Category: Baseball

ATLANTA (AP) — Jen Pawol breezed through Sunday’s Marlins-Braves game as if breaking a gender barrier was just another day on the job.

Considering Pawol became the first female umpire to work behind the plate in the majors, making unprecedented history appear to be routine was especially impressive.

“I think Jen did a really nice job,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said after Atlanta’s 7-1 win over the Marlins.

“I think she’s very composed back there. She handled and managed the game very well. And big day for her. Big day for Major League Baseball. I congratulated her again on that because it’s quite the accomplishment.”

It was an impressive cap to a memorable weekend for Pawol. She made history in Saturday’s doubleheader as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the majors. She called the bases in the doubleheader before moving behind the plate on Sunday, placing her in the brightest spotlight for an umpire.

Pawol never showed any indication of being affected by the attention, even while knowing every call would be closely watched.

“Congrats to Jen, obviously,” said Braves left-hander Joey Wentz, who earned the win by allowing only one run in 5 1/3 innings.

Asked about Pawol’s calls, Wentz said, “I try not to focus on the zone, to be honest with you. ... I thought it was good though.”

There were few opportunities for disputes as Wentz and Miami starting pitcher Cal Quantrill combined for only three strikeouts. The first called third strike came in the fifth inning, when Pawol used a fist pump when calling out Miami’s Kyle Stowers on a pitch that was close to the edge of the plate.

McCullough was seen in the Marlins dugout with his palms held up as if asking about the pitch call. He said after the game it’s not unusual to question a close called strike.

“Over the course of the game, there are a number of times that you just are going to be asking for clarity on one, if you aren’t sure,” McCullough said. “So it could have been that.”

The 48-year-old Pawol was called up as a rover umpire, so her next assignment in the majors has not been announced.

“I wish her the best moving forward as she continues to, I’m sure, hopefully one day be up full time, you know, a permanent big league umpire,” McCullough said.

Pawol also received positive reviews from Braves manager Brian Snitker, who on Saturday said, “You can tell she knows what she does.”

Pawol’s work in the minor leagues began in 2016 when she was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. She worked in the Triple-A championship game in 2023 and in spring training games in 2024 and again this year.

“We certainly didn’t call her up from A ball, right?” Quantrll said. “So yeah, I’m sure she was well prepared. And like I said I think, you know, part of the game moving forward is that if this is normal then we’re going to treat it normal, too. So, you know, I thought it was fine. I think she did she did a quality job. ... And yeah, I think she’d be very proud of herself. And, you know, it’s kind of a cool little thing to be part of.”

Pawol spoke to reporters on Saturday when she said, “The dream actually came true today. I’m still living in it. I’m so grateful to my family and Major League Baseball for creating such an incredible work environment. … I’m just so thankful.”

Pawol received cheers from fans on both days. On Sunday, some held up “Way to go Jen!” signs.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Luke Keaschall hit a two-run homer in the 11th inning, Ryan Fitzgerald homered for his first career hit, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Sunday.

With two outs, Keaschall hit a fastball from Royals closer Carlos Estévez (4-4) to the first row of seats in right-centerfield for Minnesota’s ninth walk-off win of the season.

It was the third hit of the day for Keaschall, who has reached base in 12 straight games to start his career.

Michael Tonkin (1-0), Minnesota’s seventh pitcher, pitched scoreless 10th and 11th innings for his first win since July 30, 2024.

Adam Frazier had four hits and Maikel Garcia three for Kansas City. Vinnie Pasquantino hit his 20th home run for a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

The Twins tied it in the eighth when Ryan Jeffers drove in Austin Martin, who tripled on an ill-advised diving attempt by John Rave with the ball getting past the left fielder and rolling to the wall.

In his fourth career game, Fitzgerald, a 31-year-old who signed a minor league contract with Minnesota in January, hit a third-inning slider from Ryan Bergert off the top of the right field wall for a 2-1 Twins lead.

Key moment

Seeking his second career five-hit game, Frazier flew out with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth. Kansas City was 1 for 15 with men in scoring position and left 15 runners on base.

