AVON PARK — The Avon Park baseball team spent much of its preseason practice time on defense, but you wouldn't know it by the Red Devils' slug-heavy 7-6 victory over rival Sebring on the opening night of the AP First Pitch Classic at Head Field. The Devils hammered out 10 hits, including two home runs, and held off a Blue Streak rally in the top of the seventh to preserve a bit of early-season bragging rights. "I didn't expect him to pitch to me after I hit a home run off them last year," said AP's Kyle Jackson, who was 3 for 3 with a homer and two runs scored. "It's a good way to start our season off. We hit the ball pretty well in practice this week, so we figured we'd come out and pound." Three other Red Devils — Heath Barnes, Chad Marley and Terrill Conner — had two hits a piece, with Barnes sending his own shot out of the yard in the second inning. ...more

February 9, 2008

BOSTON - He has lived a good baseball life in the shadows. But now the World Series lights are shining. Mike Lowell can't hide. ...more

October 26, 2007

In terms of the most basic measurements, it was the same old story at Tropicana Field this year. ...more

September 30, 2007

Carl Crawford's return to the lineup certainly made a difference for the Devil Rays, but Scott Kazmir's pitching was the decisive factor as Tampa Bay finally held on for a victory. ...more

September 16, 2007

On a cool Monday night at Fenway Park, Scott Kazmir pitched his way deeper into the fragile collective psyche of Red Sox Nation. ...more

September 11, 2007

Working with a fastball that was past its prime, Pedro Martinez made a vintage comeback. ...more

September 4, 2007