Salvador Perez homered leading off the fourth inning to spark a four-run rally against Carlos Rodón, and the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees 4-2 to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Alex Verdugo felt a little cooked this season, so he hired a chef.

The Detroit Tigers are playoff-bound for the first time in 10 years after defeating the Chicago White Sox 4-1 to clinch a spot in the American League Wild Card round.

The Detroit Lions aren’t the only hot ticket in town, as their neighbors, the Detroit Tigers, are on the brink of a playoff spot. If the Tigers make it to the playoffs, it will bring more money into the city.

The Home Run Derby is altering its format.

Adolis García and the Texas Rangers have reached an agreement on a $14 million, two-year contract that with incentives could be worth as much as $20.25 million.

Shohei Ohtani was the biggest star of the All-Star Game even if his appearance was rather uneventful.

Baltimore's Adley Rutschman added a new wrinkle to the Home Run Derby, even if it didn’t result in a victory.

Dusty Baker and the All-Star Game are tailor made for each other.

The New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole will start Tuesday night’s All-Star Game for the American League and Arizona’s Zac Gallen will open on the mound for the NL.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge isn’t in the starting lineup for New York’s regular-season finale a day after his 62nd home run that broke Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League single-season record.

When Aaron Judge’s American League record-tying 61st home run dropped into Toronto’s bullpen, coach Matt Buschmann picked it up.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt won’t travel to Toronto for a short series with the Blue Jays because they haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Rookie sensation Julio Rodríguez was a last-minute scratch from the Seattle Mariners’ lineup before a 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros with left wrist soreness.

Breakout rookie Julio Rodríguez and the Mariners can match a franchise record with their 15th consecutive win as they open a home series against AL West-leading Houston.

Major League Baseball’s Midsummer Classic remains the most-watched all-star game in professional sports, even though it drew record lows in viewership for the fifth time since 2015.

The All-Star Game showcased what baseball has become — home runs, strikeouts and offense-killing shifts.

Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton homered back-to-back in the fourth inning to rally the American League over the National League 3-2 in the All-Star Game.

New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez and Minnesota’s Matt Wallner hit two-run homers in the third inning, leading the American League over the National 6-4 in the annual Futures Game of top prospects.

Will the Detroit Tigers return to the playoffs this year? The 14 biggest baseball fans in the Local 4 newsroom predicted which 12 teams will make the MLB postseason.

What do you think of these changes for the baseball season?

It was an impressive holdout for the National League, which made it nearly 50 years staving off a full-time designated hitter rule that the American League implemented before the 1973 season.

For the second time in four seasons, the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros are set to play for the American League pennant.

The Toronto Blue Jays have won four in a row entering their big series this week in New York against the Yankees.

The year is 2021, and the Detroit Tigers are in second place in the American League Central Division.

The All-Star uniforms were widely criticized on social media as the game was going on.

A showcase for Shohei Ohtani became a grand stage for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., too.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. admired his 468-foot screamer for a moment before bouncing into his triumphant home run trot.

Shohei Ohtani became the first two-way All-Star in style, featuring a 100 mph fastball to pitch a perfect first inning against the National League after being denied a hit by a nice defensive play in his first at-bat.

The American League is three outs away from its eighth consecutive victory over the National League in the All-Star Game after Matt Barnes escaped an eighth-inning jam.

The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The average fell despite Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon and Christian Yelich all starting long-term contracts guaranteeing $215 million or more. The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The players’ association calculated the 2020 average would have been $3.89 million if a full season had been played. Because the pandemic caused players to receive roughly 37% of pay last year, the actual average plunged to $1.59 million, its lowest since 1998.

The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/David Dermer)NEW YORK – The average Major League Baseball salary dropped for an unprecedented third straight year, even before the shortened season caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Major League Baseball Players Association said Thursday the 2020 average would have been $3.89 million if a full season had been played. That was down 4.2% from the 2019 average of $4.05 million and represented a 5.2% decrease from the record average of just under $4.1 million in 2017. Major League Baseball’s final 2020 report last month showed payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion during the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion.

