Drew Maggi got his first two major league hits Saturday night, three days after making his big league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates following 13 years in the minor leagues, in the Pirates' 16-1 rout of the Washington Nationals that concluded a day-night doubleheader sweep.
Misc Rumor - Baseball Wiretap
Rangers ace Jacob deGrom unexpectedly exited his start against the New York Yankees after giving up his first hit with two outs in the fourth inning of Friday night's 5-2 win.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said afterward deGrom was experiencing forearm tightness and will be re-evaluated on Saturday.
"It's just a precaution," Bochy said. "A couple starts ago he felt [it] a little bit. So that's what we decided to do, to be a little cautious here."
Before coming to Mexico for a two-day series against the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he was planning on some sight-seeing in the city. He ended up seeing more than he expected.
Kapler took the subway from the team's hotel in the Polanco, an upscale part of Mexico City, to Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium on Friday ahead of the weekend series opener. Somewhere on the roughly 10-mile ride, he got lost.
A Mike Trout little league home run ball from back in 2004 has sold for $15,600 at Robert Edward Auctions.
Trout hit the home run and signed the ball for his uncle. The uncle held onto the ball for nearly two decades before deciding to sell it, and the lot includes a photo of Trout in his little league uniform.
Robert Edward Auctions wrote that the ball is believed to be "the earliest signed Mike Trout game-used home run baseball in existence."
The Seattle Mariners are releasing left-hander Justus Sheffield from Triple-A Tacoma.
Sheffield had already been taken off Seattle's 40-man roster over the offseason but had remained in the system after going unclaimed on outright waivers.
He'd allowed 17 runs over 8 1/3 innings, walking 11 batters with only four strikeouts for Tacoma this season.
The Colorado Rockies have released starter Jose Urena.
Urena was designated for assignment by the club on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old had a 9.82 ERA through five starts over 18 1/3 innings.
Rick Hahn is shouldering the blame for the Chicago White Sox's slow start to the season.
The White Sox are 7-19 and in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.
"Put it on me," Hahn said. "It's the job. It's the absolute gig. ... It sure as heck isn't on Pedro [Grifol] and this coaching staff."
The general manager was asked what his message is to upset fans after such a terrible start to the season. The team ranks 25th in scoring and 29th in ERA.
"They're not alone," Hahn answered. "We're upset. We're feeling every emotion in the book from rage to disappointment. We've done the exact opposite of what we set out to do, in terms of regaining our fans' confidence and trust."
Shohei Ohtani came to bat in the eighth inning on Thursday with a chance to become the first player in baseball history to hit for the cycle while also serving as that game's starting pitcher.
He drove the first pitch he saw into deep center field, but Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz caught it right before crashing into the fence.
"It didn't sound perfect off the bat," teammate Chad Wallach said. "I thought it might still go."
Aaron Judge exited Thursday's 4-2 win against the Texas Rangers early because of right hip discomfort, the New York Yankees announced.
Judge struck out in his only two at-bats before he was replaced in right field in the bottom of the fourth inning by Oswaldo Cabrera.
He said he felt "a little grab in the hip area" after his second strikeout.
"After that headfirst dive the other night, just kind of whole right side has been a little locked up," Judge said. "It wasn't until the second-to-last swing of that at-bat I felt something grab, and they thought it would kind of best just to shut it down and see how we feel after a couple of days."
Joe Maddon doesn't believe the Los Angeles Angels have a good chance of re-signing Shohei Ohtani in free agency.
During an appearance on the "Starkville" podcast, Maddon categorized the club's chances as "not very good."
Maddon added that he believes the Angels would need to make a deep run in the playoffs to convince Ohtani that they're worth remaining with long-term.
Ohtani, 28, will qualify for free agency after this season.