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Major League Baseball defended its long-standing antitrust exemption in court papers Friday answering San Jose claims that the city has been unlawfully kept from becoming the new home of the Oakland A's.

The 40-page filing in U.S. District Court in San Jose challenges claims San Jose filed earlier this month accusing MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig of a conspiracy to prevent the Oakland A's from relocating to San Jose. The city filed those papers in support of its June 18 lawsuit against MLB and the commissioner over the A's planned move to San Jose that has been stalled more than four years.

"MLB has both a contractual and an economic right to carefully evaluate team relocation proposals, for the benefit of all of its member clubs," the commissioner's office said in its new legal filing. The San Francisco Giants claim territorial rights to San Jose that bar an A's move to the city.

The case is headed toward a key court hearing Oct. 4 on MLB's motion to dismiss the city's lawsuit on grounds that baseball's antitrust exemption precludes it.

San Jose in a Sept. 6 filing disputed MLB's assertion of a blanket exemption from federal laws barring monopolies to foster business competition. San Jose had argued that MLB's "entire defense" was based on an "outdated" interpretation of an antitrust exemption the city argued covered mainly labor issues and assumed the sport to be merely an "intrastate" and not national business.

In Friday's response, MLB argued that the U.S. Supreme Court "has repeatedly held that it is 'business of baseball' that is exempt from antitrust scrutiny."

"Those holdings," MLB argued, "bar this lawsuit."

MLB added that Congress, in passing the Curt Flood Act in the late 1990s officially outlawing a "reserve clause" that gave teams exclusive control over their players, made a point of not overturning other aspects of baseball's antitrust exemption.

Philip Gregory, one of the lawyers for the city, disputed MLB's latest assertions in an interview. He said the Curt Flood Act didn't affirm an antitrust exemption covering other aspects of the baseball business. He further argued that matters of franchise relocation are not unique to baseball but shared by other professional sports including the National Football League, which are bound by antitrust law.

Whether San Jose can survive MLB's motion to dismiss the lawsuit is seen as a key juncture in the case. If a judge allows the lawsuit to proceed, the city would have the ability to subpoena documents and testimony to support its case, something several observers have argued might make MLB more inclined to discuss a settlement.



MLB defends antitrust exemption - San Jose Mercury News

Theo Epstein didn't need to wait overnight to decide whether to accept Kevin Gregg's apology, and instead called the Cubs pitcher on Friday night to say the right-hander would not be released despite his critical comments made toward team management.

Epstein, president of baseball operations, had said he was going to "sleep on it" after learning of Gregg's comments after Friday's game when the pitcher complained about losing his job as the Cubs' closer.

On Saturday, Gregg said that as far as he was concerned, any problems had been resolved.

"I think the situation is over," Gregg said. "We can't change the past. Going forward, forget about it."

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Saturday some of the blame for the mixup falls on him.

"I guess the communication somewhere along the line just got miscommunicated," Sveum said. "I told [the media] we might give [Pedro] Strop an opportunity, which is the same thing I told [Gregg]. Unfortunately, it got miscommunicated and it turned into a mess. It's all fixed now, and we've accepted the apologies and moved on."

Gregg was told Thursday in Milwaukee that the Cubs wanted to see Strop in closer situations. On Friday, he gave up four runs in the Braves' ninth in a 9-5 Cubs loss, then lashed out after the game.

"For an organization to just come out and say, 'Hey, we're going to go in a different direction ...' You know, professional courtesy would've been nice," Gregg said after Friday's game.

Gregg felt the news made it a little difficult to concentrate in the game. After Epstein heard Gregg's postgame comments, he met with the pitcher and Sveum in the manager's office. At that time, Gregg apologized to both.

Epstein said Gregg "misunderstood" Sveum's message. Gregg then walked up to the press box at Wrigley Field to meet with the media, and he admitted that when he first heard the news, it "kind of got under my skin."

"Now that I have sat down with Theo and Dale again, they clarified things and I was able to cool off a little bit," Gregg said Friday in the press box. "It helped to be able to talk to them and see what they actually are thinking. They want to get a look at Pedro, but they are not going to take anything from me, either.

"They wanted to work together to see what the future holds for the organization with him and myself," Gregg said. "I am OK with that. I like that idea."

It's the third incident involving one of the Cubs pitchers and a staff member. On Monday, Edwin Jackson and Sveum got into a shouting match in the dugout at Miller Park after the right-hander was pulled. On Tuesday, Jeff Samardzija yelled at third-base coach David Bell for a defensive shift that didn't work.

"That stuff happens," Sveum said. "It all came in a little bunch right here."

Gregg's comments, though, caught Sveum "completely off guard," he said.

Whether Strop can handle the closer's role next year won't be determined in the final eight games.

"We all know this is a stressful job closing, and you have to be durable to do it, and there's a lot more that goes into than getting one opportunity the last 10 days or two opportunities to make a complete judgement," Sveum said. "It's more of how you're seeing the heart rate work than getting the last three outs."



Apology accepted, Kevin Gregg will not be released by Cubs | MLB-com: News

There was a period not so long ago when every season began with the expectation that the Braves would win yet another division title. Such was certainly not the case this year, when the Nationals entered as the overwhelming favorites to win the National League East and advance to the World Series.

These preseason predictions provided early motivation to a Braves club that spent the past six months proudly overcoming adversity and proving its doubters wrong on the way to capturing its first division title since notching a 14th straight in 2005.

"When we walked into Spring Training and saw our team and saw what we were working with, we thought, 'Hey, this is the team we can do this with,'" Justin Upton said. "We set our goal to be the division champions and we did it. Now we've got a long road ahead of ourselves. We've got another month to play and hopefully we're playing on the last day."

The Braves staged a spirited and vibrant celebration after Sunday afternoon's 5-2 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The victory came a little less than an hour after they had officially clinched the NL East courtesy of the Marlins' win over the second-place Nationals in the first game of a doubleheader at Nationals Park.

"We knew that [the Nationals] lost, but we wanted to go out and win on the field," Freddie Freeman said. "It would have been terrible if we would have lost and then would have had to come in here to celebrate."

Many of the Braves players wore goggles to protect their eyes from the sting of the champagne and beer that was being sprayed within the close quarters of the visitor's clubhouse at this historic ballpark. Jason Heyward wore a batting helmet to protect his previously fractured jaw during the celebration.

But along with serving as protection, the helmet served as another reminder to all what the Braves have overcome to put themselves in this position.

"This might be the best group of guys in terms of resiliency," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "They battle. They're a talented group of guys as well. It's just a good group of guys. It's a good team."

Gonzalez's top two projected setup men -- Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters -- underwent Tommy John surgery a few days apart in May and Tim Hudson sustained a horrific season-ending right ankle fracture in late July. Two days later, the Braves began a 14-game winning streak that essentially erased any drama surrounding the division race.

Then just as the team was peaking, Heyward fractured his jaw and was forced to miss nearly a month, just like he had after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in late April. This seemed like the biggest of the significant blows, which also included losing pivotal utility man Ramiro Pena to season-ending shoulder surgery in June.

But like they had with all of their previous injuries, the Braves persevered in Heyward's absence and now enter the regular season's final week with the NL's best record and the confidence provided by the fact that Heyward is now back at the top of their lineup.

"We lead the league in [disabled list] transactions and we will lead the league in wins hopefully," Kris Medlen said with a smile.

Winning the division enabled the Braves to avoid the roll-of-the-dice Wild Card Game they experienced in frustrating fashion in 2012. Now as they approach their final seven games, they will attempt to maintain the NL's best record and gain what could be crucial home-field advantage leading up to the World Series.

The Braves have produced the NL's best home winning percentage this season. But finishing with the Senior Circuit's top record would enable them to avoid playing the NL West champion Dodgers or the NL Central winner in the Division Series. They would instead draw the winner of the Wild Card Game.

"We're still in a race the way we're looking at it," Craig Kimbrel said. "We've still got a lot of games to win. Now is not the time to relax. Now is the time to turn it up. So that is what we plan on doing."

Along with attempting to get on a roll while playing the Brewers and Phillies during this week's season-ending homestand, Gonzalez will attempt to get a better feel for how his team shapes up heading toward the playoffs. The offense received a significant boost when Heyward returned on Friday.

Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Medlen are all in contention to be tabbed to start Game 1 of the Division Series. The decision could be based on the opponent.

The Braves have relied heavily on their bullpen this year. But as the relief corps has become an area of concern over the past couple of weeks, Gonzalez is now attempting to rest guys and find the right fit for some of his pitchers. It appears he plans on taking rookie left-hander Alex Wood out of the rotation to provide the bullpen some quality depth for the remainder of the year.

"The main thing is keeping everybody healthy and getting everybody comfortable," Andrelton Simmons said. "If we just keep doing what we've been doing, I think we'll be fine."


Braves overcome injuries to capture National League East title | MLB-com: News

The Orioles are expected to be without Manny Machado for the remainder of the season as the third baseman exited Monday's 5-4 loss to the Rays with a left knee injury that resulted in him being carted off the field.

"Manny's pretty down, as you can imagine," manager Buck Showalter said of the 21-year-old Machado, who had an X-ray taken immediately at Tropicana Field and will have more tests, including an MRI, done in Baltimore on Tuesday. "Somehow, they couldn't get the [X-ray] film developed here after they took the pictures. Doctors weigh in on something they shouldn't be, quite frankly. I've heard some early prognosis, but I think they should wait until they get all the tests back. Everybody needs to be quick to paint something negatively.

"But Manny will play for the Baltimore Orioles again at a very high level, and I'm real proud of him. Unfortunately, things happen when you're playing a game at breakneck speed like these guys try to again today."

Machado hit a one-out single to second base and his left leg hit the first-base bag funny, and he immediately fell down to the ground writhing in pain. The Orioles' trainers came out after first-base coach Wayne Kirby signaled and the 21-year-old Machado stayed on the ground, screaming in pain. The Rays' team physician also came out to look over Machado, who was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled off to a standing ovation from the crowd.

"I just hurt for him," said Brian Roberts, who served at designated hitter and was able to give Machado a hug in between innings. "You don't want to see it happen to anybody, but when you see what kind of a special player he is and special kid he is, [it's really tough]. But the great part is he is 21 years old. You've got to find a bright spot in it as best you can. You hate to hear people say -- certainly the injured person hates to hear people say - 'He'll come back and he'll be fine and this and that.' But they're not the ones going through rehab and not the ones dealing with it."

Roberts was part of an Orioles dugout, along with the Rays, that stood anxiously leaning against the railing in silence. One of the game's most promising young players, Machado was named to the American League All-Star team in his first full season and has started all 156 of Baltimore's games, giving the club Gold Glove-caliber defense and hitting an AL-leading 51 doubles. He owns a .283/.314/.432 line.

"That's horrible. Baltimore has really ascended over the last couple years and he's really been a cornerstone of that whole thing," said Rays manager Joe Maddon, who speculated that Machado had possibly blown out his knee. "I hate to see that. He's a young man, tremendous talent. I don't know him that well, but I think he's got a great joy for the game also. So you hate to see that happen."

Showalter wasn't willing to publicly end Machado's season on Monday night, but with just six regular-season games left, he said getting Machado back "doesn't look very promising."

"I was first hoping that he had turned his ankle. Unfortunately, I had a pretty good angle of it," Showalter said of the injury, which preceded Alexi Casilla's head-on collision in the outfield.

"Certainly it hurts. It hurts, regardless of what it means for our team and our ability to win a game. That's kind of secondary. That's a guy who's been with us, in the big leagues, for over a year and a half it seems like. A season and a half. And Casi's as good a teammate as you'll ever have. Manny obviously has been a solid person for us as well [and was] obviously having a great year. He's having as good a year as you could possibly [hope] for, especially for a young player."

Machado, who was replaced by Casilla and then Danny Valencia, leaves the Orioles a sizable hole at third base, and Showalter said he would discuss things with executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette before determining if the club needs to add another infielder before Tuesday's game.



Left knee injury likely to end Manny Machado's season | MLB-com: News

Alex Rodriguez’s A-team of lawyers will need to bring its A-game next week when arbitration commences over the 211-game doping ban Major League Baseball imposed on the steroid-stained Yankee slugger this summer.

MLB’s legal team is expected to open the proceedings Monday and quickly produce its star witness, Biogenesis anti-aging clinic founder Anthony Bosch, who is expected to authenticate and explain what sources have described as a devastating trove of documentary evidence. That evidence includes Biogenesis records bearing Rodriguez’s name, as well as text messages and e-mail exchanges about doping between Rodriguez and Bosch.

MLB attorneys filed a motion in Buffalo federal court that seeks to unseal grand jury records outlining Rodriguez’s relationship with human growth hormone guru Anthony Galea, the Canadian sports physician who pleaded guilty in 2011 to bringing HGH and other unapproved drugs into the United States.

Team A-Rod – which includes veteran sports lawyer David Cornwell and high-profile criminal defense attorney Joe Tacopina – will present evidence it says indicates Rodriguez never used banned drugs supplied by Bosch, one source told the Daily News

Rodriguez’s legal team – a pricey and aggressive cohort of attorneys, investigators and PR specialists – is also prepared to accuse MLB of using unethical and even criminal tactics in its Biogenesis investigation, which culminated last month in uncontested 50-game suspensions for 12 players and, before that, a sudden confession and 65-game ban for Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun. The players who accepted 50-game suspensions will wrap them up this week and return to their teams.

Rodriguez’s team has worked for months to gather information to discredit Bosch and even MLB’s department of investigations. The question is whether that kind of material will influence arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, whose mission is simple: to determine if Rodriguez broke baseball’s anti-doping rules and whether the league’s punishment of Rodriguez is appropriate.

Robert Boland, a former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney and sports agent who is now the academic chairman for New York University’s Tisch Center for Sports Management, said complaints about MLB’s tactics won’t likely convince Horowitz to overturn Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension.

But alleging that baseball played hardball during its investigation might persuade Horowitz that Rodriguez’s ban is disproportionate – especially since it is more than three times as long as the 65-game ban accepted by Braun – and that MLB singled out Rodriguez and his historic $275 million contract.

“A-Rod could say he was the target of a vendetta, which would force MLB to gather more evidence and put Bosch on the stand,” Boland said.

MLB’s effort to unearth the Galea material shows how committed the commissioner’s office is to getting Rodriguez out of the game. Its motion seeks documents and testimony generated by the grand jury that in 2010 indicted Galea for trafficking illegal drugs and smuggling them into the United States. Grand jury secrecy rules are among the most rigid in American criminal law, but there are exemptions. Rodriguez is believed to have testified in that case and he also met with MLB investigators about it for an informational interview.

It is not clear if the Galea records will help MLB uphold its suspension of Rodriguez, but even first-year law students know it is important to review sworn testimony Rodriguez has provided on the topic of steroids. Rodriguez’s sworn testimony may differ from the statements he made to Major League Baseball investigators, which would help baseball’s lawyers impeach the controversial athlete’s case and character.