(AP Photo/David Dermer)NEW YORK – Postseason games come at an unprecedented pace starting Monday in this year of the pandemic. Teams could play the Division Series over five straight days, take a single day off and then contest the League Championship Series on seven consecutive days. The last to pitch for seven straight days was San Francisco’s Steve Kline from July 31 to Aug. 6, 2007. The League Championship Series has had a 2-3-2 format since 1985, with days off between Games 2 and 3, then another between Games 5 and 6. To start twice in the Division Series, Game 1 pitchers would have to come back on three days' rest.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___SOUNDING OFFThe Astros are making noise on and off the field in the postseason, and that’s fine with outfielder Josh Reddick. Houston continues to draw the ire of fans across the majors for the sign-stealing scandal that came to light after last season. Former Houston pitcher and current A’s starter Mike Fiers was the one who revealed the Astros’ scam. “That’s what this year was about.”TAKE YOUR TIMEIf it seems baseball is going through an annual playoff slowdown, it’s true. “We’ve made progress but we haven’t made enough progress fast enough,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said.

(AP Photo/Jim Mone)A look at what’s happening around the majors on Sunday:___SOUNDING OFFThe Astros are making noise on and off the field in the postseason, and that’s fine with outfielder Josh Reddick. Houston continues to draw the ire of fans across the majors for the sign-stealing scandal that came to light after last season. Former Houston pitcher and current A’s starter Mike Fiers was the one who revealed the Astros’ scam. “That’s what this year was about.”TAKE YOUR TIMEIf it seems baseball is going through an annual playoff slowdown, it’s true. “We’ve made progress but we haven’t made enough progress fast enough,” Phillies managing partner John Middleton said.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Matt Foster walks to the dugout after retiring the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning of Game 3 of an American League wild-card baseball series Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

It's been a feast-or-famine postseason on the pitcher's mound so far. Then there were teams like the Indians and Chicago White Sox, whose seasons are over in large part because of control problems that popped up at the worst possible time. The Atlanta-Cincinnati contest was the first postseason game to be scoreless after 11 innings. San Diego was only in that position because the Cardinals couldn't hold off the Padres' sluggers Thursday. The White Sox ended up using nine pitchers and Oakland used eight.

Two games, 22 innings and zero runs: Just like that, Cincinnati and its faltering offense had been eliminated from the MLB playoffs by the Atlanta Braves. For fans who enjoy chaos, drama and sheer randomness, the past three days provided it. With a revised schedule that restricted teams to their geographic regions — East vs. East, Central vs. Central and West vs. West — home teams went 500-398 for a .557 winning percentage, the highest since .559 in 2010, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Whether home or away, the end came quickly for some teams over the past few days. “It's a really tough season, everything to go through, playing through a pandemic, doing all this,” Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart said.

CORRECTS TO THIRD INNING NOT SECOND INNING Chicago White Sox's Eloy Jimenez, right, leaves the game with an injury next to a trainer and manager Rick Renteria, left, during the third inning of Game 3 of an American League wild-card baseball series against the Oakland Athletics, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Jiménez returned to Chicago's lineup for the first time since Sept. 24 but left in the third inning with renewed discomfort in his sprained right foot. Jiménez hit a leadoff double before signaling to the bench that he needed a pinch-runner. Manager Rick Renteria was late writing his lineup waiting to see whether Jiménez could play. Crochet — the 11th overall pick in this year's amateur draft — relieved fellow rookie starter Dane Dunning in the first. Jiménez went through extensive baseball work Monday and still experienced soreness, keeping him out the initial two in the best-of-three round.

Hunter Renfroe hit a grand slam and the top-seeded Rays won a postseason series for the first time in 12 years, overpowering the young Toronto Blue Jays 8-2 Wednesday to finish a two-game sweep of their wild-card matchup. Mike Zunino hit a two-run homer off Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu during Tampa Bay's big inning. Ryu was rocked for a season-high seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, the lefty's shortest outing of the season for the wild-card Blue Jays. I’m proud of my kids to make it to this point," second-year Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said. Ryu signed with the Blue Jays in free agency last winter after being an All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers and finishing second in NL Cy Young Award balloting in 2019.

"But what are they going to say now?”Nine months after Houston's rules-breaking, sign-stealing system was revealed, the Astros advanced to the Division Series in Los Angeles. The Twins are 0-18 in the playoffs since winning Game 1 of their Division Series at the New York Yankees on Oct. 5, 2004, a total of seven rounds lost. Since that date, the Astros are 43-35 in postseason play, winning 10 of 15 rounds with three trips to the World Series. In a three-game division series sweep by the Yankees last year, the Twins totaled seven runs and 22 hits. Baldelli declined to confirm whether Buxton was experiencing a recurrence of concussion symptoms that kept him out of the last two regular season games.

