MLB

6:55 PM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. SAN DIEGO — Gerrit Cole‘s success in collaborating with New York Yankees backup catcher Kyle Higashioka continues to be closely dissected. But a simple gesture may offer a telling glimpse into the nature of their bond. More than a

2:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN The Tampa Bay Rays own the American League’s best record and the league’s No. 1 seed in the 2020 MLB playoffs. The New York Yankees were the AL’s favorites coming into the season before an up-and-down regular season netted them the No. 5 seed. After both swept their way through

5:29 PM ET For MLB teams that didn’t go far into the postseason — and those that didn’t get there at all — there’s only so much time to spend on reflection before starting in on identifying what they need to get done during the offseason. Whether it’s re-signing a key free agent, addressing a

10:40 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN The Los Angeles Dodgers are the National League’s No. 1 seed in the MLB playoffs after posting baseball’s best record during the regular season. The San Diego Padres won more games than any NL team not named the Dodgers to finish second in the West and secure the No. 4

11:24 PM ET If the outcome between the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins in their first-round Wild Card Series surprised you, then you haven’t been paying attention to either team. The Cubs made a predictably early exit from the postseason, due to a continued lack of offense, while the Marlins did what they always do

1:13 AM ET This is not how the San Diego Padres would have preferred to draw up their first postseason series victory since 1998. They played three games against the St. Louis Cardinals and their starting pitchers threw a combined six innings. They used eight pitchers in a Game 1 loss, used nine pitchers in

6:21 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO — Garrett Cooper homered against Yu Darvish in a two-run seventh, hard-throwing rookie Sixto Sanchez dominated for five innings and the Miami Marlins won their first playoff series in 17 years, beating the Chicago Cubs 2-0 Friday to complete a two-game wild-card series sweep. Miami will face Atlanta

7:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff Just when it looked as if we might have only one game Friday after gorging on playoff baseball the past two days, Fernando Tatis Jr. happened and we have a postseason doubleheader: Game 2 of Marlins-Cubs and the winner-take-all Game 3 between Tatis’ Padres and the Cardinals. Here’s what you

2:49 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” You’re looking at the wrong thing. It’s understandable. A bat goes flying in the air, end over end, propelled into the night in a fit of passion, and it inevitably draws every

3:36 PM ET ESPN News Services ATLANTA — Ian Anderson dazzled in another shutout performance for Atlanta, and the Braves won a playoff series for the first time in almost two decades by sweeping the light-hitting Cincinnati Reds with a 5-0 victory Thursday. Ronald Acuna Jr. had three hits for the National League East champions,

7:00 AM ET ESPN.com staff The MLB playoffs frenzy turns up the heat Thursday with five (count ’em, five) elimination games. We’ve already said goodbye to the Twins, Blue Jays and Indians, and either the White Sox or A’s will be kicked off the American League island. In the National League, the Reds, Cubs, Padres

3:00 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN For the first time in the history of the MLB playoffs, there will be eight postseason games played on a single day. Wild Card Wednesday began with a Cincinnati Reds–Atlanta Braves extra-inning thriller and the Houston Astros‘ sweeping the Minnesota Twins out of the playoffs. Then the Miami Marlins took

6:07 PM ET ESPN News Services Miami Marlins center fielder Starling Marte suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left pinkie after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday, but there is optimism that he could continue playing, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers. Marte was hit in the hand on a fastball by Chicago

7:00 AM ET For the first time ever we get eight MLB playoff matchups in a single day! Whether you are a National League fan waiting for your series to start or an American League fan seeing if your team can move on (or stay alive) — or just a baseball fan ready to sit

6:21 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN The 2020 MLB playoffs began Tuesday with four American League Wild Card Series. The Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland A’s as Lucas Giolito flirted with perfection. The Houston Astros, who finished the 2020 season with a losing record, topped the Minnesota Twins to extend Minnesota’s record playoff losing streak

1:21 PM ET CHICAGO — Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks will start Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series against the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, manager David Ross announced. The decision was between Hendricks and Cy Young contender Yu Darvish. Darvish will take the ball in Game 2. “I [feel] like I have two aces,”

7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Someone asked about the best thing I saw in the 2020 Major League Baseball regular season, and my answer was baseball. Not a titanic Ronald Acuna Jr. home run or a dazzling

4:46 PM ET Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Monday that Kyle Higashioka — not Gary Sanchez — will catch Gerrit Cole in Game 1 against the Indians on Tuesday. Cole had a 1.00 ERA in four starts this season with Higashioka behind the plate, but posted a 3.91 ERA in eight starts with Sanchez. “He