Rick Kranitz was hired as the Baltimore Orioles pitching coach Wednesday, replacing Leo Mazzone. Kranitz was the pitching coach for the Florida Marlins the past two seasons. The organization wanted to retain him for next year but he wanted to explore other options, and wasn’t with the club for the final six games of this season.
Still no decision on Joe Torre. The New York Yankees manager remained in limbo Wednesday after a second day of meetings by team hierarchy failed to reach a conclusion. “All we’re worried about is the process of making sure that we come to the right decision. When we do, we’ll get everybody involved,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before leaving Legends Field and heading to the airport.
The ball flew back at Tim Wakefield, faster than the knuckleballs he serves to baffled batters. He tried to squeeze it — just like his catcher tries to close the mitt around his floating pitch. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, like Tuesday night, it ticks off the glove, extending an inning and costing his team the game.
Hang tight, Colorado Rockies. There’s another team roaring through October. And you just might see them in the World Series. The Cleveland Indians, relying on a throwback pitcher who looks as if he stepped out of their 1948 team photo, moved one win from another crack at winning an elusive championship.
Kenny Lofton stole his 34th career base in the postseason Tuesday night, breaking Rickey Henderson’s mark. Lofton hit a two-out single to left-center for Cleveland in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the American League championship series. Then, with Casey Blake batting, he stole second on Boston Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen.
So, now what for the Colorado Rockies? The Rockies swept through their playoff bracket with such speed that their reward was a record eight-day wait for the World Series, by far the longest layoff in history. Having won 21 of 22 games, Todd Helton and his teammates hope they don’t lose their momentum or this mojo.
The season was sweet, just the ending was sour. The Arizona Diamondbacks seem loaded for the future after a surprising run to the NL championship series ended in a four-game sweep by the Colorado Rockies. The youngsters who played key roles in the team’s strong season gained invaluable experience in the playoffs.
Bill Stoneman spent so much time building the Angels into a perennial contender that he knew when he didn’t have enough energy to stay on as the team’s general manager. Stoneman stepped down Tuesday, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Diane. He was replaced by player development director Tony Reagins.
A lawyer for baseball players says George Mitchell never told the union before last week that he was willing to show its members evidence of doping allegations against them. Mitchell, who has spent 1 1/2 years investigating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, said Friday that he asked players to meet with him “for the purpose of directly providing them with the evidence about the…
It’s October in Colorado. The Broncos are playing. Snow showers are in the forecast. The leaves are turning red and yellow and brown. The dominant color in the Mile High City these days, though, is purple. It’s “Rocktober” in Colorado. The Rockies, crazy as it sounds, are in the World Series. No Curse of the Bambino.
