Baseball – harchi90

Ronald Acuna Jr. enters 2022 Home Run Derby

islamlacoste58 — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 00:38:41 +0000

ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. has wowed fans with his tremendous power over the past few years, and he will take center stage again next week when he competes in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on July 18 at Dodger Stadium. The Braves superstar announced his participation on Instagram on Monday.

Acuña will be competing in the Derby for a second time. The Braves right fielder was eliminated by eventual winner Mets first baseman Pete Alonso — who has also confirmed his participation in the 2022 Derby — in the semifinals in 2019. This year’s event begins at 8 pm ET and will be televised on ESPN.

Acuña will also serve as one of the National League’s starting outfielders during the All-Star Game, which will be played at Dodger Stadium on July 19. The young outfielder gained this honor when he received more votes than any other NL player in Phase 1 of the balloting process for a second straight year. He couldn’t play in last year’s Midsummer Classic after tearing his right ACL on July 10 of that season.

Acuña has hit 13 homers 450 feet or longer going back to his 2018 rookie season. The Rockies’ CJ Cron (14) is the only player to trump this total within this span. But Acuña’s homers have averaged 416 ft., which leads the Majors going back to his debut.

When Acuña competed in the 2019 Derby, he showed his ability to hit for power to all fields. He totaled 25 homers to eliminate Josh Bell in the first round and then was defeated, 20-19, by Alonso in the second round.

Acuña has hit just eight homers since returning from his injury on April 28. But despite missing last year’s second half and most of this season’s first month, he still entered Sunday as one of 25 Major Leaguers who have hit at least 113 home runs since the start of 2018.

The post Ronald Acuna Jr. enters 2022 Home Run Derby first appeared on harchi90.

In ‘The Captain,’ Derek Jeter Opens Up About Alex Rodriguez’s Acts of Betrayal

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 12:04:57 +0000

“Shit, I have trust problems… I have trust issues,” says Derek Jeter, echoing the words of a fellow biracial superstar. “I have issues trusting people from the get-go.”

Of The Captaina new seven-part ESPN docuseries premiering July 18, the Yankee legend shares that his famously guarded nature stems from an incident in high school where he was betrayed by someone close to him.

“I remember I had a good friend of mine that was in high school, and after I graduated from high school, I had found out that he had mentioned he doesn’t like to see interracial marriages,” Jeter recalls. “And I’m like, ‘This is somebody I hung out with. I trusted this person.’ It’s been there for a while, but I think it’s been magnified a little bit as my career developed over time.”

After making his MLB debut in 1995 at the age of 20, Jeter would go on to win Rookie of the Year and help lead the Yankees to a World Series championship in 1996, thus breaking an 18-year title drought and cementing his status as New York City’s Chosen One. Andean The Captain boasts a chorus of voices—from his parents Charles and Dorothy, to Yankee teammates like Tino Martinez and Roger Clemens, to Michael Jordan and Jadakiss—who all recount the Kalamazoo native’s rise from scrawny shortstop to baseball icon. it is his The Last Danceand the tight-lipped athlete spills the tea like never before.

Perhaps the most compelling thread in the first five episodes provided to press—rumored gift bags notwithstanding—is the disintegration of Jeter and Alex Rodriguez’s friendship, which began way back in high school when they met at a Michigan-University of Miami football game. The two phenoms gradually became close, hanging out during spring training, crashing at each other’s places, conducting joint interviews with the press, and even spending a few New Year’s Eves together.

According to Alan Schwarz, a sportswriter for Baseball Americait was during one of those joint interviews in 1997 that Rodriguez first revealed how jealous he was of his pal.

“I’m walking with Alex and he said, ‘Alan, I think this is going to be the last interview that I do with Derek together… I love the guy, he’s my friend, he’s a great player,” Schwarz says in the film. “But do you remember the cover of Sports Illustrated? I was sitting and Derek was standing above me. It gives the impression that I was just sort of below him… I’m sorry, but I’m the better player.” (Rodriguez denies this exchange occurred.)

Things began to go south when Rodriguez called in to The Dan Patrick Show in 2000, just after signing a record $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers—and following Jeter leading the Yankees to four World Series championships in five years—and bragged that his buddy could never land such a seismic sum.

