Tarik Skubal kept up his stellar season with a sensational playoff debut and the Detroit Tigers got to Framber Valdez early in a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros in their AL Wild Card Series opener.

The Houston Astros have clinched their fourth straight AL West title with a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners, overcoming a terrible start to reach the playoffs for an eighth consecutive year.

Houston’s Framber Valdez has not allowed a hit through seven innings Friday night against the Kansas City Royals.

Framber Valdez just missed his second career no-hitter, barely a year after his first.

Houston pitcher Framber Valdez lost a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth inning when Texas slugger Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in the Astros’ 4-2 victory over the Rangers.

Framber Valdez has not allowed a hit through eight innings for the Houston Astros against the Texas Rangers.

MLB and its history are dotted with men who played out of their natural handedness, a phenomenon that is seen occasionally in other sports but is a regular occurrence on the diamond.

Ronel Blanco’s brilliant start to the season is about the only thing going right for the Houston Astros.

Juan Soto and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $31 million, one-year contract that broke Shohei Ohtani’s record for an arbitration-eligible player.

Nathan Eovaldi remained perfect this postseason, and Mitch Garver and Jonah Heim homered early before a ninth-inning grand slam by Adolis García helped the Texas Rangers avoid elimination with a 9-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.

The Houston Astros return home a win away from their third straight trip to the World Series.

Jonah Heim homered, Nathan Eovaldi pitched six effective innings and the Texas Rangers beat Framber Valdez and Houston Astros 5-4 for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

The Kansas City Royals have lost more than 100 games this year.

Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros pitched seven no-hit innings against the Detroit Tigers, then was removed after matching his career high with 114 pitches.

Kyle Tucker’s grand slam off Félix Bautista in the top of the ninth inning gave the Houston Astros a 7-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

There’s been a sense all season that whoever wins the AL Central will be the weak link in the American League playoffs.

When Martín Maldonado caught Framber Valdez’s no-hitter for the Houston Astros against the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night, it gave him three in his career, tying him for third-most in MLB history.

Framber Valdez threw the 16th no-hitter in Houston Astros history Tuesday night in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

Houston’s Framber Valdez has not allowed a hit through seven innings against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night.

Shohei Ohtan hit his major league-leading 33rd homer to key the Angels’ tying rally in the ninth inning, and rookie Trey Cabbage scored on rookie Grae Kessinger’s throwing error in the 10th to end Los Angeles’ wild 13-12 victory over the Houston Astros.

A total of 170 major league players agreed to contracts in the hours before Friday night’s arbitration deadline to exchange proposed salaries with teams, and just one reached a multiyear deal: Minnesota right-hander Chris Paddack.

Oz Ocampo already sees a similarity between the Miami Marlins and the two teams that just played in the World Series.

Yordan Alvarez hit a towering three-run homer and the Houston Astros clinched their second World Series title in six seasons with a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6.

Dusty Baker has been here before.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson says he isn’t concerned about Houston starter Framber Valdez’s unusual hand rubbing during Game 2 of the World Series, downplaying speculation on social media that the left-hander was up to something fishy during a dominant victory.

Kyle Schwarber had big swings on consecutive pitches for the Philadelphia Phillies when they needed a comeback in Game 2 of the World Series.

Framber Valdez made a five-run lead stand up after Houston’s lightning first-inning burst, Alex Bregman homered and the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 to tie the World Series at one game apiece.

The Astros and Phillies travel Friday to Texas, where Game 6 of the World Series will be played a night later.

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Framber Valdez will start Game 2 of the World Series for the Houston Astros on Saturday night against Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies.

No U.S.-born Black players are projected to be on World Series rosters when the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros meet this week.

Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies are set to play the Houston Astros in the World Series.

Alex Bregman hit an early three-run homer, Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Justin Verlander struck out 11 in six strong innings and Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Peña all homered to power the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in their AL Championship Series opener.

Yordan Alvarez and his mighty bat did it yet again, launching a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning off Seattle ace Luis Castillo that lifted the Houston Astros over the Mariners 4-2 for a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series.

Astros starters Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia look like naturals on the mound, but they've gotten an artificial boost from the barber shop.

Astros reliever Phil Maton says he broke his right pinkie when he punched a locker in frustration after Houston’s regular-season finale and will miss the postseason.

When Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, it will have been almost three years since his last playoff appearance.

Drew Rasmussen pitched seven effective innings and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched a playoff spot for the fourth straight season, beating the Houston Astros 7-3.

