New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo remains optimistic free agent Shohei Ohtani, widely regarded as the world’s best baseball player, could be part of his team set to play in London next summer.

Generational Japanese two-way talent Ohtani was two weeks ago named American League MVP for the second time in three years and draws frequent comparisons to Babe Ruth, still probably the most recognisable baseball name in Britain and beyond despite the former Boston Red Sox and New York Yankee slugger having been dead for 75 years.

Ohtani, reportedly within days of deciding on his next destination and poised to fetch an MLB-record free-agent fee, is historically peerless in his dual-role as a starting pitcher and batter, so much so that a new MLB rule introduced in 2022 – effectively designed to address his singular abilities – is commonly referred to as ‘the Ohtani rule’.

Nimmo, whose Mets are set to play the Philadelphia Phillies at the London Stadium next June, said: “(Ohtani) really is everything that everyone says he is. He’s unbelievable. He hits the ball harder than everyone, he throws the ball harder than everyone, he runs faster than everyone.

“He really is the special talent that everyone has hyped him up to be. He’s one of those special, once-in-a-generation players.

“I know that our front office and our owner and our president were very excited about the prospect of getting him. I know we’re going to be in on (him), I just don’t know where it is going to lead to.”

In baseball, unlike cricket, players are pitchers or combine a fielding position and batting, save for the “designated hitter” (DH), a batting-only position which typically replaces pitchers in the order. But under ‘the Ohtani rule’, he can still serve as a DH even after being pulled as a pitcher.

The DH has featured since 1973 in the American League and National League in 2022, but, even before its universal adoption, no pitchers came anywhere close to Ohtani’s prowess at the plate. He has won MLB’s best DH award for three consecutive seasons.

In 2023, he hit the fourth most home runs in MLB, all while striking out 167 batters and finishing with a 3.14 earned run average.

While the Mets have been linked to Ohtani, who is rumoured to be considering deals worth between USD 500m-600m (£396,205,000-£475,446,000), the latest reports suggest they may be out of the picture, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and former club the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim among those considered front-runners for his services.

Whoever ultimately signs Ohtani will likely have to wait a full season until he is fit enough to pitch following surgery to his elbow in September, though he should be available to hit come opening day 2024.

Next summer’s London Series marks the third time MLB has made the trip to Britain, in an ongoing attempt to grow the global reach of a game that has variously been accused of being too American to find a footing in the UK, too similar to cricket to take off, and conversely too confusing for the uninitiated to understand.

Nimmo, however, will happily evangelise for the game’s global potential, and agrees that fact that it is a Japanese talent quickly becoming MLB’s most recognisable face – even cracking highlight reels in the United Kingdom – is important as the sport tries to conquer new territory.

He added: “One of the areas where we’ve struggled in MLB is making the players world recognised, and now Shohei has that star quality that can bridge that gap. He’s an integral piece to us growing the game worldwide.

“We need to market him. We need to get him out there. I think a great opening and a great door is to be like, check out this guy.

“He’s not from the States, he’s larger than life, he’s doing something that hasn’t been done before, since one of the great baseball legends like Babe Ruth. Those guys are mythical.”

:: New York Mets will play Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8–9 at London Stadium

Buck Showalter will not return as the New York Mets' manager in 2024, an expected outcome after the team that began this season with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball history failed to reach the playoffs.

Showalter told reporters of the team's decision prior to Sunday's season finale, a 9-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets released a statement following Showalter's announcement confirming their plans.

“We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know we’ll be parting ways. We will begin the search for a new manager immediately,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in the statement. 

The move was widely expected after the Mets fell out of playoff contention before the All-Star break and finished with a 74-87 record, a steep decline from the 101 wins the team achieved in Showalter's first season in 2022.

New York entered this season among the National League favourites after Cohen increased the payroll to a record $355 million as the Mets brought in three-time American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and star Japanese picher Kodai Senga, as well as re-signing center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz to big contracts.

The Mets hovered around .500 for the first two months, however, before losing 19 of 26 games in June to drop further in the standings. That led to management's decision to become sellers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline and jettison off several prominent players, most notably Verlander and fellow ace Max Scherzer.

Showalter's fate was further sealed when the Mets hired former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns as vice president of baseball operations in September.

