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New Nationals’ pitching coach Jim Hickey draws raves from former big league pitcher Shawn Camp... Right-hander from Northern Virginia pitched for the Rays under new pitching coach for the Nationals … Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports WASHINGTON –   Shawn Camp , a veteran Major Leaguer from Fairfax, was preparing for his second season with Tampa Bay when the team hired a new pitching coach. It was before the 2007 season and Tampa Bay landed Jim Hickey to look over a young pitching staff, after he had veterans such as  Roger Clemens  and  Andy Pettitte  with the  Houston Astros . Hickey took over for Mike Butcher and worked under manager Joe Maddon. “Obviously it was his first year with the organization,” Camp, 44, told Federal Baseball on Monday, hours after Hickey was named the new pitching coach for the  Nationals . “Any time you have a chance to work under Joe Maddon (is a plus) … Jim was a positive guy. He is very hands on with his approach.” “He simplified it for people. (Coaches) all

Baseball's first fans of 2020 see Dodgers-Braves NLCS opener ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Scott McIlroy reached out with his left hand as a batting practice home run clanged off a railing and hit him in the palm, the ball popping in the air before settling back into his grip as he held a cell phone in his right hand. Count the Texas resident and Los Angeles Dodgers fan among the first in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season to catch a pre-game souvenir — and among the first ticket buyers to see live baseball in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night. Major League Baseball said it was selling 11,500 tickets per game at Globe Life Field for the series between the Dodgers and Atlanta Braves and plans a similar allotment at the same ballpark when it hosts the first neutral-site World Series starting Oct. 20. McIlroy got a call from a friend knowing the longtime Dodgers fan would want to make the two-hour drive to the Dallas area. “We were wondering what the mixture