The New York Yankees' 13-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Oakland Athletics in MLB, beaten 3-2.

The Yankees were riding their best winning streak since a 13-game run in 1961, having reached 15 in a row in 1960 and 19 in succession in 1947.

But the Yankees crashed back down to earth on Saturday as the A's snapped their six-game skid in the process, despite Aaron Judge's two-run homer in the ninth.

Frankie Montas fuelled the A's with seven shut-out innings, while Matt Chapman homered for the hosts in Oakland.

 

Ohtani celebrates another feat

Shohei Ohtani became the first Los Angeles Angels and Japanese-born player with a 40-home run and 20-stolen base season after helping his team rout the San Diego Padres 10-2. Ohtani – who already leads the majors with 41 homers – reached the mark with his 20th stolen base in 2021. According to Stats Perform, he is the third American League (AL) player with 40-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases before September, joining Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1999).

The Chicago Cubs blanked city rivals the Chicago White Sox 7-0 behind home runs from Patrick Wisdom and Alec Mills, and a Rafael Ortega grand slam.

The Kansas City Royals prevailed 4-2 against the Seattle Mariners after Salvador Perez homered for the fourth straight game.

 

Brault battered by Cardinals

The less said about Steven Brault's performance, the better after the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was put to the sword by the St Louis Cardinals in a 13-0 humbling. Brault was crushed by the Cardinals, giving up eight hits, seven runs and two walks in three innings. He fell apart in the third inning after allowing five runs on six hits.

 

Clutch Martinez

J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Boston Red Sox past the Cleveland Indians 5-3.

 

Saturday's results 

Boston Red Sox 5-3 Cleveland Indians
Oakland Athletics 3-2 New York Yankees
Kansas City Royals 4-2 Seattle Mariners
Philadelphia Phillies 7-0 Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins 6-1 Cincinnati Reds
Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros 5-2 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 13-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 Baltimore Orioles
Chicago Cubs 7-0 Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins 6-4 Milwaukee Brewers
New York Mets 5-3 Washington Nationals
San Francisco Giants 5-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 10-2 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 Colorado Rockies

 

Rays at Orioles

Now the hottest team in baseball after the Yankees' defeat, the AL East-leading Rays (81-48) visit the Orioles (40-88) riding a six-game winning streak. Chris Archer is set to start for the Rays, while Baltimore's Spenser Watkins toes the mound.

Two-way Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani produced another masterclass in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the MLB season and dominated across eight innings on the mound midweek.

The Japanese sensation allowed six hits, while striking out eight batters and walking none.

Ohtani became the first MLB player to register 40 homers in a season that he pitched at least 15 games. The previous record was Babe Ruth's 29 in 1919.

He also has 18 steals in 122 games for the Angels this season. According to Stats Perform, the only player in major history to reach 40 homers and 15 stolen bases in fewer team games was Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998 (117th game).

 

Dodgers roll on

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0 for their sixth consecutive victory. Max Muncy had two home runs to fuel the Dodgers, who moved within three games of the National League (NL) West-leading San Francisco Giants. San Francisco lost 6-2 to the New York Mets. Mitch White became the first Dodgers reliever to go 7.1 scoreless innings pitched since Ed Roebuck in 1960.

The Atlanta Braves edged the Miami Marlins 11-9. Freddie Freeman hit for the cycle for the second time in his career. According to Stats Perform, Freeman is the first NL first baseman in history to hit for the cycle more than once.

 

Red Sox swept by Yankees

The Boston Red Sox left New York emptyhanded after being swept by American League (AL) East rivals the Yankees following a 5-2 victory. Nick Pivetta gave up four runs in the second inning.

 

Polanco does it again

Jorge Polanco delivered another walk-off win for the Minnesota Twins, this time an 8-7 victory over the Cleveland Indians after 11 innings. Polanco hit a game-ending based-loaded single. Each of the last three Minnesota victories have ended with a Polanco walk off. He is the first player with a walk-off RBI in three consecutive team wins since David Ortiz in the 2004 playoffs and first in the regular season since Tony Pena in 1982, per Stats Perform.

 

 

Wednesday's results 

Chicago Cubs 7-1 Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins 8-7 Cleveland Indians
Colorado Rockies 7-5 San Diego Padres
New York Mets 6-2 San Francisco Giants
Washington Nationals 8-5 Toronto Blue Jays
New York Yankees 5-2 Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Angels 3-1 Detroit Tigers
Atlanta Braves 11-9 Miami Marlins
Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 Baltimore Orioles
Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 St Louis Cardinals
Seattle Mariners 3-1 Texas Rangers
Kansas City Royals 3-2 Houston Astros
Chicago White Sox 3-2 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers 9-0 Pittsburgh Pirates

 

Mets at Dodgers

The Dodgers (75-46) will put their winning streak on the line when they host the Mets (60-60) on Thursday. Max Scherzer toes the mound for the Dodgers, while the Mets will counter with Rich Hill.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets went to extras for the second straight game with Cody Bellinger coming up with the crucial RBI in a 2-1 win for the world champions on Saturday.

