baseball Page 336 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Gahhh! Japanese Baseball Is Terrifying, Reports Hiroki Kuroda
That smiling man up there is Hiroki Kuroda of the New York Yankees. Kuroda's first season in the American League has been a good one—he's got a 134 ERA+ in 16 starts heading into the all-star break. So he has good reason to smile now. But he didn't, way back when, writes David Waldstein in the New Y...

Instagram Photos From The Brooklyn Cyclones' "Williamsburg Night"
It was Williamsburg Night at MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, a hipster-friendly mashup of the usual minor league quirkiness and a particular local flair. (And probably super-familiar for attendees, since they all moved to Brooklyn from the Midwest three years ago, amirite?) Among the promot...

Dontrelle Willis Retires. Mark Prior Tries To Make A Comeback. Baseball Remains A Sadistic Bastard.
Dontrelle Willis retired on Monday at the age of 30, bringing to an end one of the most baffling baseball careers of the past decade. The day before, Mark Prior, nursing an oblique strain, threw a bullpen session for the Pawtucket Red Sox. He hadn't pitched in a game since June 21, when he scuffled ...

Minor League Coach Banned For Full Year After Intentionally Losing 18-Inning Game
Two weeks ago, the Stockton Ports lost 7-6, in 18 innings, to the Modesto Nuts. It wasn't a typical game for the Athletics' Single-A affiliate. For one, the regular manager was on vacation, leaving former MLB player and current Oakland hitting instructor Todd Steverson in charge. For another, it wen...

Ron Paul Gets Inducted Into Congressional Baseball Hall Of Fame, Wears Hideous Jersey
We can thank Meredith Shiner, of the Capitol Hill paper of record—Roll Call, for this snapshot of bold decision maker Ron Paul....

"I Am A Little Worried To Be...On The Electronics": Thunder Storm Terrorizes Professional Baseball Grounds Crew
Courtesy of Aaron Morse, the voice you hear broadcasting, comes video of this wild thunder storm rain delay. The game between the Joliet Slammers and Southern Illinois Miners on Friday night was delayed for rain and what appears to be heavy winds. The grounds crew put down the tarp and even, accor...

Glory Days: A Bloop Single Cost Me My Perfect Game, But I Redeemed Myself In My Book
An occasional series featuring our readers' tales of momentary sports glory. If you've got a video of your own brush with athletic greatness, send it to [email protected], subject: Glory Days....

Benito Santiago's Niece Strikes Out 19 Boys In Six-Inning Little League Championship Game
Another parent calls her the "Michael Jordan" of Syracuse N.Y.'s Southside American Little League. She can fire a fastball more than 60 miles per hour, and she mixes in a cutter, slider, and change-up. She also plays shortstop, and her own batting average is higher than .600. For games, she wears he...

Pitching Prospect Stops Line Drive With Face
Scary moment last night for Gerrit Cole, the No. 1 overall choice in last year's MLB draft. Cole was making just his second start for the Altoona Curve, the Pirates' Double-A affiliate, when what you see in the video above happened in the first inning. Cole somehow finished the inning by facing th...

There Was An Entire Team Of Idiots On The Field At The College World Series Last Night
Arizona ended South Carolina's streak of College World Series championships with a 4-1 win last night in a game interrupted yet again by Idiots On The Field. It's the third time this CWS that there's been such a field invasion, and a team effort: an alleged seven fans ran out of the seats at once....

Game Ends As Raul Mondesi Jr. Forgets To Touch Home Plate After Game-Tying Home Run
Yes, that Raul Mondesi, Jr. He's in the Brewers organization, at Rookie League Helena. Mondesi came to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with the Brewers down 2-0 to the Missoula Osprey, the Diamondbacks' affiliate. With one on and two out, he cranked the pitch over the left field wall for what ...

Kids Coach Little League Team To Championship
We live in a cynical world that sucks a lot most of the time. Then you read a story like this and it's like getting a shot of adrenaline. A little league team out in California, opting for the name San Clemente American No. 2 rather than the usual "San Clemente Royals" or something, just won its To...

The Official Deadspin Youth T-Ball League Is Back After Rainouts And A Bout With Pink Eye
The children of Rick from suburban Boston helped us with a little video project last spring. In return, we agreed to sponsor their T-ball league. Throughout the season, we will chronicle the league's exploits....

New Jersey Woman Sues Little Leaguer Who Hit Her In The Face With A Baseball
Elizabeth Lloyd was sitting at a picnic table near a fenced-in Little League bullpen watching her son play when she was struck in the face with a baseball. The culprit? A then-11-year-old bullpen catcher named Matthew Migliaccio who was warming up a pitcher....

If You Are A Catcher In The Steele and Cook Insurance Ohio Valley Baseball League, This Image Is Not What You Want To See
Reader Evan clued us into this June 21 story from the Times-Leader of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Martins Ferry, Ohio, "A's Gang rallies again." That's a local news headline if I ever saw one. And this photo, boy, oh boy, is one hell of a local news photo....

The Texas Rangers Are Packing Some Serious Firepower
While in San Diego to take on the Padres, several members of the Texas Rangers stopped by a Navy Seals training facility today to tour the grounds, meet some military personnel, and get their hands on all sorts of battlefield-worthy assault rifles, with a handgun and mortar launcher thrown in for go...

The New Best Place For A Home Run Derby: An Aircraft Carrier
This morning I lamented that our country is falling woefully behind in the "playing sports where sports aren't meant to be played" arms race. Several readers were quick to point out that I was wrong, and America continues to rock faces. Yesterday, the Class A South Atlantic League held the first r...

Kent State Head Coach Scott Stricklin Is Really, Really Excited That <em>SportsCenter</em> Is Coming Up Next
The Kent State Golden Flashes continued their improbable postseason run, knocking off the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed Florida and remaining alive in the College World Series with a 5-4 win in Omaha yesterday....

Curt Schilling Is Now On Leave From ESPN
Well, now that Curt is being sued by Citizens Bank for the $2 million (and other costs) he borrowed as personal guarantor on behalf of his failed video game company, 38 Studios, he's probably due for some time to sort things out. ESPN does expect the Baseball Tonight analyst to return later this se...

Heavy Wind Nearly Propels Grounds Crew Worker Into Orbit
Keep your eye on back row of grounds crew workers in the video above, specifically the fourth person from the left. Even if you can't find him right away, you certainly will by the six-second mark, when the wind launches him several feet off the ground. That's Kyle Smith, the general manager of th...