MLB

7:00 AM ET ONE OF THE most captivating players in the early part of this year’s World Baseball Classic has been Randy Arozarena, a man who famously saves his best for the time of year when it matters most. Arozarena, the Tampa Bay Rays‘ fifth-year outfielder, has treated an international tournament in March the way

7:00 AM ET Last week, we looked at the five losing teams from last year that are most likely to take a step forward in 2023. This week, we look at five 2022 playoff teams that might take a step back in 2023. We’ll start by again referencing the Plexiglass Principle: Teams that improve one

7:00 AM ET PHOENIX — When Team USA takes the field for the World Baseball Classic with a star-studded roster Monday night at Chase Field, Freddie Freeman will be in the other dugout wearing a red uniform with Canada written across his chest. The Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman turned down the option to play

9:23 AM ET A painful experience at the World Baseball Classic had a sweet ending for William Escala — thanks to an unexpected visit from Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. Two days after plunking Escala with a 101 mph pitch, Sasaki apologized to the Czech Republic outfielder Monday morning and brought him two bags filled with

7:00 AM ET PHOENIX — When Team USA takes the field for the World Baseball Classic with a star-studded roster Monday night at Chase Field, Freddie Freeman will be in the other dugout wearing a red uniform with Canada written across his chest. The Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman turned down the option to play

8:21 PM ET Associated Press The San Diego Padres are flirting with the idea of beginning the season with a six-man pitching rotation. Settling on an Opening Day starter, though, may not be as easy a decision for manager Bob Melvin. With Joe Musgrove sidelined by a toe injury and Yu Darvish pitching for Japan

1:30 PM ET ESPN News Services TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani hit a 448-foot, three-run home run in the first inning that landed just below his image on a video advertising board and had four RBIs to lead Japan over Australia 7-1 Sunday night at the World Baseball Classic. Japan, already assured of advancement, won its

1:53 AM ET PHOENIX — Playing for Team USA again in the World Baseball Classic was never a question for third baseman Nolan Arenado. After helping the U.S. win the tournament in 2017, he desperately wanted a chance to defend that title. He’s off to a good start. Arenado, 31, had three hits and several

6:59 PM ET Associated Press A hit is a hit, even if it’s only spring training. For San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., it has been a long time coming. Tatis had been 0-for-16 this spring before hitting a smash shot off the glove of Chicago White Sox shortstop Erik Gonzalez for a single

9:55 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic. Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament

8:54 PM ET ESPN News Services Former major league outfielder and two-time World Series champion Jesus Alou died Friday at the age of 80, the Boston Red Sox announced. Alou recently suffered two cardiovascular accidents, but he hadn’t been diagnosed with a serious illness, a family source told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas. Alou spent 15 seasons

6:09 PM ET PHOENIX — While Team USA is one of the favorites to win the World Baseball Classic, its pitching staff lacks some of the best available players. Manager Mark DeRosa said Friday that getting elite position players to participate wasn’t a problem but it was a different story when it came to the

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” IT’S EASY TO FORGET, just one year later, how narrowly Major League Baseball avoided catastrophe. The league’s lockout of the players was approaching its 100th day. The doomsday clock for missing regular-season

10:15 PM ET Associated Press Hunter Greene will be the Opening Day starter for the Cincinnati Reds. The 23-year-old is getting the nod as he begins his second season in the majors. Editor’s Picks “It means the world. It’s a huge honor considering the history in Cincinnati,” said Greene who went 5-13 in 24 starts

7:00 AM ET It’s that time of year: The projection systems for the 2023 MLB season have been released and baseball analysts are divulging their secret-sauce prophecies, so let’s dig into the five teams that are most likely to take a step forward and possibly emerge as playoff surprises in 2023. And, yes, no matter

10:37 AM ET ESPN staff The World Baseball Classic will feature some of the greatest players MLB has seen in quite some time. Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and more will face off as the global tournament returns for the first time since the pandemic. Then there are the teams where

10:20 PM ET Associated Press WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — This was a different kind of pitch for All-Star pitcher Martín Perez, who will be playing for his native Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Perez sang the Venezuelan national anthem before the team played an exhibition game Wednesday night against the Houston Astros. Editor’s

8:55 PM ET Associated Press Juan Soto ran sprints in the outfield, took some big swings in batting practice and signed a few autographs at the San Diego Padres spring training complex Wednesday after the early workout to test a left calf that kept him in Arizona. Soto, who has been dealing with calf tightness,