PITTSBURGH (AP) — Carlos Santana tugged at his new Pittsburgh Pirates cap, pulled at his jersey and broke into an impromptu dance.
Cities change. Circumstances change. Expectations change. The urge to get loose whenever the moment strikes the veteran first baseman/designated hitter does not.
NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won baseball's Comeback Player of the Year awards Tuesday night.
Verlander, the American League recipient, returned from Tommy John surgery to lead Houston to its second World Series championship.
All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado will not exercise the opt-out clause in his contract with the Cardinals, keeping him in St. Louis through the end of the 2027 season, a person familiar with his decision told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Adam Wainwright will pitch for the St. Louis Cardinals next season, choosing to return for an 18th and final year with the club even as longtime teammates Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina head off into retirement.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns acknowledged Tuesday the trade of four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader affected the team more than he expected at the time he made the deal.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Magic was happening on a chilly Saturday night in St. Louis, where the Cardinals were trailing the Philadelphia Phillies in a do-or-die Game 2 of their National League wild-card series, and Albert Pujols was stepping up to the plate.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Philadelphia scored six times in the ninth inning off the stingy St. Louis bullpen, highlighted by a bases-loaded single by Jean Segura, and the Phillies beat the NL Central champion Cardinals 6-3 on Friday in the opening game of their National League wild-card series.
CHICAGO (AP) — Nico Hoerner had a solid all-around season. Christopher Morel made a successful big league debut. Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson had breakthrough performances on the mound.
At the end of another long year, the Chicago Cubs felt they were moving in the right direction.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — After racing to their best 50-game start ever, the Milwaukee Brewers believed they could win their first pennant since 1982 and perhaps earn the World Series title that’s eluded them.
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds lost 100 games for the first time in four decades, falling to the Cubs 15-2 in their season finale on Wednesday as David Bote drove in a season-high five runs.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The chants for Albert Pujols began in earnest in the eighth inning, with most of the red-clad fans inside PNC Park yearning for one last regular season at bat for the St. Louis Cardinals slugger.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings in a potential postseason tune-up and Wil Myers homered to cap a seven-run eighth that carried the San Diego Padres past the San Francisco Giants 7-4 on Monday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols hit a two-run single and Corey Dickerson had a grand slam in a six-run first inning to help the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 13-3 on Saturday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his 701st home run, Jack Flaherty allowed one run in six innings and the NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Friday night.
Pujols mashed a slider from Johan Oveido 398 feet to left field in the fourth inning, his 22nd homer of the season.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kevin Newman hit a winning single in the 10th inning, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rebounded from a blown three-run lead in the ninth to beat Cincinnati 4-3 on Wednesday and send the Reds to their 96th loss, their most since 2015.
TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge walked four times and stayed at 60 home runs, one shy of Roger Maris’ American League record, as the New York Yankees clinched the AL East title by beating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2 Tuesday night.
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The St. Louis Cardinals finally separated themselves from the Milwaukee Brewers in early August after chasing them for much of the season.
They haven't looked back since, turning what had been a nip-and-tuck NL Central race into something of a runaway.