A journey of 100 at-bats begins with a single at-bat, and for Manny Ramirez on Friday night that at-bat came in the first inning of his return engagement at PETCO Park.
1. Well, this is what the rest of the career of Manny Ramirez looks like: the guy is more notorious than ever, which in today's culture just happens to mean he is more popular, "notoriety" having lost its true meaning. It was a very successful debut Friday night in San Diego for Ramirez as a confirmed user of a banned drug. Hitless? Yeah, so what? It was successful because Ramirez was cheered roundly by the thousands of Dodgers fans at Petco Park (Padres fans booed, but without much conviction, as if playing a role) and because Ramirez knew he got away with almost no accounting for his actions.
The lead lawyer for Roger Clemens said Friday that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner is not among the players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.
Placido Polanco hit a pair of extra-inning RBI singles, the second giving the Detroit Tigers the lead for good in an 11-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins in 16 innings Friday night.
Placido Polanco might have been the grittiest player on a night where several were in contention after 16 innings. The Detroit Tigers second basemen fouled a ball off his protective cup in the 14th inning, only to follow it up on the next pitch with an RBI single. He hit another run-scoring single in the 16th inning that put his team up for good in an 11-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday...
What had been a blown six-run lead for the Tigers became a victory after Placido Polanco's 16th-inning single pulled Detroit back up for good, sending the Tigers to an 11-9 win over the Twins on Friday night.
Minnesota Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained wrist following his start against the Detroit Tigers.
Welcome home, David Hernandez. Baltimore's rookie starter pitched in front of a friendly crowd at Angel Stadium on Friday, an assemblage that even chanted "Let's go David," at various points of the game.
Returning from his suspension for violating baseball's drug policy, Los Angeles slugger Manny Ramirez barely hit the ball out of the infield in the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Backed by the Giants' season-high run total in his second Major League start, Ryan Sadowski won his home debut in a 13-0 rout of the Astros on Friday night at China Basin.
It looks like Padres manager Bud Black is going to get a contract extension. Despite having an overall losing record in three seasons, Black apparently has done enough to impress new CEO Jeff Moorad, the head of an ownership group that has acquired 35 percent of the team from John Moores. An extension for Black is "likely at some point," Moorad said in a text message to The Associated...
Placido Polanco hit a pair of extra-inning RBI singles, the second giving the Detroit Tigers the lead for good in an 11-9 victory over the Minnesota Twins in 16 innings Friday night.
Roger Clemens' lawyer says the pitcher was not among the more than 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003. Rusty Hardin tells The New York Times that Clemens obtained the results from the drug-testing company and provided them to Congress before his 2008 testimony by waiving his right to keep them private.
Former Major Leaguer Rafael Palmeiro was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas, and while there maintained in an interview with ESPN that he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.
Manny Ramirez is back in the big leagues, looking like a guy who missed 50 games. Returning from his suspension for violating baseball's drug policy, the Los Angeles slugger barely hit the ball out of the infield in the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. He did provide a lot of energy to the team with baseball's best record.
Minnesota Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained wrist following his start against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Slowey, who was trying to become the majors' first 11-game winner, gave up a season-worst six runs on five hits in three innings in Minnesota's 11-9 loss in 16 innings.
Returning from his suspension for violating baseball's drug policy, Manny Ramirez barely hit the ball out of the infield in the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Shin-Soo Choo homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, snapping their five-game losing streak.
Pablo Sandoval hit a two-run homer to boost his bid for an All-Star spot and stake rookie Ryan Sadowski to an early lead, and the San Francisco Giants routed the Houston Astros 13-0 on Friday night.
Today, every home team will conduct a special on-field ceremony to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech. And all weekend long, players again will wear those red Stars & Stripes caps for Welcome Back Veterans.
Albert Pujols appreciates history. He just doesn't let it overshadow what he considers important. Pujols hit his club-record fourth grand slam of the season and 10th of his career, and Jarrett Hoffpauir drove in the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning with his first career hit as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Friday night.