The Dodgers had won 6-5 on Friday against the Mets and backed that up in another tight contest, with Bellinger's line hit allowing Corey Seager to score easily in the 10th inning.

This came after the Dodgers had been held hit-less across six innings by the Mets, with LA also having an 1-12 record in extras coming into the series.

Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker had eight strikeouts but Will Smith hit a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning for the Dodgers.

Bellinger has had an underwhelming season but came up with the crucial hit in the 10th inning before Corey Knebel locked down the save.

Walker Buehler had an exceptional performance for the Dodgers, keeping the game tight with 10 strikeouts across seven innings. That marks the sixth time Buehler has gone at least seven innings and allowed one earned run or fewer.

The win improves the Dodgers record to 71-46, while the Mets are 59-57.

 

Moore silences the boos, Gilbert no-hitter

Making his 10th start of the season, Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Matt Moore allowed no hits, tossing down eight strikeouts in their 6-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Moore's no-hit start was across six innings and comes after copping boos for his relief display against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this week. "A day like today, coming off the field, it’s something you wish you could put in a bottle and open up someday or relive it," Moore said.

In his first big league start, Tyler Gilbert completed a no-hitter for the Arizona Diamondbacks, with five strikeouts across nine innings in their 7-0 triumph over the San Diego Padres.

Chris Sale fired in his return to the mound after two years, tossing down eight strikeouts in the Boston Red Sox' 16-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, while Rafael Devers had two hits and four RBI.

Matt Chapman had a game to remember after bashing two home runs and taking an unbelievable catch running backwards in the Oakland Athletics' 8-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Shohei Ohtani drilled a lead-off home run, taking his season tally to 39 homers, as the Los Angeles Angels lost 8-2 to the Houston Astros.

Joey Gallo crushed a two-run home run in the 10th inning to cap the New York Yankees' 7-5 win over the Chicago White Sox.

 

Rays dismantled by Twins

The Tampa Bay Rays may be leading the American League East with a 71-46 record but they were dismantled by the resurgent Minnesota Twins 12-0. The Rays trailed 7-0 after three innings and only managed three hits for the game.

 

Swanson makes Braves history

The Atlanta Braves hit four home runs in their 12-2 win over the Washington Nationals, including Dansby Swanson who made franchise history, with no Braves short-stop hitting more homers than him.

 

Saturday's results 

Pittsburgh Pirates 14-4 Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 Cincinnati Reds
Boston Red Sox 16-2 Baltimore Orioles
Atlanta Braves 12-2 Washington Nationals
Miami Marlins 5-4 Chicago Cubs
Detroit Tigers 6-4 Cleveland Indians
Milwaukee Brewers 6-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Oakland Athletics 8-3 Texas Rangers 
New York Yankees 7-5 Chicago White Sox
St Louis Cardinals 9-4 Kansas City Royals
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 New York Mets
Minnesota Twins 12-0 Tampa Bay Rays
Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies 4-1 San Francisco Giants
Houston Astros 8-2 Los Angeles Angels 
Seattle Mariners 9-3 Toronto Blue Jays

 

Padres at Diamondbacks

Fernando Tatis Jr could return for the first time this month following a shoulder injury when the Padres complete their four-game series against the Diamondbacks who are chasing a sweep.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes tied a major league record with 10 consecutive strikeouts as he finished with 15 K's in their 10-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in the MLS on Wednesday.

Burnes dominated for the Brewers on the mound, tossing 15 strikeouts across eight innings, only allowing four hits, completely blanketing the Cubs from the second to fifth innings.

After a 7-0 first inning for the Brewers, the 26-year-old right-hander came into his own starting in the second inning when he got his first strikeout of the game to Frank Schwindel.

Burnes' run kept on going, reaching a franchise-record eight straight strikeouts with a 97mph pitch to Willson Contreras in the fourth.

He added another to Ian Happ and rounded it out in the fifth by striking out Schwindel again to complete 10 straight.

Burnes joins Tom Seaver and Aaron Nola in MLB’s record books, with the latter also achieving the consecutive feat this season on June 25 against the New York Mets.

The records did not stop there, with the 15 strikeouts being a career-high for Burnes. That was the most K's without a walk in Brewers history and also the biggest Milwaukee shutout win in franchise history.

 

Ohtani ends home-run drought

Two-way Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani ended his 14-game home-run drought with a two-run homer in his side's 10-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The home run was Ohtani's 38th of the season.

