Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in Los Angeles' four-run first against A.J. Burnett and John Lackey pitched shutout ball after a shaky start to lead the Angels to a 4-0 lead over the New York Yankees through six innings Thursday night in Game 5 of the AL championship series. Lackey, who won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series for the Angels as a rookie, made his 13th postseason start on the eve…
Bobby Valentine got his chance to convince the Cleveland Indians that they should hire him as their manager. He may still need to convince himself. The former New York Mets manager, who didn't lose an ounce of charisma during an extended stay in Japan, had his second interview with the Indians on Thursday.
Stung by a rash of blown calls in the playoffs, Major League Baseball is breaking tradition and sticking with only experienced umpires for the World Series. Longtime crew chiefs Joe West, Dana DeMuth and Gerry Davis, along with Brian Gorman, Jeff Nelson and Mike Everitt will handle the games, three people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press this week.
Pedro Martinez broke out the first bottle of champagne, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth puffed on victory cigars, and beer flew everywhere. Celebrations are becoming a tradition for the Philadelphia Phillies. It doesn't get old. "We won the World Series last year, but we want to win it again," pitcher Cole Hamels said.
Some Dodgers lingered in the dugout, staring at another wild Phillies celebration on the infield. Most of them headed back to the clubhouse. After all, the Dodgers saw this show before. The sequel was just as bad as the original. Bounced again in the NL championship series by Philadelphia for the second straight year, the Dodgers squandered home-field advantage and their league-best 95 wins seemed…
CC Sabathia taps his beefy right hand on the wooden door of his clubhouse locker and grins. Not that the power pitcher who's on a playoff roll for the New York Yankees needs a lot of luck. Still, he's not taking any chances. "I don't want to jinx anything or say anything I shouldn't, but I've been feeling pretty good," he said.
Hundreds of Phillies fan streamed out of restaurants, bars and apartment buildings in downtown Philadelphia early Thursday to celebrate their team's second straight trip to the World Series, as revelers honked car horns and set off fireworks in other parts of the city. The mood was one of excitement downtown, but the raucous crowd of about 1,000 gathered on Broad Street remained under control…
Ryan Howard added another piece of hardware with three familiar letters to his trophy case. Howard was picked MVP of the NL championship series after helping the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies return to the World Series by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The big slugger already had the 2006 NL MVP and 2005 NL Rookie of the Year awards on his resume.
Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre got sent home by the Philadelphia Phillies. Again. For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept through the first round of the playoffs only to get eliminated by the Phillies in a five-game NL championship series. So forget about the Dodgers making their first trip to the World Series since winning the title in 1988 and a potentially delicious matchup of…
Ryan Howard and the defending champs are back in the World Series — proving last year was no fluke and looking even more dangerous this time around. Jayson Werth homered twice, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz also connected and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win their second straight NL pennant.
