In a season-opening doubleheader that will be remembered for a long time, the Pace baseball team nabbed a pair of wins from Dominican College on Sunday afternoon at Finnerty Field. The sweep, however, was just part of the story as junior Dan Wirchansky began the Setters' new year by throwing a nine-inning perfect game.

In a potential effort to combat the surge in home runs, MLB is mandating that each team store balls in an air conditioned and enclosed room for 2018.

Sportsnet’s Jerry Howarth has announced his retirement, closing out a remarkable 36-year career as the radio broadcaster of the Toronto Blue Jays. With health issues affecting his voice in recent years, Howarth’s personal decision to retire takes effect immediately. “I had every intention of continuing my career into the 2018 season but my health and stamina and continuing voice issues dictated otherwise,” said Howarth.

"Underrated" is one of those words we toss out in our sports dialogue with no real idea what it means. Our interpretation of what or who is or is not underrated is all relative to the specifics of our circumstances -- what we read, what we watch, what we experience. I can guarantee you there were people who walked by Mike Trout at the Super Bowl the other night and didn't know who the heck he was, and so I could argue that Trout is underrated.

When it comes to changing MLB -- on and off the field -- there are three stakeholders who can best make a case for control: the owners, the players and the fans. We go issue by issue to see which group should get what it wants -- and why.

When we think of soon-to-be Hall of Fame inductee Vladimir Guerrero’s outstanding career, we might recall his 2004 American League MVP season with the Anaheim Angels, when he carried his new squad to the postseason with a scorching .363/.424/.726 triple-slash line in September. Or perhaps we’d picture another Angels-era moment, a play that seems to be everyone’s favorite Guerrero highlight: that time he somehow blooped a hit on a pitch that bounced in front of home plate.

Jhonier de Avila darted far to his left, fielded the ground ball and hurled it across the diamond so hard that it popped the first baseman's mitt. The shortstop picked up another one cleanly, this time with his backhand, and he whipped it to first in one motion. "Manos de seda! Mano de seda!" his teammates howled from the dugout. "Suavecitas, suavecitas. Vamos, vamos, Niño, vamos!"

Hot dogs and sausages are the perennial MVP of concession stands at Major League ballparks across the country. Fans return each year to enjoy their classic favorites and to try new—often over-the-top, but always delicious—creations. We’ve compiled this guide featuring some of this year’s most unique offerings, along with our classic favorites.

Baseball America’s Top 100 MLB Prospects is the natural demarcation between one season to another. Countless conversations with scouts, coaches and team officials as well as many road trips over the past year lead to this list. And as soon as we put it in your hands, we begin working toward next year’s. The Top 100 is compiled with input from J.J. Cooper, Matt Eddy, Ben Badler, Josh Norris and Kyle Glaser.

Fans hoping the Padres will bring back brown uniforms on a full-time basis will have to keep hoping. Executive Chairman Ron Fowler, asked Tuesday about serious alterations in the near future, said “it’ll probably be the 2020 season before we see anything.” The owner said the team has commissioned a “major firm” to conduct a research study of quantitative data.

Harvey was considered firm and fair during a 31-season career spent entirely in the National League. He worked five World Series and six All-Star Games.

Perhaps you don’t yet know the name Tom Hackimer, but you should. The right-handed side-armer has been electric out of the bullpen between two levels of A ball over the past two years, pitching to an 8-4 record with a 1.95 ERA and 97 K’s in 87.2 IP. The Floral Park native hopes to continue to rise through the minor league ranks in the Twins system as he readies himself for the 2018 season. He was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his schedule between training to talk with me about his experiences so far.

With all this talk about the potential of the National Leauge jumping on board with the designated hitter rule, it got me thinking about the origins of the rule. Discussions on adding the tenth player to the lineup to bat in place of the pitcher started back in the early 1900’s. The rationale was that pitchers were normally drafted for their pitching prowess versus their ability up to the plate.

It is with great sadness that the Trenton Thunder announces that Team Bat Dog Derby passed away on Saturday January 6, 2018; just 20 days shy of his tenth birthday after a battle with cancer. "Derby was one of the biggest parts of our identity in the nine years of his life and it breaks my heart to share this news with our fans ahead of our 25th season," said Thunder GM/COO Jeff Hurley. "His presence at our games and in the community was massive and every person and dog that interacted with him will miss him dearly."

DURHAM, N.C. -- New research from Duke Health suggests baseball scouts looking for a consistent, conscientious hitter may find clues not only in their performance on the field, but also in front of a computer screen.

Eric Hosmer, coveted all winter by the San Diego Padres, now has another surprising small-market team going head-to-head for his services. Yes, his old team. The Kansas City Royals have offered Hosmer a franchise-record seven-year, $147 million contract, persons close to Hosmer told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity since negotiations are still undergoing.

Andris Biedrins still makes me mad. Not as a basketball player, and not because he made me realize my severe limitations as an amateur talent scout (dude was so promising for a while, I swear), but because he was a huge part of an NBA trade in 2013. The Utah Jazz wanted a broken, valueless player making $9 million specifically because he made so much money.

Arizona baseball coaching legend Jerry Kindall passed away earlier this evening at the age of 82 due to complications from a stroke that occurred on Thursday. Kindall is survived by his wife Diane and stepdaughter Elise Sargent. He's also survived by the four children from his first marriage to the late Georgia Kindall; Betsy, Doug, Bruce and Martha. The family has asked for privacy during this difficult time.

Trades are the real lifeblood when it comes to A’s player acquisitions, but that doesn’t mean that the team will rule out the free-agent market when it comes to adding to their roster. The team already did so in acquiring Yusmiero Petit for the bullpen, and there are a few left-handed relievers who might pique Oakland’s interest, particularly Tony Watson. Agent Scott Boras, who represents Watson, has been in touch with the A’s during the winter meetings this week.

In moving the reigning NL MVP to the Yankees so that he could shed Stanton’s hefty contract, Miami’s new owner Bruce Sherman isn’t rebuilding — he’s exploring new depths of bad faith. And Derek Jeter is taking the blame. By Michael Baumann.