Giolito simply dazzled in his postseason debut, stymieing the Oakland Athletics through six perfect innings and sending the White Sox to a 4-1 victory in the opener of their best-of-three wild-card series Tuesday. “It was a different feel though because throwing a perfect game, no-hitter is a great personal accomplishment, but we’re in the playoffs, the goal is to win the game,” Giolito said. They lost in the AL wild card game each of the past two seasons after 97 wins both times. No big deal for the White Sox, apparently. RHP Chris Bassitt, drafted by the White Sox before being traded to Oakland in December 2014, takes the ball for the A's with victories in his last three decisions.

Chicago White Sox's Lucas Giolito pitches against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning of Game 1 of an American League wild-card baseball series Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)OAKLAND, Calif. – Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito is pitching a perfect game through six innings against the Oakland Athletics in their playoff opener. Giolito pitched a no-hitter against Pittsburgh on Aug. 25. Jake Lamb's line drive to center field in the fifth was the hardest-hit ball by the A's against the 27-year-old Giolito. The White Sox lead 3-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Halladay and Don Larsen, who pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in the 1956 World Series against Brooklyn, have the only two postseason no-hitters.

DETROIT With more than one-fifth of the full schedule in the books, the Detroit Tigers have one of the best records in the entire American League. In the Tigers defense, they can only play the games on their schedule, and they more or less took advantage of those first 13 games. The way the Tigers have played so far suggests theyre the best of all the really bad teams. Looking forward, this weeks series with the White Sox is extremely important. Not only do the White Sox appear to have the best roster of that middling tier, they also play the Tigers 10 times during this stretch.

Trout and his wife, Jessica, are expecting the couple's first child in August. Honestly, I still dont feel that comfortable," he said. The three-time AL MVP continues to have discussions with general manager Billy Eppler and manager Joe Maddon. Trout did leave open the possibility of possibly not playing until the baby arrives. I'm appealing to our guys to be as informed as they can and then arrive at their own truth.

CHICAGO - Tim Anderson became the third Chicago White Sox player to win an American League batting title, finishing at .335 after going 0 for 2 in a season-ending 5-3 win over the worst-in-the-majors Detroit Tigers on Sunday. Anderson grounded out in the first inning, lined out in the third, then was replaced at the start of the fifth. He received a standing ovation and took a curtain call after the team announced the batting title on the scoreboard in the sixth. Anderson joined Luke Appling (1936 and 1943) and Frank Thomas (1997) as batting champions for the White Sox. The Tigers will pick first in the amateur draft next June for the second time in three years.

DETROIT - Tim Anderson homered in a three-run fifth inning, and the Chicago White Sox went on to a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday night. Detroit (45-109) matched the 1996 Tigers for the second-most losses in franchise history behind 119 in 2003. Abreu hit a two-run single in the eighth to push the Chicago lead back to three. Nova was working just three days after his previous outing, when he went one inning as an opener against Minnesota. Tigers: Detroit sends Matthew Boyd (8-11) to the mound as it tries to avoid a three-game sweep.

1933: The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park. Babe Ruth hit the first home run in All-Star game history as the American League defeated the National League 4-2. (CNN) - Major League Baseball will not allow its players to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this coming winter while determining how to follow the Trump administration's new economic sanctions on Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing several people familiar with the matter. It will not impact Venezuelan players traveling back to the country during the off-season, and was communicated by MLB to teams starting on Thursday, the paper reported. The Venezuelan state-owned oil company heavily sponsors the nation's baseball league, which has taken a hit from the recent political instability, the Journal reported.

Before his home game Friday, Boston Red Sox right fielder and American League MVP Mookie Betts had a special meeting with 10-year-old Nico Sapienza, according to ESPN. When Nicos parents got married 14 years ago, their favor was a donation to the Make-A-Wish program. For Betts to hit a home run during the Soxs home game against rival Yankees. By the time the game was over, Betts hit three home runs, saying Nico served as his inspiration. RELATED STORIESGeorgia Teen Battling Cancer Gives Make-A-Wish Gift to His DoctorTeen Gets Fewer Seizures After Make-A-Wish Grants Paris TripCountry Singer Kip Moore Makes 15-Year-Old's Wish Come True

As Shane Greene proudly displays his all-star jersey in the Tigers clubhouse expresses how excited he is to be part of the American League all-star squad.