Bassitt conscious after liner strikes face  —  Right-hander recovering in local hospital, per Melvin  —  CHICAGO — In the second inning of Tuesday's 9-0 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field, A's starter Chris Bassitt was hit in the face with a line drive and had to be carted off of the field.

Mets snap five-game losing streak after Kevin Pillar's three-run home run in 12th inning  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The Mets salvaged a win against the Giants to avoid getting swept in back-to-back series by the two titans of the NL West.  —  Hours after owner Steve Cohen expressed frustration …

Detroit Tigers great Bill Freehan dies at age 79 after long battle with Alzheimer's disease  —  Bill DowSpecial to the Detroit Free Press  —  Former Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan, a perennial All-Star and the quiet leader of 1968 world champions, has died at age 79 the team announced on Thursday.

Sources: MLB proposes salary minimum funded by new tax on teams spending $180 million  —  In a face-to-face collective bargaining meeting in Denver on Monday, Major League Baseball made its first proposal covering core economics to the Players Association.  The plan included a new tax on team spending …

Dream on this: Cubs-Reds featured in planned Iowa sequel  —  CINCINNATI — It wasn't exactly heaven when the Cubs and Reds took the field Monday for the opener of a three-game series.  —  But maybe it was Iowa?  —  OK, maybe not even that.  Not yet.  —  But by this time next year …

La Gente del Barrio: Finally home in Toronto, ‘everybody has a voice’ on melting pot Blue Jays  —  WASHINGTON — The jacket is a size 48 long, the better to accommodate the broad shoulders of their All-Star first baseman.  It hangs on a hook in the Blue Jays dugout, but when the club returns …

Pitch clocks, realignment and the end of blackouts: What MLB would look like if we were designing it now  —  Editor's note: From rising strikeout totals and unwritten-rules debates to connecting with a new generation of fans and a looming labor battle, baseball is at a crossroads.

Trevor Bauer's accuser pressed on social media omissions at restraining order hearing  —  The demeanor of the woman who has accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault changed noticeably under cross-examination on the second day of the hearing to determine whether a restraining order should be issued against the Dodgers pitcher.

Chicago White Sox's Lance Lynn ejected after tossing belt at umpires during foreign-substance check  —  CHICAGO — White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn was ejected from his start against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday after tossing his belt to umpires from the dugout during a foreign-substance inspection.

Which contenders have the toughest path to the playoffs? 10 ways the MLB schedule could rock the races  —  The seven worst teams in baseball went 1-6 on Sunday and were outscored by a combined 17 runs.  This was no surprise.  Since Aug. 1, when all the players dealt at the trade deadline …

The Honus Wagner T206 is the sports card GOAT, and it always will be  —  Nearly 100,000 people flooded onto the floor of the 2021 National Sports Collectors Convention in suburban Chicago, all jostling for space while peering into glass cases.  Some were there to buy, shelling out anywhere …