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Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Division Races, Record Chases, MVP Battles: MLB's Biggest Second-Half Storylines
Ready to get back into the swing of things after that epic All-Star Game? MLB returns to action on Friday, and there's plenty to watch for in the second part of the season. Division races. MVP battles. Record chases. And that July 31 trade deadline that's on the horizon. The top contenders are established, featuring some surprises (like the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays) alongside the usual dominant clubs (like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Houston Astros). We break down the 15 biggest storylines that have us looking forward to in the second half of the season: 1. Will Cal Raleigh Record the Best Catching Season … Ever? Coming off the high of winning the Home Run Derby, Raleigh is on pace to record the best hitting season by a catcher in baseball history, all while being a threat to win the American League MVP. Raleigh kicks off the second half leading the majors in home runs (38) and RBIs (82). He has a .376 on-base percentage with a 1.011 OPS (190 OPS+). The switch-hitter is on pace for 64 home runs, which would shatter the overall AL record (set by Aaron Judge in 2022 with 62 homers), and all eyes will be glued to his performance the rest of the way. - Thosar 2. Will Aaron Judge Win the Batting Title? He came close last season, threatening to win the Triple Crown, but ultimately falling just short. Judge led the league in home runs (58) and RBIs (144) last year, and finished third in batting average (.322) behind Bobby Witt Jr. (.332) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.323). He opens the second half leading MLB with a .355 average, with Athletics rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson behind him with a .332 average. Judge is hoping to become the 10th Yankee to win the batting title, and the first since DJ LeMahieu in 2020. -Thosar 3. Trade Deadline Is July 31. Which Team Shakes It Up? The most interesting team to watch is the Diamondbacks, who entered the break at 47-50 and in fourth place in the tough NL West. They boast the second-highest scoring offense in MLB, but they've lost Corbin Burnes for the year, their pitching staff is a wreck, and they have some of the most intriguing rental pieces available should they decide to look to the future. Will they be willing to do that? Eugenio Suarez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Josh Naylor could all be difference-makers on a contending squad. - Kavner 4. AL East Race Is Hot! Will the Blue Jays Hold Off Yankees and Red Sox? Even though the Yankees led the AL East by seven games at the end of May, they gave up that lead to the Blue Jays by the start of July. Entering the second half, the Yankees trail the Blue Jays by two games, with the Red Sox three games behind Toronto. It's a strong turnaround from last year, when the Blue Jays finished the 2024 season in the AL East basement, 20 games behind the Yankees, while the Red Sox finished in third, 13 games back. This will be a tight race worth keeping an eye on (and getting the popcorn ready) down the stretch. - Thosar 5. Can Rookie Phenom Jacob Misiorowski Keep It Up? We probably shouldn't be surprised anymore when we see the Milwaukee Brewers thrive against all odds, yet here we are again. Their pitching staff is again one of the best in baseball, and now a 23-year-old rookie is lifting the ceiling. While routinely hitting triple digits with his fastball, Misiorowski's 11 hitless innings to start his career marked the longest streak by a starter in MLB's modern era. A dazzling five-start sample earned him a surprising All-Star nod, and he finished his first half by striking out 12 Dodgers batters in six innings. Can he keep this up and contend for National League Rookie of the Year, or will teams find a way to counter? - Kavner 6. Zack Wheeler and the Cy Young Race: Can He Finally Win It? The Phillies ace has been chasing a Cy Young award, to no avail, for the past few years. There's a strong argument that Wheeler should've won the 2021 Cy Young over actual winner Corbin Burnes, particularly because he had the highest WAR and most innings pitched that season. Wheeler again finished second, to Chris Sale, last year. This year, it looks like Wheeler will have to top Paul Skenes to win it. The competition has never been higher. - Thosar 7. Can Juan Soto Help the Mets Win Their First NL East Title Since 2015? Like their crosstown rivals, the Mets also held a solid lead in the NL East — as