MLB

1:15 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” HOUSTON — Faith, Dusty Baker says, is the soul of humanity. And so he believes. He believes in the perfect guitar riff and the sound of the waves crashing ashore in Kauai.

12:26 PM ET Associated Press The St. Louis Cardinals hired former slugger Matt Holliday, who helped the team win the World Series in 2011, as manager Oliver Marmol’s bench coach Sunday. Holliday replaces Skip Schumaker, who was hired last month as the manager of the Miami Marlins. The Cardinals also announced that Dusty Blake, who

11:22 AM ET Bookmakers on Saturday forked over what’s believed to be the largest payout in sports betting history — approximately $75 million — to a Texas furniture store owner who earlier this year plunked down $10 million in bets on the Houston Astros to win the World Series. Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale jumped for

10:05 AM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers are the consensus betting favorites to win the 2023 World Series entering an offseason that features several high-profile free agents, including Aaron Judge. Caesars Sportsbook has installed the Dodgers as the favorites at +500, followed by the reigning champion Houston Astros at +550. The Astros finished off the

6:30 AM ET It’s time for the offseason! Which means it’s time for our annual way-too-early 2023 power rankings. The 2022 season came to an end on Saturday night in Houston, as the Astros won their second World Series title since 2017 after defeating the Phillies in Game 6. What do the next few months

1:21 AM ET HOUSTON — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler was surprised he was pulled in a critical moment in the sixth inning of his team’s World Series-ending 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday. “It caught me off guard a little bit,” Wheeler said after the Astros clinched the title. “It’s win or

11:19 PM ET HOUSTON — The center-field fence at Minute Maid Park sits 409 feet away from home plate. The green batter’s eye that resides behind it stands 40 feet tall. Players don’t ever hit baseballs beyond it. And yet Saturday night, with the game in doubt and a title on the line, Yordan Alvarez

12:17 AM ET HOUSTON — Over the course of one amazing rookie season, Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena has moved beyond his spring training status as Carlos Correa‘s successor. At this point, it might be more accurate to say that Correa, Houston’s long-time All-Star shortstop who departed via free agency this spring, is Pena’s predecessor.

11:17 PM ET HOUSTON — The orange-clad spectators beneath the roof of Minute Maid Park were blaring. The train above the Crawford Boxes was whistling. Around the infield, a small horde of jubilant players turned into a writhing pile of celebration. For the second time in franchise history, the Houston Astros are World Series champs.

5:42 PM ET ESPN staff A series that’s featured huge home runs, incredible defense and one combined no-hitter could all come to an end Saturday night. 2 Related The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Texas to take on the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the 2022 World Series, on the heels of a Game 5

4:55 PM ET HOUSTON — Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel was removed from the World Series roster after suffering a knee injury in the team’s Game 5 win on Thursday. Gurriel, 32, hurt his right knee during a rundown in the seventh inning, forcing him to leave the game. “He tried everything,” manager Dusty Baker

7:15 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — The baseball gods wasted no time in giving Philadelphia Phillies boss Rob Thomson his first big managerial moment in the Fall Classic. Five months after taking over from the fired Joe Girardi, Thomson had already navigated the Phillies’ underwhelming end to the regular season and three challenging rounds of the

9:18 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was voted player of the year and the American League outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards from the Major League Baseball Players Association. Judge set an AL record with 62 homers, breaking the previous mark of 61

8:53 PM ET HOUSTON — Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he plans to have Ranger Suarez available out of the bullpen in relief of Zack Wheeler in Saturday’s Game 6, a must-win game given the Houston Astros‘ 3-2 advantage in this World Series. Wheeler experienced a slight dip in fastball velocity during his Game

2:57 PM ET NEW YORK — When it comes to Aaron Judge and his future with the New York Yankees, mum is the word. General manager Brian Cashman declined to comment Friday on whether he’s been in contract with Judge’s representatives on a new deal. Cashman, however, did not tiptoe around the importance of Judge

6:22 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Japan’s career home run leader Sadaharu Oh has been hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Friday. Kyodo cited the Japanese club the SoftBank Hawks, where Oh is the club chairman. Kyodo said Oh was admitted to a hospital in southwestern Japan in Miyazaki prefecture.

7:00 AM ET THIS WINTER, THE Houston Astros were at a fork in the road. Their longtime shortstop, Carlos Correa, was one of the faces of the franchise, a player who stood up for the clubhouse amid the criticism the team faced from its trash-can-banging, sign-stealing scandal. He was one of the first players the

2:31 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander knew the stakes. He had stepped up to the mound on Thursday for Game 5 of the World Series with plenty to prove. Winless in seven career games in the Fall Classic, he had just blown a 5-0 lead in Game 1 of this series,