Ohtani's form had dipped since the All-Star break, managing only five home runs in 81 at-bats, with no RBI since July 31 until Wednesday's return.

Evergreen Adam Wainwright threw a shutout in a 4-0 win for the St Louis Cardinals over the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching all nine innings, allowing only two hits with seven strikeouts.

To add to Wainwright's perfect game, he also had an RBI of his own. It was his 11th shutout of his career and first since 2016.

Ozzie Albies hit a walk-off homer to lift the Atlanta Braves into equal first as they triumphed 8-6 over the Cincinnati Reds, after blowing a 5-0 lead.

Trailing 3-2, Elvis Andrus and Jed Lowrie hit eighth-inning home runs to lift the Oakland Athletics to a 6-3 win over the Cleveland Indians.

 

Rays nightmare as Randy misses fly-ball

It was a bad game for the Tampa Bay Rays who lost 20-8 to the Boston Red Sox, with starting pitcher Josh Fleming conceding 11 hits and 10 earned runs into the fourth inning before being pulled. In that context, the Rays did not need right-fielder Randy Arozarena to fluff a routine fly-ball catch, allowing three more runs in the fifth inning to trail 14-0.

 

Miggy moves up to 499

With scores locked at 0-0 in the fifth inning, up stepped Miguel Cabrera to nail a home run over center-field. The homer not only broke the deadlock in the Detroit Tigers' 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles but it took Cabrera's career home-run tally up to 499, one away from joining an illustrious club, alongside 27 others.

 

Wednesday's results 

Minnesota Twins 1-0 Chicago White Sox
Houston Astros 5-1 Colorado Rockies
New York Yankees 5-2 Kansas City Royals
Miami Marlins 7-0 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 Philadelphia Phillies
Detroit Tigers 5-2 Baltimore Orioles
St Louis Cardinals 4-0 Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston Red Sox 20-8 Tampa Bay Rays
Oakland Athletics 6-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 8-6 Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers 10-0 Chicago Cubs
Toronto Blue Jays 10-2 Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants 7-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Seattle Mariners 2-1 Texas Rangers
New York Mets - Washington Nationals (suspended)

 

Tigers at Orioles

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has declared Cabrera will play in Thursday's series-finale against the Orioles, with the 500 home run milestone on the cards.

Shohei Ohtani once again starred for the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, leading Joe Maddon to declare nobody else is even in the running for this season's MVP award in the American League.

The two-way superstar produced another inspired performance during the Angels' 6-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Ohtani gave up just one run during a dominant seven innings at Angel Stadium, lowering his ERA for the season to 3.04.

The 27-year-old, who became the first player to start as a pitcher and a hitter in an All-Star game earlier this year, also recorded his 100th strikeout of 2021 after pitching at well over 100mph.

Then there is his tally of 35 home runs before the end of July - the best in the MLB. He is the first pitcher to hit more than nine while recording triple-digit strikeouts in the same season.

Not only that, but Ohtani became only the fourth pitcher in the past 30 seasons to have a hit, run, RBI and stolen base in a single inning.

Angels manager Maddon thinks the numbers make a strong case as to why the Japanese player is a clear favourite to be named MVP.

"To me, it's not even close," he said. "When people talk about it being close, it's not.

"What he's doing is so unique. It's just so different compared to anybody else right now.

"Nobody's doing what he's doing, and nobody's done what he's doing, if that makes any sense. He is so motivated."

Shohei Ohtani continues to amaze after doing it all again as the Los Angeles Angels won 6-2 over the Colorado Rockies in the MLS on Monday.

In the first inning, Ohtani drove in an RBI single as David Fletcher scored, before stealing a base to second.

Ohtani stepped up on the mound throughout too, tossing down five strikeouts, including a handful of outstanding sliders across seven innings, allowing five hits.

Jack Mayfield came up with a two-run shot down the line in the seventh inning to put the Angels 4-1 up.

The Angels added another two in the eighth inning to round out the win which lifts them to 50-49.

 

Walkoffs and a go-ahead grand slam

Andrew McCutchen launched a massive three-run home run to earn the Philadelphia Phillies an exhilarating 6-5 walk-off win over the Washington Nationals.

With two runners on base down 5-3 in the ninth inning, McCutchen hit Brad Hand high over Juan Soto's head in right-field for a homer.

Javier Baez also walked it off with an RBI single to lead the Chicago Cubs past the Cincinnati Reds 6-5.

Alex Verdugo hit a two-run go-ahead homer as the Boston Red Sox continued their recent dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-4 win. Boston now have 33 comeback wins this season.

Kyle Tucker hit a three-run home run as the Houston Astros raced to a 6-0 first inning lead which they surrendered, eventually losing 11-8 to the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners trailed 8-7 at the bottom of the eighth inning when Dylan Moore hit a decisive go-ahead grand slam to left field from Brooks Raley.

