The San Diego School of Baseball was backed by hitting stars such as Tony Gwynn and Alan Trammell, but it was the pitching minds that gave the early 1980s baseball camp its charm — and its legacy.

Brent Strom and Tom House had been teammates at the University of Southern California and then, later, journeyman pitchers in the major leagues. Aside from lineage, they also shared deep-seated hunches that there was more to learn about baseball than previous generations had taught.

So when the day’s instruction was over, they sat in the dugouts of Grossmont College or ventured to a local watering hole, tossing ideas back and forth: the things they loved about the game, the things they thought were wrong, the things they wanted to change.

Once, during a baby shower for another coach’s wife, the men were scolded when they were found in the corner of a room, playing back film of pitchers. They were all obsessives, and the San Diego School of Baseball was their offseason oasis — a place where they could gather and discuss, without judgment and scorn, some of the very concepts that decades later would alter the balance of baseball.

“A summit,” House called it, “of smart baseball minds.”

Before PITCHf/x and Statcast could measure progress, before internet message boards and…

The Hall of Fame is made for players like Adrián Beltré. As a pure hitter, reliable slugger and slick third baseman, Beltré had few peers: No other infielder in the history of baseball has 3,000 hits, 400 homers and five Gold Glove awards. Beltré, now 44, was a lock for the Hall of Fame.

As a first-time Cooperstown candidate, Beltré did not need to follow the breathless tracking of public ballots this winter. Yet he still could not feel secure, he said, until his wife and son assured him on Tuesday that election day looked promising. He could savor it.

“That made me relax a little bit more, and I kind of forced myself to try to enjoy this moment,” Beltré said from his home in Southern California, moments after achieving his sport’s greatest honor. “It was going to be a nice moment, and probably the last moment in baseball that I was going to accomplish, being at the pinnacle of the game.”

Beltré had company at the summit on Tuesday, with Todd Helton and Joe Mauer joining him in the new class of Hall of Famers. Former manager Jim Leyland, elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee last month, will also be inducted at the ceremony July 21.

Candidates must receive 75 percent of the ballots from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of…

Chicago police believe the gunshots that wounded two women at Friday’s White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field came from inside the stadium, interim police superintendent Fred Waller said at a CPD ceremony at Navy Pier on Monday.

“We’re dispelling a lot of things,” Waller said Monday. “(A shot) coming from outside is something we’ve almost completely dispelled. We’re still looking at every avenue. It’s still under investigation. Something from inside, it could’ve happened that way. We’re looking at every avenue, exploring every lead and everything that we can get.”

There was a question as to whether stray shots from outside the stadium struck the fans in the bleachers. There has been no official update from the police or the team since early Saturday morning when they released separate statements. The White Sox also released a short security video showing people reacting in the section.

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Two victims sustain gunshot wounds in White Sox’s stadium during game

The initial police report that The Athletic obtained noted “(Chicago Police) Chief (Brian) McDermott was requesting the Sox stop the game for public safety reasons.” The game continued on, but a postgame concert was canceled.

“At one point in time it was requested as a precaution, but we had…

As of early Saturday evening, the Chicago Police Department and the White Sox hadn’t yet come to a conclusion on how two women were shot inside Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday night.

A CPD spokesperson said Area 1 detectives, who are based south of the ballpark, and the White Sox were still working on figuring out where the bullets came from. The prevailing theory, according to a White Sox source, was that they came from outside of the ballpark and landed in the left-center field bleachers.

A White Sox statement sent just before 1 a.m. CT on Saturday noted, “White Sox security confirms that this incident did not involve an altercation of any kind. Ballpark video of the incident does not indicate any activity prior to the injuries.”

If you look above the State Farm ad, halfway up the bleachers to the right, you’ll see people start to react to something around 14 seconds in. (Video via White Sox) pic.twitter.com/E2BJBZ073o

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) August 26, 2023

One victim, a 42-year-old female, suffered a gunshot wound to her leg. A 26-year-old female victim sustained a graze wound to her abdomen, according to police. The 42-year-old was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, “where she is listed in fair condition.” The 26-year-old “refused medical…

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday’s Tigers at Phillies and White Sox at Yankees matchups due to “clearly hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” the league announced. The decision came after conversations throughout the day with medical and weather experts.

