TERRY FRANCONA

The young Cleveland Guardians finished what they started.

A sturdy pair of goggles was mandatory attire Sunday in Cleveland's clubhouse, where impromptu showers of Champagne and beer broke out inside a thick haze of cigar smoke. The Guardians, baseball's youngest team, finished an unexpected run to the top of the AL Central. Rookie Steven Kwan hit a grand slam and drove in a season-high five runs as the Guardians clinched a division championship no one thought possible six months ago with a 10-4 win over the Texas Rangers.

The Cleveland Guardians clinched their first AL Central title since 2018 when the second-place Chicago White Sox lost to the Detroit Tigers 4-1.

Elvis Andrus hit one of Chicago’s five home runs off rookie Hunter Gaddis and the White Sox cut into Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central with an 8-2 win.

Angels star Mike Trout homered in his seventh consecutive game, one shy of the major league record, but the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat Los Angeles 5-4.

After being pounded with rain, too much water accumulated in left field to play Sunday's game.

Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0.

The playoff-hopeful Seattle Mariners are holding their collective breath that All-Star rookie Julio Rodríguez isn’t seriously injured.

David Ortiz returned to Fenway Park for the first time as a newly minted Hall of Famer.

Cleveland pitcher Zach Plesac threw the ball completely out of Fenway Park as the grounds crew began to bring out the tarp, and the Boston Red Sox ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Guardians 3-1.

Andrés Giménez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 for their second straight walk-off win against their AL Central rivals.

The New York Yankees and Houston Astros will meet Thursday in a one-game series between AL division leaders at Minute Maid Park.

Josh Naylor hit a two-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, completing a four-run rally that gave the Cleveland Guardians a 7-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

Freddie Freeman is sure to get a huge ovation when he returns to Truist Park for the first time since helping lead the Atlanta Braves to the World Series championship.

Come Monday, there is going to be a little more room in big league bullpens, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and plenty of places in between.

Come Monday, there is going to be a little more room in big league bullpens, from Seattle to Tampa Bay, and plenty of places in between. Major League Baseball is moving forward with its oft-delayed plan for a 13-pitcher limit on active rosters. The move could affect the game in a variety of ways, from more position players taking the mound to a few more trips to the minors for pitchers with options.

José Ramírez doubled twice, then homered to begin a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Cleveland Guardians sent Oakland to its 10th straight loss, beating the Athletics 3-2.

A late-spring snowstorm in Denver postponed Friday’s opener between the Mets and Rockies and could threaten a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday.

Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has cleared health and safety protocols and returned to the team after missing four games with COVID-19. Francona will be back for Wednesday's game against Cincinnati along with bench coach DeMarlo Hale. Hitting analyst Justin Toole is also back with the Guardians, who have dealt with two separate outbreaks in recent weeks.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor has been added to the team’s COVID-19 injured list, marking the first player to be sidelined by the team’s recent outbreak.

Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis will serve as the team’s acting manager when the coronavirus-hampered Guardians start a three-game series against the Twins at Target Field.

The Cleveland Guardians reported no new COVID-19 cases after an outbreak inside their clubhouse on Wednesday in Chicago caused a postponement and sent manager Terry Francona and five coaches home from a road trip.

The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several of the team’s coaches, prompting the first coronavirus-related postponement in Major League Baseball this season.

The Cleveland Guardians are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined manager Terry Francona and several of the team’s coaches, leading to the postponement of their series finale against the Chicago White Sox.

Mike Clevinger had an impressive first start since undergoing elbow surgery in 2020, and Manny Machado hit a two-run home as the San Diego Padres beat the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Mets ace Max Scherzer is pitching back in his hometown, starting a three-game series at St. Louis.

Gerrit Cole bounced back from the shortest start of his career, Anthony Rizzo powered an early offensive barrage and the New York Yankees pounded the Cleveland Guardians 10-2 to complete a three-game sweep in a series marred by fan misbehavior.

Some Yankees fans in the right-field bleachers pelted Cleveland outfielders with bottles, cans and debris in a chaotic scene moments after Isiah Kiner-Falefa and pinch-hitter Gleyber Torres got RBI hits with two outs in the ninth inning to lift New York to a 5-4 win.

Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to pitch Wednesday night for the Los Angeles Angels in Houston, and the two-way superstar is off to a much better start at the plate than on the mound this season.

José Ramírez hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, remarkable rookie Steven Kwan reached base three more times and the Cleveland Guardians spoiled Cincinnati’s home opener by beating the Reds 10-5.

Cleveland rookie Steven Kwan hit.

A person familiar with the deal tells AP that All-Star third baseman José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians have reached agreement on a five-year, $124 million contract.

The scripted name atop the giant scoreboard at Progressive Field is new. No longer known as the Indians for the first time in 107 years, the Guardians enter this season with expectations nearly as low as their payroll. Cleveland didn't throw money at free agents — the club rarely does — like the big-market clubs or make any substantial trades, so the Guardians will again count on a strong starting rotation led by Shane Bieber, third baseman José Ramírez's perennially productive bat and hope some young players develop quickly to be competitive in the AL Central.

Andrew Miller, a two-time All-Star and dominant postseason reliever who helped negotiate the recent labor deal that ended Major League Baseball’s 99-day lockout, has retired at 36.

After two difficult years, Terry Francona finally feels like himself.

Two septuagenarians will be on the bench when 77-year-old Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa and the Chicago White Sox face the Houston Astros and 72-year-old skipper Dusty Baker in their playoff opener Thursday.

The Cleveland Indians won their last home game before they become the Guardians, beating the Kansas City Royals 8-3 to close a run that started in 1915 and will continue in 2022 with a new identity.

Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller will be enshrined Wednesday at the Hall of Fame, a year after the induction ceremonies were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cleveland Indians manger Terry Francona is resting comfortably after undergoing toe surgery, his second operation since stepping aside for the season in July.

The lCleveland Indians made their second significant trade in two days, sending outfielder Eddie Rosario to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Pablo Sandoval.

Time is running out for playoff contenders to bolster their rosters through a trade.

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is stepping down for the remainder of this season to address some health issues.

Indians manager Terry Francona remains away from the team and missed his second straight game with a head cold.

Five Tampa Bay pitchers combined for seven hitless innings, and the Rays beat the Indians 4-0 for a doubleheader sweep.

Major League Baseball will deal with Mariners pitcher Hector Santiago, the first player ejected under the new crackdown against grip-enhancing sticky stuff.

Nelson Cruz hit a three-run homer shortly after Cleveland right fielder Josh Naylor was carted off the field following a frightening collision with a teammate, and the Minnesota Twins went beat the Indians 8-2.

Indians pitcher Aaron Civale will miss more than one month with a sprained right finger, the latest blow to Cleveland’s injury-ravaged rotation.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound, taking on Kevin Gausman and the Giants at Angel Stadium.

Cleveland Indians right-hander Aaron Civale appears headed to the injured list because of soreness in the middle finger on his pitching hand, another major hit for a banged-up staff.

Three of baseball’s best pitchers are hurting.

José Ramírez picked up a pair of RBIs made possible by Baltimore blunders in the field and the Cleveland Indians extended the Orioles’ road losing streak to 16 straight games with a 4-3 win.

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber won’t throw for at least two weeks because of a right shoulder strain, an injury that will further test Cleveland’s pitching depth.

Indians ace Shane Bieber, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, has a strained right shoulder and will not pitch for at least two weeks.

Indians manager Terry Francona was drained and looking forward to some sleep after a long weekend in Rhode Island for a family wedding. The Indians were just as tired. José Ramírez's two-run homer and a solid start by reliever Cal Quantrill led Cleveland to a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday, giving the Indians their second straight split of a seven-inning doubleheader in two days.

The finale of an entertaining four-game series between longtime rivals features an excellent pitching matchup Sunday at Dodger Stadium between Giants right-hander Kevin Gausman and Los Angeles lefty Clayton Kershaw.

Cleveland Indians right-hander Zach Plesac will not need surgery after breaking the thumb on his pitching hand while yanking off his undershirt following a rough outing.