Tag: Major League Baseball

Every Major League Baseball team’s best promotional giveaway in 2024

What is the best giveaway your favorite MLB team is doing in 2024?

The 20 top selling MLB jerseys in 2023

Which player topped the list of MLB jersey sales in 2023?

When the calendar flips to October, it means one thing for many sports fans: playoff baseball.

Major League Baseball’s postseason is in full swing. It’s once again time for history to be written on the diamond and showcase the game’s biggest stars shining their brightest.

At the end of every regular season, the MLB releases the top-selling jerseys from that season.

Unsurprisingly, the list contains plenty of playoff contenders, a multitude of MVP candidates and simply some of the best baseball players on the planet

Check out the full list below, and grab a jersey to support your favorite player as the remaining lucky few march on towards the 2023 World Series.

Rockets, Astros to launch Space City Home Network on October 3

Tuesday, Oct. 3 is the official launch date of the “Space City Home Network,” which is owned by the #Rockets and Astros. Televised games will begin with the Oct. 10 preseason opener.

In confirmation of widely reported news, the NBA’s Houston Rockets and Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros announced the launch of Space City Home Network (SCHN) on Tuesday, Oct. 3. Beginning that day, fans can follow the network on social media at @SpaceCityHN while finding more information at SpaceCityHN.com.

In a joint release, the Rockets and Astros said they are “acquiring AT&T SportsNet Southwest from Warner Bros. Discovery, effective Sept. 30.”

“The change will be a seamless transition for fans, as they will be able to continue to access Rockets and Astros games on the same channels they currently utilize,” the announcement reads.

“The network will be owned by the Rockets and Astros going forward and will operate as a joint venture of the organizations. The teams are committed to delivering great game content and programming, while maintaining and enhancing the award-winning quality that has made the network the premium destination for fans to watch live broadcasts, behind-the-scenes content, and much more.”

The first live broadcast on SCHN, which continues to hold exclusive local television rights for the two franchises, will be the Rockets’ preseason opener vs. Indiana on Oct. 10. In all, SCHN will broadcast more than 220 live games each year, according to the teams.

Additional information and quotes are available below.

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Best Baltimore Orioles postseason gear, how to buy O’s playoff merch

Celebrate the Baltimore Orioles’ AL East title with our list of gear including t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more.

The Baltimore Orioles are the 2023 American League East champions. Sun’s comin’ up and we got cakes on the griddle, O’s fans.

This will be the Orioles’ first postseason appearance since the now infamous one-game playoff against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016.

Factor in that the Orioles had finished under .500 in 19 of the past 25 seasons, and Baltimore truly deserves to celebrate both this season and this team.

The O’s are led by their trio of young stars: stud catcher Adley Rutschman, AL Rookie of the Year favorite Gunnar Henderson, and ace-in-the-making Grayson Rodriguez. Even with all the hype around the team’s young talent, let’s not forget about crucial veterans like Cedric Mullins, the inescapable outfielder who has been a part of the current Orioles rebuild since day one.

This division title was well deserved and now the Orioles wait to see who they’ll face in the American League Division Series, beginning Saturday, Oct. 7 at Camden Yards.

But you don’t have to wait until then to celebrate your O’s. Fanatics has all the new 2023 Baltimore postseason gear you’ll need and it’s available right now.

Celebrate Orioles Magic and get ready for the playoff splash zone by grabbing the latest Baltimore Orioles 2023 AL East Champion and postseason gear below:

As training camp nears, Rockets rookies Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore embrace competition

“I am very excited for the season,” #Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore said before throwing out Friday’s first pitch for the Astros. “I’m ready for this new program to get started.”

HOUSTON — Rockets rookie Amen Thompson is highly competitive and wants to win at everything he does. That’s especially the case if it means he gets to beat his twin brother, Ausar.

“They have competed at everything since they were younger, which is no surprise considering how much time they spent trying to make each other better,” said Amen and Ausar’s mother, Maya Thompson.

So, it was no surprise that before Amen and fellow rookie teammate Cam Whitmore threw out Friday’s ceremonial first pitch at Minute Maid Park. Minutes before a matchup between Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals, Amen made sure to let the media know that his pitch would be better than one thrown by his twin brother, Ausar — even though he said he had never thrown a baseball a day in his life.

