Major League Baseball’s average salary rose 3.4% on opening day to a record $5.34 million, according to a study by The Associated Press, and the New York Mets topped spending at the season’s start for the fourth straight year.

The Cleveland Guardians won’t have to pay indicted pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while Major League Baseball’s investigation continues into allegations of pitch-rigging for gamblers.

Prospects for a spring fraud trial for two Cleveland Guardians stars accused of colluding with sports bettors to rig bets are fading after they appeared in Brooklyn federal court as their teammates start their new season.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says he regrets his initial support for legalizing sports betting.

Major League Baseball says it will comply with a Senate committee's request for documents on gambling investigations.

Baseball and bets go hand-in-hand in the Dominican Republic, where professional athletes, musicians and even legislators go public with their wagers.

Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians players were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the behest of gamblers.

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has appeared in court on charges accusing him and teammate Emmanuel Clase of taking bribes to help associates in their native Dominican Republic win prop bets placed on pitches they threw.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw specific pitches that would trigger winnings on in-game prop bets.

Betting scandals have been a concern for professional sports leagues for as long as they’ve existed, but a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 has led to a wave of gambling incidents.

Two pitchers with the Cleveland Guardians have been indicted on charges they took bribes to give sports bettors advance notice of their pitches and intentionally tossed balls instead of strikes to ensure successful bets.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said during the Guardians' 10-game losing streak in July that things would turn around.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz had their paid leaves extended indefinitely as Major League Baseball continues an investigation to gauge their possible involvement in gambling during games.

The agency that oversees sports gambling in Ohio says it is working with Major League Baseball on the investigation of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, but had no further comment.

The Cleveland Guardians have been on a bit of a tear despite off-field challenges.

Betting scandals have been a concern for professional sports leagues for as long as they’ve existed, but a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 has led to a wave of gambling incidents.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting.

José Ramírez and David Fry homered and Brayan Rocchio added a two-run double as the Cleveland Guardians beat the Houston Astros 7-5 to snap a 10-game skid.

Atlanta’s Chris Sale and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal have each won their first Cy Young Award.

Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox have been selected Major League Baseball’s Comeback Players of the Year.

Unchallenged and nearly unhittable for six months, Emmanuel Clase hasn’t been close to being the same closer in October.

Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase gave up two runs in the ninth inning as the New York Yankees moved closer to another World Series, beating the Guardians 8-6 to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.

Pinch-hitter Jhonkensy Noel tied the score with a two-out home run in the ninth inning and David Fry hit a two-run homer in the 10th, rallying Cleveland over the New York Yankees 7-5 and pulling the Guardians to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series.

“Big Spender” is the theme music for baseball’s final four.

Lane Thomas hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal and Cleveland beat the Detroit Tigers 7-3 in Game 5 of their AL Division Series, moving the Guardians into another postseason matchup against the Yankees.

Kerry Carpenter delivered again for the Tigers.

The Tigers and Guardians are taking their fight the distance.

Pinch-hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Cleveland Guardians force a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their AL Division Series with a 5-4 victory.

For the first time since 2014, the Detroit Tigers are hosting a playoff game inside Comerica Park in front of their home fans.

Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Cleveland’s All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning as the Detroit Tigers blanked the Guardians 3-0 in Game 2 to even their AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Cleveland’s brutish bullpen lived up to its billing.

Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer in a five-run outburst before Detroit got an out, and the Cleveland Guardians unleashed their lights-out bullpen to complete a four-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Tigers in an AL Division Series opener.

Emmanuel Clase is breaking bats and records at an almost equal pace.

Boston’s Jarren Duran, the All-Star MVP, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and the American League beat the National League 5-3 for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games.

Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes was picked for the All-Star Game just eight weeks after his debut, and major league-leading Philadelphia had a big league-high seven selections.

Stephen Vogt never managed a game at any level before this season.

Ben Lively pitched seven innings of two-run ball, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4 for their ninth consecutive win.

José Ramírez homered for the second straight game and the Cleveland Guardians extended their winning streak to eight, beating the Los Angeles Angels 4-3 Saturday night.

Will Brennan hit a three-run homer off Jhoan Duran with two outs in a wild ninth inning, giving the Cleveland Guardians a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

José Ramírez belted his sixth career grand slam and had three hits, Will Brennan had a solo homer and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Boston Red Sox 6-4.

Shane Bieber shut down Cincinnati for six innings and the Cleveland Guardians sent manager Terry Francona off with a victory in his final home game, 4-3 over the Reds, whose playoff hopes are hanging by a thread.

Chicago’s Tim Anderson has been suspended six games and Cleveland’s José Ramírez for three games by Major League Baseball for fighting and touching off a lengthy, wild brawl between the White Sox and Guardians on Saturday night.

Chicago's Tim Anderson and Cleveland's José Ramírez could be facing multi-game suspensions for fighting and triggering a benches-clearing scuffle during Saturday's game between the White Sox and Guardians.

Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox and José Ramírez of the Cleveland Guardians exchanged punches at second base Saturday night, triggering a bench-clearing melee in the sixth inning that led to six ejections.

Oscar Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run with Cleveland’s second straight bloop hit in the 10th inning, and the Guardians overcame a two-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 4-2 and even their best-of-five AL Division Series at one game apiece.

José Ramírez connected for a two-run homer, Shane Bieber dominated Tampa Bay for 7 2/3 innings and the young Cleveland Guardians played with poise in their postseason debut, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in their wild-card opener.

The entire Major League Baseball playoff picture is now set.

Angels star Mike Trout’s streak of consecutive games hitting a home run ended at seven, one shy of the major league record, and the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat Los Angeles 3-1.

Angels star Mike Trout homered in his seventh consecutive game, one shy of the major league record, but the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat Los Angeles 5-4.

Jonathan Schoop and rookie Kerry Carpenter hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning, and the Detroit Tigers rallied for a 7-5 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the second game of a doubleheader.

Shane Bieber pitched seven dominant innings, Oscar Gonzalez drove in two runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Detroi Tigers 5-2 for their third straight win.

Cal Quantrill pitches six scoreless innings and Amed Rosario had a two-run single, lifting the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the AL West-leading Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani repeated as a two-way All-Star when he was picked for the AL pitching staff, two days after he was elected to start at designated hitter.

Andrés Giménez hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-3 for their second straight walk-off win against their AL Central rivals.

Oscar Gonzalez tied the game with a two-run single and scored on Owen Miller’s go-ahead sacrifice fly as the Cleveland Guardians rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 11-10.

Some Yankees fans in the right-field bleachers pelted Cleveland outfielders with bottles, cans and debris in a chaotic scene moments after Isiah Kiner-Falefa and pinch-hitter Gleyber Torres got RBI hits with two outs in the ninth inning to lift New York to a 6-5 win.

All-Star third baseman José Ramírez is guaranteed $141 million under his seven-year contract with the Cleveland Guardians.

Prized rookie Bobby Witt Jr. made an eye-popping play at third base to nail a runner at the plate in the top of the 10th inning, then Adalberto Mondesi’s RBI single in the bottom half lifted the Kansas City Royals over the Cleveland Guardians 1-0.

Bobby Witt Jr. capped his highly anticipated big league debut with his first hit, a go-ahead double with two outs in the eighth inning, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 3-1 victory over the rechristened Cleveland Guardians.

A person familiar with the deal tells AP that All-Star third baseman José Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians have reached agreement on a five-year, $124 million contract.

The Chicago White Sox clinched their first AL Central title since 2008 with a 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians in a doubleheader opener behind two home runs by Tim Anderson.

Franmil Reyes homered over the Green Monster to spark a three-run third inning _ Cleveland’s franchise-record tying 19th straight game with a home run _ and the Indians salvaged the finale of the series with an 11-5 victory over the COVID-impacted Boston Red Sox.

The Cleveland Indians have sent struggling reliever James Karinchak to Triple-A Columbus after he failed to retire a batter and got the loss Friday night against Boston.

Cal Quantrill pitched two-hit ball over seven innings, Amed Rosario launched an early homer and the Cleveland Indians beat the Los Angeles Angels 3-0 in the Little League Classic.

Miguel Cabrera got a planned day off as he closes in on his 500th career home run and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-5.

White Sox rookie Seby Zavala hit the first three home runs of his career, including a grand slam, but the Cleveland Indians rallied to beat Chicago 12-11.

José Ramírez picked up a pair of RBIs made possible by Baltimore blunders in the field and the Cleveland Indians extended the Orioles’ road losing streak to 16 straight games with a 4-3 win.

Zach Plesac came within six outs of Cleveland’s first no-hitter in 40 years, keeping the Seattle Mariners hitless into the eighth inning of the Indians’ 4-2 win.

Shane Bieber pitched out of some early trouble before extending his strikeout record and César Hernández hit a two-run homer, sending the Cleveland Indians to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Jordan Luplow hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning off Alex Colomé, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their series opener.

Shane Bieber kept up his record strikeout run, fanning 13 and pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Cincinnati Reds 6-3.

Josh Naylor lined into a triple play in the eighth inning, then let a routine grounder roll through his legs at first base with two outs in the ninth that led to Cincinnati’s tying run as the Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in 10 innings.

Kluber gets a $1 million buyout, and the club has said it is interested in re-signing Kluber to a less expensive deal. Lester gets a $10 million buyout from the Chicago Cubs that completes a $155 million, six-year contract rather than a $25 million mutual option. Milwaukee turned down Gyorko and Sogard, a day after declining a $15 million option on 2011 NL MVP Ryan Braun. The White Sox declined a $12 million option for Encarnación and a $7 million option for González, who will receive a $500,000. Kluber gets a $1 million buyout, and the club has said it is interested in re-signing Kluber to a less expensive deal.