Today is
Monday March 31, 2025
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jonah Heim hit two solo homers and rookie Jack Leiter allowed one run over five innings for his first big league win as the Texas Rangers beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Friday night.
Heim’s second homer was a 417-foot drive to right-center that put Texas up 2-1 in the fifth, after Leiter (1-0) had thrown the last of his 82 pitches. Heim led off the third pulling a pitch just over the right field wall against All-Star Tanner Houck (0-1), who gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Leiter struck out four with one walk while allowing five singles. The second overall pick in 2021 amateur draft, and the son of former big leaguer Al, made his big league debut last season going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in nine games (six starts).
Luke Jackson, the fifth Texas reliever, worked a perfect ninth for his first save.
Wilyer Abreu’s RBI single was the third consecutive Red Sox hit in the fourth. That tied the game at 1 before Connor Wong grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Boston also had two on in the second when Wyatt Langford made a running and lunging catch of Wong’s liner to deep left field.
Key moment
Boston had the bases loaded in the seventh when Rafael Devers struck out, then third baseman Josh Jung made a backhanded stop on Alex Bregman’s chopper and a strong throw to get him for the final out. Jung then exited with neck stiffness.
Key stat
Devers, now solely the Boston DH after the offseason addition of third baseman Bregman, struck out in all four at-bats. He is 0 for 7 with six Ks this season.
Up next
Two-time All-Star right-hander Walker Buehler makes his Red Sox debut on Saturday night, after going 47-22 for the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2017. Tyler Mahle goes for Texas after three starts last August in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
HOUSTON (AP) — After slugging his first home run with the New York Mets on Friday night, Juan Soto insisted he isn’t burdened by the lofty expectations to perform after signing his record deal.
“Just thinking about what we can do and what we can be capable of doing as a team I think it takes all the pressure off,” he said. “Because we are here. We are the New York Mets. I mean we’re not here as the Juan Soto Mets. We’re here as a team.”
Soto’s homer helped the Mets to a 3-1 victory over the Houston Astros.
The shot came in the third. With two outs and no one on, Soto drove a 1-2 pitch from Hunter Brown deep to right to give New York a 3-0 lead.
“It was pretty incredible,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Not easy to do. You’re talking about a pitch that’s out of the strike zone, up and in. I think it’s a cutter 96 and he’s able to turn on it and hit it on a line like that — yeah, amazing.”
The 26-year-old Soto watched the ball as it sailed into the outfield and then slowly started walking toward first base before lightly flipping his bat. The homer traveled 390 feet.
Asked if he knew it was gone right away, Soto grinned and said: “100%.”
His first home run of the season comes after he hit a career-high 41 for the Yankees last season.
“It’s always great to have the first one,” he said. “You always want to get the first one out of the way early.”
He smiled slightly as he began to round the bases before pounding his chest and raising both of his hands skyward as he reached home plate.
His big hit came a day after he struck out on a full-count slider from closer Josh Hader that was way outside the strike zone with two on and two out in a 3-1 opening-day loss.
Mendoza wasn’t surprised to see Soto bounce back after Thursday’s tough ending.
“He’s Juan Soto, he’s gonna come through more times than not,” he said. “What you want is to give him and the guys a chance to win a baseball game. We we did that yesterday and we didn’t get the W. Today, he came in and did what he did. He’s a special player.”
Before that, Soto singled and walked twice Thursday in his Mets debut. The slugger signed a $765 million, 15-year contract as a free agent in December.
Soto struck out on his first at-bat Friday night before homering his second time up.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers rookie starter Jack Leiter took a couple of “hits” before getting his first big league victory.
Leiter got hit on the head by a ball while in the outfield during batting practice on opening day. Then when starting in the second game Friday night, he got thumped again — this time by a ball tossed at him when he looked down, and struck him in a more sensitive spot below his waist.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy hopes Leiter has a much better memory after a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.
“That he can win up here, that’s what I hope he takes from this game. He’s a major league pitcher and he can win ballgames up here,” Bochy said. “He can get through a tough lineup, which they have. And, you know, that should really do a lot for his confidence, with what he did tonight.”
Leiter got the win after allowing only one run over five innings. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out four, walked one and allowed five singles. The second overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and son of former big leaguer Al Leiter made his big league debut last season, going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA in nine games (six starts).
“Honestly, just winning’s nice,” Leiter responded when asked if a burden had been lifted.
After Leiter got done throwing in the outfield before Thursday’s game, a ball hit by teammate Josh Jung struck him on the head.
“That was a memorable opening day, probably not for the right reason,” Leiter said with a grin.
In the second inning of his season debut, after Leiter made his first opening day roster, Boston had a couple of runners on base in the second inning after a walk when catcher Jonah Heim went out to talk with him.
As Heim approached the mound, he tossed the ball at the same time Leiter put his head down.
“Hey, it made him laugh,” Heim said.
“Just tough timing, honestly,” Leiter said. “I guess he thought I was looking, but I thought he wasn’t going to throw the ball at that point.”
After the batterymates shared a laugh, Leiter got out of the inning without allowing a run. He got help from Wyatt Langford’s running and lunging catch of Connor Wong’s liner to deep left.
Heim hit two solo homers, the second coming in the bottom of the fifth for a 2-1 lead after Leiter had thrown the last of his 82 pitches. Five Texas relievers then finished it off with four scoreless innings.