Key stat

The Royals lost for just the fourth time in 50 games when leading after seven innings. Minnesota won for the third time in 48 games when trailing after seven.

Up next

Kansas City LHP Bailey Falter (7-6, 4.14 ERA) hosts Nationals’ RHP Cade Cavalli (0-0, 0.00) on Monday.

RHP Zebby Matthews (3-3, 5.17) gets the ball Monday for Minnesota against Yankees RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.44).

CHICAGO (AP) — Lenyn Sosa and Colson Montgomery homered and the Chicago White Sox snapped a six-game skid with a 6-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday

Sosa hit a two-run homer, his 14th, in the first and Montgomery followed later in the inning with a solo shot, his ninth. Curtis Mead and Kyle Teel also knocked in runs for the White Sox, who banged out 11 hits.

Chicago starter Davis Martin (4-9) allowed five hits and three earned runs in five innings, with three walks and two strikeouts. Grant Taylor earned the save.

Kyle Manzardo hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and a two-run shot in the seventh, and David Fry added a two-run double in the sixth for the Guardians.

Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (5-5) allowed five runs on eight hits with four strikeouts in the loss.

Key moment

Mead, in his sixth game with the White Sox, hit an RBI double in the third to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third.

Key stat

Chicago has led the league in home runs since the All-Star break with 42.

Up next

The White Sox have not named a starter for their home series against the Tigers on Monday. Detroit will go with RHP Chris Paddack (4-10, 4.91 ERA).

The Guardians send LHP Logan Allen (7-9, 3.96 ERA) against Marlins RHP Janson Junk (6-2, 3.97) on Tuesday.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks scored in the first inning for the sixth game in a row Sunday, the longest such streak in the majors this season.

Adrian Del Castillo’s three-run homer, his first of the season, put the Diamondbacks up 3-0 against the Colorado Rockies.

Several teams this season had four-game streaks of scoring in the first inning. The Diamondbacks exceeded that Saturday night when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had an RBI single in the first of their 6-5 win over Colorado that ended on Gurriel’s RBI double in the ninth.

The homer by Del Castillo on Sunday also extended Arizona’s streak to seven games in a row of scoring multiple runs within the first three innings of a game. That matches NL East-leading Philadelphia for the longest in the majors this season.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Willie MacIver hit a two-run, ninth-inning double off Keegan Akin to rally the Athletics to a 3-2 series-clinching victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

MacIver’s liner down the left-field line against Akin (3-2) scored Darell Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler, the latter of whom pinch ran for Gio Urshela and ran through third base coach Eric Martins’ stop sign.

The relay throw came in ahead of Butler, but was in the dirt and slightly off line. Catcher Alex Jackson couldn’t scoop it in time to make the tag.

Elvis Alvarado (1-0) recorded the final five outs against Baltimore. Brent Rooker singled in the other A’s run in the sixth before departing in the bottom of the eighth with an apparent cramp or injury. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said Rooker’s departure was preventative.

Jordan Westburg hit his 14th home run for Baltimore in the fifth inning of a bullpen game for the Athletics, and Coby Mayo put the Orioles ahead again in the seventh with a pinch-hit double.

Key moment

Baltimore failed to score in the bottom of the fourth after Jeremiah Jackson led off with a triple. With one out, Greg Allen tried a squeeze bunt, but the catcher MacIver reached the ball quickly up the third-base line and made a lunging tag of Jackson.

Key stat

Athletics rookie Luis Morales threw only 25 of 57 pitches for strikes and walked five, but still pitched 2 2/3 hitless innings in his first major league start.

Up next

Athletics: Begin a six-game homestand on Monday with the first of three against Tampa Bay. Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (10-7, 3.89 ERA) looks to add to his team-leading wins total.

Orioles: Continue their six-game homestand with the first of three against Seattle on Tuesday. Right-hander Dean Kremer (8-8, 4.35) will try to halt a stretch of three outings without a quality start.

NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Alexander pitched one-hit ball through six innings, Jose Altuve hit his 250th career homer and the Houston Astros beat the Yankees 7-1 Sunday after New York manager Aaron Boone was ejected in the third inning.

Alexander (3-1) allowed his first hit in the sixth inning, a one-out single to Ben Rice. Alexander did not allow a run for the second straight start. He walked three, struck out three in a game in which he relied mostly on changeups and sinkers over 87 pitches.

Altuve, as designated hitter, homered to left in the first and became the 11th player whose primary position is second base to reach 250 homers.

Altuve had two hits and scored three runs, including on a double by Christian Walker in the third and on a single by Ramón Urías that fell in between shortstop Anthony Volpe and left fielder Cody Bellinger in the ninth.

Rookie Cam Smith had a two-out bases-loaded single that scored two runs in the fifth to help the Astros win for the fourth time in six games. Carlos Correa hit his second homer since being acquired from Minnesota, and Mauricio Dubón knocked in a run in the three-run ninth.

Fried (12-5) allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings and lost for the third time in four starts.

The Yankees managed three hits and lost for the seventh time in nine games and were booed after the final out.

Boone was ejected for the fifth time this season after arguing a called strike on Ryan McMahon.

Key moment

Bennett Sousa loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and Bryan Abreu allowed a sacrifice fly to McMahon. On the next pitch, Abreu retired Austin Wells. Abreu retired Wells, Judge and Cody Bellinger in the eighth.

Key stats

Correa has five straight multi-hit games and six since rejoining Houston.

Up next

Yankees RHP Will Warren (6-5, 4.44 ERA) faces Minnesota RHP Zebby Matthews (3-3, 5.17) on Monday in New York.

The Astros did not announce a starter for the opener of three-game series against visiting Boston and LHP Garrett Crochet (13-4, 2.24) on Monday.

DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter homered and drove in three runs to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-5 on Sunday.

Carpenter doubled and scored in the first, hit a sacrifice fly in the second and added a three-run homer in the fourth.

Casey Mize (11-4) got the win, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Jack Kochanowicz (3-10) took the loss. He gave up seven runs on 10 hits in three-plus innings.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the first, stringing together four straight two-out hits that included RBI singles by Riley Greene and Zach McKinstry.

Carpenter’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the second, and the Tigers added four more in the fourth.

Javier Baez reached on an error, took third on a base hit by Cole Keith and scored on Gleyber Torres’ single. Carpenter followed with his 21st homer, giving Detroit a 7-0 lead.

Nolan Schanuel hit a two-run homer in the fifth, and Logan O’Hoppe made it 7-3 with an RBI single in the sixth.

Greene hit a two-run homer in the sixth while Luis Rengifo hit a two-run shot in the eighth.

Key moment

Angels CF Bryce Teodosio, who missed Saturday’s game after hitting his head on the fence on Friday, ran into LF Taylor Ward and RF Jo Adell on eighth-inning fly balls. Luckily, no one was injured on either play.

Key stat

Carpenter has a .600 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers since the start of 2024, the third highest in the majors. Shohei Ohtani (.688) and Aaron Judge (.682) are the leaders among players with at least 500 plate appearances against righties.

Up next

The Angels return for a three-game series with their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. RHP Jose Soriano is scheduled to start Monday’s opener.

Detroit travels to Chicago for three games against the White Sox. RHP Chris Paddack (4-10, 4.91) will pitch on Monday evening. After playing 13 of their last 16 games at home, the Tigers play 13 of the next 19 on the road.

ATLANTA (AP) — Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna and Michael Harris II hit home runs to support a strong start from Joey Wentz and the Atlanta Braves beat the Miami Marlins 7-1 on Sunday.

Jen Pawol, who made history in Saturday’s doubleheader as the first female umpire to work a regular-season game in the majors, was behind the plate.

Pawol earned compliments for her work on the bases in Saturday’s games. She received more support from fans on Sunday. Some held up “Way to go Jen!” signs. Though she was more in the spotlight while calling balls and strikes, Pawol made her work look routine.