“I was honored to get a chance to manage a second New York team," said Showalter, whose 22-year tenure as a major league manager began with the crosstown rival Yankees in 1992. "I’m proud of what the Mets did. We won close to 180 games in two years. Especially last year, as much fun as I’ve ever had in the game. It reminded me why I’ve always loved this kind of work."

Cohen also praised Showalter's work in the statement announcing the change.

“Buck is a generational manager, and we value what he has done for our team, including leading us to a 101 win season and postseason berth last year." he said.  "The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come. We wish Buck all the best in the next chapter of his career.”

The Mets were the fifth team the 67-year-old Showalter managed during his lengthy career, which also included stops with the Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-06) and Baltimore Orioles (2010-18).

Four of those teams reached the playoffs, though Showalter never guided one to a World Series despite making six total trips to the postseason and winning four Manager of the Year awards. 

Showalter's overall managerial record stands at 1,726-1,665, ranking him 19th in MLB history in wins. 

Shohei Ohtani was listed second on the Los Angeles Angels’ lineup card and slotted as the designated hitter Friday against the New York Mets despite his serious elbow injury.

Ohtani was removed from the mound in Wednesday’s start against the Cincinnati Reds after 26 pitches, and the Angels announced after the game that he will not pitch again this season due to a torn ligament in his right elbow.

Ohtani previously had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow after the 2018 season. The two-way superstar will seek a second medical opinion before making a decision regarding another potential surgery that would surely affect his upcoming free agency this offseason.

Until Ohtani’s recovery plan is set, the major-league home run leader plans to continue playing as a designated hitter.

“He’s going to play. So, as far as a second opinion goes, they’re still working on that,” general manager Perry Minasian told reporters. “Him and his representation are going to come up with a plan but as we sit here today, he’s going to play until he tells us he’s not.”

Ohtani finishes the year as a pitcher with a 10-5 record and an ERA of 3.14 with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings.

Ohtani is batting .304 with a 1.069 OPS, and his 44 home runs are two shy of his career high.

Star teammate Mike Trout returned to the injured list Friday as he continues to recover from a fractured bone in his left wrist.

Trout returned from a 38-game absence to go 1 for 4 on Tuesday but has not played since due to lingering soreness.

Justin Verlander helped the Houston Astros capture a pair of World Series titles, and the club is hoping he can lead them to another championship.

Verlander was traded to the Astros from the New York Mets in a blockbuster deal hours before MLB’s deadline on Tuesday.

The Mets received two minor league outfielders - 22-year-old Drew Gilbert, Houston’s No. 1-ranked prospect, and 20-year-old Ryan Clifford, who was the Astros’ No. 4 prospect.

Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7million contract with the Mets last December, shortly after earning his second World Series title with Houston and third Cy Young Award.

The 40-year-old has been pitching well lately, going 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in six July starts, but the Mets have been a major disappointment and are tearing down the most expensive roster in major league history.

Fellow three-time Cy Young Award-winner Max Scherzer, who signed a three-year, $130million deal after the 2021 season, was traded to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

Hours after that deal was officially announced, Verlander became the 49th pitcher in MLB history to 250 victories.

Of those wins, 61 came while pitching for the Astros – tied with Jim Deshaies for the 15th most in club history.

Verlander was first acquired by Houston during the 2017 season from the Detroit Tigers and helped the Astros to the franchise’s first World Series title later that fall.

During his time with Houston, Verlander made 102 starts and posted a 2.26 ERA – the lowest in franchise history among the 46 players with a minimum of 500 innings pitched for the club.

The Astros have won five of the last six AL West crowns and have reached the AL championship series in each of the last four seasons, but enter August one-half game behind the first-place Texas Rangers.

 

Blue Jays acquire DeJong after Bichette injures knee

The Toronto Blue Jays moved quickly in finding a replacement for Bo Bichette in the event the All-Star shortstop would’ve been sidelined for a while, trading for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Paul DeJong.

Bichette, the AL leader in batting average (.321) and hits (144), exited Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles with a right knee injury.

The extent of Bichette’s injury was uncertain early Tuesday, but after trading for DeJong, it was reported that an MRI on the knee revealed no significant structural damage, and he’s considered day to day.

DeJong was considered the top shortstop on the trade market.

An All-Star in 2019, the 29-year-old is batting .233 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 32 RBIs in 81 games.

