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NewsAnthony Castrovince has been a reporter for MLB.com since 2004.
 | This is the story of what happened just before the rain put a pause in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The inning in-between Rajai Davis' moment of game-tying glory and Jason Heyward's Knute Rockne-like role in the visiting weight room gets lost in the shuffle of the Game 7 narrative. But in pure baseball terms, it's the ninth inning that allowed the Cubs to steal the Tribe's thunder and seal the way we think about 2016.
More» Kipnis laces one foul in the 9th |
 | Let's take a look at the biggest changes to division-winning odds so far. The needle hasn't moved much in the American League Central and AL West, where the Indians and Astros, respectively, are still heavy favorites. But the percentages have shifted a bit elsewhere, so we'll focus on those four divisions below, all of which have seen at least one team see its odds of winning the division swing at least 10 percentage points.
More»Hot, cold starts have changed divisional race odds |
 | Perhaps this will be the weekend in which Mother Nature's icy grip on the schedule relents. We sure hope so, because there are plenty of storylines to settle in a season that so far has been devoid of real rhythm.
More»Scherzer vs. Kershaw set to headline weekend action |
 | At baseball's biggest jewel events this year, there will be stars of sport -- and also stars of a different sort. The names Selihom Kidane and Jesse Quist don't resonate the way those of baseball's signature stars do, but they will be recognized at the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard at National Park on July 17 and the 2018 World Series, respectively, because of the essays they wrote that capture the spirit of the trailblazing Jackie Robinson.
More»Robinson supports Breaking Barriers Education Program |
 | Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez actually considered quitting baseball, until somebody explained to him the possibility of having his kids home-schooled so they could go wherever his baseball travels took him.
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 | We've played 7.6 percent of this Major League season, and if you think that's enough to make a meaningful impression, then you might be new to baseball. The bottom line is that there is no bottom line yet, but that's never stopped us from letting some April awkwardness get the best of our emotions.
More» Issues facing Nationals, Rangers |
 | Behold, a weekend slate in which every Major League team is in action (weather permitting) today, Saturday and Sunday! Here are five hot topics to track this weekend in a packed MLB slate.
More»Ohtani, NL West rivalry set to take off this weekend |
 | At the start of the year, if you were ranking the six MLB divisions from most to least compelling, well, let's just say the National League East would not have been at the top of the list.
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 | The winds were biting and blustery, prompting face masks and neck wraps and Francisco Lindor's unequivocal conclusion that "Cleveland ain't joking." Yes, the Indians returned to Northeast Ohio's typically trying early April weather for a home opener Friday that put the O-H in "OHpening" Day, with the 41-degree first-pitch temp causing Edwin Encarnacion to warm his bat on a dugout heater.
More» Lindor starts slick game-ending double play |
 | Baseball still hasn't even opened for business in some ballparks, but we're already stocked up on intrigue. Here are five key storylines to track this weekend.
More» Arrieta, Cole's home debut, Ohtani |
 | We're human, and we can't help ourselves, especially after going 147 painful days without baseball games that counted.
More» Stanton on his two-homer Yankees debut |
 | The excitement over all 30 clubs starting the 2018 season on the same day was fun while it lasted, until Mother Nature did what she tends to do by disrupting our plans and pageantry.
More» Price, NL West rivals, Yu, Ohtani |
 | Psst. Can I tell you a secret? Those Opening Day roster decisions we've been following, fretting and forecasting? They probably don't matter. What follows is not a list of the 10 "best teams on paper," but, rather, teams that stand out as particularly malleable.
More»Yankees considered the most flexible team of 2018 |
 | The proliferation of pitcher injuries and the evolution of the way games are managed has drastically diminished starting pitching workloads. But it hasn't diminished the faith and fascination a great-on-paper rotation can inspire.
More»Astros look to defend WS crown with top-tier rotation |
 | Bullpens have gained prominence but, alas, not predictability. Even the savviest of executives will tell you that estimating bullpen performance is an inexact science within the larger inexact science of predicting performance in general.
More»Castrovince on Yankees having best bullpen in Majors |
 | We're closing in on Opening Day, and so what better time to cue conversation and drum up debate with our annual look at the game's best lineups, rotations and bullpens, as well as the most flexible rosters?
More»Castrovince looks at top lineups ahead of Opening Day |
 | The home run robbery by Team USA's Adam Jones against the Dominican Republic's Manny Machado in the 2017 World Baseball Classic was a great moment in U.S. patriotism. A year later, here's the story of Jones' instant Classic catch, as told by those who lived it.
More»Players, analysts remember Jones' catch in Classic |
 | The Wild Card era has brought us many satisfying sleepers-turned-Cinderellas. While it's way too early to provide any picks to click within baseball's October "tournament," here are some regular-season scenarios that would kind of have the feel of 16 seeds upsetting No. 1s.
More»Justice picks his Cinderella teams in 2018 |
 | Wednesday brought an opportunity to celebrate the late Kevin Towers, with the D-backs -- for whom Towers served as GM from 2010 to 2014 -- and the Reds, for whom he was a special assistant from 2014 until his passing, hosting an industry gathering at Salt River Fields.
More»MLB Network, Rob Manfred remember Kevin Towers |
 | Baseball is a team game -- and an unpredictable one, at that. So the idea that a single player can swing a team's fortune one way or another can be faulty.
More»As 2018 begins, who is MLB's most irreplaceable? |