The Rockies began a 10-game homestand leading into the All-Star break on the right track as they blanked the D-backs, 5-0, at Coors Field Friday in front of a sellout crowd of 49,026.
Albert Pujols hit his club-record fourth grand slam of the season, and Jarrett Hoffpauir drove in the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning with his first career hit as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Friday night.
Josh Hamilton's return to the Texas Rangers has been put on hold. Rangers manager Ron Washington said Friday night that the All-Star center fielder will play at least one more rehab game for Triple-A Oklahoma City as he attempts to come back from abdominal surgery. Hamilton was supposed to play the outfield Friday night at Iowa.
Tommy Hunter won for the first time in the Majors on his 23rd birthday, backed by a big home run from Hank Blalock in a win over the Rays on Friday night.
John Danks hurled 7 1/3 scoreless innings while Scott Podsednik and A.J. Pierzynski each recorded three hits in the White Sox 5-0 victory vs. the Royals on Friday night.
Albert Pujols' home run in the eighth inning gave him the Cardinals single-season and career grand slam record, and was also the 350th of his career, making him the third-youngest player to reach that plateau.
Jarrett Hoffpauir's two-out, two-run single in the top of the ninth gave the Cardinals a hard-fought 7-4 win on Friday, one only made possible when Albert Pujols hit a grand slam an inning before.
Promoted to replace the injured Kelly Johnson, Brooks Conrad's pinch-hit three-run homer proved vital as the Braves held on to beat the Nationals, 9-8, on Friday evening.
Raucous supporters chanting "Manny! Manny! Manny!" battled for prominence over a heavy contingent of booing fans when Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez first stepped to the plate Friday.
Aramis Ramirez had a double in three plate appearances in his first rehabilitation game since going on the disable list May 9 with a dislocated left shoulder. The Chicago Cubs third baseman also walked and lined out to right field, and scored two runs for the Class A Peoria Chiefs on Friday night. Also, Cubs center fielder Reed Johnson popped out, singled and was hit by a pitch for Peoria.
Shin-Soo Choo led the way as the Indians banged their way out of a five-game losing streak on Friday night, topping the Athletics, 15-3, in the opener of a three-game holiday-weekend series at Progressive Field.
Catcher Rob Johnson's third double of the game drove in two runs in the 11th inning on Friday, lifting the Mariners to a 7-6 victory over the Sox before 38,078 at Fenway.
Friday's AL roundup: John Danks threw 7 1/3 shutout innings and got a big lift from reliever Scott Linebrink as the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 for their seventh straight victory.
The Chicago White Sox seem to be getting better swings at Zack Greinke every time they see him. Before a packed house Friday night, they finally beat him. John Danks threw 7 1-3 innings and got a big lift from reliever Scott Linebrink, while A.J. Pierzynski and Scott Podsednik had three hits apiece to lead the White Sox over the Kansas City Royals 5-0, their seventh straight victory.
Rodrigo Lopez took a three-hitter into the seventh inning in his first outing in two years, helping the Philadelphia Phillies snap a six-game home losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
Making his first Major League start in almost two years, Rodrigo Lopez stifled the Mets for 6 1/3 innings, and the Phillies offense woke up in a big way en route to a 7-2 victory.
Albert Pujols hit his club-record fourth grand slam of the season, and Jarrett Hoffpauir drove in the go-ahead runs in the ninth inning with his first career hit as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Friday night.
Shin-Soo Choo gave his high school baseball coach a fitting tribute. Choo learned before batting practice that his coach had died of cancer. Then he homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs in a 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night that snapped Cleveland's five-game losing streak.
Friday's NL roundup: Pinch-hitter Brooks Conrad hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 9-8 for their season-high fifth straight win.
A highly regarded Cuban pitching prospect has defected from the national team while playing in a tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. His next stop could be in the major leagues, possibly with the New York Yankees.
Shin-Soo Choo homered twice and drove in a career-high seven runs to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 15-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Friday night, snapping their five-game losing streak.
A.J. Burnett scattered six hits over seven innings, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez homered, and the Yankees opened the long holiday weekend with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Aroldis Chapman, a Cuban pitcher considered by many baseball scouts to be the No. 1 left-handed prospect in the world, vanished and his whereabouts still are a mystery, a spokesman for the Dutch team said Friday.