 

Rockies rocky road

Ohtani claimed the win against the Rockies, but Colorado's road record is a major concern, suffering their third straight away defeat. The Rockies have the worst road record in the majors, going at 10-37, compared to 33-20 at home.

 

Cabrera closes in on 500

The Detroit Tigers may have lost 6-5 to the Minnesota Twins but veteran slugger Miguel Cabrera moved a step closer to his 500th home run, with a two-run homer. Cabrera, 38, now has 495 career home runs.

Monday's results

Atlanta Braves 2-0 New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 Washington Nationals
Boston Red Sox 5-4 Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs 6-5 Cincinnati Reds
Kansas City Royals 4-3 Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins 6-5 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 1-0 Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels 6-2 Colorado Rockies
Seattle Mariners 11-8 Houston Astros

 

Yankees at Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays (60-40) take on American League East contenders, the New York Yankees (51-47), in the opening game of their series.

The New York Mets fought back from 6-0 down after a bizarre early mistake from pitcher Taijuan Walker to claim a memorable 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday.

Mets manager Luis Rojas was ejected as he protested after Walker mistakenly batted a fair ball into foul territory from Kevin Newman's scuff, allowing the Pirates to swipe three runs.

With bases loaded, John Nogowski touched down at home, while two more runners were able to cross after the ball rolled towards the Pirates dugout with Walker not realising the marginal call.

"Obviously, I thought it was a foul,'' Walker said. "It was so close. I thought I flipped it in the dugout. I didn't even realise it was still in play. It was just one of those plays that just happen. Crazy play.''

With Rojas ejected, the Mets put the drama behind them with Travis Blankenhorn's fourth-inning home run, his career first, bringing it back to 6-4.

In the ninth inning, Michael Conforto hit a two-run home run as the Mets piled on seven unanswered runs to turn the game around spectacularly and improve to a 48-42 record and avoid a surprise Pirates sweep.

 

More Guerrero and Ohtani homers

Vladimir Guerrero Jr continues to impress with another home run in the Toronto Blue Jays' 10-0 win over the Texas Rangers. Guerrero has 31 home runs and tops the MLB charts with a .332 batting average and 78 RBI.

Shohei Ohtani is the only player in the majors ahead of Guerrero for home runs and he added another, taking his season tally to 34, as the Los Angeles Angels lost 7-4 to the Seattle Mariners.

J.T. Realmuto hit a walk-off home run to settle Saturday's suspended game as the Philadelphia Phillies won 4-2 over the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Phillies also won Sunday's later game 7-4.

Alcides Escobar also secured a walk-off victory for the Washington Nationals as they defeated the San Diego Padres 8-7 in a see-sawing battle.

Corbin Burnes starred with 12 strikeouts as the Milwaukee Brewers crushed the previously in-form Cincinnati Reds 8-0 for a three-game sweep.

The depleted New York Yankees claimed an impressive 9-1 win over the Boston Red Sox.

 

Sloppy Dodgers drop

Los Angeles Dodgers' second baseman Chris Taylor dropped a simple Garrett Hampson high ball which proved costly as the Colorado Rockies won 6-5 after Charlie Blackmon's walk-off home run. Taylor's error came with the Dodgers 2-1 up at the bottom of the fifth inning, allowing a run too.

 

Red hot Rodon

Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon reached eight strikeouts for the 10th straight game in his side's 4-0 win over the Houston Astros. Rodon's run of eight or more consecutive Ks is the longest active streak in MLB. Houston also only had one hit for the game. The left-hander is in the mix for the American League Cy Young award.

 

Sunday's results

Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 Miami Marlins (resumed)
San Diego Padres 10-4 Washington Nationals (resumed)
Philadelphia Phillies 7-4 Miami Marlins
Washington Nationals 8-7 San Diego Padres
New York Mets 7-6 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 Texas Rangers
Milwaukee Brewers 8-0 Cincinnati Reds
Detroit Tigers 7-0 Minnesota Twins
Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 Atlanta Braves
Chicago White Sox 4-0 Houston Astros
Baltimore Orioles 5-0 Kansas City Royals
St Louis Cardinals 2-1 San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies 6-5 Los Angeles Dodgers
Seattle Mariners 7-4 Los Angeles Angels
Cleveland Indians 4-2 Oaland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 Chicago Cubs
Toronto Blue Jays 10-0 Texas Rangers
New York Yankees 9-1 Boston Red Sox

 

Astros at White Sox

Reigning world champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers (58-36), take on the high-flying San Francisco Giants (58-34) in the first game of their four-game series.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr homered like his father 15 years ago as he won the MVP with the American League defeating the National League 5-2 in MLB's annual All-Star Game in Denver on Tuesday.

