MESA, Ariz. — If the regular season is a marathon, as players and managers like to say, spring training is a leisurely jog on a Sunday afternoon that increases in intensity over the final week.

But the Chicago Cubs’ Tokyo excursion sent them on a slow jog starting in early February at camp to the start of the marathon in Japan and back to ...Read more

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Drew Thorpe joined the Chicago White Sox organization last spring after being acquired as a key part of the trade that sent pitcher Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres.

The right-hander spent this spring working his way back from a right elbow injury.

Thorpe hit a bump Thursday when he exited a minor-league start with ...Read more

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Rays ace Shane McClanahan left Saturday’s spring game in the third inning with what appeared to be an arm injury.

The Rays later announced that McClanahan left the game with triceps tightness. The triceps are the muscles on the back of the arm, opposite the biceps.

McClanahan, coming off the second Tommy John elbow ...Read more

MIAMI — Ah, spring! Opening Day, the words always capitalized. This is when the baseball poets with romanticized prose pay homage to “America’s Pastime.” The red, white and blue bunting decorating ballparks, the echoing crack of a bat, bags of peanuts cartwheeling from vendor’s hands, pastoral fields of emerald green.

This is when ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías was suspended through the All-Star break for a second violation of MLB's policy against domestic violence and sexual assault.

Under the discipline, announced Friday by commissioner Rob Manfred, Urías will be reinstated July 17 and be eligible to sign with any team.

Urías is the first player...Read more

PITTSBURGH — I can't be the only one confused here.

Two local publications have posted fresh stories on the Pirates' finances — and have come to violently different conclusions.

The Post-Gazette's Mark Belko reported that the Pirates are profitable and could easily be spending more on players.

Dejan Kovacevic also reported on his site ...Read more

TOKYO — When Kosuke Fukudome thinks back to his first professional season in Japan, Major League Baseball never felt like an attainable goal.

Fukudome dreamed of playing in the majors, of course. But that didn’t feel tangible until the next year as he watched the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets open the 2000 regular season at the Tokyo Dome....Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as openers.

Defensive shifts were a relic of the past, there were no process-and-analytics coaches in the dugout, no one was talking about exit velocity, run prevention was not yet a trendy term and pulling starting pitchers before their third time through the order sounded ...Read more

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — They’re gone now, their lockers empty and their promise still untapped.

With opening day barely a week away, most of the phenoms and prospects have seen their big-league uniforms shoved in the back of the closet. Tomorrow may belong to them in Tampa Bay, but today they’re toiling for the Durham Bulls or Montgomery ...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Boos rained down from the BayCare Ballpark stands in the fourth inning of the Phillies’ 9-7 loss to the Yankees on Wednesday.

They may have been directed at Ben Rice, who had just hit the Yankees’ third home run of the day, or at Taijuan Walker, the Phillies’ starting pitcher who had allowed all three. Either way, the...Read more

LOS ANGELES — An article highlighting the U.S. Army career of baseball legend Jackie Robinson has been restored to the Department of Defense website. Its removal had appeared to be related to the Trump administration's stance against diversity, equity and inclusion.

Robinson, the Hall of Famer who broke baseball's color barrier when he ...Read more

TOKYO — The entire week was a buildup to this.

Whether the ball struck by Shohei Ohtani would have cleared the right-field wall at the Tokyo Dome if some fans hadn't reached over the railing is immaterial. In baseball, results are marked in absolute terms, and the official record will forever show that Ohtani homered in the fifth inning of ...Read more

TOKYO — Murmurs rippled through the packed Tokyo Dome when the velocity flashed onto the scoreboard.

Los Angeles Dodgers phenom Roki Sasaki hit 101 mph on his first pitch in the first inning Wednesday to Chicago Cubs designated hitter Seiya Suzuki in a matchup between the Japanese stars. Every time Sasaki hit triple digits in his major-league...Read more

In Tokyo, you can't miss Shohei Ohtani. His picture is everywhere, in advertisements above street crossings and at the airport, on television and in magazines. He endorses shoes and skin care products, airlines and watches and so much more.

Those marketing deals have become so lucrative that Ohtani will make an estimated $100 million in ...Read more

TOKYO — It lasted just three innings. It included a grand total of 56 pitches. And it was nowhere near a flawless introduction to Major League Baseball.

But did Shotgun Roki ever put on one heck of a show.

Making his MLB debut Wednesday night, in front of his home nation at a sold-out Tokyo Dome and under immense pressure that had been ...Read more

PEORIA, Ariz. — The start of Yu Darvish’s season is in doubt, as it was revealed Tuesday he was shut down due to elbow inflammation.

At best, it seems Darvish’s first start would come at the back end of the rotation. The calendar and the Padres’ stated desire to preserve the 38-year-old right-hander so he can help them later in the ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Fresh off his first start against the Red Sox since joining the Yankees, Max Fried didn’t make much of his introduction to a storied rivalry.

After all, the lefty’s initial taste came in an exhibition game, as Fried twirled 4 1/3 scoreless innings against Boston at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday.

“It’s early,�...Read more

TOKYO — Shota Imanaga shook his head in frustration.

The Chicago Cubs left-hander, known for his elite command, watched the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Max Muncy head to first base after two consecutive walks to open the second inning. Free passes were a rarity for Imanaga in his rookie season, as he owned the National League’s best strikeout-to...Read more

TOKYO — For all the memorable cultural experiences they'd enjoyed off the field, and all the eye-opening revelations they'd made about the club's growing popularity here in Japan, the baseball side of the Dodgers' season-opening trip to Tokyo hadn't gotten off to the most seamless of starts.

Mookie Betts was ruled out of action after arriving...Read more