“Even a guy like Derek, it’s going to be hard for him to break that because he just doesn’t do the power numbers and defensively, he doesn’t do all those things,” said Rodriguez. “So, he might not break the 252. He might get 180. I don’t know what he’s going to get. 150? I’m not sure.”

This understandably irked Jeter, because Rodriguez wasn’t just taking shots at Jeter’s playing ability but messing with his bag.

“The Dan Patrick interview, he was talking about a comparison between me and him on the field. In my mind, he got his contract, so you’re trying to diminish what I’m doing maybe to justify why you got paid? Because I think, look, when you talk about statisticsmy statistics never compared to Alex’s statistics. I’m not blind. I understand. but we won,” says Jeter.

“You can say whatever you want about me as a player. That’s fine,” Jeter continues. “But then it goes back to the trust and the loyalty. ‘This is how the guy feels? He’s not a true friend,’ is how I felt. Because I would not do that to a friend.”

And then A-Rod, in his infinite egotism, did it again.

In an interview with Esquire in April of 2001, audio of which is played in The CaptainRodriguez trashed Jeter’s leadership and hitting ability.

“Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him, so he’s never had to lead. He doesn’t have to. He can just go and play and have fun, and hit second,” Rodriguez told Esquire. “I mean—you know, hitting second is totally different than hitting third or fourth in a lineup because you go into New York trying to stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O’Neill and everybody. You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ That’s never your concern.”

“You can say whatever you want about me as a player. That’s fine. But then it goes back to the trust and the loyalty. ‘This is how the guy feels? He’s not a true friend,’ is how I felt. Because I would not do that to a friend.”

Jeter viewed it as an act of betrayal.

“Those comments bothered me because, like I said, I’m very, very loyal. As a friend, I’m loyal. And I just looked at it as, I wouldn’t have done it,” Jeter says in the movie. “And then it was the media—the constant hammer to the nail. They just kept hammering it in. It just became noise, which frustrated me. It was just constant noise.”

Rodriguez maintains in the doc that he “felt really bad about it” before eliding the clear insults that were lobbed his friend’s way.

“I said exactly what I said,” offers Rodriguez. “Again, I think it was a comment that I stand behind today. It was a complete tsunami—it was one of the greatest teams ever—and to say that you don’t have to focus on just one player I think is totally fair.”

He says he attempted to mend their relationship by meeting with Jeter and apologizing, stressing that his comments weren’t “said to hurt you or penalize you or slight you in any way.” And Jeter accepted the mea culpa, but the damage had been done.

“I believed he was very sincere in his apology,” says Jeter. “Now, I think if it was a stand-alone incident, hey, you move on man, people make mistakes. But there’s a second time it happened.”

Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter during MTV’s 8th Annual Rock ‘n Jock Softball in 1997 in Los Angeles, California.

Jeff Kravitz/Getty

“We were young. I was 26 years old. People make mistakes, I get it,” he adds. “They make mistakes. Some mistakes bigger than others. What I expect of you, you should expect the same of me. I wouldn’t treat you that way. And, once again, that’s fine. I’m still going to be cordial. But you crossed the line, and I won’t let you in again.”

Rodriguez, for his part, does take some ownership in the film over the fracturing of their bond, though comes short of a full apology.

“I think early on I was in that circle of trust. I mean, you have to be if I’m sleeping at his apartment and he’s sleeping at mine, ”he says. “I think that changed in where I said some things that he didn’t like, and that, for him, broke the trust. And I think from that moment on it was never quite the same ever again.”

The slugger would join the Yankees in 2004 with Jeter’s blessing, and provided he moved to third base. They won a World Series championship together in 2009. But like A-Rod said, when it came to Jeter, he remained on the outside looking in.

“If someone doubts me, OK, I hear you. But now I’m gonna turn that off, because I don’t want to think about it,” says Jeter early on in The Captain. “I didn’t talk about it. Didn’t tell people about it. But I have a list in my head of people who doubted. I remember exactly what you said, when you said it, and what you were wearing when you said it.”

The post In ‘The Captain,’ Derek Jeter Opens Up About Alex Rodriguez’s Acts of Betrayal first appeared on harchi90.

Willson, William Contreras to start All-Star Game for NL

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:33:37 +0000

From their special lineup card exchange in late April in Atlanta to their emotional in-game embrace last month at Wrigley Field, this year has been filled with wonderful memories for William and Willson Contreras and their family.