The American League extended their winning run to eight in a row, with Guerrero's home run marking the 200th in All-Star history.

Shohei Ohtani started on the mound for the American League All-Star team, sending down a shutout innings with no hits, tossing down the fastest pitch of the game at 100.2 mph.

Ohtani went 1-2-3, taking out Fernando Tatis, Max Muncy and Nolan Arenado.

The Japanese two-way star, who led off as the designater hitter, was zero-and-two at-bat but earned praise from American League manager Kevin Cash.

"We're all in awe of his ability to do that," Cash said about Ohtani's two-way game. "He came in hyped up on this stage.

"He gets warmed up to get take the at-bat, he was sitting in his chair to catch his breath.

"The way he's handled everything makes it more special, watching him interact with his teammates and handle the media, it's pretty remarkable."

Guerrero Jr's 468-feet home run meant the Guerreros joined the Bonds and Griffeys as father-sons who have homered in All-Star games.

The 22-year-old Toronto Blue Jays slugger went one-from-three, with two RBI along with his solo home run in the third inning and becomes the youngest MVP in history.

"It means the world to me," Guerrero Jr said. "I just want to say thank you to my dad. This is for you."

J.T. Realmuto got the National League on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning, while Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels team-mate Jared Walsh made a crucial diving catch at left from a Kris Bryant fly ball to round out the win.

Pete Alonso proved his own claim that he is the "best power hitter in the game" after being crowned back-to-back Home Run Derby champion at Denver's Coors Field on Monday.

Alonso, who was the winner in 2019 before last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, defeated Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini 23-22 in the final.

The head-bopping New York Mets slugger, who batted second, finished the job with six home runs in a row in bonus time, winning with 35 seconds left.

Alonso was the dominant hitter throughout the derby as Los Angeles Angels' two-way top seed Shohei Ohtani, failed to fire, losing to Juan Soto 31-28 in the first round after being tied twice.

The 26-year-old Mets right-hander defeated Kansas City's Salvador Perez 35-28 in the first round, before knocking off Soto 16-15 with 50 seconds to go in the semi-finals.

"I've done this before and I'm extremely confident in my ability to hit the ball out of the yard," Alonso said. "I feel like I'm the best power hitter in the game. It was on display tonight."

Alonso continued his domination in the final against Mancini, who had a great run to the final having overcome stage three colon cancer only 12 months ago.

"Trey's story is unbelievable," Alonso said. "Everybody in the derby put on a show. I'm just happy he was able to participate and put on a show."

Florida-born Alonso would not commit to chasing a third Home Run Derby title despite admitting winning it "never gets old".

"I don’t know, we'll see," he said. "I'm going to enjoy this one for now. I'll have to think about it, but this event is so fun."

Shohei Ohtani's remarkable 2021 season is set to continue after he was named as the starting pitcher for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game, having already been confirmed as the starting designated hitter.

Japanese sensation Ohtani has gone from strength to strength in his first year, pitching and batting in the same game for the Los Angeles Angels.

The two-way superstar has 33 home runs, 12 stolen bases and 87 pitching strikeouts already this term. Only Babe Ruth had previously passed 25 homers, 10 stolen bases and 75 strikeouts in an entire AL career.

Ohtani is five clear atop the homer standings in the major leagues, making him an obvious choice as the AL's starting DH.

But the 27-year-old made history as the only player to make the All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher, and it was confirmed on Monday he will start from the mound in Tuesday's showpiece.

"This is what the fans want to see," said Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, in charge of the AL team. "It's personally what I want to see."

Ohtani could first bolster his reputation further, however, as he prepares to take part in Monday's Home Run Derby, where the Angels ace is the favourite.

Shohei Ohtani equalled Sammy Sosa's MLB record and set one of his own as he hit a 33rd home run of the season for the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani has sent plenty of records tumbling already this season and continued his outstanding form against the Seattle Mariners, although it was not enough to propel the Angels to victory as they went down 3-7.

The 26-year-old, who last month joined all-time great Babe Ruth as the only player in American League (AL) history to have had 25-plus home runs, 10-plus stolen bases and 75 pitching strikeouts in their career, is set to become the first Japanese-born player to start an All-Star Game since Ichiro Suzuki in 2010 and will also feature in the Home Run Derby.

Already down as the star attraction for the festivities at Coors Field, Ohtani – the first player to be named to an MLB All-Star Game as a position player and a pitcher – offered another reminder of his quality with a remarkable 463-foot blast at T-Mobile Park.

One of the biggest hits at the stadium, which has been in use since 1999, came from Marco Gonzales' pitch, with Ohtani recording a power of 116.5mph off the bat, putting the Angles into a 3-0 lead in the third inning, though Seattle fought back to secure victory.

