ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays understood the long odds against them when they arrived at Tropicana Field on Tuesday afternoon, well aware that no team has ever come back from the situation they currently face in the World Series. But they also had no interest in rolling over and letting

ST. PETERSBURG -- Through three games, the bullpens had been the biggest mismatch of this World Series, seeing the Rays follow a pair of one-run losses with an absolute clunker upon their return to Tropicana Field. Bryan Baker said he knew this team had more in the tank, and it

ST. PETERSBURG -- Thousands filed through the gates behind home plate before Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday evening, knowing they might witness a trophy being raised. But a select few attendees have already been crowned as champions: the women who moved through the concourse wearing green satin

When Derek Jeter's No. 2 joined the Yankees' collection of retired numbers in May 2017, removing the last of the single digits from circulation, the franchise claimed the honor of having honored more players than any North American professional sports franchise. Twenty-two numbers are currently in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park,

ST. PETERSBURG -- The top of the fifth inning looked like it was over. Christian Yelich had been called out sliding into second base on a fielder’s choice, the Rays were moving off the field, and Tropicana Field’s warning track was being prepared for a mascot race.

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ST. PETERSBURG -- The Brewers had a pretty good idea that Robert Gasser wouldn’t be rattled by the pressure of the most significant start of his young career. After all, they’ve seen him drive a car.

ST. PETERSBURG -- There were World Series preparations to make, tickets to distribute, television crews to accommodate and a refurbished Tropicana Field to dress as baseball’s biggest stage. The Rays had plenty to do this past week. But when the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers called with an unusual request involving

MILWAUKEE – The Rays spent six months proving that doing the little things right would win baseball games. Over the past two nights, they've discovered how costly it is when they don’t. The crisp, fundamentally sound play that vaulted Tampa Bay into the World Series has been missing in action

MILWAUKEE – The World Series opener was all about small ball, featuring 12 singles, three stolen bases and no home runs – the first Fall Classic Game 1 without a homer since 2000. Liam Hicks muscled up and changed that narrative early, belting a two-run homer in the first inning

MILWAUKEE – For the better part of three weeks, the Rays have been running wild through October. All 11 of their stolen-base attempts heading into the World Series had succeeded, giving them no reason to slow down. Then they met William Contreras.

MILWAUKEE -- The celebratory fireworks had been set off, spreading a layer of smoke across the diamond at American Family Field. Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” blasted through the speakers, providing a soundtrack for workers scurrying to erect a television set for the postgame show. There was just one problem: The

No one keeps official statistics in the batting cage, but Giancarlo Stanton likely led the Yankees in at-bats against the Trajekt machine this past season, trying to keep his skills sharp despite a series of calf injuries that kept him off the basepaths. By October, Stanton was back in his

MILWAUKEE -- Long before Chandler Simpson was realizing his dream of swiping big league bases, he’d already learned how to steal a show.

MILWAUKEE – The Brewers have waited 44 years to bring a World Series home. Apparently, that has built up quite an appetite. Sure, you’ll still find peanuts and Cracker Jack when the Fall Classic opens Friday evening at American Family Field. But perhaps the occasion calls for something more decadent

NEW YORK -- When the Yankees introduced Aaron Boone in December 2017, Brian Cashman said the franchise would be “betting on the ceiling” of a rookie manager to leap from the broadcast booth to the dugout, expecting their partnership to translate into a World Series championship. It hasn’t happened yet,

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK – The toughest part about being eliminated early in the postseason, according to Aaron Judge, is that no cheat code skips to October. Another 162-game gauntlet lies ahead, and if the Yankees want a different ending, their work must begin now. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, we’re just going

This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK – When Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn’t included in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, the Yankees second baseman received a text message from manager Aaron Boone, reading in part, “You might be the most important person in

NEW YORK – There was no team meeting held, no rah-rah speech offered in the clubhouse as the first pitch approached on Wednesday night. Their backs against the wall, these Yankees understood the stakes: Play well for the next nine innings, or endure another long winter filled with questions. The

NEW YORK – Aaron Judge spent most of the past two weeks trying to override the Yankees’ caution about his right calf muscle, an ongoing battle that ended with the captain watching all five postseason games from the bench. With the offseason underway far too early for his taste, Judge

NEW YORK -- Two weeks ago, the Rays went wild in the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium after clinching their first American League East championship in five years. That party started shortly after a win over the Yankees and carried late into the New York night. Could they have another

NEW YORK -- When Max Fried first toured Yankee Stadium as a free agent two winters ago, three words stood out: “Prepare, compete, win.” They were printed on a wall of the weight room, beyond the kettlebells and medicine balls, and they remain imprinted in the left-hander’s mind as a

ST. PETERSBURG – After a baker’s dozen of showdowns throughout the regular season, the Yankees needed no refresher on the Rays’ approach ahead of this American League Division Series. Multiple times, they stressed how crucial it’d be to “take care of the ball” and “play clean.” Their worst fears were