None, however, will carry more significance than the one the brothers will get to make on July 19 at Dodger Stadium, when they start alongside each other in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.

Two days after Willson was announced as the starting catcher for the National League All-Star team, William learned on Sunday that he was named a first-time All-Star via player voting. With Bryce Harper sidelined for the contest due to a fractured left thumb, William will join his brother among the NL starters at designated hitter, making the 92nd Midsummer Classic one the duo will never forget.

With their selections, the Contrerases will become the first brothers to appear in the same All-Star Game in almost 20 years. The last to accomplish the feat were Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003. As much as the Boones have accomplished in their baseball lives, that moment still stands out about as much as any other.

“It was awesome,” said Aaron Boone, now in his fifth season as the Yankees manager. “One of my favorite pictures I have — it’s hanging in my office — is of us at US Cellular [Field]. It’s me, Brett, my dad [Bob] and my grandfather [Ray], who all were All-Stars. … It was just a family affair to be there with my brother, his wife and family, [my wife] Laura and my mom and dad and my grandma and grandpa.”

Although the Boones played in that same All-Star Game together, they played on opposite sides, with Aaron Boone representing the Reds and the NL and Bret Boone representing the Mariners and the AL. That makes the Contrerases the first brothers to play for the same team in the Midsummer Classic since the Alomars — Roberto and Sandy Jr. — in 1998.

The Alomars also hold the distinction of being the most recent pair of brothers to start alongside one another in the All-Star Game, which they achieved in 1992.

“It’s an exceptional [thing] when you have a chance to play with your brother,” said Sandy Alomar Jr. “[In 1990], I was against him. He was with the Padres and I was with Cleveland. But we played many others on the same team, like when he was with Baltimore and Toronto we played together. But any time you have a family member or brother or dad in the All-Star Game, but most of all all together, it’s just memories you cherish forever.”

As the Contrerases will soon find out.

The post Willson, William Contreras to start All-Star Game for NL first appeared on harchi90.

Derek Jeter Breaks Silence on Rumor He Gives Gift Bags to Hookups

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 06:43:41 +0000

Derek Jeter was not only a consummate professional on the field, where he logged over 3,000 hits, 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, five World Series championship rings, and will go down as one of the greatest New York Yankees to have ever played the game, but away from the ballpark as well.

Yes, the Yankee captain loved to party, but he had a knack for keeping his name away from tabloid headlines. “Anything I was doing, I was trying to hide it,” he says in The Captaina seven-part docuseries premiering July 18 on ESPN.

Directed by Randy Wilkins and produced by Spike Lee, The Captain stresses how Jeter was able maintain a firm handle on his off-field image via a series of clever tricks— deliberately crafting a vanilla public persona by answering all media questions while giving them very little. He also artfully dodged a number of precarious situations—including a nightclub shooting on Dec. 27, 1999, that ensnared Diddy, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, and the rapper Shyne.

“We was at a place called Cronies having a bite to eat and Puff hit me on the Skytel Motorola pager, and he said, ‘Me and J. Lo are gonna be here tonight. This is where we’re going: Club New York… Bring Derek here tonight,’” recalls Mike Evans, a close friend of Jeter’s. “And Derek said, you know what man? I’m gonna go to bed. I got a game tomorrow. We just missed going by an inch”

“We got lucky,” adds Jeter in the film. “We would have been right there, so my name would have been a part of the story.”

Jeter often found himself frustrated by the New York tabloid media, believing them guilty of applying a double standard.

“Members of the media—they didn’t go around asking Bernie [Williams] what he and his wife did the night before. They didn’t go out and ask Tino [Martinez] or Paul O’Neill where they went to eat, and how late they were there, and who they were with,” Jeter explains. “So, I just didn’t think it was fair to ask me. You know, I think you have to draw the line. I drew the line at a very young age and I just wasn’t going to let them cross it.”

Despite a bevy of famous beauties—Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Minka Kelly, and Adriana Lima among them—No. 2 managed to keep the media at arm’s length when it comes to his personal life. That all changed in 2011, when The New York Post ran a story accompanied by the splashy headline, “JETER’S BOOTY HAULS.” The piece alleged that Jeter had been “bedding a bevy of beauties in his Trump World Tower bachelor pad—and then coldly sending them home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia”—and accidentally gave the same woman identical swag.