A-Rod’s attorneys, meanwhile, will attack the credibility of the witness testimony and documents obtained through the MLB investigation, claiming they were obtained through strong-arm tactics.

Team A-Rod, for example, may cite a Boca Raton police report filed in March by Porter Fischer, the former Biogenesis marketing director who swiped records from Biogenesis after a dispute over money with clinic owner Anthony Bosch, the self-styled “biochemist” who founded the now-defunct anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to Rodriguez and other ballplayers. Fischer told police that somebody broke into his car outside a Boca Raton tanning salon and stole Biogenesis records, as well as a Beretta .32 caliber pistol and other items.

Rodriguez’s attorneys may imply that MLB investigators had something to do with the theft. According to the report, Fischer told police that MLB investigators intent on obtaining the Biogenesis records had followed him and even tapped his phone before the records were stolen from his vehicle. He provided absolutely no evidence that MLB investigators were responsible for the break-in, but still told police that he was tempted to go to the media to expose the burglary and “implicate MLB in the crime.”

MLB vice president Rob Manfred vehemently denied that anybody affiliated with baseball or its Biogenesis investigation had anything to do with the break-in. “We did not steal anything from anybody,” an angry Manfred told the Daily News.

Rodriguez’s attorneys will also attempt to raise questions about the credibility of the lawsuit MLB filed against Bosch and several associates in March in Florida state court that alleges that the Biogenesis founder and his colleagues had interfered with the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the Players Association by supplying banned drugs to ballplayers. Lawyers for some of the defendants have said the suit should be dismissed because it is a thinly veiled attempt to gather information about Biogenesis. Defendants and potential witnesses have also complained that MLB investigators have attempted to bully them into cooperating.

An attorney for former University of Miami pitching coach Lazaro Collazo, for exa

Anyone else been sitting around thinking, "man, it's ridiculous how many games go to extra innings," as I have?

Yeah, that's not just anecdotal evidence. There have been 239 extra-inning games in Major League Baseball so far this season. In 2011, there were 237, which was the previous record-holder. Prior to that, the most games to head to extras in history in a season was 220, which was done in 1986, 1991, 2007 and 2010.

So four of the top six extra-inning seasons in history have come in the last seven seasons.

Despite the fact that we now have more teams and games in a season than any other in history -- and have since the Rays and Diamondbacks joined the league in 1998 -- that's still pretty remarkable.

The record fell Tuesday night when the Blue Jays and Orioles went to extras. The record then got some breathing room, as the Diamondbacks and Padres needed extra frames to decide things as well.

Not that it was surprising the D-Backs went to extras. They lead the majors with 24 extra-inning games this season. In fact, they also set a major-league record by playing in 79 extra innings, breaking the 1969 Twins record of 76.

"It feels like we played in 200 and some of those games," Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero joked (via Associated Press). "I'm not sure how you explain it, but I know that if you're going to play in a lot of extra innings games, it's a whole lot better to win them than to lose. It's tough when you lose a lot of them."

Following the Diamondbacks, the White Sox (23 games), Reds (22) and Mariners (21) have gotten lots of extra-inning action. Twenty of the 30 major-league clubs have taken part in at least 15 extra-inning games heading into Wednesday, while every team has taken part in at least 11 -- the Astros and Yankees have both played in exactly 11.

The best extra-innings records this year:

1. Indians, 10-2 (.833)

2. Royals, 11-4 (.733)

3. Diamondbacks, 17-7 (.708)

4. Braves, 12-5 (.706)

5. Dodgers, 10-5 (.667)

The worst:

1. Rangers, 3-9 (.250)

2. Mariners, 6-15 (.286)

3. Marlins, 6-13 (.316)

4. Tigers, 6-12 (.333)

5. White Sox, 8-15 (.348)

How about the Rangers' and Indians' spots? With the Indians bringing a one-game lead for the final AL playoff spot into Wednesday? Wow. That's rough for Texas.




2013 season sets MLB record for most extra-inning games - CBSSports-com

New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera might be leaving the game, but he won't be forgotten any time soon.

That's because fans have purchased more Rivera jerseys than those of any other Major League Baseball player in the second half of the season, according to sales of jerseys on MLB's online shop. New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey was the second-most purchased jersey, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey.

The top 20 most popular jersey list, released by MLB on Thursday, features 16 players who are 30 years old or younger. Chris Davis of the Orioles and Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks cracked the top 20 list for the first time, finishing 17th and 20th respectively.

Veterans who returned to the list despite their many years with their teams included Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (11), Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (12), Mets third baseman David Wright (13), Red Sox DH David Ortiz (18) and Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (19).

Players from 13 teams are represented on the top 20 list, including three from the Dodgers (Puig, Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu) and Yankees (Rivera, Jeter, Cano).

It doesn't come as a surprise that Rivera tops the list despite his intention to hang up his glove at the end of the season. Last season, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis had the third-most popular jersey in the NFL, behind Robert Griffin III and Peyton Manning, despite calling it quits.



Mariano Rivera of New York Yankees tops MLB jersey sales - ESPN

Jhonny Peralta returned to the Major Leagues on Friday from a 50-game suspension with more of a to-do about where he was going than what he was coming back from. It wasn't a development out of left field, so to speak, but his move to left field still was something to follow.

His first game in the Majors since Aug. 4 was his first game in the outfield at any level, and he wasn't promising anything.

"I'm not nervous. I'm excited," Peralta said before the game. "I'm excited to be in the field. I'll try to do the best I can."

The results were mixed, but it wasn't something manager Jim Leyland was going to gripe about on the first night.

"He did fine," Leyland said after the Tigers' 3-2 loss to the Marlins. "And you might as well make your mind: If you play Jhonny Peralta in left field, you're saying that you are willing to accept what you get. He's not going to be Andy Dirks or Donnie Kelly -- that fast. You're either willing to accept what you get, which is obviously trying to get a hitter if you go that way. He did fine."

Peralta's first real pursuit on a ball wasn't a fly ball, but a bases-clearing double into the corner from Giancarlo Stanton. He took a long route to the ball, circling to close in on it, leaving him no chance to throw out Christian Yelich at the plate.

"I played deep tonight," Peralta said. "That's what [the coaches] said to me. They say you need to play deep for guys like Stanton. I think he hit it perfect, close to the line. There's nothing I can do right there."

Stanton's next at-bat gave Peralta a ball to play, a shallow fly ball that Peralta -- again playing deep -- ran down.

That was Peralta's only putout on the night, but he made a run at Juan Pierre's fly ball into the gap in the seventh inning. So did center fielder Austin Jackson, which nearly resulted in a collision.

"He called the ball late," Peralta said. "It was really close. He said to me he tries to go for everything."

Peralta will get a couple more tries at it. Leyland said before the game that Peralta will play at least part of all three games against Miami in left. He likely won't start all three games, since Leyland wants to keep Dirks fresh as well.

Regardless, it's expected to be more time than he had in his rain-shortened instructional league stint earlier this week in Lakeland, Fla. The Tigers are hoping it's enough to judge how effective he can be out there.

Still, the majority opinion in the clubhouse, from Leyland to coaches to former Marlins left fielder Miguel Cabrera, is that it's not nearly as hard for an infielder -- especially a shortstop -- to move to the outfield than the other way around.

"It's maybe going to be a test, to see how I look in the outfield," Peralta said beforehand, "and to see how I look in the swing, too, in my at-bats."

Peralta contributed right away, hitting an RBI double on a 1-for-4 night.

"The swing, I've got the contact," he said. "In instructional league, I faced a couple pitchers and I got good contact with the ball. I mean, the time that I take off, it's not the same, but I tried to practice hard every day, tried to take a lot of BP."