It also brought Ohtani level with Sosa for the most home runs by a player born outside of the United States prior to an All-Star break.

Barry Bonds (39) holds the all-time record, though Ohtani's 16 home runs in his last 21 appearances are the most by any AL player during a season.

 

Cortes and Yankees hit back

While Ohtani's efforts proved fruitless for the Angels, the New York Yankees had little trouble in dispatching the Houston Astros on their first return to Minute Maid Park since a 2019 defeat in the American League Championship Series.

The Yankees prevailed 4-0, with Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each scoring two-run doubles. Nestor Cortes, meanwhile, starred with the ball. Handed a spot-start, he led the way in the shutout. 

"I have bad history against the Houston Astros," said Cortes, who had given up six home runs in four previous games against the Texas side. "So to give four innings of strong baseball was good. And we got the win, so that's what was most important."

Acuna restrained as Braves come up with the win

Ronald Acuna Jr had to be stopped from confronting Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender as the Atlanta Braves won 5-0.

Acuna was struck by a slider in the seventh innings and seemed set to charge over to Bender before he was held back by Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro and the home plat umpire.

It is the seventh time Acuna has been hit by a Miami pitcher since his rookie season in 2018 – indeed, a hit-by-pitch in the meeting on July 2 led to the ejection of the Marlins' Pablo Lopez.

"Not a big deal," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "He hit him with a breaking ball. Everybody handled themselves fine."

Charlie Morton was the star for Atlanta, meanwhile, with the 37-year-old striking out seven and walking out two.

 

Friday's results

Baltimore Orioles 1-12 Chicago White Sox
Boston Red Sox 11-5 Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs 10-5 St. Louis Cardinals
Cleveland Indians 2-1 Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros 0-4 New York Yankees
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins 0-5 Atlanta Braves
Milwaukee Brewers 0-2 Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins 4-2 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 13-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Ray Rays 7-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Texas Rangers 3-2 Oakland Athletics
San Diego Padres 4-2 Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants 5-3 Washington Nationals
Seattle Mariners 7-3 Los Angeles Angels

Jesus Aguilar walked it off for the Miami Marlins who continued their perfect run in their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 9-6 win on Wednesday.

Aguilar hit a three-run home run to clinch a walk-off victory over the reigning MLB champions, who had scored five runs in the third inning.

LA's Mookie Betts had homered at the top of the third inning, before Justin Turner teed off with a 402 foot home run, which was his 14th of the season to make it 5-2 for the Dodgers.

In a game full of home runs, the Marlins hit back with Garrett Cooper homering, before Zach McKinstry got one of his own.

Cooper homered again, marking his first career multi home-run game to tie the game up in the sixth inning.

Aguilar stepped up at the bottom of the ninth with the Marlins trailing 7-6, launching a huge drive from Edwin Uceta for his first home run at LoanDepot Park this season.

 

deGrom brings up 1,500 Ks

Jacob deGrom reached 1,500 career strikeouts as the New York Mets claimed a 4-3 walk-off win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of their double-header.

After seeing an early Luis Urias' home run, deGrom reached the milestone as the second fastest player in MLB history, from198 games.

Jose Peraza scored a pinch-hit home run before Jeff McNeil's walk-off hit as Dominic Smith dived to home plate.

Shohei Ohtani homered again to bring up his 32nd of the season, the most ever in an MLB season by a Japanese-born player, as the Los Angeles Angels won 5-4 over the Boston Red Sox.

The Angels were helped by Jared Walsh's two home runs, taking his season tally to 22.

The Chicago Cubs snapped their 11-game losing run with an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, avoiding reaching their longest streak of defeats since 2000.

Joey Gallo became the second player in Texas Rangers franchise history to hit 10 home runs across a 10-game span but they lost 5-3 to the Detroit Tigers.

 

Paddack and Padres rough shift

Not a lot went right for the San Diego Padres in their 15-5 defeat to the Washington Nationals, especially for Chris Paddack. The Padres pitcher only lasted two innings with the Nat 7-0 up, coughing up nine hits. Nabil Crismatt stepped in but Washington moved 9-0 up after the third inning too.

 

Special Smith catch among crowd

In the second game of the Mets-Brewers double-header, which Milwaukee won 5-0, Dominic Smith pulled off a spectacular catch riding the sidewall reaching into the crowd from a wayward Rowdy Tellez left-field skier.

 

Wednesday's results

Tampa Bay Rays 8-1 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 14-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago White Sox 6-1 Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers 5-3 Texas Rangers
New York Mets 4-3 Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Kansas City Royals
Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Angels 5-4 Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays 10-2 Baltimore Orioles
Miami Marlins 9-6 Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 New York Mets
Chicago Cubs 8-3 Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros 4-3 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants 5-2 St Louis Cardinals
Washington Nationals 15-5 San Diego Padres
New York Yankees 5-4 Seattle Mariners

 

Athletics at Astros

The top two sides in the American League West will meet again as the Houston Astros (54-33) host the Oakland Athletics (49-39).