“You know, you see it, and then it’s like, how the fuck did people come up with this? You know, basically, that’s it. And who would believe this shit? ”

“Derek has girls stay with him at his apartment in New York, and then he gets them a car to take them home the next day. Waiting in his car is a gift basket containing signed Jeter memorabilia, usually a signed baseball,” a friend of the woman told the post. “This summer, he ended up hooking up with a girl who he had hooked up with once before, but Jeter seemed to have forgotten about the first time and gave her the same identical parting gift, a gift basket with a signed Derek Jeter baseball. ”

Of The Captain, Emily Smith, the New York gossip maven and writer of the piece, explains that they got a call from a woman who “described two occasions when she got the memorabilia,” and that she “saw some pictures of it, but we didn’t t publish them.” But she later admits that it was never confirmed whether the woman was just visiting Jeter or slept with him.

While Jeter chose to ignore the story at the time, he finally addresses the wild rumor that’s followed him for the past decade-plus in the movie.

“Yeah, I read the article. Yeah, of course,” says Jeter. “You know, you see it, and then it’s like, how the fuck did people come up with this? You know, basically, that’s it. And who would believe this shit? And you believed it!”

He continues: “I remember being at a Starbucks one time and there’s some random guy behind me and he says, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know that I’m giving out gift baskets because you did.’ And I turned around and said, ‘You’re a fuckin’ idiot!’ and the look on his face… like, did he think I was gonna say, ‘Yeah, good job, man!’ ”

“It’s a story that became larger than life. People keep regurgitating this story that never happened. never it happened,” he concludes.

The post Derek Jeter Breaks Silence on Rumor He Gives Gift Bags to Hookups first appeared on harchi90.

Five Braves named 2022 NL All-Stars

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 06:15:40 +0000

“I’m definitely super happy and proud of the teammates and the coaching staff, I think it’s going to be awesome to have everyone out there,” Acuña said through team interpreter Franco García.

“I’d like to bring the whole team with me,” Swanson said. “I feel like each guy has had a big role in why we’ve been successful this year. Obviously, Travis is phenomenal, Willie’s had kind of a breakout year for himself, Ronnie is obviously Ronnie, so it’s pretty special. And then Fried, I’ve said that before, like, the guy’s elite, he’s top notch.”

Acuña didn’t have to worry about his spot in the 2022 Midsummer Classic because, on June 30, the right-fielder was announced as the leading vote-getter in the National League and earned an automatic starting spot.

Swanson was narrowly beaten out for the starting shortstop spot by the Dodgers’ Trea Turner in the final phase of fan voting, 52% to 48%. But Swanson won’t miss out on the experience, as he was selected as a reserve. Over his last 30 games, the 28-year-old is slashing .341/.370/.589 with 44 hits, eight home runs and 24 RBIs.

“It’s obviously a tremendous honor, something you definitely work for your whole life,” Swanson said, on being named to his first All-Star Game. “I’m very appreciative and thankful, very blessed to be in this position.”

William Contreras will join his brother Willson at the All-Star Game, becoming the 15th set of brothers to reach the Midsummer Classic. The last brothers to make an All-Star Game in the same year were Aaron and Bret Boone in 2003, per Elias Sports Bureau. With Bryce Harper injured, William takes Harper’s starting designated hitter spot, with his brother starting at catcher. The last brothers to start an All-Star Game together were Sandy and Roberto Alomar in 1992, per Elias Sports Bureau. William has played just 43 games this season, splitting time with d’Arnaud behind the dish, but he’s been extremely productive when he goes to the plate.

“That’s one thing that I don’t think we’ve ever really talked about,” Contreras said about playing in the All-Star Game with his brother. “It is a dream come true, and I think it’s something that we’ve always dreamed about, but it’s crazy that it’s happening. I’m really happy, I’m excited and I can’t wait for the day.”

Contreras is slashing .273/.358/.566 and is tied for the fifth-most homers by a catcher this season (11), but each catcher above him has played in 20 or more games. Contreras has 11 homers in 143 at-bats, 1 per every 13 ABs, which would be the 8th-best rate in the Majors, but he doesn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify.

The Braves will have both of their catchers in Los Angeles on July 19, as d’Arnaud also earned a reserve spot. The last time two catchers with at least 20 games caught for the same team made the All-Star team was 1957-60 and 1962, with Yogi Berra and Elston Howard of the Yankees. It happened just one other time before that, in 1942 with Bill Dickey and Buddy Rosar, also of the Yankees.

d’Arnaud has been a true veteran leader for Atlanta during the team’s successful season, and he’s also been a factor in the box and behind the dish. Over his last 15 games, he’s slashing .293/.359/.534, while already throwing out nine runners on the season, which is the fifth most in the Majors among qualified catchers.

“What makes it special is it’s in my hometown, where I grew up learning the game of baseball. It’s gonna be cool.” d’Arnaud said. “It’s special, and I’m very thankful for not only the fans, but for my peers who think I’m a good player.”

Fried also will be enjoying his first All-Star selection back home at Dodger Stadium, a place he visited often during his childhood. The Southern California native has garnered a 9-2 record, tied for fifth in wins in the Majors, with a 2.52 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 100 strikeouts. He is among the candidates to be the National League’s starting pitcher.

“[Fried’s] been one of the game’s top pitchers the last three years, and for him to get his first All-Star selection, also for him in his hometown, is very special,” d’Arnaud said.

The post Five Braves named 2022 NL All-Stars first appeared on harchi90.

Justin Verlander, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez to All-Star Game

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 05:08:39 +0000

OAKLAND — Starting second baseman Jose Altuve and manager Dusty Baker will be joined by some familiar faces in the American League dugout at the All-Star Game on July 19, as four Astros were named to the reserve squad.

Verlander, 39, leads the American League with 11 wins, and his 2.00 ERA trails only Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan (1.73 ERA). Verlander has been a workhorse in his return season after missing all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, tossing at least seven innings in eight of his 16 starts and recording 12 quality starts.

“It means a lot,” Verlander said. “A lot of the things this first half put some stuff in perspective, kind of remembering all the hard work that went on to get me here, to get me back here. To be recognized by my peers and be selected, it’s a great honor “

Perhaps no All-Star was more of a sure thing than Alvarez, who has positioned himself as an early MVP candidate. He entered Sunday leading the Majors in OPS (1.058), slugging percentage (.653) and at-bats per home run (10.31). Alvarez was a finalist to start at designated hitter but ultimately was edged out, 52% to 48%, by the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani.

“That’s a tremendous honor for him, such a young player, to finish second to Shohei,” Baker said after the All-Star Game starters were announced on Friday.

“I’m super happy for [Alvarez and Valdez],” Tucker said. “They’ve definitely earned it. They’ve had phenomenal years and have been working their whole lives for this.”

After having a breakout season in 2021, Tucker is putting together a solid 2022, slashing .259/.351/.478 with 16 home runs entering play on Sunday. Tucker’s 58 RBIs are second to Aaron Judge (65) among AL outfielders, and his 14 steals are tied for fifth most in the league. He has also been a key defender for Houston, per Fangraphs, as his 10 defensive runs saved this season are tied with Tampa Bay’s Brett Phillips for the most by an AL outfielder.

Valdez, who has emerged as one of the best left-handed starters in baseball, concludes the quintet of Astros headed to Los Angeles. Valdez has gone 8-4 with a 2.64 ERA in 17 starts this season, currently stringing together 14 straight quality starts. He could not help but smile as he discussed making his first All-Star team.

“I’ve just worked really hard for this,” Valdez said via interpreter Jenloy Herrera. “I’ve tried working tirelessly for this, tried focusing on the game a lot more, and just trying to have quality outings every single time I went out there, so today I could be an All-Star.”

Houston’s five All-Stars will be in good company, as Baker and his staff will be at the helm for the AL squad at Dodger Stadium. It’s a special opportunity, Baker said, to get to manage his own players as well as some of the best players in the league at this prestigious event.

“I was looking at that list, and whiw, they’ve got some bad boys on that list,” Baker said. “I feel it’s an honor to be managing, and we’re on the same side, if [just] for one day.”

The post Justin Verlander, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez to All-Star Game first appeared on harchi90.

Red Sox rally for series split with Yankees

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 04:13:41 +0000

BOSTON — The Red Sox wrapped up rivalry weekend with a second straight comeback, this time roaring back from an early four-run deficit and turning the tables to down the Yankees, 11-6, on Sunday Night Baseball.

After losing the first two games of this series, manager Alex Cora’s team pulled out a satisfying split against a loaded New York squad (61-25).

The offense served as the catalyst by hitting double-digits in runs for the first time since June 15.

When Nick Pivetta gave up two runs in each of the first three innings, pinning the Red Sox (47-39) in a 6-2 hole, it seemed questionable that they would be able to sustain any momentum from their riveting 6-5 win in 10 innings on Saturday.

But the Red Sox chipped away. Ain the bottom of the fifth, JD Martinez tied it at 6 by rocketing a two-run homer into Boston’s bullpen in right-center.

Martinez couldn’t have ended his home run drought — which lasted 25 games and 103 plate appearances — at a better time.

From the third inning through the seventh, the Red Sox scored nine unanswered runs.

Trevor Story’s bases-clearing double that went high off the wall in center capped a four-run seventh that made it 11-6.

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Shohei Ohtani named an AL All-Star as pitcher

islamlacoste58 — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 01:17:46 +0000

BALTIMORE — Before last year, no player had ever been selected to the All-Star Game as both a position player and a pitcher. But Shohei Ohtani made history last season, earning both honors, and he did it again on Sunday.

Ohtani, who was voted in as the starter at designated hitter for the American League on Friday, was named an All-Star as a starting pitcher on Sunday, as announced on ESPN. It’s another incredible accomplishment for Ohtani, who was also the unanimous winner of last year’s AL MVP Award. He’ll get a chance to show off his two-way talent for the Midsummer Classic at Dodger Stadium on July 19, although he hasn’t decided yet whether he’ll participate in the Home Run Derby on July 18 like he did last year .

“It’s a huge honor,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I would like to give it my best for all the people who voted and supported me.”

Angels interim manager Phil Nevin, who was an All-Star in 2001 with the Padres, marveled at Ohtani being selected as both a DH and a starting pitcher for a second straight year.

“I think it’s awesome,” Nevin said. “This game is about the big stage and everybody being able to see the best players in our game, and he certainly is on both sides of the ball. To see him get an inning on the mound and hit, I think that’s what fans want to see. We see it every day, so we get kind of spoiled. I know fans on the East Coast don’t get to see him as much, so to be able to tune in on Tuesday and see both sides of Shohei is special.”

Ohtani, 28, has been pitching even better than he did last season, as he’s 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 14 starts. He has struck out 111, walked 20 and allowed eight homers in 81 innings. He has punched out 34.4 percent of the batters he has faced, which is the second-best mark among Major League starters, behind only Rays All-Star Shane McClanahan’s 36 percent.

Ohtani has been on an incredible run recently, as he’s 5-0 with a 0.27 ERA over his past five starts and hasn’t allowed an earned run in his past four outings. Ohtani is also batting .289/.383/.598 with eight homers and 22 RBIs in 27 games over that span. He became just the eighth player since earned runs became official in 1913 to have at least 40 strikeouts and zero earned runs in a four-start span.

“There’s so many adjectives you could use to describe him,” Nevin said. “I feel like I say it every week but he puts us on his shoulders and grabs a hold of the game and runs with it.”

Ohtani was the starting pitcher for the AL last year — and the leadoff hitter — but it hasn’t been announced who will start this year’s Midsummer Classic for the AL. Houston’s Justin Verlander and McClanahan are other top candidates.

“I haven’t talked to anybody yet about when and where I’ll be playing in the All-Star Game,” Ohtani said. “I will come up with my plan once I find out more.”

If Ohtani doesn’t start, however, it could be difficult for him to find the time to get warmed up as a pitcher if he’s also serving as the starting DH. But Nevin said he’s confident they’ll find a plan that works for Ohtani and will keep him healthy.

“I’m not sure how it would work if he’s DHing and needs to ramp up, but I’m never worried about anything he’s going to do physically,” Nevin said. “He’s very mindful of what is good and bad for his body . He’s pretty impressive with what he does with his body.”

Ohtani will be joined by fellow superstar Mike Trout as the Angels’ representatives for the All-Star Game. It’s Trout’s 10th All-Star selection and his ninth as a starting outfielder. Nevin recently stumped for outfielder Taylor Ward and left-hander Patrick Sandoval to be All-Stars, but neither were selected.

