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Brian McCann, the best-hitting catcher in Atlanta Braves history, is about to become a New York Yankee and the highest-paid catcher in baseball history. The Braves free agent and seven-time All-Star agreed to terms Saturday with the Yankees on a five-year, $85 million contract that includes a sixth-year vesting option that could push the total value of the contract to $100 million, a personal familiar with negotiations said. The deal was pending a physical exam. “It’s a bittersweet day for him,” said McCann’s agent B.B. Abbott. “He has a special place in his heart for Atlanta.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Baseball fans should expect to go through a metal detector to see their favorite team play in 2014. Major League Baseball security director John Skinner said on Friday that all 30 teams are expected to screen all fans entering their ballparks next season. Some aspects of the screening will be left to individual teams, but the commissioner's office is planning to recommend walk-through metal detectors, he said.

Michael Weiner, the plain-speaking, ever-positive labor lawyer who took over as head of the powerful baseball players' union four years ago and smoothed its perennially contentious relationship with management, died Thursday, 15 months after announcing he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He was 51.

Saturday night at a black tie dinner in Chicago, a Dodgers broadcaster will go into the Hall of Fame and it won't be Vin Scully. A shocker? No. Scully is already there. If there is a Hall of Fame that has any connection whatsoever to broadcasting and Scully isn't in it, it's a lousy Hall of Fame. Now, Charley Steiner will be joining him. That means, next year, when fans tune in to Dodgers' baseball, they will be informed and entertained by two Hall-of-Famers. That's far from the norm, maybe a first, and should make Dodgers fans proud. Even if...

Brad Ausmus has never managed in the minors or the majors. In his first year on the job, he will manage a team that is among the favorites to win the World Series. The Tigers will hire Ausmus to replace Jim Leyland as manager, according to multiple reports. Adam Spolane of SportsRadio 610 appears to be the first to report the news. It was later confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com. Text messages sent to Ausmus and the Tigers late Saturday night were not immediately returned. Reports indicate that he will fly to Detroit on Sunday to finalize the deal....

He’s got three rings now, but it’s No. 3 that David Ortiz can wear with the most pride.Pride for this city he plays in, and pride in the way he plays for this city.David Ortiz won the 2013 World Series Most Valuable Player award in a decision that could only be described as a complete lock midway through the series. It was as much of a lock as this entire Red Sox season came out of the blue in so many ways, both tragic and ecstatic.Ortiz dominated Cardinals pitching in the first five games to the point that, by Game 6...

No live thread on the game. I've never seen the Cardinals make such stupid decisions.

Regarding World Series opening game #1, did anyone notice that the FOX11 TV network COMPLETELY IGNORED the 'fighter jet flyover' as Mary J. Blige sang our National Anthem? I could HEAR THE JETS but no attempt was made by FoxTV to show them as they roared overhead! Was this a slap in the face to our troops, or what? This really P*SSED ME OFF!!!

Congrats to the RedBirds, and a shout out to Cardinal Nation!

Former Cubs star Andy Pafko had a good bat, a memorable nickname and a reputation as one of the friendliest players in the game. Pafko, 92, died Tuesday in a nursing home in Stevensville, Mich., the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. A popular five-time All-Star who played 17 seasons and appeared in 24 World Series games — including the Cubs' last visit to the Series in 1945 — Pafko had a lifetime .285 average with 213 home runs and 976 RBIs playing for the Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Milwaukee Braves.

Craig Kimbrel is supposedly the heir to Mariano Rivera. In his postseason career as closer, Rivera recorded 27 appearances of 2+ innings. Uribe bunted two balls foul, ... and then tomahawked a high fastball from David Carpenter into left-field stands for a shocking two-run homer .... Note that I wrote "David Carpenter" and not "Craig Kimbrel." The Braves had to win this game. Lose, and they go home. Somehow they lost -- in the late innings, no less -- without using the most dominant relief pitcher in the game. The sad thing is, Gonzalez apparently didn't even think of using...

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Henderson Alvarez has thrown the first no-hitter of his career in the Marlins 1-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Alvarez did not allow a hit through nine innings, but Miami did not score in the first eight innings, leaving the no-hitter in doubt. The Marlins offense finally busted through against Luke Putkonen in the bottom of the ninth. Putkonen threw a wild pitch to Greg Dobbs with the bases loaded, allowing Giancarlo Stanton to score the game-winning run. The right-hander only allowed three baserunners in the game; Prince Fielder was hit by a pitch in the...

... there has been discussion as to how a three-way tie would be determined for the last clubs in: ... Cleveland would host Tampa Bay to determine one of the wild cards on Monday; the loser of that game would then play at Texas on Tuesday to determine the second wild card. The two winners would be re-seeded for the wild card game on Wednesday based on season series. Therefore, the Rangers would host the Rays after going 4-3 against them this season, and would be at Cleveland after going 1-5 against them (and Cleveland would be at Tampa Bay)....

SAN FRANCISCO (KABC) -- A Dodgers fan was killed in a fight that broke out near San Francisco's AT&T Park following the Giants-Dodgers game. Police say it was the rivalry between the two teams that sparked the fight. Authorities responded to the fight in the area of 3rd and Perry streets, about six blocks from the stadium, at 11:39 p.m. Police say 24-year-old Jonathan Denver of Fort Bragg was in Dodger apparel when he and the group he was with got into an argument with another group of people, one of whom was wearing a Giants hat. The two groups...

Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, who changed the face of Major League Baseball while leading the sport into an era of unprecedented popularity and prosperity, will formally step down from the office when his current term expires on January 24, 2015. The announcement was made Thursday. "It remains my great privilege to serve the game I have loved throughout my life," Selig said. "Baseball is the greatest game ever invented, and I look forward to continuing its extraordinary growth and addressing several significant issues during the remainder of my term. "I am grateful to the owners throughout Major League Baseball...

For the first time since 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in MLB's postseason. The Bucs clinched at least a spot in the wild-card game after a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs that ended with a bizarre play at the plate, and a 4-3 loss by the Washington Nationals to the St. Louis Cardinals. The loss eliminated the Nats from contention. The Cincinnati Reds are playoff-bound as well, after beating the New York Mets, 3-2 in 10 innings. The focus over the regular season's final six days now shifts to the NL Central race, which the Cards still lead by...

Raise the Jolly Roger! Pirates return to playoffs After Marte homers and Martin holds on, Bucs clinch with Nats' loss By Tom Singer / MLB.com | 9/24/2013 1:04 AM ET CHICAGO -- Twenty-one years ago, Mike LaValliere didn't get his man. Monday night, Russell Martin got his -- and as a direct result, the Pirates riffed on Andrew McCutchen's vow, "I'm playing for October." The Bucs will be playing in October. They confirmed their reservation with a 2-1 win over the Cubs on Starling Marte's ninth-inning homer, coupled with Washington's loss in St. Louis. When, where and against whom yet...

THE WILD SIDE: It's a scramble for the two AL wild-card spots, with a half-dozen teams trying to claim them. Texas, Cleveland and Tampa Bay are at the top, but wobbling. Pinch-hitter Justin Morneau's single sent Pittsburgh over the Cubs 3-2 Sunday, leaving the Pirates even with St. Louis for the NL Central lead. WHAT'S THE FORECAST?: Wicked weather always seems to wreak havoc at the end of the season. Cleveland waited out a rain delay of nearly 4 1/2 hours in Chicago before beating the White Sox 7-1 Sunday night. Just watch - somewhere, a storm will sweep into...

A praying mantis interacts with Florida players during today's Marlins/Nationals game. Some enjoy the mantis's company, other are less than amused. One freaks out when the mantis jumps on him which sends the announcers into a laughing fit.