Bryce Harper flexed his muscles as the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies defeated the slumping Chicago Cubs 15-10 in MLB on Tuesday.

Harper homered and tied a career high with five hits as the Phillies scored double-digit runs in consecutive games for the first time since 2015.

Phillies star Harper hit his seventh home run of the season after crushing a three-run drive in the seventh inning, extending Philadelphia's lead to 15-4.

Andrew McCutchen hit a grand slam, while Rhys Hoskins also went deep for the Phillies on the road in Chicago.

The out-of-sorts Cubs tried to rally but crashed to an 11th straight defeat.

 

Ohtani star of the show

The Los Angeles Angels were 5-3 winners over the Boston Red Sox thanks to two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who allowed just five hits across seven innings on the mound. Ohtani also hit an RBI double.

Luke Voit fuelled the New York Yankees' 12-1 rout of the Seattle Mariners. Voit had five hits, three RBI and one run in Seattle. According to Stats Perform, he is the third player in Yankees history to have five-plus hits in a game after entering hitting below .200 (minimum 100 plate appearances), after Roy Weatherly (1943) and Cecil Fielder (1997).

 

Dodgers fall on wild pitch

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 2-1 at the Miami Marlins after catcher Will Smith's wild throw flew past third base for a game-ending error in the 10th inning.

 

Catch of the season?

Wet weather but no worries for Chicago White Sox centerfielder Billy Hamilton. He produced a highlight moment with a leaping catch to thwart Max Kepler in the ninth inning. The White Sox topped the Minnesota Twins 4-1.

 

Tuesday's results

Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles 7-5 Toronto Blue Jays
Miami Marlins 2-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Texas Rangers 10-5 Detroit Tigers
Philadelphia Phillies 15-10 Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox 4-1 Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals 7-6 Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros 9-6 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Boston Red Sox
Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 Colorado Rockies
St Louis Cardinals 6-5 San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres 7-4 Washington Nationals
New York Yankees 12-1 Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers-New York Mets (postponed)
Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Indians (postponed)

 

Brewers at Mets

The Brewers (51-35) and Mets (44-37) will contest a doubleheader on Wednesday after Tuesday's clash was postponed due to inclement weather. All eyes will be on Mets ace Jacob deGrom as Corbin Burnes starts for the Brewers.

The New York Yankees salvaged the final game of their abbreviated Subway Series against the New York Mets, holding on to split the doubleheader with a 4-2 victory after dropping the opening game 10-5 on Sunday.

Languishing in fourth place in the American League (AL) East, the Yankees appeared in serious danger of being swept after closer Aroldis Chapman imploded again in the first MLB game.

Holding a 5-4 lead entering the decisive seventh inning, Chapman served up a game-tying home run to Pete Alonso to open the frame, then put the next two Mets batters on base before manager Aaron Boone pulled the plug, hoping to avoid a repeat of the stunning meltdown his All-Star reliever had earlier in the week against the Los Angeles Angels. 

His move did not help, as Jose Peraza, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor produced run-scoring hits to blow the game open against Lucas Luetge. 

The Yankees' bullpen came through in the nightcap, though, as Chad Green came on to hold what was then a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning and did not allow the Mets to reach base the rest of the way. 

Green finished the game in style with an "immaculate inning" – three strikeouts on the minimum nine pitches – in the seventh. 

According to Stats Perform, Green is the first pitcher in the modern era to pitch at least three perfect innings, strike out at least six batters and have an immaculate inning all in the same game.

 

Fried caps Braves' shock comeback against Marlins

Down 7-3 to the Miami Marlins in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Atlanta Braves scored four times to tie the game, then got a walk-off single from pitcher Max Fried in the 10th to prevail 8-7. 

Austin Meadows had three doubles, Wander Franco hit his second MLB home run, and the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff shut down the dangerous Toronto Blue Jays line-up in a 5-1 victory, the team's first road win since June 14 after 10 straight defeats. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored two runs for the fifth consecutive game but came out on top this time, winning 2-0 in a brilliant pitching effort by Tyler Anderson to snap the Milwaukee Brewers' 11-game winning streak. 

 

Slumping Cubs drop ninth in a row

The Chicago Cubs fell 3-2 to the Cincinnati Reds for the second consecutive day, giving them nine losses in a row and dropping them back to .500 at 42-42 for the first time since they were 21-21 on May 19. 

A 10th-inning fielding error by Cleveland pitcher Emmanuel Clase allowed the eventual winning run to score as the Indians dropped their sixth in a row, 4-3 to the Houston Astros. 

