Taijuan Walker walks off to standing ovation, caps final start of season with loss to Marlins  —  Taijuan Walker left it all on the mound, displaying one of his best performances of the year in his final start of the season.  Yet, in a microcosm of how his season has gone …

Shohei Ohtani has expanded what's possible in baseball  —  WHEN SHOHEI OHTANI stands on the mound and stares into his catcher for a sign, his mouth is slightly open and his chin is raised just a little, giving off the impression he's every bit as curious as we are to discover what might come next.

'I'm absolutely coming back': At home with Cardinals, Arenado says he won't opt out after season  —  Drenched in the clincher's spoils of champagne and beer, some of it poured on him by rookies, Nolan Arenado had a chance late Tuesday night on the field at Busch Stadium to introduce his wife …

Michael A. Taylor, Kansas City Royals reach 2-year, $9M extension, sources say  —  Center fielder Michael A. Taylor and the Royals are in agreement on a two-year, $9 million contract extension, sources told ESPN on Wednesday, keeping the elite defensive center fielder in Kansas City as the team's rebuild nears its next phase.

Two fires?  Palo Alto scientist linked to earlier Shasta County blaze  —  Shasta Lake City fire ignited hours after Alexandra Souverneva was released from jail  —  The night before the furious Fawn Fire erupted outside the city of Shasta Lake, claiming dozens of homes, a smaller blaze ignited …

Jeff Passan's early 2021-22 MLB free-agency tiers  —  The free agent class of 2021-22 is one of the deepest and most talented in years, filled with a historically great group of shortstops, a potpourri of pitchers and a grab bag of midlevel players who won't break the bank but will help contenders and ascenders alike.

MLB playoff scenarios: How the five-team race in the AL could play out  —  It is chaos season in Major League Baseball.  There are multiple very feasible scenarios in which three teams wind up tied for the two American League wild-card slots and set off a chain of events in which baseball …

The secret behind the New York Yankees' playoff push is ... a new pet?  —  BOSTON WAS BEAUTIFUL on Saturday.  Warm.  Breezy.  A little after noon, a yellow luxury coach bus idled outside the front entrance of the Four Seasons Hotel.  A small crowd gathered behind a metal fence.  —  It was all very standard.

No matter what happens this season, the reset Red Sox are back to playing the long game  —  The great Roger Angell once wrote of the nature of New Englanders, and of Red Sox fans in particular, that amidst the brightest of summer days, there still exists a Calvinist cloud of self-doubt.

San Gabriel Valley Boys Athlete of the Week: Tobin O'Dell, Bishop Amat  —  Bishop Amat's Tobin O'Dell accounted for five touchdowns in Friday's win over Damien  —  San Gabriel Valley Boys Athlete of the Week  —  Name: Tobin O'Dell School: Bishop Amat Sport: Football Year: Senior

Devin Williams likely to miss Milwaukee Brewers' postseason run after reliever ‘punched a wall’  —  Milwaukee will likely be without top setup reliever Devin Williams for the playoffs after the right-hander broke his pitching hand punching a wall after having a few drinks following Sunday's game …

Can a union fix this?  Minor leaguers say poverty-level pay, poor housing are driving a ‘mental health crisis’  —  Editor's Note: This story includes a graphic description of a suicide attempt.  If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress …