JOE GIRARDI

American League powerhouses square off when Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees host Yordan Álvarez and the Houston Astros in the opener of a highly anticipated four-game series Thursday night.

Christian Walker had three hits and three RBIs, Jake McCarthy homered and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Phillies 13-1 to end Philadelphia’s nine-game winning streak and give interim manager Rob Thomson his first loss.

Zack Wheeler struck out eight over six sharp innings, Bryson Stott hit a two-run homer and the Philadelphia Phillies won their ninth straight game with a 4-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson tries to extend his unbeaten run when Arizona visits Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.

Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Odúbel Herrera homered as interim manager Rob Thomson and the streaking Philadelphia Phillies won their season-high seventh straight game, beating the sagging Milwaukee Brewers 8-3.

Aaron Nola pitched eight sharp innings and the surging Philadelphia Phillies hit four home runs to rout the scuffling Milwaukee Brewers 10-0.

The Los Angeles Angels fired manager Joe Maddon but still stretched their losing streak to 13 games, matching the worst skid in franchise history.

Bryson Stott hit a game-winning, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning after Bryce Harper tied it with a grand slam in the eighth, and the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 9-7 victory that sent slumping Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels to their 11th straight defeat.

Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt could set the longest hitting streak of his career if he’s successful in both games of a day-night doubleheader at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber each homered twice and the Philadelphia Phillies won in interim manager Rob Thomson’s debut, 10-0 over the Los Angeles Angels.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the season with an all-time high $310.6 million payroll for purposes of the luxury tax and are on track to pay a record tax of nearly $47 million.

Joe Girardi has been fired by the Philadelphia Phillies after his team’s terrible start.

Joe Girardi was fired by the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday after his team's terrible start, becoming the first major league manager to lose his job this season. Philadelphia said bench coach Rob Thomson will become interim manager for the rest of the season. Expected to contend for an NL East title, the Phillies are 22-29 and 12 games behind the first-place New York Mets.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler stood just outside the third base dugout at Citizens Bank Park for the national anthem, taking a break on Memorial Day from his protest against the direction of the nation.

Several of Gabe Kapler’s fellow managers are offering their support for his decision to avoid the field during the national anthem as a protest following the school shootings in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Dansby Swanson scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth inning on an excruciating defensive sequence by the Phillies, and the Atlanta Braves beat Philadelphia 8-4.

Yu Darvish struck out five and walked none over seven shutout innings to lead the San Diego Padres to a 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mets ace Max Scherzer is scheduled for an MRI a day after pulling himself from a start with discomfort in his left side.

Marcus Stroman is set to come off the COVID-19 injured list and start for the Cubs against Arizona.

Bryce Harper sat out a third straight game as he recovers from a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow and the Phillies slugger may not play right field again until late July.

Phillies slugger Bryce Harper has a small tear in his right elbow and won’t throw for four weeks, but the reigning NL MVP will stay in the lineup as Philadelphia’s designated hitter.

Pete Alonso drove in five runs to help the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 9-6 in the finale of their three-game series.

Billy McKinney homered and Daulton Jefferies and four relievers combined on a three-hitter to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 for Mark Kotsay's first win as a big league manager.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that outfielder Kyle Schwarber has agreed to a four-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies worth about $80 million.

Kyle Schwarber is coming to Philadelphia, agreeing Wednesday to a four-year deal with the Phillies worth about $80 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. A 29-year-old slugging outfielder, Schwarber split last season with Washington and Boston. Schwarber will likely serve as the Phillies' designated hitter, with time in the outfield and first base as well.

Joe Girardi isn’t concerned about managing the Philadelphia Phillies without a contract extension.

Manager Aaron Boone has been re-signed by the New York Yankees to a three-year contract with a club option for 2025 after four winning but unsuccessful seasons.

Sooner than many baseball fans wanted, maybe, but the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the NL Division Series at Oracle Park.

Zack Wheeler pitches Tuesday night for Philadelphia in the opener of a pivotal three-game series at Atlanta.

Bryce Harper had three hits, drove a three-run homer and had four RBIs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 17-8 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Corey Seager and Max Muncy homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0.

Zack Wheeler pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11, Bryce Harper homered and the first-place Philadelphia Phillies finished off a three-game sweep for their eighth straight victory, 3-0 over the fading New York Mets.

Brad Miller homered twice and the first-place Philadelphia Phillies withstood a ninth-inning rally for their seventh straight victory, 5-3 over the sinking New York Mets.

Hooks pitchers share their thoughts on the new MLB foreign substance rule and what it means for them and the game moving forward.

Wander Franco got off to a smashing start this week, hitting a home run and double in his major league debut for Tampa Bay.

Kansas City manager Mike Matheny warned opponents that if they act like Philadelphia’s Joe Girardi and ask umpires to check Royals pitchers for sticky substances, it would provoke his team.

Starlin Castro hit a go-ahead, two-run single off closer Hector Neris in the ninth inning and the Washington Nationals rallied three times to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 13-12.

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called Joe Girardi a “con artist” a day after Philadelphia’s manager asked umpires to check Max Scherzer for illegal substances during Tuesday night’s game.

Max Scherzer threw his glove and hat to the grass, then stared down Phillies manager Joe Girardi after getting checked for a third time by umpires for sticky stuff as the Washington Nationals beat Philadelphia 3-2.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has found himself in a sticky situation.

The Washington Nationals have put pitcher Austin Voth on the 10-day injured list with a fractured nose.

Noah Syndergaard was pulled from his minor league rehabilitation outing because of soreness in his pitching elbow Tuesday night, the latest setback for a New York Mets team ravaged by injuries.

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper has gone on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Sunday with a bruised left forearm.

There's a growing concern in baseball as batters are getting hit more often in recent years. MLB has seen a 28% spike in hit batters per game since 2017.

Jon Lester is set to start for the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field after spending the past six seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Bryce Harper treated heckling fans to a long home run, Andrew Knapp delivered a key pinch-hit in place of injured catcher J.

Ehire Adrianza capped a night full of comebacks for Atlanta with a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning, helping the Braves stun the Philadelphia Phillies for a chaotic 8-7 victory.

The All-Star slugger was drilled in the left cheek by reliever Génesis Cabrera's first pitch in the sixth inning.

Phillies star Bryce Harper said he feels fine after being hit in the face by a 96.9 mph fastball Wednesday night, forcing him from Philadelphia’s game against St. Louis.

Andrew Knapp hit the winning single in the ninth inning, Bryce Harper hit a tying solo homer in the seventh and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5.

Scherzer will make his Nationals-record sixth opening day start April 1, facing the New York Mets in Washington. The original lineup released by Washington before the game featured a designated hitter; that was revised to include Scherzer batting for himself. DeGrom struck him out, part of his 4 2/3 scoreless innings with three hits and five Ks. YANKEES 8, BLUE JAYS 3Gerritt Cole struck out eight in five innings, allowing one run in his fourth spring start for New York. BRAVES 11, RAYS 1Atlanta starter Max Fried gave up three hits and struck out five over six innings.

This screengrab from a Zoom call shows David Dombrowski, the Philadelphia Phillies' new president of baseball operations, during a Zoom call Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. (Zoom via AP)Dave Dombrowski wants to win again sooner rather than later. So he finalized a deal Friday to become the Philadelphia Phillies’ president of baseball operations, convinced the team is not far from its first World Series title since 2008. Phillies president Andy MacPhail called again Saturday, and Dombrowski said he was told of the nebulous expansion timetable by MLB on Monday and Tuesday. “It was John reaching out and really trying to make me part of the Phillies organization,” Dombrowski said.

FILE - In this July 24, 2020, file photo, Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly, left, gives an elbow-bump to Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi, right, prior to a baseball game in Philadelphia. Mattingly won the NL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night, Nov. 10. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash won the AL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night, and Miami’s Don Mattingly took home the NL honor. Tingler and Ross led their teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as a big league manager. The Tampa, Florida, native and Florida State alum was hired as Tampa Bay manager the day before his 37th birthday.

Klentak stepped down after a third straight September collapse left the team out of the postseason for the ninth consecutive season. “We’ve made progress but we haven’t made enough progress fast enough,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said. Klentak was hired in October 2015 by team President Andy MacPhail after serving as assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels for four seasons. The Phillies had the worst bullpen ERA in the majors this season and it didn't improve after Klentak acquired four veterans in trades. The Phillies went 161-163 under Kapler before Middleton overruled Klentak and MacPhail and fired him last year.

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper, left, celebrates his home run with third base coach Dusty Wathan during the sixth inning of the team's baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Washington. With Harper leading the way, and homers from Andrew McCutchen, Didi Gregorius and Andrew Knapp, too, the Phillies beat the Nationals 12-3 Wednesday night. “We’re at the part of the season where I need to be on the field," Harper said. TRAINER’S ROOMPhillies: 1B Rhys Hoskins (left elbow) is unlikely to be activated off the injured list before the regular season ends, Girardi said. UP NEXTPhillies: Off on Thursday, then finish the regular season with a three-game series at Tampa Bay that opens Friday.

Getty ImagesHOUSTON - We're just a few hours away from the start of Game 1 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. Brett Gardner vs. Yankees Helmet, FIGHT! Brett Gardner vs. A New York Yankees helmet ROUND 1: FIGHT! The Yankees don't equal New York CityThough I grew up in Houston and consider it my first city, I lived in New York for seven years. And just as many around the country get the impression that "Times Square" equals "New York", so goes with the Yankees.