Latest National League News

FILE - In this March 5, 2012, file photo, former All-Star outfielder Lenny Dykstra is seen during his sentencing for grand theft auto in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. A judge has dismissed Lenny Dykstra’s defamation lawsuit against former New York Mets teammate Ron Darling, Friday, May 29, 2020, ruling the outfielder's reputation already was so tarnished it could not be damaged more. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

Judge dismisses Dykstra's suit against ex-teammate Darling

Jun. 1, 2020 4:54 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has dismissed Lenny Dykstra’s defamation lawsuit against former New York Mets teammate Ron Darling, ruling the outfielder's reputation already was so tarnished it could not be damaged more. Dykstra claimed he was defamed when Darling alleged he had made racist remarks toward...

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, Washington Nationals relief pitcher Sean Doolittle throws during the seventh inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros, in Washington. The Nationals told their minor leaguers on Monday, June 1, 2020, they will receive their full weekly stipends of $400 at least through June after Washington reliever Sean Doolittle tweeted that the team’s major league players would cover a planned cut in those payments.(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Nationals change course, pay minor leaguers full stipend

Jun. 1, 2020 1:14 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Nationals changed course and told their minor leaguers on Monday they will receive their full weekly stipends of $400 at least through June after Washington reliever Sean Doolittle tweeted that the team’s major league players would cover a planned cut in those payments....

FILE - In this May 2, 2020, file photo, jockey Joel Rosario and Nadal cross the wire to win the second division of the Arkansas Derby horse race at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. Nadal, who now won't have a shot after an ankle injury in training last week, could have been racing to become trainer Bob Baffert's third Triple Crown winner in six seasons, if not for the coronavirus pandemic. The Belmont Stakes usually wraps up a five-week span that includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. All have been pushed back, though the Belmont Stakes will now go first on June 20. (Richard Rasmussen/The Sentinel-Record via AP, File)

What Would Have Been: Triple Crown finale and French finals

Jun. 1, 2020 2:05 AM EDT

The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown would have been set and the French Open finals would have been contested this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic. While NASCAR is staying busy on the track, and there are signals that other sports could be working toward a return, The Associated Press looks at...

Liverpool soccer team manager Jurgen Klopp waves as he arrives at the club's Melwood training ground after the English Premier League announced players can return to training in small groups as the coronavirus lockdown is eased Wednesday May 20, 2020. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Mets' Alonso: 'I will not remain silent' on racial injustice

May. 31, 2020 6:41 PM EDT

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world: ___ New York Mets star Pete Alonso is the latest high-profile athlete to speak out against racial injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd. “For the past couple of days, I’ve struggled to wrap my mind around...

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price throws during spring training baseball Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Dodgers' David Price throws money toward minor leaguers' pay

May. 30, 2020 4:42 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Minor league players in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization will be getting something extra in their paychecks courtesy of star pitcher David Price. He will give $1,000 each to 220 minor leaguers as a goodwill gesture, a team spokesman said Saturday. They will continue to receive $400 a...

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2020, file photo, The Phillie Phanatic mascot performs before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Clearwater, Fla. Mascots have no other place in baseball should the sport resume. Mascots will be banned. Take a look across the globe and mascots remained a staple of baseball games in Taiwan and the KBO League in South Korea. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Muzzle Mr. Met? Mascots wonder why they're banned from MLB

May. 30, 2020 11:43 AM EDT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillie Phanatic had stories of his favorite adventures -- from the Galapagos Islands to the cobblestone streets of Philadelphia -- read to him most weeks from his very best buds. The Philly furball was tucked in with a bedtime story from Bryce Harper. Andrew McCutchen and manager...

FILE - In this March 15, 2020, file photo, Toronto Blue Jays minor league baseball player Jesus Navarro, left center, wears a mask while he prepares to fly home along with his teammates from the Dominican Republic at Tampa International Airport in Tampa, Fla. Unlike the NFL, NBA or Major League Baseball that can run on television revenue, it's impossible for some minor sports leagues in North America to go on in empty stadiums and arenas in light of the coronavirus pandemic. These attendance-driven leagues might not play again at all in 2020, putting some teams in danger of surviving at all and potentially changing the landscape of minor league sports in the future. (Octavio Jones/Tampa Bay Times via AP, File)

At least 16 MLB teams pledge more stipends to minor leaguers

May. 29, 2020 9:27 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — At least 16 major league franchises have informed minor leaguers they will continue to provide allowances after the May 31 expiration of Major League Baseball’s policy guarantying those players $400 per week. The Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres,...

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 28, 2020, file photo, a darkened Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks of baseball's National League, sits empty. Major League Baseball owners gave the go-ahead Monday, May 11, 2020, to making a proposal to the players' union that could lead to the coronavirus-delayed season starting around the Fourth of July weekend in ballparks without fans, a plan that envisions expanding the designated hitter to the National League for 2020. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

D-backs cut about quarter of staff with layoffs, furloughs

May. 29, 2020 7:30 PM EDT

The Arizona Diamondbacks have laid off or furloughed about one-quarter of the team’s employees because of lost revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization made the moves on Friday. Remaining staff will take pay cuts that average less than 15%, with the team's highest earners losing a bigger...

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 2019, file photo, sports agent Scott Boras listens as Gerrit Cole is introduced as the newest New York Yankees player during a baseball media availability in New York. Boras recommends his clients refuse Major League Baseball’s attempt to cut salaries during negotiations with the players’ association, claiming team financial issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic have their origin in management debt financing. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

Boras to clients in memo: Don't bail out baseball owners

May. 28, 2020 10:59 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Agent Scott Boras recommends his clients refuse Major League Baseball’s attempt to cut salaries during negotiations with the players’ association, claiming team financial issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic have their origin in management debt financing. In an email...

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2018, file photo, as Chicago Cubs fans celebrate behind him, Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman (11) reacts after striking out in the tenth inning of a baseball game at Nationals Park in Washington. With baseball on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, Zimmerman is offering his thoughts -- as told to AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich -- in a diary of sorts. In the eighth installment, Zimmerman discusses what his biggest concerns would be about resuming competition in 2020, starting with assurances about testing for COVID-19. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Nats star Ryan Zimmerman's AP diary: Assure me we'll be safe

May. 28, 2020 11:15 AM EDT

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ryan Zimmerman is a two-time All-Star infielder who has played 15 years in the majors, all with the Washington Nationals. With baseball on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, Zimmerman is offering his thoughts — as told to AP Sports Writer Howard Fendrich — in a diary of...

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