As for his reception from players, it seemed positive. He settled into the visiting clubhouse at Marlins Park and looked like he hadn't left.

"You can see his smile," Cabrera said. "Peralta, that's my teammate. He's my friend, too. I'm very excited, very happy for him, to have him back in the lineup. We've got a new left fielder."


Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta makes return from suspension in left field | MLB-com: News

Major League Baseball has announced the start times for potential tiebreaker games as well as the two wild-card games. Here's the info, from the press release:

•Monday: 4:07pm ET (three-way tie) or 8:07pm ET (two-team tie)
•Tuesday: 4:07pm ET (three-way tie), 8:07pm ET (NL wild-card game on TBS)
•Wednesday: 8:07pm ET (AL wild-card game on TBS)

The Indians currently own the first AL wild-card spot and are one game up on both the Rays and Rangers. MLB announced the three-team tiebreaker sequence on Friday.

The winner of Monday's tiebreaker will face Cleveland on Wednesday at 8:07 at Progressive Field in a game also airing on TBS.

With all three teams in contention entering Sunday, Major League Baseball and its fans headed into the final day of the regular season looking at the prospect of an unprecedented three-way tie, which would have brought with it two tiebreaker games before Wednesday's AL Wild Card Game. Instead, there will just be a single Game 163.

There have been three Game 163s since 2007, and each came down to the wire. The Twins took part in the past two, beating the Tigers, 7-6, in extra innings in 2009, and losing to the White Sox, 1-0, the previous year.

The 2007 edition featured the surging Rockies' 9-8, extra-innings victory over the Padres, with Matt Holliday sliding home with the winning run to cap a dramatic comeback.

Prior to division play, which began in 1969, best-of-three playoff series were used three times to break first-place ties and determine pennant winners in the National League. The 1951 series, between the Giants and Dodgers, is perhaps the most famous tiebreaker in history, thanks to Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World," which give the Giants a 5-4 victory in Game 3.

And yet another historical baseball moment -- Bucky Dent's famous homer at Fenway Park -- helped push the Yankees to a 5-4 win in a 1978 tiebreaker.

Here is a look at each of the unscheduled tiebreakers that were needed to get the postseason show on the road:

2009 - Twins 6, Tigers 5 (12 innings)

For the third year in a row, the Majors featured a Game 163, and for the second consecutive season, the Twins went down to the wire. But this time around, Minnesota was on the winning side of a thriller, a 7-6 walk-off win over the Tigers that took 12 innings and 4 1/2 hours to complete. Alexi Casilla was the hero, singling to right field to bring home Carlos Gomez from second base to give the Twins their fifth division title in the past eight seasons.

2008 - White Sox 1, Twins 0

Minnesota swept a three-game series from the front-running White Sox during the last week of the season then won game No. 162 over the Royals to force a tiebreaker with Chicago. In the tiebreaker, the Twins got great pitching from starter Nick Blackburn, but the Sox got one big swing from veteran Jim Thome and eight spectacular innings from lefty John Danks en route to a 1-0 win and a trip to the postseason.

2007 - Rockies 9, Padres 8 (13 innings)

In one of the wildest finishes in regular-season history, the Rockies won their last two games, while the Padres lost their last two, giving both clubs identical 89-73 marks. The two clubs then played an epic tiebreaker at Colorado's Coors Field, with the NL Wild Card spot on the line. Scott Hairston's home run in the top of the 13th left the Padres just three outs away from the postseason, but all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman could not seal the deal against the Rockies, who scored three in the 13th to win 9-8.

1999 - Mets 5, Reds 0

Houston captured the NL Central title with a 97-65 record, but there was still a matter of Cincinnati in second at 96-66 -- an identical record to a Mets team that finished behind Atlanta in the East. Game No. 163 was scheduled between the Mets and Reds at Riverfront Stadium, but there was no home-field advantage for Cincinnati. Al Leiter went the distance, pitching a two-hitter, and the Mets won the Wild Card and advanced to the Division Series with a 5-0 victory.

1998 - Cubs 5, Giants 3

Much of the attention in September was on the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, who each passed Roger Maris' previous single-season record and went on to finish with 70 and 66 homers, respectively. But Sosa played on that fall, as he and the Cubs beat the Giants, 5-3, in a one-game tiebreaker to win the NL Wild Card. The Giants scored all three of their runs in the top of the ninth, so there was a fleeting concern before any of the 39,556 left Wrigley Field.

1995 - Mariners 9, Angels 1

The Yankees were assured of being the AL Wild Card after the final Sunday, finishing with a 79-65 record. In the AL West, the Mariners and Angels were deadlocked at 78-66, so it was win-or-go-home for the loser of a Monday tiebreaker. It was played at Seattle's Kingdome, where Randy Johnson continued his Cy Young season by allowing just three hits and whiffing 12 in the Mariners' 9-1 victory. Edgar Martinez went 2-for-3 to finish at .356 and win his second batting title. It was game No. 145, instead of No. 163, for those teams, because the start of the season had been delayed by a work stoppage that had carried over from 1994.

1980 - Astros 7, Dodgers 1

It was Nolan Ryan's first year and J.R. Richard's last with the Astros, and Houston celebrated its first-ever division title in the Majors. But it didn't come easily. Los Angeles swept a three-game series from Houston during the final weekend at Dodger Stadium, winning each by a run, to create a first-place tie. That forced the Astros to stay over in LA for a playoff, and they won, 7-1, before falling to eventual NL champion Philadelphia. Long live the rainbow jerseys.

1978 - Yankees 5, Red Sox 4

Just about everyone knows what Bucky Dent did at Fenway Park on Oct. 2 of that season. The Yankees shortstop had batted .140 over his previous 20 games, but he stepped up to the plate and hit a Mike Torrez pitch over the Green Monster for a three-run homer, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead. New York won, 5-4.

"When I hit the ball, I knew that I had hit it high enough to hit the wall," Dent said. "But there were shadows on the net behind the wall and I didn't see the ball land there. I didn't know I had hit a homer until I saw the umpire at first signaling home run with his hand. I couldn't believe it."

1962 - Giants beat Dodgers in best of three, 2-1

The Dodgers and Giants were in their fifth year on the West Coast and each finished with 101 wins

It didn't really make much sense, given all the pressure and the workload and the itinerary, but Evan Longoria woke up Monday morning feeling better than ever.

"For some reason, I just felt like I wasn't done playing baseball yet this year," he said. "For whatever reason, I woke up feeling really good; my body felt as good as it's felt all year."

The fact that it came on the morning of the biggest game of the Rays' season, the tiebreaker at Rangers Ballpark for the right to advance to Wednesday's Wild Card Game in Cleveland (8 p.m. ET on TBS), may not have been a coincidence.

And the fact he continued his inexplicable dominance in regular-season finales, many in a celebratory Rays clubhouse believe, is no statistical anomaly.

"He's just able to slow the game down," Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after a 5-2, champagne-soaked win. "It feels like the more people that are watching him, the better able he is to slow the game down and breathe in the moment and perform."

David Price carried the way with a complete game, but it was Longoria who set the tone in the 163rd game of the season. He went 3-for-4 with a walk, finished a triple shy of the cycle and passed Hall of Famer Stan Musial for the most home runs in the final game of a regular season.

"That's why he is who he is," Price said. "He steps up for us whenever we need him most."

In five regular-season finales, Longoria is 11-for-19 with 10 RBIs, eight runs scored and a record-breaking seven homers.