MLB All-Star Week information can be found at AllStarGame.com and on social media @MLB. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.

The post Shohei Ohtani named an AL All-Star as pitcher first appeared on harchi90.

2022 MLB All-Star pitchers, reserves, complete rosters

islamlacoste58 — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 21:59:50 +0000

Major League Baseball’s 92nd All-Star Game is just over a week away, and the full rosters are ready to be unveiled. Tune in live to ESPN right now as all of the top standouts headed for Dodger Stadium on July 19 are named during the 2022 Chevrolet MLB All-Star Selection Show.

Starters for the American and National Leagues were named on Friday, but tonight’s show is revealing the pitchers and reserves for both leagues.

Keep it here for an up-to-the-minute list as all of this year’s All-Stars are named.

Shane McClanahan, LHP, Rays
Nestor Cortes, LHP, Yankees
Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays
Framber Valdez, LHP, Astros
Martin Pérez, LHP, Rangers
Paul Blackburn, RHP, A’s
Gerrit Cole, RHP, Yankees
Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels

Clay Holmes, RHP, Yankees
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Guardians
Gregory Soto, LHP, Tigers
Jorge Lopez, RHP, Orioles

Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays
Jose Altuve, 2D, Astros
Rafael Devers, 3D, Red Sox
Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox
Shohei Ohtani, DH, Angels
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees
Mike Trout, OF, Angels
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Yankees

Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
Miguel Cabrera, DH, Tigers (Special Selection)
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox
José Ramírez, 3D, Guardians
Jose Trevino, C, Yankees
Luis Arraez, 1B, Twins
Andrés Gimenez, 2B, Guardians
George Springer, OF, Blue Jays
Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Royals
Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros
Julio Rodríguez, OF, Mariners

Willson Contreras, C, Cubs
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Cardinals
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B, Marlins
Manny Machado, 3D, Padres
Trea Turner, SS, Dodgers
Bryce Harper, DH, Phillies
Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves
Joc Pederson, OF, Giants
Mookie Betts, OF, Dodgers

William Contreras, C, Braves
Nolan Arenado, 3D, Cardinals
Pete Alonso, 1B, Mets
Albert Pujols, DH/1B, Cardinals (Special Selection)
Jeff McNeil, 2B, Mets
Travis d’Arnaud, C, Braves
CJ Cron, 1B, Rockies
Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves
Kyle Schwarber, OF, Phillies
Juan Soto, OF, Nationals
Starling Marte, OF, Mets
Ian Happ, OF, Cubs

Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Marlins
Corbin Burnes, RHP, Brewers
Luis Castillo, RHP, Reds
Max Fried, LHP, Braves
Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Dodgers
Joe Musgrove, RHP, Padres

Edwin Diaz, RHP, Mets
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers
Ryan Helsley, RHP, Cardinals
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Joe Mantiply, LHP, D-backs

The post 2022 MLB All-Star pitchers, reserves, complete rosters first appeared on harchi90.

Orioles win eighth straight game, move one below .500

islamlacoste58 — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 20:53:41 +0000

BALTIMORE — The Orioles’ win streak, now extended to eight games after Sunday’s 9-5 win over the Angels at Camden Yards, had yet to have much in the way of comfort. None of the wins prior to Sunday was of more than three runs. Three were walk-offs, part of Baltimore’s eight on the season that ranks second in the Majors.

That’s what made it all the more captivating.

The Orioles’ show was baseball’s Sunday matinee.

This streak’s victory was in a different sense altogether. Though technically winning in a comeback, the Orioles responded to Monte Harrison’s two-run homer off Austin Voth with all nine of their runs between the fourth and sixth innings, including four-run frames in the fourth and fifth. All of their damage, highlighted by RBI doubles from Ryan Mountcastle and Anthony Santander, remained in the yard and included multihit performances from Trey Mancini and Ramón Urías. Two runs came on a passed ball and a wild pitch in the fifth inning.

Remember the feeling of the rebuilding past four years, when it felt as if anything that could go wrong, did go wrong? There’s a different vibe in Baltimore these days.

The post Orioles win eighth straight game, move one below .500 first appeared on harchi90.