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By the time Casey Stengel became manager of the Oakland Oaks for the 1946 season, the franchise already had nearly a half-century of backstory. Sometimes it stood tall and strong among Pacific Coast League competitors, but often seeming overshadowed by the San Francisco Seals, whose city was about five times
By the time Casey Stengel became manager of the Oakland Oaks for the 1946 season, the franchise already had nearly a half-century of backstory. Sometimes it stood tall and strong among Pacific Coast League competitors, but often seeming overshadowed by the San Francisco Seals, whose city was about five times the size of the Oaks town of 67,000 when the rivalry began. The Seals story (with their five PCL titles, multiple DiMaggios and Lefty O Doul and hit-crazed Smead Jolley) may be more commonly told, but the Oaks are every bit as much a part of baseball history.
It appears that four-time All-Star outfielder and designated hitter Michael Brantley won t be following George Springer to the Toronto Blue Jays as thought earlier on Wednesday.
January 15, 2021
The New York Yankees, who already have ace Gerrit Cole in their starting rotation, are adding another high-end starting pitcher. Corey Kluber is finalizing a deal to join the Bronx Bombers, pending a physical.
Right-hander Corey Kluber and the New York Yankees are finalizing a deal that will bring the two-time AL Cy Young winner to the Bronx, pending a physical, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN.
The Yankees have been hit by injuries to their starting rotation in recent years, and acquisition James Paxton did not max out with New York last season. Yet, those realities aren’t the foremost reasons the Yankees aggressively pursued Kluber, a two-time Cy Young Award winner from his days with the Cleveland Indians who briefly pitched for the Texas Rangers.
Once Again, Soulless MLB is Robbing its Fans
by Joe Guzzardi, January 15, 2021
Soulless Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is determined to squeeze the life out of the game s minor leagues.
When the 2021 season begins, and no one knows when that might be since COVID-19 wiped out 2020, minor league baseball will be minus about 40 established franchises. Other leagues will be reclassified.
Designated for an overhaul is the Appalachian League, founded in 1911, which fielded 10 teams scattered throughout Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee s picturesque mountains.
Hall of Famers Greg Maddux, Kirby Puckett, Cal Ripken, Jr, and flamethrower Nolan Ryan got their baseball starts in the Appy Summer League. But when the decade-long Professional Baseball Agreement with the Minor Leagues ended after the 2020 non-season, Manfred determined that the rookie level Appy League would lose its professional status, and become a summer college wood bat league.
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 1/2/21
After seven MLB seasons, Masahiro Tanaka might be ready to call it quits on his career in America.
Randy Miller of NJ.com reported this week that there is a good chance the New York Yankees righty will either re-sign with the Bronx Bombers or return to Japan to pitch for his old team, the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Miller adds that Tanaka, who pitched for the Golden Eagles from 2007 to 2013, is not interested in playing for a non-contending team, regardless of money.
The seven-year deal that Tanaka originally signed with the Yankees in 2014 just expired, making him a free agent. He went 3-3 with a 3.56 ERA in the shortened 2020 season and recently turned 32 years old.