Three of them came against the Orioles last year, putting a positive end to an injury-plagued season that saw the Rays finish three games shy of a final playoff spot.

And one of them is among the most memorable in franchise history.

It came on Sept. 28, 2011, the second of two in a 12-inning game against the Yankees at Tropicana Field, when Longoria broke a 7-7 tie with a line drive over the left-field fence off Scott Proctor to give the Rays a walk-off victory and vault them into the playoffs as the American League Wild Card winners.

Maybe it's a coincidence, all this success-at-the-end stuff. Or maybe it says something about the big moment, and how certain franchise players -- a label Longoria takes more seriously than most -- have a knack for coming through in times like these.

As Price said of his longtime teammate, "He's just not scared of this."

"It seems like every big moment that we have, he's right in the middle of it," Friedman said of the 27-year-old Longoria. "He's able to slow the game down in a way that only the best players can. He is the lynchpin to the success that we've had and the success that we're going to have in the future. And so it's very fitting that he's going to be a big part of this game."

Longoria -- his MVP-caliber season finishing with a .269/.343/.498 slash line -- was there for the Rays when they were new to this whole playoff thing in 2008, hitting six home runs in the first two rounds of a surge that led them to an improbable World Series trip. He struggled in back-to-back AL Division Series that ended in defeats to Texas in 2010 and '11, posting a .194/.256/.417 line in nine games.

And heading into Game 163, Longoria put it out there.

"It just seems like if there was a road that we had to travel down," he said of fittingly facing Texas, "this would be the one."

Longoria singled in the first off rookie lefty Martin Perez, then took an inside-out swing to a low-and-inside, 94-mph fastball in the third and somehow golfed it into the Rangers' bullpen for his 33rd homer to give the Rays a 3-0 lead. In the sixth, off Alexi Ogando, he laced a one-out double, then scored the fourth run on David DeJesus' double.

And not long after that, he celebrated.

"I don't know," Longoria said of why he seems to always come through in games like these. "I wish I could explain it. I wish I could just bottle it up and take it through 161 games and not have it be on the last day.

"I'm just trying to be a leader and set the tone and set the example."



Rays' Evan Longoria delivers when it matters most | MLB-com: News

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was greeted Tuesday morning by about 50 supporters outside Major League Baseball's headquarters in midtown Manhattan, where his grievance hearing to overturn his 211-game suspension enters its second day.

The supporters, who said they were from a New York-based group called Hispanics Across America, surrounded Rodriguez at the steps of the Park Avenue office building and chanted "Alex! Alex!"

Rodriguez arrived in a black SUV with lawyer Joseph Tacopina at approximately 9:30 a.m. ET. He thanked the supporters in Spanish before heading inside. The supporters held signs that read "Randy Levine is the Devil" and "No Justice No Peace."

A-Rod was mobbed by fans when he left the building at 6:11 p.m., stopping to sign autographs on the way to his car. "I feel good," he told the crowd, which swelled to approximately 75 people by mid-afternoon.

"A-Rod has been drug-tested more than any major league player and has never tested positive for the use of steroids," the group's president, longtime New York community activist Fernando Mateo, said in a statement. "[Team president] Randy Levine and the N.Y. Yankees are responsible for this unfair 211-game suspension." Mateo was unable to appear as expected at a sidewalk news conference as a result of a bizarre early-morning incident in which he was burned by hot coffee that was spilled on him by a security guard. Mateo's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, spoke to reporters, alleging that the coffee was deliberately thrown at Mateo by a woman who is believed to work in the building. Mateo was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was treated and released. (Mateo later told ESPN NewYork-com he is suffering from back pain, neck pain and high blood pressure as a result of the incident, and plans to press charges against the woman.)

"We're not here to tell you that Alex is guilty or innocent," said Sergio Rodriguez, executive director of HAA. "All we are saying is, treat him fairly, the same way you have treated everybody else that has been in violation of the drug policy."

Rodriguez was suspended Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball's drug agreement and labor contract. Because he's a first offender under the drug program and the players' association filed a grievance to force an appeal, a suspension can't start until it is upheld by an arbitrator.


Supporters greet Alex Rodriguez at MLB headquarters - ESPN New York

There may be no crying in baseball, but there appears to be plenty of crying over spilled coffee.

A security guard for Major League Baseball quickly filed a harassment complaint against Fernando Mateo, the president of Hispanics Across America, after an altercation outside baseball’s Park Ave. headquarters on Tuesday, a police source told the Daily News.

Her complaint was filed even as Mateo, whose organization was protesting MLB’s 211-game suspension of Yankee infielder Alex Rodriguez, threatened to file one against the guard, who he said threw a cup of hot coffee on his chest. Mateo said the incident occurred as he was moving a barricade to give pedestrians more room on the sidewalk, and that the security guard doused him as she pushed the barrier back to its original spot.

The police source, however, said a review of the incident clearly showed that a cup of coffee in the security guard’s hand accidentally spilled on Mateo during a scuffle over the barricade.

No charges will be filed against the security guard, the police source said.

Mateo was taken by ambulance to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. He claimed the incident caused his blood pressure to spike and later complained about neck and back pain.

“This morning as I was preparing for our press conference in support of Alex Rodriguez, I was assaulted by a hyper-aggressive and violent security guard for Major League Baseball who threw hot coffee on me,” Mateo said in a statement . “I have reported this incident to the police, and was taken by ambulance to Weill Cornell Medical Center. ”

About 75 Rodriguez supporters rallied outside MLB’s offices to support the beleaguered superstar, who is fighting a suspension handed down in August by commissioner Bud Selig. MLB officials say Rodriguez violated the sport’s anti-doping policy numerous times and interfered with its investigation into Biogenesis, the South Florida anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied performance-enhancing drugs to Rodriguez and other MLB players.

HAA executive director Sergio Rodriguez said the protest was not coordinated or funded by the Yankees star or his legal advisers, but the gathering did not appear to be a spontaneous show of fan support. One protester said on Twitter that he was “getting paid, breakfast and lunch is on the house just to support my favorite player A-Rod hell yeah.” The protester, a 20-year-old Brooklyn college student, later told The News that he was not a member of HAA, and that a friend has told him he would receive payment for attending the rally.

The student later sent a text message to the News claiming that his friend had lied to him about being paid to attend the protest. "It was his way of talking me into going but I don't regret it because A-Rod is my favorite player and he deserves my support."

Sergio Rodriguez and other protesters also echoed many of the claims Rodriguez’s lawyers and advisers have made since it became clear that the controversial athlete would be suspended earlier this year, namely that the Yankees and Yankee president Randy Levine have conspired with MLB to dump Rodriguez and what remains of his contract.

Neither Rodriguez attorney Joe Tacopina nor anyone from the HAA, however, made public any evidence that the Yankees or Levine have conspired to derail Rodriguez. MLB makes it clear that punishment under the game’s collectively bargained drug agreement comes under the auspices of the commissioner’s office and the Players Association, not the clubs.

It’s not the first time HAA has come to A-Rod’s defense. In 2006, the organization initiated a campaign to persuade fans not to boo or jeer Rodriguez . HAA also demonstrated outside MLB offices in 2005, saying baseball had not done enough to combat steroid use by minor leaguers in the Dominican Republic and other Latin-American countries.

Mateo planned another press conference for Wednesday and promised to bring twice the number of protesters. Sergio Rodriguez said the group is planning a candle vigil for Thursday night and Friday morning.

He acknowledged that supporting a wealthy athlete who has already acknowledged steroid use is probably not a priority for most Latino New Yorkers.

According to Mother Jones magazine, A-Rod donated $250 to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and $250 to the Republican National Committee in 2012. He has also provided financial support to President Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004.