Framber Valdez set a major league record with his 25th straight quality start, and Yordan Alvarez and Martin Maldonado had four RBIs each to help the Houston Astros to an 11-2 rout of the Oakland Athletics.

Justin Verlander was pulled after pitching six no-hit innings in his major league-leading 16th win and the Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 in Carlos Correa’s return to Houston.

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.

Sandy Alcantara threw his major league-leading third complete game and the Miami Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0.

Juan Soto is set for his San Diego debut at home Wednesday night against Colorado.

Justin Verlander pitched one-run ball into the eighth inning and won his MLB-leading 14th game, Aledmys Díaz hit two homers and Yordan Alvarez slugged his 30th home run of the season as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 11-1.

Justin Verlander became the major leagues’ first 13-game winner, striking out nine and topping 99 mph in his final inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Seattle Mariners 3-1.

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game.

Shohei Ohtani won his sixth straight start by striking out 12 in six innings and also hit a two-run triple in the Los Angeles Angels’ 7-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani repeated as a two-way All-Star when he was picked for the AL pitching staff, two days after he was elected to start at designated hitter.

Angels star Mike Trout finished 0 for 11 with nine strikeouts in a three-game series and Los Angeles hitters fanned 20 times overall in a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has struck out in seven straight at-bats during a tough series in Houston.

Aaron Judge lined a game-winning single on the eve of his salary arbitration showdown, capping a four-run ninth inning that included Aaron Hicks’ tying three-run homer off closer Ryan Pressly in the New York Yankees’ 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros.

American League powerhouses square off when Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees host Yordan Álvarez and the Houston Astros in the opener of a highly anticipated four-game series Thursday night.

Astros starter Luis Garcia and reliever Phil Maton each threw an immaculate inning — nine pitches, three strikeouts — and Martín Maldonado keyed a six-run first inning that sent Houston over the Texas Rangers 9-2.

The Miami Marlins got a solid start from rookie Braxton Garrett and Jon Berti drove in two runs to help them extend their winning streak to five games with a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Framber Valdez outpitched Shohei Ohtani with 6 2/3 dominant innings of two-hit ball, and the Houston Astros tied the longest opening day winning streak in major league history with a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

A bit player during the Chicago Cubs’ drought-smashing victory over Cleveland five years ago, Jorge Soler was voted MVP of the Atlanta Braves' six-game World Series win over the Houston Astros.

The Seminole Tribe quietly launches online sports betting in Florida, amid continuing legal challenges to a gambling deal approved by state lawmakers in May.

Carlos Correa and the Houston Astros broke out the bats just in time to extend this World Series.

Carlos Correa had three hits, Martin Maldonado found three different ways to drive in runs and pinch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez blooped a tiebreaking, two-run single in the fifth inning to lead the Houston Astros over the Atlanta Braves 9-5 and cut their World Series deficit to three games to two.

Game 5 of the World Series between the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves might have represented a historic moment for Major League Baseball.

Dansby Swanson picked a good time to drive in his first run of the World Series.

A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it.

Rookie Jose Siri sparked a team whose biggest stars took a while to shine, sending the Houston Astros to a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves that evened the World Series at one game apiece.

Making his first start since testing positive for COVID-19, Jorge Soler became the first player to begin a World Series with a home run and the Atlanta Braves, despite the loss of pitcher Charlie Morton to a broken leg, hushed the Houston Astros 6-2 in Game 1.

Jorge Soler became the first player to begin a World Series with a home run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros 6-2 in Tuesday night’s opener despite the loss of pitcher Charlie Morton to a broken leg.

Though the uniform keeps changing, Charlie Morton is becoming a Fall Classic fixture, starting in the World Series for the third time in five seasons this week.

When Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves meet Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros, it will be a World Series that's been six decades in the making.

Rookie Luis García will start for the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Framber Valdez gave the Houston Astros the start they were looking for.

The Dodgers are ready to start ace Max Scherzer in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series against Atlanta, a day after manager Dave Roberts scratched the veteran right-hander to get him an extra day of rest.

Houston Astros ace Lance McCullers is looking for ways to help the team off the field while sidelined with an arm injury during the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Carlos Correa hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning that helped the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

For the second time in four seasons, the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros are set to play for the American League pennant.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will look to take down his former team in the AL Championship Series for the second time in four years after beating the Houston Astros on the way to a World Series title in 2018.