The game in New York will be made up Thursday as the first in a single-admission doubleheader, beginning at 4:05 p.m. ET. The game in Philadelphia will be made up at 6:05 p.m. ET on Thursday, when both clubs were scheduled to be off.

In Toronto, the Blue Jays closed the roof of their stadium for their game against the Astros due to poor air quality. Several other minor-league games, as well as a WNBA game and an NWSL game, have also been postponed.

More than 200 wildfires burning in Canada, many of them in and around Quebec, have blanketed the eastern and northern United States in smoke and caused air quality levels to plummet in impacted areas. The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert. The NWS warned of “widespread haze” and smoke, mainly before 11 p.m. ET.

The Environmental Protection Agency pegged the air quality index at 392, earning its “Hazardous” designation, as of 4 p.m. ET. A moderate air quality index is typically around 100.

Earlier Wednesday, New York City…

Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks recorded his first win of the 2023 season Sunday, which is also recognized as National Cancer Survivors Day. Here’s what you need to know:

Liam Hendriks was activated off the IL on May 29th, five months after his first treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Today, he earned his first win since beating cancer on “National Cancer Survivors Day.” pic.twitter.com/7cXrz2pUim

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 4, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

A special win for Hendriks

Hendriks got a text from his wife Kristi earlier in the day telling him Sunday was National Cancer Survivors Day, but it wasn’t actually at the front of his mind. Tim Anderson gave him the ball from his strikeout that ended the top of the ninth, but Hendriks half-joked that he thinks yelling at Anders2on to save the ball from his first strikeout of the season on Saturday, just spooked his teammate and friend into saving a ball from all of his outings until further notice.

“It just turned out to be a win as well,” said Hendriks. “I wasn’t planning on keeping it. It turned out pretty well.”

Hendriks’ first takeaway was that his third outing since returning from lymphoma, and his first time pitching on back-to-back days this season, was his best….

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks made his highly-anticipated return to MLB during Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. Here’s what you need to know:

Liam Hendriks is back on the field after beating cancer.

What an entrance from the White Sox closer.

@MLBONFOX pic.twitter.com/GiChdxo2hY

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) May 30, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

A miraculous return for Hendriks

With his wife, parents and family in the crowd, Hendriks was showered in standing ovations upon his miraculous return. Home plate umpire John Libka stepped out for the moment and allowed for the crowd and both teams to applaud, and for Hendriks to soak it all in.

Then, the fairy tale ran into reality, and Hendriks had to face major league hitters. Still missing a couple ticks off the fastball he had last year and bouncing a fair amount of his sliders, Hendriks labored to put away hitters with two strikes.

A Matt Thaiss leadoff single came around to score on a Zach Neto sacrifice fly, and Tim Anderson had a potential inning-ending leaping catch on a Mike Trout liner squirt out of his glove. Hendriks trudged off the field after a laborious 27-pitch inning clearly displeased, back in the familiar mode of scrutinizing his every mistake.

The two runs served as…

White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks is beginning treatment on Monday for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, he announced via social media Sunday.

“Hearing the word ‘Cancer’ came as a shock to my wife and I, as it does to millions of families each year,” Hendriks wrote in an Instagram post. “However, I am resolved to embrace the fight and overcome this new challenge with the same determination I have used when facing other obstacles in my life.”

Hendriks wrote he is confident he will make a full recovery and “be back on the mound as soon as possible.”

“I know with the support of my wife, my family, my teammates and the Chicago White Sox organization, along with the treatment and care from my doctors, I will get through this.”

Earlier Sunday evening, Liam Hendriks announced he is beginning treatment tomorrow for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. We’re all with you, Liam! pic.twitter.com/iLF1IpByp5

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 9, 2023

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn issued a statement on Hendriks’ diagnosis.

“Our thoughts and reactions at this time are for Liam the person, not Liam the baseball player,” Hahn said. “I know the entire Chicago White Sox organization, our staff, his teammates, and certainly White Sox fans, will rally in support of Liam and…