Top News:
Sean McAdam / Boston Herald:
Jon Lester will start it off — Sources: Red Sox go with lefty in ALDS opener — KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In 2003, he won Game 5 for the Florida Marlins in Yankee Stadium on three days' rest and was named World Series MVP. — Four years later, he won all four of his postseason starts for the Red Sox [team stats].
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Peter Abraham / The LoHud Yankees Blog:
Game 154: Red Sox at Yankees (updated with Girardi pre-game audio) — YANKEES (97-56) — Pitching: RHP Joba Chamberlain (8-6, 4.73). — RED SOX (91-61) — Ellsbury CF — Pedroia 2B — Martinez 1B — Youkilis 3B — Ortiz DH — Bay LF — Drew RF — Varitek C — Gonzalez SS
Ian Browne / MLB.com:
Sox could punch ticket at rivals' home — Boston (91-61) at New York (97-56), 7:05 p.m. ET — KANSAS CITY — The Yankees have already qualified for the postseason and the Red Sox are on the verge of doing so. So if the latest rivalry showdown — which kicks off on Friday night in the Bronx …
Chicago Sun Times:
Three takes on the White Sox — Octavio Dotel said he approached the club about his immediate future and a contract extension last month and was told he wasn't in the plans. The reliever at least appreciated the Sox being upfront with him. As he turns his attention to free agency, New York is atop his wish list.
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Ben Nicholson-Smith / MLB Rumors:
Dotel Would Play For Mets Or Yankees — The White Sox told Octavio Dotel that he's not in their long-term plans when the righty approached the club about a contract extension last month, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 35-year-old reliever says he'd like to play in New York for the Yankees or, his preferred team, the Mets.
Elizabeth Doran / Syracuse Post-Standard:
Baldwinsville family says teacher told fourth-grader to turn Yankee shirt inside out — Van Buren Elementary fourth-grader Nathan Johns thought his teacher was kidding when he instructed him to go to the bathroom and turn his Yankees T-shirt inside out. — The blue shirt read “New York No. 52” …
Canadian Press:
HALLADAY SHUTS OUT MARINERS IN POSSIBLE LAST HOME START — TORONTO — Minus the angst and the emotional outpouring this time, Roy Halladay once again made what may have been his final start in Toronto as a member of the Blue Jays. — And boy was it a gem.
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Jerry Crasnick / MLB:
GM Kevin Towers says San Diego Padres could have interest in Milton Bradley — When Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry begins aggressively shopping troubled outfielder Milton Bradley this winter, don't be surprised if one of his first phone calls is to San Diego.
Joseph White / Associated Press:
100 losses and counting: Dodgers top Nationals 7-6 — Buzz up! — WASHINGTON (AP)—The Washington Nationals' 100th loss had plenty of elements from the first 99. — A starter who needed five batters to record an out and was gone before the fourth inning.
Discussion:
Walkoff Walk
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Jon Heyman / Sports Illustrated:
Can the Cardinals really lock up both Pujols and Holliday? … The St. Louis Cardinals managed to go an almost unprecedented 4-for-4 with their acquisitions this summer, helping them to run away from their archrival Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Their hot streak might also have raised …
David Brown / Yahoo! Sports:
Answer Man: Denard Span talks beaning, OBP, Target and Spam — About 48 hours after getting hit in the head with a pitch against the White Sox on Monday, Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span — was still feeling the effects. So what better way to test his mental faculties and ease …
Mary Kay Cabot / Plain Dealer:
Cleveland Browns' Coye Francies loses temper in locker room — BEREA, Ohio — Browns rookie cornerback Coye Francies, an apparent victim of a rookie prank, threw a bucket of ice at some of his fellow defensive backs in the locker room Friday and even threw a punch at safety Abe Elam before being led outside by some veteran teammates.
Ben Badler / Baseball America:
MLB Declares Chapman Free Agent — Aroldis Chapman is finally a free agent. — The agency for Chapman, a 21-year-old Cuban lefthander, sent out a release saying that Major League Baseball has declared Chapman a free agent. Chapman defected from Cuba at the World Port Tournament …
John Shea / San Francisco Chronicle:
Giants Beat: Lincecum open to long-term deal — (09-24) 22:52 PDT — Tim Lincecum answered the question exactly how Giants fans wanted him to. For the first time, the ace will be eligible for arbitration, meaning his salary will skyrocket, and he was asked if he'd be open to a long-term deal.
