A record 10 home runs. An onslaught of strikeouts. The all-or-nothing All-Star Game mirrored what baseball has become. Astros teammates Alex Bregman and George Springer homered on consecutive pitches to begin the 10th inning, and the American League beat the National League 8-6 Tuesday night for its sixth straight win. "Standard operation nowadays, right?" said AL manager A.J. Hinch of Houston. "We're going to homer and punch out as an industry."
The 89th annual MLB All-Star Game turned into a Home Run Derby at Nationals Park on Tuesday. An All-Star Game record 10 home runs -- 10 home runs! -- were hit Tuesday night, and, when it was all said and done, the American League outlasted the National League in 10 innings (AL 8, NL 6). Astros third baseman Alex Bregman was named All-Star Game MVP after hitting the go-ahead homer in the 10th inning. Here are 11 things to know about the homer-happy 2018 MLB All-Star Game.
It's Home Run Derby day in Washington. Before some of baseball's biggest stars look to go deep at Nationals Park, we asked some of our writers to take a swing at some pressing Derby and All-Star Game questions.
If we’re being honest, most All-Star Games are rather boring because the vast majority of guys aren’t giving anywhere close to 100 percent and there’s almost no defence played. For example, this year’s NBA All-Star Game had a final score of 148-145. You aren’t going to see a score like that in a regular game unless it goes to several overtimes. It is fair to say that the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is the most competitive of the four major U.S. sports leagues and has the most tradition. You may be old enough to remember (if not, I recommend YouTubing it) ultra-competitive Pete Rose barreling over catcher Ray Fosse at the 1970 All-Star Game. Fosse was really never the same player after that.
When the first MLB All-Star Game was held at Comiskey Park in Chicago in July of 1933, it was meant to be a one-time event to bolster the sport during the depths of the Great Depression. Billed as a one-of-a-kind “Game of the Century,” the contest between the two league rosters stocked with a diamond-full of Hall of Famers was popular enough for MLB to make it an annual occurrence.
Both Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez will have familiar faces throwing to them in Monday's T-Mobile Home Run Derby. Schwarber asked Mike Sinicola, a real estate agent who played college baseball and has thrown batting practice for the Cubs outfielder in Tampa, Fla., for a few years, while Baez is going to rely on his older brother Gadiel, 27.
As the promo count -- if not the excitement level -- builds for the 89th All-Star Game, do me a favor. Just off the top of your head and without googling, answer this All-Star question for me: Who was the All-Star MVP last year? Too tough for you? How about this one: Where was the game played last year? How about the MVP in 2016? Or from '15? Or '14?
Pitchers Charlie Morton and Blake Snell have been named to the American League's All-Star roster, MLB announced Friday. The two will replace Aroldis Chapman and Corey Kluber, who are inactive for Tuesday's All-Star Game. This marks the first time Morton and Snell have been named to an All-Star team.
Too many strikeouts. Not enough hits or balls in play. Defensive shifts that are too pervasive and too extreme. Hitters who are too stubborn or prideful to shoot singles the other way. Too many pitching changes. Too many all-or-nothing swings. Too many horribly noncompetitive teams. Too few pennant races. Too much analytics. Not enough fundamentals. Too few superstars.
He is who we thought he was. Aaron Judge arrived in Miami for the All-Star Game festivities surrounded by daunting expectations stemming from his colossal first half with the New York Yankees. Giancarlo Stanton has fielded so many Judge-related questions here, he has run out of things to say. A baseball card signed by Judge just sold on eBay for more than $14,000. Prognosticators all expected Judge to make a deep run in the Home Run Derby, even though his only previous experience in the event came at Fresno State, when he captured the 2012 College World Series derby in Omaha.
Terry Francona’s heart, of all things, has kept him away from baseball. Cleveland’s passionate and driven manager underwent a procedure Thursday to correct an irregular heartbeat that sidelined him for a few games and will prevent him from managing in the All-Star Game next week. The 58-year-old Francona had been experiencing dizziness, fatigue and a rapid heart rate for several weeks. He had a cardiac ablation at the Cleveland Clinic.
Who should hit dingers in a contrived format? These players. Only these players.
Leading into the game, Major League Baseball has two days worth of events slated, including the annual MLB Futures All-Star game on Sunday, July 9 and the 2017 MLB Home Run Derby on Monday, July 10.
Will Cody Bellinger and George Springer be first-time All-Stars? Does Mookie Betts make the starting lineup in the AL? Our experts make their selections.
Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are no-brainers. But what about the other six spots?
The All-Star Game isn’t just a reward for a good three months. It should be a reward for brilliant careers, too.
From David Ortiz to Fernando Rodney, here are 10 things we took note of during Tuesday's All-Star Game.
MVP Eric Hosmer and catcher Salvador Perez, American League All-Star co-stars and Kansas City Royals teammates, know a thing or two about defying expectations.
The pair of stars faced off for the first time Tuesday night, and expressed immense respect for each other post-game.
Giancarlo Stanton pummeled 61 balls into the Petco Park seats during Monday night’s MLB Home Run Derby, but his titanic blasts had nothing on the hit one young fan absorbed while shagging balls in the outfield.