“Alex has done a lot of stuff privately for the Dominican community and Hispanic community,” Sergio Rodriguez said. “It would be hypocritical for us to turn our back on him.”

Read more: Altercation between MLB security guard and protest leader gets heated outside Alex Rodriguez arbitration hearing - NY Daily News

If this isn't the best day of baseball, it will do until a better one comes along. This is the day baseball delivers four postseason games stretched over about a 12-hour period. Every pitch matters, so there will be tension and pressure and all that good stuff.

Welcome to October.

So prepare to be surprised, thrilled, disappointed, optimistic and maybe even angry. And that is just in that first game.

This is the month that will change the way we think about some players. Some may have their finest hour, others their most bitter disappointment.

But that is part of the deal, too.

Nothing is guaranteed, not even for teams like the Dodgers and the Red Sox, who have looked like the best teams in their leagues for months.

The Braves may have something to say about that assessment.

Or the Rays.

Or the Tigers.

Some players live for this time of the year. As Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett once yelled to his teammates before a postseason game, "Jump on my back, boys."

Puckett has had plenty of company through the years. George Brett was not going to let the Royals lose in 1985.

He simply wasn't, and you can look it up.

Remember Chris Carpenter? Two years ago when the Cardinals got to Game 7 against the Rangers, they didn't think he was going to let them lose.

Josh Beckett was like that for the Marlins in 2003.

Derek Jeter has always had some of the right stuff, too.

These four games Friday all have distinctive plot lines, beginning with the first one, at 1 p.m. ET on MLB Network. That's the Pirates and the Cardinals playing Game 2 of their NL Division Series series at Busch Stadium.

The Pirates will be a game from elimination if they lose after getting beat by the Cardinals, 9-1, on Thursday in Game 1. But they are handing the baseball to their young ace, Gerrit Cole, the 23-year-old right-hander who made his Major League debut June 11 and was his team's best pitcher down the stretch, going 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in September.

Regardless of what happens Friday, the Pirates believe Cole will be one of the anchors of their rotation for years to come. If he comes close to pitching as well as he has most of this season, the Pirates have plenty of reason to feel confident.

Two hours after those teams get started, the Rays and the Red Sox will play Game 1 of their AL Division Series on TBS. One of the storylines in this one is that Boston's Game 1 starter, left-hander Jon Lester, has had a huge bounceback season, going from 9-14 in 2012 to 15-8 in 2013.

Even the most optimistic Red Sox fans probably did not think Lester would have such a stunning turnaround in such a short period of time. Lester said he went home after last season, cleared his mind and went to work.

This is a fascinating series because the Red Sox have had four days off and, beyond that, clinched the American League East two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Rays needed a 10-2 run to get to this game.

"We're not tired," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

The Dodgers and the Braves will play Game 2 of their NLDS at 6 p.m. ET on TBS. The Dodgers are favored by many to win their first National League pennant in 25 years in large part because of Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw at the front of their rotation.

Greinke starts Game 2 after a spectacular regular season that ended with him allowing 10 earned runs in his last 10 starts. The Dodgers were 22-6 with him on the mound this season.

Finally, the Tigers and the A's will play their Game 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TBS in a repeat of a terrific series that went the distance last season. Before the first pitch is thrown, these might be the two most evenly matched teams in the postseason.

The A's have a deep, talented pitching staff, one of the few that can match up with Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez. Oakland's starter will be 40-year-old Bartolo Colon, who won 18 games and allowed more than three runs in just four of his 30 starts.

General manager Billy Beane originally signed Colon to show his young pitchers about mound presence, poise and getting by without great stuff. Colon has done all of that while also being one of baseball's most consistent starters.

So do you see how good it is going to be? Put your work day on hold right after lunch and enjoy. It is the world's greatest game at its October best.



Four-game slate of Division Series can't be beat | MLB-com: News

Major League Baseball has revealed the schedule for the remainder of the divisional series, albeit littered with possible shifts and "if necessary" phrasing. Here it is:

Saturday, Oct. 5

Rays at Red Sox, Game 2 - 5:37 p.m. ET

Tigers at Athletics, Game 2 - 9:07 p.m. ET/6:07 p.m. PT

Sunday, Oct. 6

Cardinals at Pirates, Game 3 - 4:37 p.m. ET/3:37 p.m. CT

Braves at Dodgers, Game 3 - 8:07 p.m. ET/5:07 p.m. PT

Monday, Oct. 7

A's at Tigers, Game 3 - 1:07 p.m. ET/10:07 a.m. PT

Cardinals at Pirates, Game 4 - 3:07 p.m. ET (3:37 p.m. ET if Dodgers-Braves series is over)

Red Sox at Rays, Game 3 - 6:07 p.m. ET (7:07 p.m. ET if Dodgers-Braves series is over)

Braves at Dodgers, Game 4 (if necessary) - 9:37 p.m. ET/6:37 p.m. PT

Tuesday, Oct. 8

A's at Tigers, Game 4 (if necessary) - 5:07 p.m. ET/2:07 p.m. PT (7:07 p.m. ET if Red Sox-Rays series is over)

Red Sox at Rays, Game 4 (if necessary) - 8:37 p.m. ET (8:07 if Tigers-A's series is over)

Wednesday, Oct. 9

Pirates at Cardinals, Game 5 (if necessary) - 5:07 p.m. ET/4:07 p.m. CT (8:07/7:07 if Dodgers-Braves series is over)

Dodgers at Braves, Game 5 (if necessary) - 8:37 p.m. ET

Thursday, Oct. 10

Rays at Red Sox, Game 5 (if necessary) - 5:37 p.m. ET (8:07 if Tigers-A's series is over)

Tigers at A's, Game 5 (if necessary) - 9:07 p.m. ET/6:07 p.m. PT (8:07/5:07 if Rays-Red Sox series is over)

MLB.com: It seems remarkable that you guys have now owned the club as long as Vince Naimoli owned it. Does it feel like time has sailed past?

Silverman: The last eight years have been a wonderful ride. We had two as the Devil Rays and the last six as the Rays, all winning seasons, four playoff appearances. I think almost every franchise in baseball would take those results over the last six years.

MLB.com: At that point, you guys had a plan.

Silverman: At that point, we had a plan. Stu actually bought into the Rays at the beginning of the '04 season. And so for 2004 and 2005, Andrew and I worked in the front office. At the end of the '05 season was when Stu became the control person for the team.

MLB.com: How has running a team been different than you thought it would? I'm sure you thought about it a lot. How has it been different?

Silverman: The public aspect has probably been the most difficult. I came from a line of work where all the ins and outs were kept private, and the media was not an angle that we had to consider. And we are such a public business now that that's been the biggest adjustment for me personally.

MLB.com: And every move would be dissected publicly.

Silverman: Yes, every move -- whether it's on the business side or the baseball side -- would be dissected to the point where when we changed personnel within the mascot suit, it made front-page news in the Tampa Bay Times.

MLB.com: Are you accustomed to that now? Have you learned to take advantage of it?

Silverman: It's become part of life, and after eight seasons, I've adjusted. I think the rest of our front office has adjusted to that. The scope of the team is so much larger than it was. The best indication of that is our TV ratings. Our TV ratings have quadrupled, at least, since 2005. We have such a large audience of Rays fans. That's the part that's most satisfying to us. We've grown that fan base, and we feel that support -- even when the stands aren't as full as we'd all like them to be.

MLB.com: When you started this adventure, what did you think was possible? This was a franchise that was as low as it could get. What did you think you could do?

