Michael Clair

Photo: Alive Coverage / Juliana Bernstein / Taylor Wallace via Phish Facebook — Flight of the Meatsticks at Phish Sphere, 4/25/26

Like a modern Mount Olympus, the National Baseball Hall of Fame's doors open only to the greatest of the greats, those remarkable ballplayers who stood out from their big league brethren the way the Greek gods towered over us mere mortals. But for those players who didn't put together the

At India’s first MLB Cup in 2021 -- an under-11 competition -- only 12 teams took part. In a country obsessed with cricket and soccer, it was difficult to find the necessary coaches and ballplayers ready to come out and hit the field. Just a few years later and the

Phillies fans can close their eyes and see it all in their dreams: Ryan Howard’s powerful swing sending a homer cascading into the upper decks; Jimmy Rollins slashing a ball to the gap; Shane Victorino – the Flyin’ Hawaiian – going all out to make a diving catch. These moments

If you go to a Blue Jays game, chances are you’re going to see Louis Varland. That wouldn’t be surprising if he were a position player – after all, Vlad Guerrero Jr. has suited up for at least 156 games every year since 2021. But Varland is a relief pitcher.

This story was originally published in 2022.

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of Michael Clair's International Beat Newsletter, bringing global baseball news to your inbox every month. Sign up for future installments HERE and check out the full newsletter HERE.

NEW YORK -- When Marlins catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks found out that he would be representing Team Canada at this spring’s World Baseball Classic, no one told him. There wasn’t a phone call or text, nor did he learn about it on TV the way some players discover they’ve been

Red Sox Nation has Dave Roberts, his daring theft of second base jumpstarting Boston’s remarkable comeback in the 2004 ALCS. For Venezuelans, they have Javier Sanoja, his ninth-inning steal setting up the game-winning run in this spring’s World Baseball Classic final against the USA. But Venezuela manager Omar López wasn't

When Phillies legends Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino return to Citizens Bank Park, bat in hand, to take part in MLBx: All-Star 3-on-3, there will be a familiar foe going up against them. Former Braves slugger, 2026 Hall of Famer and longtime rival Andruw Jones will be suiting