Bases: Cespedes gets cortisone before Series
New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has received a cortisone injection in his sore left shoulder, and the team expects him to be ready for the World Series next week.
Cespedes left Wednesday night’s NL Championship Series finale at Chicago in the second inning. The slugger had the injection on Thursday and was told not to participate in baseball activities for 24 hours, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. Cespedes did not attend Friday’s voluntary workout at Citi Field.
Mets manager Terry Collins says: “We’ve got it taken care of. The doctors, they said, look, he’ll be OK, and so tomorrow we’ll find out.”
Mariners hire Servais as manager
The Seattle Mariners hired former big-league catcher Scott Servais as their manager, giving the job to someone with ties to the front office but no experience running a team.
The 48-year-old Servais replaces Lloyd McClendon, who was fired earlier this month after Seattle went 76-86. Servais will be formally introduced by the team next week.
New Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto made the announcement. Servais has worked the past five seasons as an assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Angels and worked alongside Dipoto for most of that time.
Champagne celebrations on ice?
It has become part of the postclincher routine in Major League Baseball for players to return to the field during their locker room celebration to share the fun with fans —even on the road. That often includes spraying said fans with champagne, giving them a true flavor —literally — of the clubhouse.
But MLB has become concerned such interaction is getting out of control. So after the Mets clinched the NLCS in Game 4 on Wednesday, officials stopped several players at the door of the tiny, ancient visitors’ clubhouse at Wrigley Field and asked them not to go onto the field carrying champagne bottles.
Japanese gambling scandal grows
Just days before Japan’s version of the World Series begins and as baseball is vying to get back in the Olympics, the sport has been hit by a gambling scandal involving the country’s most popular team.
Nippon Professional Baseball announced two more pitchers from the Yomiuri Giants had bet on professional baseball games.
The announcement follows revelations two weeks ago that Giants pitcher Satoshi Fukuda had bet on games involving his team as well as Major League Baseball.
Yomiuri president Hiroshi Kubo said pitchers Shoki Kasahara and Ryuya Matsumoto admitted to gambling on baseball, but have not been involved in any game-fixing.