Silverman: At the time, we wanted to be competitive. We set our sights at a winning record, and we set our sights on meaningful games in September. We thought if we could get to that point, [then] we put ourselves in position to win. What's been great is that we've been able to maintain that success, despite a structure in baseball that makes it very challenging for lower-revenue clubs. It's something we believe needs to be addressed as baseball continues to grow, especially from a competitive standpoint with the Draft and the international system.

MLB.com: How does it make you feel when people refer to the Rays as the smartest franchise in baseball, the most efficient, the best run. You must take enormous pride in the attention the team gets for being a well-oiled machine.

Silverman: We appreciate the compliments that are paid to us. But we try not to pay too much attention to them. We know that everyone in baseball is getting smarter every day, and it makes us hungrier to try to stay out in front. We've seen a lot of changes in the game the last several years, and it's going to get even more difficult as the years tick by.

MLB.com: You know what's amazing about you guys from the outside looking in is, for instance, when Carl Crawford left, there was such a calmness, a confidence within your organization. You guys seemed to have the attitude, "This is what we do. We move on. We have to see things others don't see." You never complain about it. I never hear you guys whining. You work within the system, and you succeed.

Silverman: We understand the system and know the limitations. We would certainly love to hold onto every one of our marquee players for as long as possible. And we try to do that. But we also won't compromise and do something that would not be wise for the long-term future of the franchise.

We could have signed Carl Crawford. We told Carl as much. The problem would have been fielding 24 other players around him that would be a competitive baseball team for many years [moving] forward. Players understand that. They want to be part of a winning team. We sort of knew that was going to happen with Carl many years back.

And that's our goal. Our goal is to take 25 guys and have a compelling, competitive product year in and year out -- with the kind of players that our fans want to root for. We have that, right now.

You look back to the Devil Ray days, this wasn't a destination point. But now it is. And that's a big part of the success that we hope to be able to continue.

MLB.com: When you see Joe Maddon do his thing day to day, what do you like most about the way he does his job?

Silverman: Consistency and positivity. He believes that we're going to win. He believes his players are going to perform. And he believes that the team can achieve more than the sum of the individual parts. It's that sincere belief that has really fueled this team.

MLB.com: He's a guy that likes people, is good with people. That's a big part of it, beyond the analytics.

Silverman: He appreciates people. He appreciates the diversity of people. He's someone that can bring together a diverse group of people, united toward a goal. I don't know what it's like in other clubhouses. I haven't had that experience. I certainly saw some Devil Ray clubhouses many years back.

I only know now harmony and camaraderie within a clubhouse. And Joe Maddon and the coaches are key to that whole thing.

MLB.com: Red Sox CEO/president Larry Lucchino said that for years baseball front offices had silos, walls. Everyone protected their own territory. This is mine. That's yours. Don't cross that line. He said the tearing down of those walls was a big part of this season's success. It seems you guys have such a great collaboration among the th

Major League Baseball responded Monday to Alex Rodriguez and his legal theatrics: Tell it to a federal judge.

MLB filed a motion at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York asking the federal court to pick up the lawsuit the embattled Yankee third baseman filed in New York State Supreme Court late Thursday against MLB and commissioner Bud Selig.

A motion to dismiss the suit entirely is expected to follow.

MLB believes a federal judge will recognize that Rodriguez is bound by the collective bargaining agreement to challenge his 211-game doping ban for his role in the Biogenesis doping scandal in arbitration. The first five days of Rodriguez’s appeal were held last week; the arbitration is set to resume sometime next week.

The league’s motion is based on jurisdictional grounds. MLB claims that the lawsuit does not belong in state court because Rodriguez is committed to labor agreements between baseball and its Players Association and that “disputes that arise over those agreements are governed by the Labor Management Relations Act,” a federal law.

“First, Plaintiff’s claims, and the scope of any duties allegedly owed by MLB, are inextricably intertwined with consideration of the terms of the Basic Agreement, the Uniform Player’s Contract, and the Joint Drug Agreement, and are substantially dependent on an analysis of the relevant provisions of each of these collectively-bargained agreements,” the motion says.

“Second, the rights that Plaintiff seeks to vindicate, and the actions that Plaintiff is challenging, including the course and conduct of investigations into drug-related offenses, the confidentiality of investigations and information stemming from such investigations, and the right to discipline Players, including Plaintiff, for violations of the Basic Agreement and/or Joint Drug Agreement, were necessarily created by the Basic Agreement, the Uniform Player’s Contract, and the Joint Drug Agreement, and are not based on any independent duty owed to every person in society.”



Rodriguez has challenged his unprecedented 211-game ban and the evidence MLB has gathered in its year-long investigation of Biogenesis, the south Florida anti-aging clinic MLB believes provided performance-enhancing substances to A-Rod and many other players.

Lawyers for Rodriguez filed their lawsuit late last week while arbitrator Fredric Horowitz was still hearing testimony from Anthony Bosch, the former Biogenesis owner who is now cooperating with MLB.

The suit claims the league and Selig are engaging in a “witch hunt” in their effort to suspend Rodriguez. MLB is expected to fire back in a motion to dismiss, arguing that the suit Rodriguez filed in State Supreme Court is a thinly veiled public relations maneuver and that he is trying to circumvent the appeals procedure outlined in the Basic Agreement.

The arbitration hearing thus far has featured testimony from Bosch about records and electronic communications he exchanged with Rodriguez. Horowitz has 25 days, and possibly longer, to issue a ruling on whether the ban stands, is reduced or thrown out.

According to several legal experts who have followed the case, the filing of the lawsuit, as well as a separate one filed against the Yankees’ team doctor and New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, just steps from Yankee Stadium, may signal that A-Rod’s massive legal team feels the hearings haven’t gone well.

Bosch is believed to have testified to a long dealer-client relationship with Rodriguez and to have authenticated emails and text messages in which Rodriguez implicated himself in the purchase and use of PEDs for at least three years.

The suit claims that MLB officials conducted a witch hunt against Rodriguez to secure Selig’s legacy as the “savior” of the national pastime.

“They have ignored the procedures set forth in baseball’s collectively-bargained labor agreement; violated the strict confidentiality imposed by these agreements; paid individuals millions of dollars and made promises of future employment to individuals in order to get them to produce documents and to testify on MLB’s behalf; bullied and intimidated those individuals who refused to cooperate with their witch hunt; and singled out plaintiff for an unprecedented 211-game suspension — the longest non-permanent ban in baseball history,” the 31-page lawsuit says.

MLB fired back on Friday morning with a statement that said the suit was a “desperate attempt” to circumvent the appeals procedure outlined in the Basic Agreement.

“While we vehemently deny the allegations in the complaint, none of those allegations is relevant to the real issue: whether Mr. Rodriguez violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by using and possessing numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including testosterone and human growth hormone, over the course of multiple years and whether he violated the basic agreement by attempting to cover up his violations of the program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the office of the commissioner’s investigation,” MLB said in the statement.

Read more: MLB files motion to take lawsuit with Alex Rodriguez to federal court  - Page 1 - NY Daily News

Manager Don Mattingly, just hours after risking his Dodger career by starting his ace on short rest when it wasn’t necessary, wiped champagne out of his eyes and said, “Playoffs are stupid, aren’t they? Just crazy.”

After a bench-clearing cuss-off in Detroit, a near no-hitter to save a season by a Cardinals rookie, a walk-off homer by an obscure Ray off baseball’s toughest closer and a game-winning homer by a Dodger who had just botched two sacrifice bunts, I agreed with Donnie Baseball and hit the hay at 2 a.m. It’s possible that baseball has never had a better single day than the 12 hours from 1 p.m. Monday afternoon until after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning. Almost everything good about the game, especially its warped but wonderful postseason, was on display.