He is also one of the better fielders at his position, registering a .990 fielding percentage – second only to the Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa for the best among all qualifying shortstops.

To complete the trade, the Cardinals are getting 24-year-old pitching prospect Matt Svanson from the Blue Jays.

 

Phillies get All-Star Lorenzen from Tigers

The Philadelphia Phillies have bolstered their rotation, acquiring right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers for 20-year-old infielder Hao-Yu Lee.

Lorenzen, who will become a free agent after this season, was named to his first All-Star team this year, going 5-7 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 18 starts. He has struck out 83 and walked 27 over 105 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old began his career as a starter for the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 before spending the next six seasons working out of their bullpen.

He signed with the Los Angeles Angels prior to last season and moved back into the starting rotation, going 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 18 outings.

He now joins a Phillies team that reached last year’s World Series and is in possession of the NL’s second wild card.

 

Marlins bolster lineup with sluggers Burger, Bell

The Miami Marlins added two key bats to their lineup at the deadline, acquiring infielder Jake Burger from the Chicago White Sox and first baseman Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians.

The Marlins (57-51) find themselves in rare playoff contention but are hoping to improve their 27th-ranked offence that scores 4.09 runs per game.

Burger, 27, is tied for eighth in MLB with 25 home runs this season but is batting just .214 in 88 games. Of Burger’s 63 hits this season, 41 have gone for extra bases.

Bell, who will turn 31 later this month, was a 2019 All-Star but will be playing on his fifth team since 2020.

In the deals, the Marlins sent pitching prospect Jake Eder to Chicago, while Cleveland added infield prospect Khalil Watson. The Guardians also acquired Jean Segura in the deal but are expected to release the veteran infielder.

 

AL East-leading Orioles add RHP Flaherty

Enjoying their best season in a decade, the Baltimore Orioles fortified their rotation by acquiring right-hander Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals for three prospects.

Leading the AL East with a 65-41 record and with a stacked farm system, the Orioles had the chance to be among the most aggressive teams at the deadline but held on to all eight of their prospects ranked by MLB Pipeline in baseball’s top 100.

Flaherty struggled earlier this season but was 3-1 with a 3.03 ERA in five July starts.

Flaherty put together his best season in 2019, when he was 11-8 with a 2.75 ERA and threw nearly 200 innings.

Injuries have derailed Flaherty’s previous three seasons, but he has made 20 starts this year with a 4.43 ERA and 7-6 record.  

 

Padres are buyers; adding Hill, Choi in trade with Pirates

The San Diego Padres are five games out of a playoff spot but are making moves to get back to the postseason.

The Padres acquired veteran left-hander Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This will be the 13th major league team for the 43-year-old Hill, who is 7-10 with a 4.76 ERA in 22 starts in his 19th MLB season.

Choi, 32, is batting .268 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 14 games since coming off the injured list after missing more than two months due to a left Achilles strain.

San Diego, which reached last season’s NL championship series but must pass five teams in the NL wild-card race, sent Pittsburgh three prospects - headlined by lefty Jackson Wolf.

Justin Verlander pitched the Mets to a 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday for his 250th career victory in what could be his final start for New York.

Verlander permitted one run and five hits while striking out five over 5 1/3 innings to become the 49th pitcher in MLB history to reach 250 wins.

Signed through next season, the three-time Cy Young Award winner improved to 4-1 with a 1.69 ERA in six starts this month but could become expendable with the underachieving Mets sitting 6 1/2 games out of playoff spot.

New York traded fellow three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers in deal officially completed earlier Sunday, but Mets general manager Billy Eppler insists the team is not holding a "fire sale."

The Mets have won eight of 13 but still must pass five teams in the NL wild-card race.

New York took three of four from last-place Washington, as Francisco Lindor hit his 21st homer and reached base four times, while Pete Alonso drove in two runs to give him 75 RBIs on the season.

 

 

Seven-run first inning propels Orioles in win over Yankees

The Orioles got off to a sizzling start against the New York Yankees, plating seven runs in the first inning en route to a 9-3 win in the final meeting of the season between these AL East rivals.

Adam Frazier's three-run homer gave Baltimore a 6-0 lead before New York starter Luis Severino had even recorded an out, and Adley Rutschman had a pair of singles in the first inning - his second driving in Jordan Westburg to put the Orioles up by seven.

With the win, the Orioles remained 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East.

The Yankees, who went 6-7 against the Orioles to lose the season series for the first time since 2016, are 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

New York had its chances in the series finale, rapping out nine hits, but the team went just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position and struck out 18 times - its most in game since also whiffing 18 times in a 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on April 3, 2019.

Anthony Rizzo struck out in all five of his plate appearances.

 

 

Reds rout Dodgers to take over NL Central lead

Elly De La Cruz and Joey Votto each homered in the Cincinnati Reds' 9-0 rout of the Los Angeles Dodgers to take over sole possession of first place in the NL Central.

The 21-year-old De La Cruz went 4 for 5 for his first multihit game since July 8, the 39-year-old Votto had a pair of hits and drove in three runs and Graham Ashcraft kept the Dodgers off balance, allowing five hits over six innings to improve to 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA over his last six outings.

The Reds outhit the Dodgers 14-6 to take two of three in the series and move one-half game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers, who were swept by the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves over the weekend.

 

The Texas Rangers made a major move in their push for the playoffs Saturday, agreeing to a trade with the New York Mets for ace Max Scherzer.

The deal is still pending Scherzer’s approval and there are still financial issues that need to be worked out for the deal to be completed.

The 39-year-old Scherzer is 9-4 with a 4.01 ERA in 19 starts this season for the disappointing Mets. He has 121 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings and has allowed an NL-high 23 home runs.

The Rangers, who lead the AL West, have been hit hard by the season-ending injury to former Met Jacob deGrom, their marquee offseason addition. Scherzer would join a rotation led by All-Star Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray, Martin Perez and Dane Dunning.

Scherzer said Friday that he expected to have discussions with Mets owner Steve Cohen and the team’s front office before Tuesday’s deadline.

Scherzer is a three-time Cy Young Award winner in the second year of a three-year, $130 million contract he signed with the Mets in November 2021. The contract includes an opt-out after the current season. If he declines to opt out, then he’ll be under contract for 2024 at a salary of $43.3 million.

The scuffling New York Mets received a big boost Sunday as slugger Pete Alonso came off the injured list less than two weeks after being diagnosed with a left wrist sprain and bone bruise.

Alonso sustained the injury on a hit by pitch at the Atlanta Braves on June 7 and was expected to be out for at least three-to-four weeks.

Instead, he is in the lineup Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Alonso enters Sunday’s action leading the National League with 22 home runs while ranking second with 49 RBIs in 62 games.

The Mets are in fourth place in the NL East with a 33-37 record after increasing their spending this past offseason to a luxury tax payroll record of roughly $430 million.

Brandon Nimmo atoned for an earlier baserunning mistake with a game-ending RBI double in the 10th inning to lift the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over the visiting New York Yankees on Wednesday.

After the Yankees failed to score in the top of the 10th, Albert Abreu struck out Mark Vientos to keep automatic runner Eduardo Escobar at second, but Nimmo greeted Nick Ramirez with a drive off the wall in right-centre to score the winning run. 

The Yankees broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning, highlighted by Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s steal of home – the first steal of home by a Yankee since Didi Gregorius on Aug. 27, 2016.

The Mets, however, scored two in the bottom half of the inning to tie things back up at 3-3, though ran themselves out of the inning when Nimmo was caught halfway between second and third base on Starling Marte’s game-tying single and thrown out for the third out, ending a potential bases-loaded threat.

The series finale featured a compelling pitching matchup between Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander and both stars permitted just one run but were done after six innings.

Cole struck out eight and allowed four hits, while Verlander scattered three hits and had six punchouts. Neither walked a batter.

The city rivals split the two-game Subway Series after the Yankees’ 7-6 win on Tuesday. The victory was just the second in 11 games for the Mets, who had dropped four in a row at home.

 

 

 

 

Berrios stymies Orioles

Jose Berrios took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-1 win at Baltimore, ending the Orioles’ five-game winning streak.

Berríos retired the first 13 batters he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Adley Rutschman opened the seventh with a soft single to centre.

Berríos ended up pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings – his longest outing since going eight innings at Detroit on June 10, 2022 – allowing three hits and a walk while striking out five. The right-hander improved to 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA in his last five starts and 10-0 in his career against the Orioles.