The 107-win Giants and 106-win Dodgers are ready to throw out all those wins and settle their season-long clash with a best-of-five NL Division Series in San Francisco.

Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa is back in the playoffs with the Chicago White Sox as they prepare to open their best-of-five AL Division Series on Thursday against the Houston Astros.

The 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers put their season on the line in the NL wild-card game against the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals.

The 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers put their season on the line in the NL wild-card game against the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been scratched from his scheduled start for the Angels against Oakland because of a sore right arm that could sideline him as a pitcher for the rest of the season.

Shohei Ohtani hit his major league-leading 44th home run, but got tagged early by José Altuve, Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros in a 10-5 over the Los Angeles Angels.

Big league home run leader Shohei Ohtani is unbeaten in his last 13 starts going into this outing for the Los Angeles Angels against the AL West-leading Astros in Houston.

Ty France tied the game with a solo home run in the ninth inning and put the Seattle Mariners on top with an RBI single in the 11th before Kyle Seager belted a three-run homer in a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Sunday.

Aledmys Díaz had three hits and drove in three runs to lead the Houston Astros to 5-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday.

Max Scherzer struck out 10 in his Dodgers debut and got plenty of offensive support as Los Angeles hit four home runs to defeat the Houston Astros 7-5, capping a contentious two-game series at Dodger Stadium.

José Altuve hit a grand slam in the sixth one inning after putting Houston ahead on a solo homer, and the AL-leading Houston Astros held off the San Francisco Giants 9-6 in a matchup of baseball’s top two teams.

Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs to shake Fenway Park and storm past the New York Yankees 5-4.

Framber Valdez and the Houston bullpen took a no-hit try into the eighth inning and Astros beat Texas 4-1, sending the Rangers to their season-worst 11th straight loss.

The Houston Astros lost their combined no-hit bid in the eighth when Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to start the inning for the Texas Rangers.

Lucas Giolito pitched a three-hitter, José Abreu launched a three-run homer and the Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros 10-1.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole demanded on the mound that manager Aaron Boone let him get the final out, then struck out Yordan Alvarez with a 99 mph fastball on his career-high 129th pitch to cap the New York Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Houston Astros.

Christian Arroyo hit a two-run single in Boston’s three-run fourth inning, and the Red Sox took advantage of Miami’s shoddy play to hold off the Marlins 5-3 for their fifth straight victory.

Shohei Ohtani is set to pitch for the Angels in Oakland — assuming he can get to the ballpark on time.

Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Aledmys Díaz homered, and the Houston Astros stopped a four-game slide by topping Trevor Bauer and the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2.

Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 in an impressive duel with Lance McCullers Jr., and the Houston Astros broke loose against the Angels’ bullpen to beat Los Angeles 5-1.

Jared Walsh homered and matched a career high with four hits, Justin Upton also connected and the Los Angeles Angels rallied in the sixth inning to beat the Houston Astros 5-4.

Boos and bad words streamed loudly from the seats in the Houston Astros’ return to Yankee Stadium, and New York got a homer and four hits from Giancarlo Stanton to sate those spiteful fans with a 7-3 victory.

The two-time AL Central champion Twins are hoping Happ can give them a veteran presence at the back of their rotation. Ian Anderson pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk. Houston piggy-backed a pair of starters with Framber Valdez yielding McNeil's homer in the first two innings, striking out two. AdBLUE JAYS 4, PHILLIES 2 (6)Steven Matz allowed a hit in two scoreless innings, striking out three without a walk. CUBS 3, ROYALS 2 (7)Outfielder Rafael Ortega, who signed a minor league deal with Chicago after playing 34 games for Atlanta last season, hit a bases-loaded triple.

The Astros defeated the Rays 4-3 and the Rays lead the series 3-2 games. The Astros forced Game 6 on Friday, a rematch of the first game started by left-handers Blake Snell of Tampa Bay and Valdéz. Otherwise, big league clubs leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series are 37-1. Correa also hit a walkoff homer in Game 2 of the 2017 ALCS off Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees. Houston became the first team with a leadoff and walk-off home run in a postseason game.

The Rays are seeking revenge after Houston beat them in five games in the AL Division Series last year. The Astros are in the ALCS for the fourth straight year, looking for a third trip to the World Series in that span. The Rays are trying to get to their second World Series after losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. ANOTHER EARLY OFFSEASONAfter finishing its 11th consecutive season without a World Series, the Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman face a series of key decisions. New York has a $17 million option on pitcher J.A.