Category: MLB

Kuhl’s the rule; Pirates name Chad Kuhl opening day starter

Kuhl’s the rule; Pirates name Chad Kuhl opening day starter
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chad Kuhl will be the opening day starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The assignment comes more than two years after the right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery. Kuhl did not pitch at all in 2019. He returned in 2020 and went 2-3 with a 4.27 ERA in 11 games. The 28-year-old called the assignment a blessing. Kuhl is the fifth opening day starter for the Pirates in the last five years.

Pirates acquire RHP Underwood in trade with Cubs

Pirates acquire RHP Underwood in trade with Cubs
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old Underwood went 1-0 with a 5.66 ERA in 17 games with Chicago during the pandemic-shortened season. He was designated for assignment on Tuesday. The Cubs received minor league first baseman Shendrik Apostel in the deal.

Former Bucs Reliever Jared Hughes retires after pitching 10 major league seasons

Jared Hughes retires after pitching 10 major league seasons
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Hughes says he is retiring after 10 years of pitching in the major leagues. Hughes made his announcement on Instagram. “It was time,” he wrote. The 35-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA in 22 1/3 innings over 18 relief appearances for the New York Mets last year. Hughes went 30-26 with a 2.96 ERA in 542 relief appearances for Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and the Mets.

Hank Aaron, baseball’s one-time home run king, dies at 86

Hank Aaron, baseball’s one-time home run king, dies at 86
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer
ATLANTA (AP) — The baseball great and one-time home run king Hank Aaron has died. The Atlanta Braves said he died peacefully in his sleep early Friday. No cause was given. Aaron endured racist threats with stoic dignity during his pursuit of Babe Ruth but went on to break the career home run record in the pre-steroids era. “Hammerin’ Hank” set a wide array of records during a 23-year career spent mostly with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, including RBIs, extra-base hits and total bases. But the Hall of Famer will be remembered for one swing above all others, the one that made him baseball’s home-run king., died early Friday. Hank Aaron was 86.

Baseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81

Baseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81
By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro has died at the age of 81 after a long fight with cancer. Niekro pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves announced his death, saying he died Saturday night in his sleep. Niekro won 318 games over his 24-year career, which ended in 1987 at age 48 after he made one final start with the Braves. Niekro also pitched for the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays late in his career.

Pirates’ Polanco breaks wrist in winter ball, OK for spring

Pirates’ Polanco breaks wrist in winter ball, OK for spring
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco broke a bone in his right wrist playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. The Pirates said Polanco has a small nondisplaced fracture of the triquetrum bone and that the wrist will be immobilized for a short time. The 29-year-old Polanco is expected to be 100% by the start of spring training. Polanco batted just .153 with seven homers and 22 RBIs during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He tested positive for the coronavirus during the team’s summer camp.

Pirates trade slugger Josh Bell to Nationals

Pirates trade slugger Josh Bell to Nationals
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Josh Bell is heading to the Washington Nationals. The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded the slugging first baseman to Washington for pitching prospects Will Crowe and Eddy Yean. The 28-year-old Bell was an All-Star in 2019 following a torrid first half in which he hit .302 with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs. That form has been elusive over the last year-plus. Bell hit .233 with 10 home runs during an injury-shortened second half of 2019 and hit just eight home runs while batting a career-low .233 in 57 games for the Pirates in 2020.

MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league

MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of its history. The league said it was “correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history” by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of its founding. The Negro Leagues consisted of seven leagues that existed from 1920-48. Those leagues were excluded in 1969 when the Special Committee on Baseball Records identified six official “major leagues” dating to 1876. The change means Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige could add nearly 150 victories to his total.

Pirates agree to deals with Taillon, Gonzalez and Feliz

Pirates agree to deals with Taillon, Gonzalez and Feliz
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to one-year deals with pitchers Jameson Taillon and Michael Feliz as well as shortstop Erik Gonzalez. The contracts mean the Pirates will avoid arbitration with all three players. Taillion gets $2.25 million, Feliz $1 million and Gonzalez $1,225,000. Taillon, a former first-round draft pick, is expected to return in 2021 after missing most of the last two years following Tommy John surgery. Feliz pitched in just three games during the abbreviated 2020 season due to a forearm injury. Gonzalez faded after a hot start but drove in a career-high 20 runs last season.

Williams and Ozuna Designated for Assignment

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates have designated pitcher Trevor Williams and utility player José Osuna for assignment. The team made the moves to create room on the 40-man roster for infield prospect Rodolfo Castro and starting pitching prospect Max Kranick. The 28-year-old Williams spent five seasons with the Pirates, the last four as a member of the starting rotation. Williams went 31-37 with a 4.43 ERA in 106 career appearances in Pittsburgh but struggled in each of the last two seasons. Osuna hit .241 in four seasons with the Pirates while bouncing around defensively.