Baltimore, which had won the season’s first four matchups with Toronto, came in having scored 11 runs in each of its last two games but didn’t get on the scoreboard until Aaron Hicks’ run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

 

 

Rays end Athletics’ 7-game winning streak

Manuel Margot and Yandy Diaz had back-to-back RBI doubles in the fifth inning and Tampa Bay’s bullpen worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings as the Rays snapped the Oakland Athletics’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory.

Tampa Bay took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth against Luis Medina. Taylor Walls singled, stole second, moved to third on an error and scored on Margot’s double. Diaz followed with another double to make it 3-3 and Josh Lowe singled home Diaz one out later.

Major league-leading Tampa Bay remained the only team in the majors without a three-game losing streak.

 

 

 

The New York Mets will be without first baseman and Major League home run leader Pete Alonso for the next few weeks due to a wrist injury.

Alonso was placed on the injured list Friday with a sprained left wrist and bone bruise. He will be re-evaluated in three or four weeks.

Alonso suffered the injury when he was hit by a 97-mph fastball during Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

While X-rays showed no fractures, further testing revealed the injuries that will keep the Mets’ best slugger out for the next month.

The Mets entered play Friday with a 30-33 record and in fourth place in the National League East. They will now be without Alonso, who leads the majors with 22 home runs this season.

The news of Alonso’s absence comes while the Mets are mired in a season-long six-game losing streak.

The Mets called up infielder Luis Guillorme to take Alonso’s roster spot, while duties at first base are expected to be handled by Mark Vientos and Mark Canha.

Alonso is batting .231 this season with an .872 OPS, while his 49 RBIs are the most in the NL.

Since he made his debut in 2019, Alonso has hit 168 home runs and driven in 429 runs, both MLB highs over that span.

Anthony Rizzo's hot start to the season continued on Thursday as he reached base safely five times in the New York Yankees' 9-3 home victory against the star-studded Los Angeles Angels.

Rizzo hit a single in the first inning, another single in the second inning, before drawing walks in both the fourth and seventh frames, and he capped off his great on-base percentage outing with an RBI single in the eighth.

The stat-boosting performance from the Yankees first-baseman improved his batting average to .344 from his 18 starts this season, while also boasting an on-base percentage of .449 and a slugging figure of .578.

Rizzo's sole RBI was the only RBI produced by the top four bats in the Yankees' line-up, with the bottom of their order picking up the slack.

Catcher Jose Trevino did the damage with a bases-clearing double in the first inning to open up a 5-0 lead, while Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also finished with two RBIs each.

It was a solid start on the mound for Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, making it through six full innings in 94 pitches, allowing three runs from four hits and two walks, and striking out seven.

For the Angels, their superstar duo of Mike Trout (one-for-four) and Shohei Ohtani (zero-for-three with a walk) combined to go one-for-seven at the plate with a walk, but rookie catcher Logan O'Hoppe continued to show promise with a three-for-four day, driving in two runs.

The win improves the Yankees' record to 12-7 – the third-best record in the American League – while the Angels fell below .500 at 9-10.

Outman sends two balls out, man

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder James Outman had the first multi-home run game of his career in a 6-2 win away from home against the Chicago Cubs.

Outman, who was bumped up to the lead-off spot, connected on a 420-foot bomb in the third inning for his fourth homer of the season. He added number five in emphatic fashion, blasting a grand slam in the top of the ninth to turn a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 triumph.

The 25-year-old is slashing .290/.397/.645 as he looks to insert his name into NL Rookie of the Year conversations early.

Alonso hits MLB-leading ninth homer

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso now sits alone atop the home run leaderboard after hitting his ninth in a 9-4 road win against the San Francisco Giants.

One of the best power-hitters in the sport, Alonso is coming off a 40-homer campaign, and he broke a three-way tie atop this season's standings in the fourth inning with a 366-foot, two-run shot to left-field.

Alonso went on to finish with four RBIs after a two-run single in the seventh frame, with 30-year-old Japanese rookie Kodai Senga collecting the win on the mound to improve his record to 3-0 from four starts.

New York Mets ace Max Scherzer will miss his next two scheduled starts after he was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for having a foreign substance on his hand during Wednesday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Scherzer was ejected in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium after he had several interactions with umpires during the customary between-inning hand checks.