Wentz (1-2) allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings for his first win since the left-hander was claimed by the Braves off waivers from Minnesota on July 11.

The Braves, who swept Saturday’s doubleheader, won four of five games in a series that included a rescheduled game forced by a rain postponement on April 6.

Derek Hill hit a two-out double off Wentz in the second and scored on Liam Hicks’ single.

Ozuna hit a three-run homer and Harris added a solo shot off Tyler Zuber in the seventh.

Key moment

Jurickson Profar, who had two hits, gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead with a run-scoring double off Tyler Phillips (1-1) in the fifth. Profar scored on Phillips’ second wild pitch.

Key stat

Miami right-hander Cal Quantrill was pulled after throwing only 47 pitches. Quantrill gave up one run on three hits with no walks in four innings. It was his second-fewest pitches in a start this season.

Up next

Miami and Atlanta are off on Monday. The Marlins haven’t announced their rotation plans for their series at Cleveland, which opens on Tuesday night. The Braves visit the New York Mets on Tuesday night with Spencer Strider (5-9, 4.04 ERA) scheduled to face Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.46).

SEATTLE (AP) Ichiro Suzuki paused at times to collect his thoughts and placed his hand on his heart as he spoke thoughtfully about what it meant to have his No. 51 retired by the Seattle Mariners.

Suzuki met with reporters before Seattle's game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the morning after his jersey was retired by the team.

Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last month, Suzuki was touched by praise from Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former teammate, and team chairman John Stanton, who announced that Suzuki will have his own statue at T-Mobile Park, joining broadcaster Dave Niehaus, Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez.

He said he never imagined his number would be enshrined at the ballpark.

“It's something that you couldn't even dream or think about, and it actually happened,” Suzuki said through a translator.

Suzuki is the third Seattle player to have his number retired by the team, joining Griffey and Martinez.

“The view I had yesterday from the field, looking up at a full, full stand of Mariners fans, was amazing. At Cooperstown, there were a lot of fans, but it was kind of from a higher position looking down. This yesterday where we were looking up, and it was just a full stand of people, that was great,” Suzuki said.

Suzuki first joined the Mariners in 2001. That year he joined Fred Lynn (1975) as the only players to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

Over his 19-year career, Suzuki was a two-time AL batting champion and 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner, hitting .311 with 117 homers, 780 RBIs and 509 stolen bases with Seattle, the New York Yankees and Miami.

Suzuki wound up with 3,089 hits over his career that included 14 total seasons with Seattle. After stints with the Yankees and Miami, he spent his final two seasons with the Mariners and retired in 2019.

The Mariners will erect the statue of Suzuki at T-Mobile Park in 2026. It will feature his iconic batting stance pose.

Suzuki still works for the Mariners, serving as a special assistant to Stanton. He often works out with players during pregame warmups, which he did Sunday.

“I think what's special about this team is you see a lot of teams where negativity kind of gets passed down, and it just kind of grows with a team. That's something that happens a lot and its easy for negativity to grow within a team,” Suzuki said. “But this team, the positive is getting passed down from player to player, and it is growing and growing. ... It's the positive that is being passed around and you can just see it and feel it.”

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone was ejected from a game for the fifth time this season in the third inning on Sunday against the Houston Astros.

Boone thought Jason Alexander’s sinker to Ryan McMahon was a low called strike. He argued with plate umpire Derek Thomas, who replied: “I’ve heard you enough Aaron,” and tossed him out.

Boone continued the argument for about another minute while third base umpire Jordan Baker interceded and the at-bat continued with McMahon flying out to center field.

Boone was ejected six times last season. His last ejection was by Manny Gonzalez on July 23 in Toronto during the seventh inning for arguing a called third strike on Anthony Volpe.

Since becoming manager in 2018, Boone has been ejected 44 times. Last season, he was tossed by Thomas in the seventh inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves following a walk to Marcell Ozuna.

The Astros held a 2-0 lead when Boone was ejected.