17+ hour, 13+ min ago (271+ words) The Colorado Rockies announced the hiring of interim skipper Warren Schaeffer as their full-time manager on Monday, filling the last of the vacancies in Major League Baseball. Schaeffer, 40, took over in May when Bud Black was fired after a 7-33 start. The Rockies went 36-86 under his watch to finish at 43-119, the worst record in the franchise's 33-year history. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this team," Schaeffer said. "My focus remains on continuing to build a strong, unified culture based on accountability, hard work and trust. We have a group of guys who care deeply about competing the right way, and my goal is to keep strengthening those relationships while leading a team that our fans can embrace and be proud of." The hiring announced Monday is the first major move since Paul DePodesta was named the team's…...

8+ hour, 25+ min ago (280+ words) Shohei Ohtani, a two-time World Series champion, will attempt to add a second World Baseball Classic title to his haul when he competes for the defending champion Japanese team again next year. The 31-year-old two-way superstar made the announcement Monday on social media that he would again participate in the international tournament. Ohtani is fresh off another spectacular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the unanimous selection as the National League's Most Valuable Player after going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 pitching starts while leading the league at the plate with a .622 slugging percentage, a 1.014 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and a career-high 146 runs scored. In 158 regular-season games this year, Ohtani batted .282 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs en route to his fourth career MVP honor. Then Ohtani helped the Dodgers complete a run to their second straight World Series championship. He hit…...