The forgotten All-Star game: Latino legends played in Polo Grounds’ last game ever in 1963
It was the All-Star game few baseball fans witnessed, and few today know it was ever played at all. More than 60 years ago, on a warm and sunny autumn afternoon in New York, two teams comprised of Latino players from the Major Leagues squared off at the Polo Grounds for an exhibition game billed as a charity event to benefit a new Latin American Hall of Fame. Held on Oct. 12, 1963 — a week after the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the New York Yankees in the World Series — it would be the last baseball game ever played
Vlad Guerrero Jr. signs $500M, 14-year deal to stay with Blue Jays
After striking out on several top free agents going into the 2025 season including Juan Soto, the Blue Jays finally signed a big-name, game-changing star — who happens to be Vlad Guerrero Jr., already the face of the franchise. Guerrero agreed to a $500 million, 14-year contract to stay with the only organization he’s ever known. The deal places the slugging first baseman and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero among the highest paid players in the game at just 26 years old. It’s the second-largest in MBL history after Soto’s record $765 million, 15-year deal with the Mets
Eugenio Suarez is a big-time slugger with a low-profile problem
Aaron Judge’s big opening weekend series at Yankee Stadium to kick off the 2025 season was one of the bigger stories in baseball, with the Bombers captain netting AL Player of the Week honors for hitting four homers in three games against the Brewers — including a grand slam. Oh, and he did it old school without the benefit of the new controversial “torpedo” bats a handful of Yankees players are using. Yet a lesser-known star had a not-so-bad weekend series himself to win the NL Player of the Week award, though you wouldn’t know it from all the attention
The day Michael Pineda got into a sticky situation
The Yankees waited a long time to reap the fruits of their controversial 2012 trade for pitcher Michael Pineda, and when the strapping, 6’7” righty finally made his Yankee debut two years later after a raft of injuries, it looked like New York had itself a future ace in the making. That is, until Pineda got caught with his hand – and neck – in the pine tar jar. Pineda was 23 and coming off a solid rookie season in 2011 for the Mariners, one that included a selection to the All-Star game when the Yankees traded power-hitting catching prospect
Caribbean Series — Serie del Caribe — is a true international showcase
By Beto Villa and Robert Dominguez Unlike the World Series in the U.S. every October, the Caribbean Series — Serie del Caribe — is a true international tournament that each winter pits the top teams representing six Latin American countries to determine a champion after a round-robin set of six games. Not to mention showcase a wealth of talent by players born outside the U.S. The tournament, which started in 1949, typically features teams from leagues in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba and Panama. The 2020 games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, included Colombia for the first
ICON: Edwin Encarnacion
It’s been a while since Edwin Encarnacion took his parrot for a walk, and baseball hasn't been the same. The Dominican slugger was known for his big bat — 424 career homers, with nearly 1,300 RBI — but it was the home run trot he adapted late in his career that really endeared him to fans. Encarnacion would circle the bases with one arm up at shoulder height, as if he had an imaginary parrot perched on his arm. The gimmick started in 2012, when the then-Toronto Blue Jays masher hit a grand slam, and continued until he retired in
Pitcher Marcus Stroman honored at Puerto Rico’s Day at the Ballpark event at Yankee Stadium
The Puerto Rico's Day at the Ballpark event series kicks off its 2024 season on April 25, 2024 when New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman will be honored before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The Puerto Rico Convention District Authority (PRCDA) has officially signed on as the presenting sponsor for this year’s lead-off event, which will be followed with on-field ceremonies in Tampa on August 16 and Minnesota on September 15. Puerto Rico's Day at the Ballpark pays tribute to the island's rich 125-year baseball history dating back to 1898, and also
NEWS: Nolan Arenado off to slow start a month into the 2023 season
The 2023 season has so far been a bad time for a very good player. Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals’ superstar third-baseman, has been in an uncharacteristic and extended slump all year — made all the more glaring by the fact St. Louis is off to one of its worst starts ever. Arenado has fallen short of his typical MVP-like performances on both offense and defense. He’s had seven straight years (not including the pandemic shortened 2020 season) with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, and he’s won 10 straight Gold Gloves — one for every year he’s been
