pitcher

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The Curveball Is Getting Thrown, Well, a Curveball

The iconic pitch is declining in baseball, with faster, harder pitches now dominating instead

(Newser) - Curveballs have been thrown a curve by a modern baseball game that apparently values velocity over variety, disappearing from the major leagues by more than 20,000 annually. "You don't really see a lot of people throwing 12-6 curveballs anymore," Tampa Bay pitcher Shane Baz says, per...

Shohei Ohtani's New Children's Book Stars a Special Pal
Ohtani's Latest Hit
Is for the Kids
Jul 19, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Ohtani's Latest Hit Is for the Kids

LA Dodgers star pens children's book Decoy Saves Opening Day , starring his own dog

(Newser) - Shohei Ohtani is adding author to his list of accomplishments. The Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar has co-written a children's book starring his beloved dog, Decoy. Ohtani posted a photo on his Instagram on Thursday of Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, sitting next to the book, per the AP . The...

He's Just the 20th MLB Pitcher to Do This

Clayton Kershaw notches 3K strikeouts

(Newser) - Clayton Kershaw became the 20th pitcher with 3,000 strikeouts when Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox took a slider for a called third strike for the final out of the sixth inning on Wednesday night, the AP reports. "It's the last box for Clayton to check...

MLB Pitcher's 5-Year-Old: 'Who Wants to Hurt Me?'

Major league players say online abuse, including death threats, is increasing

(Newser) - Soon after Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start by the Houston Astros pitcher, his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, overheard his wife, Kara, talking on the phone about it. What followed was a painful conversation between McCullers and his little girl. "She asked...

Pitcher Has a Message for Fans Who Wish He'd Died of Cancer

Liam Hendriks says he and his wife received death threats after loss

(Newser) - On Wednesday, Liam Hendriks took the loss in the Red Sox game against the Mets. On Thursday, the pitcher objected to the reaction of some fans, USA Today reports. "Just as an FYI: Threats against my life and my wife's life are horrible and cruel," Hendriks posted...

MLB Pitcher Injuries Are Rising, From Throwing Way Too Fast

Recent league report finds players hyperfocus on velocity, wreaking havoc on their arms

(Newser) - Figuring out a cause for the skyrocketing number of arm injuries among pitchers is easy. Finding a solution could prove more challenging. Major League Baseball issued a 62-page report in December showing how the focus on throwing with increased velocity and using maximum effort on every pitch was a likely...

'Piece of Baseball History' Could Break Auction Record

Ball hit in home run by LA Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, putting him in the '50-50 club,' could go for millions

(Newser) - About 25 years ago, someone forked over a record $3.05 million for a baseball, hit by Mark McGwire for his 70th home run. That record may be broken in the coming days, thanks to a home run ball slammed by Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani—one that...

Ex-MLB Pitcher's Missing Daughter Is Found

Arrest warrant had been out for former boyfriend of Brenna Swindell, daughter of Greg Swindell

(Newser) - The daughter of an ex-MLB pitcher, who went missing last week, has been found. Brenna Swindell—a 29-year-old mom of three and the daughter of Greg Swindell, who last played for the Arizona Diamondbacks before retiring in 2002—hadn't been seen since Thursday night, per ABC News . That's...

Phenom's Latest Start: 7 Innings, No Hits

Paul Skenes ties Nolan Ryan's achievement, could start All-Star Game

(Newser) - Paul Skenes struck out 11 in seven no-hit innings in another dominant performance, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 on Thursday. Skenes threw 99 pitches in his 11th major league start, 65 for strikes. The right-hander, who's going to the All-Star Game after just 11 major...

Pitcher Hits a Wall, Goes on Injured List

Colten Brewer's bad outing against Angels got worse

(Newser) - A Chicago Cubs reliever has two months to think about what he's done. Righthander Colten Brewer was placed on the 60-day injured list after breaking his left hand when he slugged a wall in frustration on Saturday, CBS Sports reports. He'd just given up three runs to the...

Mets to Cut Pitcher Who Threw Glove Into Stands

After ejection, Jorge Lopez seemingly called team the worst in the MLB

(Newser) - Jorge Lopez is being cut by the struggling New York Mets after an outburst this week. The relief pitcher threw his glove into the stands following his ejection Wednesday at Citi Field. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called the outburst "not acceptable" and said it would be handled internally. Lopez...

Dodgers' Ohtani Makes a Surprise Announcement

Turns out the 29-year-old star is now hitched to a Japanese woman

(Newser) - Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has stunningly revealed he's married. Ohtani wrote on Thursday on Instagram , in Japanese: "The season is approaching, but I would like to announce to everyone that I have gotten married." He said his new wife was a "Japanese woman," without identifying...

Jury Returns Conviction in Boys' Crosswalk Deaths

Prosecutors say Rebecca Grossman had been racing former MLB player after drinks

(Newser) - A Southern California woman has been found guilty in the deaths of two young brothers who were in a crosswalk when Rebecca Grossman's car struck them in 2020. A jury convicted her of two counts of murder, two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, and one count of hit-and-run, the...

His Unprecedented Contract Has Unprecedented Structure
His Unprecedented Contract
Has Unprecedented Structure
the rundown
Dec 12, 2023 11:11 AM CST

His Unprecedented Contract Has Unprecedented Structure

Baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani will defer most of his $700M for another decade

(Newser) - The big sports news over the weekend came from the world of baseball , where Shohei Ohtani announced he'd signed a record-shattering $700 million contract over 10 years to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now that more details of the deal are surfacing, the Wall Street Journal calls attention...

A's Pitcher Takes Parting Shot at Owner: 'Sell the Team, Dude'

Oakland Athletics' Trevor May rails against John Fisher while announcing retirement

(Newser) - Trevor May informed the world that he was retiring from Major League Baseball on Monday, but not before taking a parting shot at the owner of his team. Per USA Today , the 34-year-old relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics made his announcement in a Twitch video , and while he had...

Pitcher's Game Is One 'I'm Going to Remember Forever'

New York Yankees' Domingo German pitches perfect game in 11-0 victory over Athletics

(Newser) - Since arriving in the big leagues six years ago, Domingo German has been anything but perfect—until now. The New York Yankees right-hander pitched the 24th perfect game in major league history Wednesday night, retiring every Oakland batter in an 11-0 victory over the Athletics. It was the first perfect...

MLB Team Cuts Player After Anti-LGBTQ+ Controversy

Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass shared divisive social media post, apologized, then defended it

(Newser) - On Friday, Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass was set to catch the ceremonial first pitch, thrown by a local LGBTQ+ activist to kick off his team's Pride Weekend, in a matchup against the Minnesota Twins. Instead, the Blue Jays cut Bass from the roster hours before the...

It May Be the Biggest Contract Bust in MLB History
It May Be
the Biggest
Contract Bust
in MLB History
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jun 10, 2023 6:30 AM CDT

It May Be the Biggest Contract Bust in MLB History

Stephen Strasburg has pitched 31 innings since signing $245M deal, may never pitch again

(Newser) - It was a bold move: After their 2019 championship season, the Washington Nationals signed reigning World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg to a monstrous $245 million contract over seven years. At the time, it was the biggest contract ever awarded to a pitcher. The problem is that the 34-year-old hasn't...

MLB Pitcher Suffers Scary Line Drive Injury

Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner suffers concussion, skull fracture after being hit by ball

(Newser) - Colorado Rockies pitcher Ryan Feltner has a skull fracture and concussion after getting hit by a line drive off the bat of the Philadelphia Phillies' Nick Castellanos. Feltner was injured Saturday night during a game in Denver and was discharged from Swedish Medical Center on Sunday, per the AP . He...

Pitcher-Turned-Cop Is Killed in Crash

Port Authority officer Anthony Varvaro was headed to 9/11 ceremony

(Newser) - He pitched in the major leagues, then took the unusual career path of becoming a police officer. Now 37-year-old Anthony Varvaro is dead following a duty-related car crash, reports ABC7 . Varvaro, an officer with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was on his way to the World...

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