“His was average; mine is going to be better than that,” Thompson jokingly said of Ausar’s first pitch in June before a Tigers game in Detroit, where Ausar was drafted by the Pistons.

Thompson and Whitmore followed the example of their new head coach, Ime Udoka, and threw good pitches to home plate. Throwing out the ceremonial pitch and attending the game are among their final social events as the rookies prepare for training camp on Oct. 3.

Coaches and fans already got a small glimpse of what Houston’s 2023 first-round draft picks (Thompson at No. 4 overall, Whitmore at No. 20) would look like on the court at the same time when they played in the first game of the NBA’s 2023 summer league versus the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, Thompson sprained his ankle in the second half and did not play again in Las Vegas.

From there, Whitmore filled the void and helped lead Houston to the championship game while earning summer-league MVP honors.

“I am very excited for the season,” Whitmore said Friday. “I am very excited for this new program to get started.”

Whitmore is on a mission to prove to teams that passed on the projected lottery pick that they missed out on a great basketball player. During a charity event this summer, he admitted that he was playing with a chip on his shoulder during the summer-league run.

“Yeah, definitely,” Whitmore said of playing to prove the naysayers wrong. “There was definitely some backlash and some madness because of that. I was just having fun out there.”

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Best Minnesota Twins AL Central championship and playoff gear

Celebrate the Minnesota Twins’ AL Central title with our list of gear including t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more.

It might not have been smoothest path, but the end of the road is finally taking shape for the Minnesota Twins.

And good news: it’s not a dead end, it’s an AL Central title.

For the first time since 2020, and the first time since 2019 in a full-length season, Minnesota has won the division and earned a trip to the postseason. The Twin Cities can brace for a return to October baseball.

Led at the plate by Max Kepler and Carlos Correa, Minnesota sports a roster that’s flying under-the-radar. However, their pitching staff with Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez is not one to be taken lightly.

If the rest of the league is sleeping on the Twins, they’ll pay in October.

Twins fans should and undoubtedly will support their scrappy team throughout the postseason and can start that train right now with help from Fanatics.

Celebrate and back your Twins by grabbing the latest Minnesota Twins 2023 AL Central title and postseason gear below:

Astros manager Dusty Baker believes in Ime Udoka, Rockets

Astros manager Dusty Baker on Ime Udoka: “I think he’s the perfect coach to get the guys playing together and playing team ball. He exhibited that in Boston.” #Rockets

As the veteran manager of Major League Baseball’s defending World Series champions, Astros skipper Dusty Baker knows a thing or two about what it takes to win at the highest level in Houston.

On Thursday night, prior to his team’s home win over the Angels at Minute Maid Park, Baker met new Rockets coach Ime Udoka (who threw out the ceremonial first pitch) for the first time.

In postgame comments, Baker offered a strong endorsement of Udoka and what he can do in his new position with the Rockets:

He’s a lot bigger than I thought. He’s a big ole dude. He has some great talent on the Rockets, young talent. I think he’s the perfect coach to get the guys playing together and playing team ball. He exhibited that in Boston. I think the city will be impressed by him.

Baker, however, cautioned that a turnaround would not be immediate. After all, the young and rebuilding Rockets have finished with one of the NBA’s worst records in each of the past two seasons.

“It’s going to take some time,” said Baker, who typically attends a few NBA games during baseball’s winter offseason.

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New Rockets coach Ime Udoka throws out first pitch for Astros

New #Rockets coach Ime Udoka threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Thursday’s Astros game, and he shed some light on his first few weeks on the job in Houston.

When Major League Baseball’s Houston’s Astros made a managerial change from Bo Porter to AJ Hinch in 2014, it symbolized a turning point. Houston was looking to move to the next phase of its rebuilding plan.

With the benefit of hindsight, it was a change that eventually led to an ongoing baseball dynasty in Houston. During Hinch’s five seasons with the team, the Astros finished with one World Series title, two American League pennants and four postseason berths.

To say the least, it’s a run of success new Rockets head coach Ime Udoka would love to emulate as Houston’s NBA franchise attempts to transition back to winning after three rebuilding seasons.

So, perhaps fittingly, Udoka’s first public appearance in Houston since accepting the job came Thursday at Minute Maid Park, where Udoka threw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to a game between the Angels and the defending World Series champion Astros.

Scroll on for a look at photos, videos, interviews and reaction.