 

Another Ohtani bomb

Shohei Ohtani did it again, extending his MLB lead with his 31st home run of the season, a 459-foot blast that gave the Angels a 3-0 lead on the way to a 6-5 walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles. 

 

Sunday's results

New York Mets 10-5 New York Yankees
New York Yankees 4-2 New York Mets
San Diego Padres 11-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Washington Nationals
Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 Milwaukee Brewers
Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Detroit Tigers 6-5 Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros 4-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 8-7 Miami Marlins
Minnesota Twins 6-2 Kansas City Royals
Colorado Rockies 3-2 St Louis Cardinals
Boston Red Sox 1-0 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 6-5 Baltimore Orioles
Seattle Mariners 4-1 Texas Rangers
San Francisco Giants 5-2 Arizona Diamondbacks

 

Dodgers at Marlins

The most appealing pitching matchup of the day will take place in Miami, where newly minted All-Star Trevor Rogers (7-5, 2.14 ERA) and the Marlins host a prominent All-Star snub in Walker Buehler (8-1, 2.35 ERA) and the Dodgers. 

Shohei Ohtani has chalked up yet another first in his historic 2021 season, as the Los Angeles Angels star is the first player ever to be named to the MLB All-Star Game as a position player and a pitcher. 

Already named as the American League's starting designated hitter earlier this week, Ohtani was named to the AL's pitching staff on Sunday as the full rosters for the July 13 game in Denver were unveiled. 

The 26-year-old from Japan leads MLB with 31 home runs and is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts on the mound, with 83 strikeouts in 60 innings. 

Ohtani is also set to feature in the Home Run Derby the night before the All-Star Game, guaranteeing he will be the biggest attraction of the festivities at Coors Field. 

While Ohtani figures to be the star of the show, the Boston Red Sox will have the most representatives, with designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and relief pitcher Matt Barnes making the AL squad along with starting shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. 

The Houston Astros will send four players to the game, with infield reserves Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa joining outfield reserve Michael Brantley and reliever Ryan Pressly. 

The Toronto Blue Jays also will have four players in the game, as shortstop Bo Bichette joins AL starting first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second baseman Marcus Semien and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. 

On the National League side, the San Diego Padres also have four representatives, as pitcher Yu Darvish made the team along with reliever Mark Melancon and infielder Jake Cronenworth to join starting shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. 

Three injured players were selected for the game and will be replaced on their teams' rosters: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber and outfielders Mike Trout of the Angels and Kyle Schwarber of the Washington Nationals. 

 

2021 All-Star Game rosters

American League

Elected starters:

C: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) 
2B: Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B: Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)
SS: Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) 
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays) 
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels)

Starting pitchers:

Ohtani
Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians)
Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees)
Nathan Eovaldi (Boston Red Sox)
Kyle Gibson (Texas Rangers)
Yusei Kikuchi (Seattle Mariners)
Lance Lynn (Chicago White Sox)
Carlos Rodón (Chicago White Sox)

Relievers:

Matt Barnes (Boston Red Sox)
Aroldis Chapman (New York Yankees)
Liam Hendriks (Chicago White Sox)
Ryan Pressly (Houston Astros)
Gregory Soto (Detroit Tigers)

Reserve infield:

Mike Zunino (Tampa Bay Rays)
Jose Altuve (Houston Astros)
Bo Bichette (Toronto Blue Jays)
Carlos Correa (Houston Astros)
Matt Olson (Oakland Athletics)
José Ramírez (Cleveland Indians)
Jared Walsh (Los Angeles Angels)

Designated hitter:

J.D. Martinez (BOS)
Nelson Cruz (MIN)

Reserve outfield:

Michael Brantley (Houston Astros)
Joey Gallo (Texas Rangers)
Adolis García (Texas Rangers)
Cedric Mullins (Baltimore Orioles)

National League

Elected starters: 

C: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
1B: Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
2B: Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B: Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals)
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
OF: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds)
OF: Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds)

Reserve infield:

J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies)
Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves)
Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)
Brandon Crawford (San Francisco Giants)
Jake Cronenworth (San Diego Padres)
Eduardo Escobar (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Trea Turner (Washington Nationals)

Reserve outfield:

Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Bryan Reynolds (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Kyle Schwarber (Washington Nationals)
Juan Soto (Washington Nationals)
Chris Taylor (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Starting pitchers:

Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee Brewers)
Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres)
Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
Kevin Gausman (San Francisco Giants)
Germán Márquez (Colorado Rockies)
Trevor Rogers (Miami Marlins)
Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies)
Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee Brewers)

Relievers:

Josh Hader (Milwaukee Brewers)
Craig Kimbrel (Chicago Cubs)
Mark Melancon (San Diego Padres)
Alex Reyes (St Louis Cardinals)

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