“This was his day … that was really fun to watch,” Leiter said of Heim.
“It’s good to get Jack a win. Good stuff,” Bochy said. “Just a great job, keeping his poise out there, and I’m sure the nerves were going on his first start out there.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings in a ceremony Friday night.
“There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings.
“What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
A choir in the left field pavilion sang “We Are the Champions” to open the ceremony hosted by actor Anthony Anderson.
“Nobody was like us last year and I have a feeling that nobody will be like us this year,” said Anderson, a Dodgers fan.
Ohtani, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman and Roberts received some of the loudest cheers walking a blue carpet to a circular stage between home plate and the mound.
Ohtani waved to the fans. They chanted “Freddie! Freddie!” when it was Freeman’s turn.
They were greeted with hugs from owner Mark Walter, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, president and CEO Stan Kasten and general manager Brandon Gomes, who presented the coaching staff and players with blue boxes.
An injured Kershaw didn’t pitch in the postseason last year, which culminated in the Dodgers’ five-game victory over the rival New York Yankees in the World Series. Ohtani’s Japanese countryman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and catcher Austin Barnes were busy warming up in the bullpen and had a clubhouse manager accept their rings.
The Dodgers unveiled their World Series championship flag in center field and a championship emblem on the right field suite level before a 5-4 win over the Tigers in Thursday’s home opener.
“This is the final piece,” Roberts said. “Just to kind of have the fans here to kind of enjoy this with us and close the book on 2024.”
Roberts had not seen the ring ahead of time.
“It’s a symbol for me,” he said, adding that he doesn’t wear rings although he wears a wedding band.
Roberts said he keeps his World Series rings from 2004 (as a player with Boston) and 2020 (as manager with the Dodgers) in a home safe.
Mookie Betts picked up his third championship ring, to go with a 2018 title in Boston and now two in LA.
“This is my favorite one so far,” he said. “Hopefully I can get some more and then we’ll be able to compare.”
The hand-crafted rings by Jostens contain 14-karat yellow gold, diamonds and genuine sapphires.
Inside the box’s lid, a video plays highlights of the World Series. Using a specialized hinge mechanism, the top of the ring opens to reveal Dodger Stadium displayed in detail and features the Commissioner’s Trophy with one diamond to mark the victory. Eight diamonds represent each of the team’s World Series titles and the years 1883 and 2024 mark the franchise’s 142 seasons.
The left side of the ring top interior includes a piece from the bases used in the World Series. Encircling the base are 34 sapphires honoring the Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who died days before the World Series began.
In a personal touch, players’ signatures are on the interior palm of the ring.
“The ring is incredible,” third baseman Max Muncy said.
Former Dodger Jack Flaherty started for the Tigers on Friday night, so he’ll receive his ring Saturday.
“We can go beat him up today and give him the ring tomorrow,” Roberts joked.
Flaherty, a native of nearby Burbank, California, started Game 1 of the National League Championship Series and Game 1 of the World Series, both at Dodger Stadium where he attended games as a kid. He joined the Dodgers at last year’s trade deadline and provided stability to a starting rotation rocked by injuries.
“He was the right person at the right time for our club,” Roberts said. “He delivered.”
Utilityman Kiké Hernández got out of his sick bed to participate in the ceremony after missing the home opener a day earlier.
“He’s feeling much better,” Roberts said.
The team gathered behind the mound waiting for everyone to cross the stage and then posed for photos, smiling and admiring the bling on their fingers. A brass band broke into “They Not Like Us.”
“I hope it fits,” Roberts said. “If it ends up on my pinkie, we’ll be in trouble.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
(NEW YORK) -- Asphyxiation has been ruled out as the cause of death for the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, officials with the Costa Rican National Police told ABC News.
Authorities determined Miller Gardner didn't die from asphyxiation because his respiratory tract was clear, police said.
This comes one day after a Costa Rican government official had said Miller Gardner may have died from asphyxiation due to "food intoxication."
More tests are being done to determine his cause of death, the Costa Rican National Police said Tuesday. It could take up to three months to complete the autopsy due to the significant demand in the country because of its high murder rate, police added.
Authorities said they do not believe his death to be suspicious at this point in the investigation.
Miller Gardner died in his sleep Friday morning while the family was on vacation in Costa Rica, according to the family and the State Department.
The Gardner family was staying at the exclusive Arenas Del Mar Resort in Manuel Antonio.
"We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our hearts go out to the family," a spokesperson for the resort said in a statement. "The factors that led to this tragic incident are unknown, and we are fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate."
Police from the town of Quepos are leading the investigation and will be questioning the hotel employees on Tuesday, authorities said.
Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica Gardner, said their youngest child died "after falling ill along with several other family members."
"We have so many questions and so few answers at this point," the Gardners said on Sunday in a statement released by the Yankees.
"Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile," Brett and Jessica Gardner said in the statement. "He lived life to the fullest every single day."
Brett Gardner spent his entire 14-season MLB career with the Yankees and retired after the 2021 season. He was named an American League All-Star in 2015 and won a Golden Glove Award in 2016. He was also on the team that won the World Series in 2009.
"Our hearts are heavy, and the Yankees family is filled with grief," the Yankees said in a statement. "It wasn’t just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years -- so did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller."
"Our love for the Gardner family is unconditional and absolute, and we will offer our enduring support," the team said.
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