Umpire Phil Cuzzi determined after the second inning that Scherzer’s hand was stickier and darker than normal, and ordered the three-time Cy Young winner to wash his hand, which Scherzer said he did with alcohol while a Major League Baseball official watched.

After the third inning, Cuzzi then determined the pocket of Scherzer's glove was "sticky," likely with too much rosin, and he ordered Scherzer to change gloves. The umpires then checked the 38-year-old right-hander again before the fourth, and his hands were even worse than before.

Scherzer said he used only a combination of sweat and rosin to improve tactness. He could be spotted on the TV broadcast yelling that it was "just rosin" on his hands.

"When you use sweat and rosin your hand is sticky," Scherzer said after the game. "But I don’t know how I get ejected when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly, exactly what you want and being deemed that my hand's too sticky when I'm using a legal substance. I do not understand that."

Scherzer appealed the penalty imposed by Michael Hill, MLB's senior vice president for on-field operations, and can continue to play until the appeal is decided. The appeal would be heard by MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.

He becomes the third pitcher suspended by MLB since the crackdown on sticky substances started in June 2021. Seattle's Héctor Santiago was penalized June 28 that year, before Arizona’s Caleb Smith was pinged a month later on August 24, with both drawing 10-game penalties.

All three inspections that led to suspensions involved Cuzzi.

Scherzer is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four starts this season with nine walks and 17 strikeouts.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer could face a 10-game suspension after being ejected from the New York Mets' 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers after checks for a sticky substance.

The Mets right-hander pleaded his innocence with the umpires checking the pitcher's hand and glove for a sticky substance on three separate occasions, eventually tossing him from the game prior to the fourth inning.

Under MLB rules, if a player is deemed to have violated the rules on sticky substances, they will receive an automatic 10-game ban, which can be appealed.

Scherzer was left bewildered by the decision, yelling "it's rosin" upon umpire Phil Cuzzi's call to eject him from the game, before reluctantly exiting.

"I'd have to be an absolute idiot to try to do anything when I'm coming back out for the fourth," Scherzer told reporters. "He said my hand is too sticky, and I said, 'I swear on my kids' life that I'm not using anything else. This is sweat and rosin, sweat and rosin.'

"I don't get how I get ejected when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly - exactly - what you want and being deemed my hands too sticky when I'm using legal substances, I do not understand that."

In the umpires' pool report, plate umpire Dan Bellino said the stickiness of Scherzer's hand worsened from the initial second-inning inspection to the third inspection in the fourth inning when he was ejected.

"As far as stickiness, this was the stickiest it had been since I've been inspecting hands, which goes back three seasons," Bellino said.

Cuzzi added: "I said this to Buck and to Max, it really didn't matter to us what it is. All we know is that it was far stickier than anything that we've felt certainly today and anything this year, and so in that case, we felt as though he had two chances to clean it up, and he didn't."

Scherzer became only the third pitcher to be ejected for violating the updated foreign substance policy, after Seattle's Hector Santiago and Arizona's Caleb Smith, both in 2021. Both copped 10-game bans.

Clayton Kershaw brought up his 200th career win with a shutout as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 5-0 on Tuesday.

The Dodgers left-hander moved to 22nd on the all-time major league strikeout list with nine K's across seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and no walks.

Kershaw joined Don Sutton and Don Drysdale as the only pitchers with 200 wins in a Dodgers uniform, while he becomes one of four active players to reach the mark, alongside Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Zack Greinke.

J.D. Martinez blasted home runs in the first and third innings, before adding an eighth-inning RBI single to finish with four RBIs.

Freddie Freeman went one-for-four, with one run and one RBI from a sacrifice fly.

The win was the Dodgers' first shutout of the season, led by Kershaw who produced a vintage performance to bring up his milestone.

The three-time Cy Young ward winner's career record improved to 200-88 in 405 games.

Ohtani laser sets up Angels win over Yankees

Shohei Ohtani blasted a two-run laser beam homer in the first inning as the Los Angeles Angels downed the New York Yankees 5-2 on the 100th anniversary of Yankee Stadium.

Ohtani's early blast sparked the Angels' triumph in a star-studded encounter featuring three AL MVPs where Aaron Judge went none-for-three, struck out twice while he drove in one with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly.

Mike Trout went two-for-four scoring in the fourth inning from Anthony Rendon's single. Rendon also drove in Ohtani in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, opening up the decisive 5-2 lead.

