMI — They had rallied all the way back, erasing an early four-run deficit, but if Mexico was to advance to its first World Baseball Classic semifinal and eliminate a star-studded Puerto Rico team, another big play needed to be made. Randy Arozarena, of course, delivered it. Clinging to a one-run lead

8:24 PM ET MIAMI — Mexico’s manager, Benji Gil, said he doesn’t believe his team should be playing until Saturday. Its quarterfinal game against Puerto Rico in this year’s World Baseball Classic instead took place on Friday night, which meant a tough turnaround for a team that was navigating the pool-play portion of the tournament

5:08 PM ET Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday that right-hander Tony Gonsolin won’t be ready for opening day because of a sprained ankle. The 28-year-old had his best season in 2022 – earning his first All-Star nod in the process – and finished with a 16-1

7:00 AM ET The opening round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic had no shortage of surprises and excitement. The Dominican Republic’s dream team is done. A Czech electrician named Ondrej Satoria struck out Shohei Ohtani and later gifted the Japanese superstar a team jersey signed by the entire Czech Republic team. Duque Hebbert, a

1:50 PM ET ESPN News Services New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz has a torn patellar tendon and is expected to miss the entire season after injuring his right knee while celebrating a victory in the World Baseball Classic. Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Díaz would undergo surgery Thursday. Without going into specifics, Eppler

2:05 PM ET Major League Baseball informed teams and players Thursday afternoon that its efforts to crack down on pitchers’ use of illegal substances will be enhanced in 2023, according to industry sources briefed on the contents of a league memo. The enhanced examinations, approved by the league’s on-field committee, will entail more detailed inspections

7:00 AM ET With the start of the 2023 MLB season approaching, we’ve ranked the top 100 prospects in the game. Now it’s time to take a look at the players who didn’t make my list this year but could earn a spot on the top 100 going into next season. This is an opportunity

Puerto Rico ousts Dominican Republic at WBC, but loses Edwin Diaz to knee injury Puerto Rico ousted the favored Dominican Republic from the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinals. But the celebration was short-lived, as closer Edwin Diaz injured his right knee after converting the save.

7:00 AM ET In the Boston Red Sox‘s clubhouse at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, the gravitational pull emanates from the corner locker. While most players get one locker to store their equipment, this one is super-sized, with an extra cabinet and a bench. The space, next to the door nearest the field, is

7:00 AM ET PHOENIX — Just over five months since he made his first MLB postseason appearance with the New York Mets, Pete Alonso was gearing up for another pressure-filled stretch of baseball — this time, for Team USA. “My first playoff experience was this past season,” Alonso told the gathered crowd at World Baseball

8:55 PM ET Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair subsidiary that controls the regional sports networks for 42 teams across Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association, announced that it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday night, three days before the end of a 30-day grace period it entered