Rodrigo Lopez took a three-hitter into the seventh inning in his first outing in two years, helping the Philadelphia Phillies snap a six-game home losing streak with a 7-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
Manny Ramirez's return had an impact on the Dodgers as soon as Friday night's lineup was posted. Not only was Juan Pierre returned to the bench, but manager Joe Torre returned Rafael Furcal to the leadoff spot.
Team president Nolan Ryan said the Rangers will not be restricted from conducting business, including making trades, because of owner Tom Hicks' financial troubles.
After listening to media pepper Manny Ramirez with questions about drug use, Dodgers manager Joe Torre defended his outfielder's responses, if not the actions that created Friday's media circus at PETCO Park.
CHICAGO -- Jake Fox drew a bases-loaded walk off Mike DiFelice to force in the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning Friday, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.
Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is confident that his time on the disabled list is going to lead to good results once he returns to the roster on July 17.
Yorvit Torrealba required only a few games in the minors to regain his timing at the plate. As for his emotional state, the Colorado Rockies catcher needed something much simpler: his son by his side.
Friday's news briefs: Boston right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka will head to Florida on Monday to begin a spring training-like strengthening program that the Red Sox hope will get him back to the big leagues later this season.
Jake Fox drew a bases-loaded walk off Mark DiFelice to force in the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning Friday, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1.
A.J. Burnett scattered six hits over seven innings, Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez homered, and the Yankees opened the long holiday weekend with a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
A Cuban pitcher considered by many baseball scouts to be the No. 1 left-handed prospect in the world left his hotel and vanished before the first ball was thrown at a tournament in the Netherlands, leaving his whereabouts a mystery, a spokesman for the Dutch team said Friday.
Ichiro, King Felix, the Kid. The resurgent Mariners have star power, but Danny Knobler says the name you need to know is Don Wakamatsu, their first-year skipper with the feel-good approach.
Chris Heisey never thought he'd get a chance to play pro ball. But in 2006, instead of moving onto a career in teaching, Heisey was selected in the 17th round of the draft. Now, in 2009, he's leading the Southern League in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
Ben Badler previews the international signing period with a breakdown of what to expect for all 30 teams when the international signing period begins tomorrow.
For two decades, Cheryl Polakowski has been the friendly face and warm voice welcoming players to spring training and instructional league at the A's complexes in Phoenix. Near the end of March this year, Polakowski went absent from her job. She felt back pain and went to the doctor for what she expected would be a minor treatment. The diagnosis was as unexpected as it was horrifying: pancreatic cancer, metastasizing quickly through her body.
The Padres' draft bonanza in 2007 netted some solid minor league contributors. And four of the five arms in Lake Elsinore's rotation came from that very draft.
Max Kepler, a 16-year-old center fielder from Germany, is generating interest from scouts as July 2 approaches with the potential for five average or better tools.
After becoming the first player to garner Conference USA player of the year and freshman of the year honors in the same season, Anthony Rendon has new hardware for the trophy case. To go along with being a second-team All-America selection, Rendon is Baseball America's Freshman of the Year.
Manny Ramirez homered off 2007 first-rounder Nick Schmidt in his first rehab at-bat in the Cal League, but can it really be "rehab" if he's coming off a 50-game PED suspension?
Which top draft talents are the most likely to not sign? Which first-round picks are the least likely to crack their teams' Top 10 Prospect lists? How to teams determine which legitimate late-round talents to sign, and what bonuses do they receive?
Righthander Jeremy Jeffress, rated as the top pitching prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system, has been suspended for 100 games for testing positive for a second time for a "drug of abuse."
For the more serious fan (the Baseball America reader, certainly), the Futures Game is a chance to see these prospects face off against each other, the best playing the best.
Some extras from the Ten Pack, including a Padres third baseman trying to prove his Cal League numbers are for real, a power lefty in Detroit, and a sleeper power prospect for the Cardinals who is eternally blocked in St. Louis.