Verdugo delivers bizarre walk-off hit

Alex Verdugo produced a bizarre walk-off hit as the Boston Red Sox edged the Minnesota Twins 5-4 in a dramatic 10th inning thriller.

Verdugo's fly ball to right field barely stayed fair, catching outfielder Max Kepler unaware as it bounced off the wall just short of Pesky's Pole and back into play. The umpires reviewed the drive for several minutes, deeming it fair to clinch the walk-off win.

Red Sox starter Chris Sale had 11 strikeouts across six innings, while Verdugo went three-for-five with one run and the decisive RBI for Reese McGuire to score after the Twins had gone 4-2 up at the top of the 10th.

Mike Trout joined some elite company with his 300th career double but it was an unhappy return for the Los Angeles Angels who lost 9-7 to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

Trout, who went three-for-four, became just the fourth player in MLB history to reach 300 doubles, 300 homers and 200 stolen bases by his age-31 season, alongside  Willie Mays, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

The Angels had skipped ahead to a 4-0 lead after Urshela's first-inning grand slam, with Trout having doubled to left to reach his milestone with a rocket off the Green Monster.

But Rafael Devers halved the deficit with his seventh blast of the season, a two-run shot, taking him up to the top of the majors' charts for home runs.

Yu Chang ended his none-for-29 drought with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fourth inning,

The Angels regained the lead in the sixth inning from Shohei Ohtani's RBI single. Ohtani also extended his on-base streak to 36 games, which is the best active streak in the majors.

But Chang delivered again with a two-run single in the eighth inning to finish with four RBIs. That came amid an eighth where Angels' Matt Thaiss was called twice for catcher interference, prolonging the inning.

Ryan Brasier got the win, with Kenley Jensen taking the final three outs for his fourth save.

Alonso blasts league-leading homer in Mets win

Pete Alonso crushed his league-leading seventh home run of the season as the New York Mets rallied past the Oakland Athletics 3-2.

Alonso's fourth-inning blast got the wheels in motion for the Mets, after the A's opened up a 2-0 lead at the bottom of the second inning.

The Mets rallied into the lead with two runs in the seventh inning, with Mark Canha's 414-foot homer followed by Brandon Nimmo's RBI double.

Alonso leads the majors for homers with seven alongside Red Sox's Rafael Devers, with Baltimore Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle and Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy having six each.

Miggy records 16th career walk-off with single

Miguel Cabrera produced an 11th-inning walk-off single for the Detroit Tigers to edge the San Francisco Giants 7-6.

The Tigers had to rally from a five-run deficit, trailing 6-1 after J.D. Davis' two-run blast at the top of the third inning, pulling back two runs in the fifth, before Javier Baez's two-run double in the eighth followed by Spencer Torkelson's single.

Detroit's 39-year-old pinch-hitter, who recorded his 3,000th career hit last season, brought up his 16th career walk-off with his 3,095th career hit up the middle to score Torkelson.

Justin Verlander could be making his New York Mets debut sooner than later after an MRI revealed reduced inflammation in the right throwing shoulder of the prized free agent acquisition.

The three-time Cy Young Award winner is cleared to continue throwing and the Mets said Wednesday that a timeline for him joining the starting rotation will be established as he progresses.

The Mets surprisingly placed Verlander on the injured list with a low-grade teres major strain on Opening Day last Thursday – two days before he was slated to make his New York debut.

Verlander helped the Houston Astros to the 2022 World Series title and agreed to two-year, $86million contract with New York in December.

Verlander turned 40 years old in February but is still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.

Despite missing the entire 2021 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander was the unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award in 2022 after leading the majors with a 1.75 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, while going 18-4 with 185 strikeouts to 29 walks in 28 starts.

A nine-time All-Star, Verlander captured his first Cy Young Award in 2011 – a season in which he also won the AL MVP. He also won the 2019 AL Cy Young Award, as well as the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year Award.

For his career, Verlander is 244-133 with 3,198 strike outs, ranking first in both wins and strikeouts among active pitchers.

He is historically fared well against NL East opponents, which bodes well for the Mets, as he is posted a 2.14 ERA against those teams in his career – his lowest ERA against any division. His career ERA is 3.24.

In four starts against NL East clubs last season, he went 4-0 without giving up a run over 25 innings, while striking out 26.

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