The best and worst aspect of October baseball is that you have no idea who will win or why or which heroes will emerge. The better team usually wins, but not often enough to claim that baseball’s format is any model of fairness. Instead, it’s the epitome of entertainment, but one that is so spread out that it demands hours of attention, or good luck, to see the best of it.

In each playoff team’s town, every moment is tasted, hair is yanked by its roots and throats are raw from screaming, just as Washington got to agonize through five division-series games last year and probably will return to this insane stage again fairly soon. But few, except those whose job is to follow baseball or who’ve had the misfortune to be furloughed by fanatics, get a sense of the whole sweep of the nutty thing.

In just one day, we saw several of the most powerful forces that magnetize us to baseball. One is the constant psychological game-within-the-game between pitchers and hitters, or between entire teams and pitchers they want to unhinge. In the ninth inning in Game 3 in Detroit, A’s closer Grant Balfour, who amps himself ’til his eyes bug out because his stuff isn’t quite top-drawer, flipped out when Victor Martinez of the Tigers stared him down after a foul ball.

Did Martinez provoke Balfour, knowing he’s on a precarious emotional tightrope every time he pitches? Balfour screamed an obscenity. Martinez screamed back, and everyone danced at home plate. But Balfour lost some command and might have melted down if he hadn’t had a three-run cushion. If he has another save chance, which Bengal will push his buttons now that he’s shown that you can wind him up until it hurts his pitching?

There’s just such a book on many a pitcher. Does he hate to field bunts, hold runners (Stephen Strasburg), watch hitters step out of the box (Jordan Zimmermann) or simply get nervous under playoff pressure (Gio Gonzalez). Championship teams have to iron out almost all such damaging quirks.

A pure October moment, crystallizing everything we love and hate about this freakish month, was captured by the monstrous walk-off homer by a .228 career hitter, Jose Lobaton, off Koji Uehara, who was the hardest pitcher to hit this year (.130), far ahead of runner-up Tyler Clippard (.152).



MLB playoffs offer drama in multiple acts every 24 hours - The Washington Post

From the moment Matt Adams' bat struck the ball in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday night, it was as though the corks began to twist on the champagne bottles in the home clubhouse at Busch Stadium, and anywhere else passion for the Cardinals courses through the hearts of baseball fans.

And sure enough, within a matter of minutes, the celebration would begin -- on the field, then in the Cardinals' clubhouse, after St. Louis closed out a 6-1 victory over the Pirates in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night.

The celebration started bubbling to the surface once the team's red-clad faithful had leaped to their feet as Adams' two-run blast went sailing into the night sky and deep into the bleachers, and the hefty rookie could hardly feel his feet pounding the way around the bases. "I can't really put it into words," Adams would say later. "Being able to watch it go out of the ballpark and hearing the crowd erupt was something special."

Most of that crowd remained standing and cheering for the duration of the game, knowing what the next few minutes would have in store, having been there before.

They chanted "Waino" as Adam Wainwright took the mound for the ninth inning with a five-run lead, and the man who embodies as much as anyone the spirit of the organization didn't disappoint -- nor did the majesty of the moment elude the veteran right-hander.

"I almost couldn't contain myself. Honestly, I had chill bumps from my head to my toes," Wainwright said.

Working through the heart of the Pirates' lineup, Wainwright unleashed his 107th pitch of the night, Bucs slugger Pedro Alvarez swung through it and the celebration was on, and the corks were about to come off.

Pop!

Cue the fireworks, with Wainwright screaming to the heavens before becoming engulfed in teammates. Red and white confetti went floating in the autumn air, along with anticipation of a third consecutive appearance in the NL Championship Series.

Once again, with a Game 5 victory before the home crowd, the Cardinals finished off a clinching win at Busch Stadium, and another celebration ensued.

In the clubhouse, the raucous party that goes along with advancing in the playoffs had to wait a bit, as Wainwright conducted interviews on the field. Once he arrived, he shared a few words with his teammates before the champagne and a certain brand of beer with a Cardinals red label began flying around the room.

A well-earned party was at hand, and this team of core veterans and unexpected young contributors was enjoying the moment as one happy band of ballplayers.

It's a party Carlos Beltran, one of the greatest postseason players in history, has attended many times before, each occasion becoming something to cherish.

"It gets better," Beltran said. "This doesn't get old. It doesn't matter if you have been in the playoffs one time or 10 times. It really doesn't get old. It's a great opportunity, it's a great feeling, it's a great blessing and I feel very fortunate."

This time, Beltran could look around the room and see players he's known for years, and players he's known for months. He looks at players much younger than he is soaking in the champagne shower, and he smiles a broad smile.

"It's great to see that," Beltran said. "This is what you call a team. You don't depend on only one or two guys, you depend on everyone."

And that's the formula that has gotten the Cardinals through so much adversity this year -- injuries to key players, and all the rest. It could be said it's even more than a team victory -- it's an organization that was celebrating an accomplishment that required the help of everyone to get to this point.

Standing in a corner of the clubhouse watching the rookies and veterans bond in bubbly, Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak knew this was not just about veterans like Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday, but about youngsters like Adams and pitching phenom Michael Wacha -- all winners, all experiencing the same joy.

"I've always felt it's sort of a great model when you have a diverse portfolio," Mozeliak said. "The thing about it is, we've always known we had the core players -- the Beltrans, the Molinas, the Wainwrights, the Hollidays. The defining success would be, could our complementary players and our young group come in and make it work? And they did."

Although Adams' blast got the ball rolling, it was when Wainwright's third straight curveball landed in Molina's glove that the party truly began at Busch Stadium.

By the time all the players and staff made it into their home clubhouse, the lovefest was just beginning. Once again, the Cardinals had something to celebrate.

"This organization is amazing," Molina said. "We care about each other, and we never give up. We never think about losing, and that's a good thing."




Cardinals' celebration familiar, but no less sweet | MLB-com: News

We still don't know who the Red Sox will play in the ALCS -- that will be determined when the Athletics and Tigers play ALDS Game 5 on Thursday night -- but we do know what time they'll be playing. Here are the start times for both league championship series, as announced by Major League Baseball.

NLCS: Cardinals vs. Dodgers

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 11 at 8:37 p.m. ET (7:37 p.m. local time) in St. Louis
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4:07 p.m. ET (3:07 p.m. local time) in St. Louis
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 14 at 8:07 p.m. ET (5:07 p.m. local time) in Los Angeles
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 8:07 p.m. ET (5:07 p.m. local time) in Los Angeles
Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 4:07 p.m. ET (1:07 p.m. local time) in Los Angeles
Game 6: Friday, Oct. 18 at 8:37 p.m. ET (7:37 p.m. local time) in St. Louis
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 8:37 p.m. ET (7:37 p.m. local time) in St. Louis

ALCS: Red Sox vs. Athletics/Tigers

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 12 at 8:07 p.m. ET in Boston
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8:15 p.m. ET in Boston
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 4:07 p.m. ET in Oakland/Detroit
Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 8:07 p.m. ET in Oakland/Detroit
Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 17 at 8:07 p.m. ET in Oakland/Detroit
Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 4:37 p.m. ET or 8:07 p.m. ET in Boston
Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8:07 p.m. ET in Boston

ALCS Game 6 will start at 8:07 p.m. ET if the NLCS is over, otherwise it will begin at 4:37 p.m. ET. Obviously Games 5-7 for both series are if necessary.




MLB announces start times for league championship series - CBSSports-com