Reds fire manager Bryan Price
The Cincinnatti Reds’ worst start since the Great Depression prompted a quick hook for Bryan Price.
Cincinnati fired its fifthyear manager on Thursday because of a 3-15 start, the first managerial change in the major leagues this season. The Reds hadn’t changed managers so early in a season since Tony Perez was fired after 44 games in 1993.
It’s the first time since 2002 that a manager has been fired in April, according to ESPN. Four managers were fired that April, including Phil Garner after an 0-6 start with the Tigers that matched the quickest hook in major league history.
Price managed a rebuilding effort that relied on rookies more than any other team in the majors during his tenure. The Reds have lost at least 94 games in each of the last three seasons while finishing last in the NL Central.
Rangers sign Cuban outfielder
Cuban outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez agreed to a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes a $2.8 million signing bonus and will make his debut for the organization in the Dominican Summer League.
The Rangers announced the deal with the 22-yearold on Thursday, more than four months after he held an open tryout for all teams and about six weeks after he could sign with any major league organization.
Martinez debuted with the Cuban national league at age 16, and hit .293 over five seasons. In his final
season with Guantanamo and Camaguey, the speedy left-hander hit .333 with six homers and 24 stolen bases in 61 games. He had 52 walks and 30 strikeouts.
Mariners record triple play
Houston defeated Seattle 9-2 on Thursday, but the Mariners had a rare triple play in the fourth inning.
The Astros’ Evan Gattis was at bat with runners on first and second and no outs when he hit a checkswing ground ball to third base. Seattle third baseman Kyle Seager stepped on third and threw to second base to force Carlos Correa. Gattis finished running to first but apparently believed it was the third out and turned to jog back to the dugout.
Seager noticed what was happening, and Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano threw to Daniel Vogelbach, who applied the tag.
It was the 12th triple play by Seattle and first since 2015.
Yankees make anti-bullying video
Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees have a message for a bullied fourth-grader in Pennsylvania: “You are not alone.”
The Yankees created an anti-bullying video and posted it to the team’s Twitter account Wednesday in response to a video created by 10-year-old Cassidy Warner. The young girl from Scranton, Pennsylvania, has gone viral for a Facebook video in which she holds note cards recounting bullying she’s received in elementary school.
Yankees director of media relations Jason Zillo discovered Warner’s story during a pair of rainouts in Detroit last weekend. The Yankees created a video featuring 24 players and manager Aaron Boone holding note cards telling Warner “we care about you” and inviting her to hang with the team at Yankee Stadium.
“Count the New York Yankees among your friends!” reads a card held by Judge.
The Yankees’ video had over 200,000 views by Thursday before the team’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.