The story of baseball runs through the United States and Japan. It’s a ribbon threaded through the history of the sport and its greatest players, connecting the two nations for more than 150 years. Not even Nostradamus himself could have envisioned what would happen in the decades since schoolteacher Horace

TOKYO -- Around the time that Roki Sasaki made his long-awaited decision to sign with the Dodgers, the city of Los Angeles was reeling from a period of grief and devastation. A string of wildfires ripped through the greater L.A. region in January, displacing tens of thousands and going down

During Spring Training, MLB.com beat writers surveyed their clubhouses, asking players for their opinions on a range of topics. Well over 100 players participated, in exchange for anonymity. In the leadup to Opening Day, MLB.com is publishing a series of stories based on the results of that survey. Today's topic:

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Paul Skenes took a seat in manager Derek Shelton’s office Friday, and the skipper and ace pitcher started talking about the Spring Breakout game happening in Clearwater, Fla. Bubba Chandler had just wowed for two innings and Hunter Barco was looking good in relief. With all that’s

The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is underway, and through the first two days of the four-day prospect showcase, there has been no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Pablo Sandoval and Justin Verlander share an inextricable World Series link, though it doesn’t sound like they plan on revisiting that history this spring. Sandoval, who is back in Giants camp as a guest instructor, famously hit two of his three home runs in Game 1 of

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Two offseasons ago, Mets catching instructor Glenn Sherlock called Hayden Senger during the offseason, looking to chat. Senger picked up but told his longtime coach he’d need to call back. “Why?” Sherlock asked him. “I’m working,” Senger replied, before returning to the supermarket floor. For

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Gunnar Henderson hasn’t played in a Grapefruit League game since Feb. 27, when the Orioles’ star shortstop sustained a mild right intercostal strain. The 23-year-old has slowly returned to baseball activities over the past week. Does Henderson still believe he can be ready for Opening Day on

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For perhaps the first time this spring, there was an Opening Day feel in the air for the Red Sox on Saturday. And not just because manager Alex Cora officially named Garrett Crochet as his Opening Day starter a few hours before his team's 7-3 loss

Spring Breakout has returned for the second season after debuting last year to much fanfare. The weekend began with a bang as the Rays edged the Red Sox on Thursday night with home runs coming from four of MLB's top 12 prospects, including Boston's top three and Tampa Bay's No.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For Chris Sale, Saturday’s return to JetBlue Park, where he spent seven Spring Trainings with the Red Sox, started with an homage to a late legend. As the lanky Braves lefty threw his first pitch in the bottom of the first to Jarren Duran, he did

If the Cubs are going to make some moves towards their first full-season division title since 2017, it’s not just going to be about new additions like Kyle Tucker, Ryan Pressly, Justin Turner and Matthew Boyd. It’s going to be about improvements from returning players, too. It’s going to be

TOKYO -- For all of the attention on the Dodgers' three Japanese stars returning home for the Tokyo Series, there's actually a fourth. "Welcome back to Japan," a reporter said to manager Dave Roberts in English before continuing onto his question at Friday's press conference at the Tokyo Dome Hotel.

Six of baseball’s top players are adding a little extra shine this season. In collaboration with Topps, Fanatics and Nike, MLB is introducing a special Gold MLB logo patch for the 2025 season to celebrate a group of '24 award winners: MVPs Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge, Cy Young recipients

SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was about more than playing in the national spotlight. More than the dinner bet placed with an old college teammate earlier in the month. More than a game. As Enrique Bradfield Jr. slid home to score a run during the first inning of Saturday night’s Spring

The legend of Rintaro Sasaki continued to grow on Saturday. After hitting his first collegiate home run for Stanford, Sasaki crushed a walk-off three-run home run against Duke to trigger the 10-run mercy rule. If you’re not familiar with Sasaki’s story, it’s truly fascinating. Sasaki set a record with 140

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers’ rotation was built for depth. That depth is being put to the test before Opening Day. President of baseball operations Chris Young spoke to the media on Saturday morning regarding Rangers pitching injuries, revealing that they will definitely be down two rotation arms in Cody

The last time the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers played on Opening Day was more than 60 years ago. And while so much has changed in the decades since, the April weather at Wrigley Field that day will be instantly recognizable to anyone has bundled up for an early

There are regular-season baseball games next week. Can you believe it? You have made it. You have earned it. A full two months have passed since our most recent power rankings, and, it’s fair to say, a lot has happened since then. So with the Tokyo Series between the Cubs

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox acquired Garrett Crochet in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox back in December with the idea he would swiftly emerge as the ace of their staff. That became a reality on Saturday morning, when Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that the

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Austin Riley hit a couple tape-measure shots during Saturday's batting practice and then returned to the Braves' lineup a little more than 24 hours after fearing he might have broken his right hand yet again. “We dodged a bullet,” Riley said. “It didn’t feel good, but

SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was an audible “Ooh” from the crowd at Ed Smith Stadium, and Carlos Lagrange quickly glanced beyond the right-field wall, checking the velocity of the pitch he’d just thrown in Saturday’s 5-4 Spring Breakout loss to the Orioles. It had registered in the triple digits, and

PEORIA, Ariz. -- After weeks of debate, intrigue and what Dan Wilson called “a very tough decision,” the Mariners manager and Seattle’s front office were finally ready to reveal their Opening Day starter on Saturday morning. Logan Gilbert will take the mound for the March 27 contest against the Athletics

The Yankees have been hit and hit hard by injuries to their starting pitchers this spring, without question. Even before it was announced that their ace -- and former Cy Young Award winner -- Gerrit Cole would be lost for the season to Tommy John surgery, they had already lost