high as 5.5 games in the middle of June — before they gave it up a week later amid a free fall that featured a ton of pitching injuries. Soto, in his first season as a Met, has the opportunity to help his new team topple the Phillies, who enter the second half just a half game ahead of the Mets. Perhaps Soto's All-Star snub will unlock another level at the plate. -Thosar 8. MVP Races! Can Cal Raleigh Supplant Aaron Judge? Will Shohei Ohtani Hold Off Pete Crow-Armstrong? It feels like another absurd year from Judge is getting overlooked. He just completed one of the best seasons from a right-handed hitter ever, and he's hitting even better in 2025, leading MLB in every slash line category and cruising toward what would be his first ever batting title. Meanwhile, Ohtani leads the National League in slugging, homers and OPS, is on pace for another 50-homer season…and, oh, right, he's doing that other thing he does, too. He has allowed just one run in nine innings over five abridged starts while slowly building back up on the mound. Still, they have competition in the MVP race. Raleigh might end up with the best season from a catcher we've ever seen (see: question 1). Meanwhile, Crow-Armstrong's all-around play in his leap to superstardom could be enough to challenge Ohtani. - Kavner 9. Time Running Out On The Braves This Season? It's getting late — fast — for a disappointing Braves team that has played well below expectations this season. This is a talented roster that entered the year with real World Series expectations, only to finish the first half in fourth place, sitting 12.5 games behind the Phillies. That said, anything can happen. They still have a little time, and the pieces in place, to go on a winning streak, get to .500, and force their way into the wild-card conversation. But it won't be easy; Atlanta welcomes the Yankees on Friday to kick off the second half. - Thosar 10. Oh, the Orioles … What's Their Next Move? Outside a run that looks something like 12-2 over these next two weeks before the trade deadline, Baltimore seems all but certain to be sellers, with a handful of attractive players who could shake up the market for contending teams. Ryan O'Hearn, Felix Bautista, Cedric Mullins, Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano could all be on the move before the calendar flips to August. Sure, the O's aren't mathematically out of a wild-card spot, and they have been playing better of late. But at this point, it makes more sense for Baltimore's trade-deadline strategy to involve looking ahead to improving the roster for 2026. - Thosar 11. Can the Astros Keep Their AL West Hold? When the Astros traded Kyle Tucker and let Alex Bregman go to Boston, it felt like it might be the end of their dynasty. The first half told a different story. After starting the season 20-20, the Astros then won 35 of their next 50 games to take a commanding lead in the division. Even after a rough week to wrap up the first half, they still lead the AL West by five games. Trade acquisitions Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith have given the lineup a jolt, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez have been among the best pitchers in the AL, and the bullpen is one of the best in baseball. FanGraphs gives them a 73.1% chance to win the division. - Kavner 12. Ichiro's Hall of Fame Induction and Speech Ichiro Suzuki will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner on July 27. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return to Cooperstown to honor the newest members of the prestigious recognition, which was voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Ichiro, who received 393 of 394 votes (99.7%), headlines this year's group. - Thosar 13. Will Rafael Devers Get Back On Track For The Giants? Beyond Oracle Park just generally being a tougher place to hit than Fenway, a disk issue in Devers' lower back might also help explain his slow start in San Francisco. Thus far, the Giants offense has somehow gotten considerably worse since the move. San Francisco was 41-31 and 14th in runs scored before adding Devers. Since the trade, they're 11-14 and 27th in runs scored. Maybe the break will provide a helpful reset both physically and mentally for Devers, who had a .905 OPS in Boston before posting a .656 OPS in 25 games with his new squad. Even if Devers doesn't make the Giants one of the better offenses in baseball, I think we can at least envision better days ahead for what could be a playoff squad. - Kavner 14. Who Pitches for the Dodgers Down the Stretch? Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow have combined to make 16 starts all year, Mookie Betts is hitting below league average, Michael Conforto has been the worst qualified left fielder in MLB, Max Muncy is out with a knee injury for likely another month, closer Tanner Scott has an ERA over 4.00 and seven blown saves, and the bullpen has thrown by far more innings than any relief unit in baseball… and yet the Dodgers still have more wins than any National League team at the break. After weathering a smorgasbord of pitching injuries, Glasnow is back, Snell is on a rehab assignment, and Sasaki is expected to make his return at some point before season's end. Still, there's a great deal of starting-pitching uncertainty as the club leans heavily on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May. Will they try to add reinforcements at the deadline or trust in their returning arms? - Kavner 15. Can the Tigers Cruise Their Way To AL Central Title? With a commanding 11.5-game lead at the break, it would take a collapse of epic proportions to stop the Tigers from capturing their first division title since 2014. They have the best pitcher on the planet in Tarik Skubal, their offense has the sixth-highest OPS in MLB, and their bullpen ERA is fifth in MLB. They're basically above average across the board. From the resurgence of Javier Baez and Spencer Torkelson, to the bounceback of Gleyber Torres to the continued excellence and maturation of Riley Greene, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about this club, which thus far has been the best in the MLB — and has a chance to get even better at the deadline. - Kavner Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar. Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner . recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shohei Ohtani to publish children's book about his dog Decoy
Shohei Ohtani is a batter, a pitcher and now an author. The Los Angeles Dodgers star announced on Thursday that he is publishing a children's book entitled "Decoy Saves Opening Day," centered around his dog Decoy (a.k.a. Dekopin). The book, published by Harper Collins, will be co-authored with Michael Blank, with pictures by Fanny Liem. It is due to hit store shelves on Feb. 3. The book's synopsis: Decoy can't wait to throw the first pitch on Opening Day of the new baseball season! The stadium has hot dogs, the biggest backyard he's ever seen, and thousands of his best human friends. It's going to be the best day ever, but—oh, no!—Decoy forgot his lucky baseball at home! Can he get his ball and make it back to the stadium before it's too late? Decoy, a Kooikerhondje, throwing a first pitch comes straight from reality, as he "threw" the first pitch at a game last year on a night the Dodgers gave away a bobblehead of him and Ohtani. It was extremely cute. Per Harper Collins, Ohtani hopes to use proceeds of "Decoy Saves Opening Day" to support animal rescue organizations. Decoy has been a featured player in Ohtani's life since the announcement of the 2023 American League MVP award, which Ohtani won unanimously in his final season with the Los Angeles Angels. Decoy, whose name was unknown until Ohtani's introduction with the Dodgers, immediately went viral while sitting on the couch with Ohtani on the broadcast and has since become beloved in both Japan and the United States.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The Red Sox' long winning streak could be a clear indication that this season will indeed be memorable, and other thoughts
The 2018 Sox, managed by Alex Cora, won 10 straight en route to 119 wins and the franchise's most recent world championship. That's when general manager Dave Dombrowski had an unlimited budget, building a team that won 108 regular-season games, then went 11-3 in the postseason, wiping out the Dodgers in a five-game World Series. It might be the greatest Red Sox team of all time. Advertisement The Curse-bustin' 2004 Red Sox won 10 straight almost a month after trading Nomar Garciaparra at the deadline, then cruised to Boston's first World Series title in 86 years. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In the summer of 1988, the Red Sox were underachieving under crusty manager John McNamara, who was finally relieved of duty in mid-July. After Jean Yawkey 'Knifed the Mac' and replaced him with Walpole favorite Joe Morgan, the Sox ripped off 12 consecutive victories. It was Morgan Magic. They ended up winning 19 of their first 20 under Tollway Joe, finishing first in the AL East. Between 1918 and 2004, four Red Sox teams advanced to the seventh game of the World Series. All of them lost the seventh game. All of them also had winning streaks of 10 or more games. Advertisement In 1986, when Roger Clemens was en route to 24-4 and being named American League MVP, the Red Sox won 11 straight from Aug. 30 to Sept. 10. Fifty years ago, when rookie Fred Lynn was on his way to AL MVP and the Sox were bound for the greatest World Series of all time, the Sox won 10 straight in July. Baby Boomers like myself were just getting ready for high school in the summer of 1967 when the 100-1 shot Red Sox surge to 10 straight victories in July. No one could believe it, and 10,000-15,000 fans greeted the team at Logan Airport when they came home after winning their 10th straight in Cleveland. The streak made them legit, and they won the AL pennant on the last day of the regular season. The longest Red Sox winning streak of all time was in 1946, when Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Co. came home from World War II and won 15 in a row en route to a World Series date with the Cardinals. So there you have it: Red Sox winning streaks of 10 or more are a good indication that we might be in for those coveted 'meaningful games in October.' The Sox were all the rage at Atlanta's All-Star week. Respected national media members Ken Rosenthal and Jeff Passan spoke of Boston as a serious World Series contender. This year's trade deadline could be really interesting for Sox fans. The Olde Towne Team has the toughest schedule in the majors the rest of the way. Related : Advertisement The Sox resume their season Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Win or lose, Sox fans finally have legit reason to think of their team as playoff-bound. If the playoffs started at the All-Star break, we would have had Red Sox-Yankees in a first-round series, with the winner advancing to play the top-seeded Tigers. Fun. ⋅ Quiz: 1. Name six players on the 2003 Red Sox who hit 25 or more home runs; 2. Dodgers pitchers have won more Cy Young Awards (12) than any other team. Name the six Dodger starters and two relievers who've won the award (answers below). ⋅ The Red Sox' 10-game winning streak was less than five minutes old last Sunday afternoon when I got a 'How do you like us now?'-toned, victory lap text from one of the biggest of big shots at Fenway Sports Group. Yikes. Enjoy the second half, Big Fella. ⋅ Raise your hand if you knew that Frank Sinatra Jr. was a vice president of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1973. Frank Sinatra Jr. was a vice president of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 1973. Courtesy ⋅ I'm loving this Bob Kraft-Bill Belichick dustup over which guy was taking the bigger risk when Belichick came back to the Patriots as head coach in 2000. I'm on Team Hoodie in this one. Look for more needy noise from Kraft as he continues his Sisyphean quest of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There seems to be a difference of opinion between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff ⋅ Why don't the Bruins have a team captain? ⋅ Can't wait to dive into Christine Brennan's 'On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports.' Saw an excerpt that featured the WNBA's curious, ongoing diss of Advertisement Swell. Should WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert be giving more credit to Caitlin Clark for the recent growth of the league? Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press ⋅ The Red Sox' weird 'non-visit' with President Trump July 3 goes down as the polar opposite of the Celtics' trip to Washington to hang out with John F. Kennedy in 1963. Bob Cousy and friends had a great time with JFK and on the way out the door, Satch Sanders famously turned to the president and quipped, 'Take it easy, baby.' Cooz and Satch are still telling tales of their visit. Conversely, the 2025 Sox encounter with our commander in chief remains a third-rail topic around Fenway. It's the Meeting-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. President — Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) ⋅ According to The Athletic, 16 NBA players are on the books to earn $50 million or more this coming season. MLB, the NFL, and NHL will combine for a mere six $50 million players. ⋅ The Athletic recently featured a nice 2,000-word story on Pete Carroll, which ran in the print edition of the New York Times earlier this month. Advertisement Pete Carroll is back in the NFL, as head coach of the Raiders. Ethan Miller/Getty ⋅ The ⋅ The White Sox last weekend celebrated the 20th anniversary of their first World Series victory in 88 years. Chicago hasn't had luck with repeat champs in baseball or football. The Cubs had a 108-year drought before winning in 2016, but like the White Sox, failed to win again. It was the same with the dominant 1985 Bears. White Sox 2005 World Series championship starting pitchers (from left) Mark Buehrle, John Garland, Freddy Garcia, and Jose Contreras throw out ceremonial first pitches last Sunday. Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press ⋅ Andrew McCutchen ranks among the Pirates' career leaders in hits (fourth), home runs (third), and runs (10th). Pirates starter Paul Skenes could win only eight games and still cop the NL Cy Young Award. Advertisement ⋅ The last time the two teams with the best regular-season records met in the Stanley Cup Final was 1989 (Calgary vs. Montreal). Thirty-six years ago. ⋅ According to the estimable Peter Vecsey, the mother of Jonathan Banks, who played Mike Ehrmantraut in 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' was one of Larry Bird's teachers at Indiana State. ⋅ HBO's 'Surviving Ohio State' documentary on the school's wrestling sex scandal is a deep look into two decades (1978-98) of abuse by the team physician, the late Richard Strauss, and the survivors' ongoing fight to hold the university accountable. Several of the survivor athletes hold that Ohio congressman Jim Jordan, an assistant coach of the wrestling team for eight seasons, knew of the activities of Strauss and failed to speak out, or otherwise protect the wrestlers. Jordan continues to deny that he knew of the abuse. ⋅ Peter Gammons, Bob Ryan, Leigh Montville, and yours truly will be throwing out ceremonial first pitches before Falmouth's home game against Cotuit in the Cape Cod League on Tuesday at Guv Fuller Field at 6 p.m. ⋅ Got a girl in your family who loves to play baseball? Check out a special screening of 'See Her Be Her,' a new film (and book) that follows the lives of seven women baseball stars representing the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Japan, South Korea, Cuba, and Uganda competing for the 2024 World Cup championship. Billie Jean King is an executive producer of the film from filmmaker and photographer Jean Fruth and former Baseball Hall of Fame president (and Newton native) Jeff Idelson, and features Ichiro Suzuki, Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Perez, and Ferguson Jenkins. The screening is Tuesday, July 29, at 11 a.m. at the AMC Boston Common 19. Students can attend for free and adults pay $15. The screening will be followed by a book signing and panel discussion. Sales from tickets and books will be donated to Little League's Girls With Game program to provide more opportunities in baseball for girls. Visit ⋅ The Boston K Men, those Fenway fanatics tracking strikeouts since the Pedro Martinez era, are now following ace Garrett Crochet, who's posting Smoky Joe Wood-level numbers. They're also raising money and awareness for The BASE, a sports academy in Roxbury that supports Boston's youth. You can pitch in by ordering Fenway Park shirts and backward K hats at ⋅ Anagram of the week comes from reader Ken Gornstein, an homage to Lyndon Byers: Rest in peace, LB — Eternal Biceps. ⋅ Quiz answers: 1. Manny Ramirez (37), David Ortiz (31), Garciaparra (28), Trot Nixon (28), Kevin Millar (25), Jason Varitek (25); 2. Don Newcombe (1956), Don Drysdale (1962), Sandy Koufax (1963, '65, '66), reliever Mike Marshall (1974), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Orel Hershiser (1988), reliever Eric Gagne (2003), Clayton Kershaw (2011, '13, '14). Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cooper Kupp congratulates Cal Raleigh on his Home Run Derby victory
For the first time in the history of baseball, a catcher has won the Home Run Derby... and he is a Seattle Mariner! On Monday night, Cal Raleigh's historic season just became a little more iconic with the Big Dumper earning a Home Run Derby championship, becoming the first Mariner since Ken Griffey Jr. did so three times during the 1990's. Raleigh barely - and quite literally - inched out Brent Rooker in round one, having hit tiebreaking ball 0.08 inches further than the Athletics' star. Raleigh then created insurmountable leads in the semifinal and championship round against Oneil Cruz of the Pirates and Junior Caminero of the Rays to win it all. Of course, Raleigh's neighbors to the north, the Seattle Seahawks, certainly noticed his historic performance. However, the Seahawks franchise was not the only ones to celebrate the Big Dumper's achievement. Fellow Seattle sports figure Cooper Kupp took to Twitter as well to praise the American League MVP contender. Cal Raleigh, and the Mariners, will be back in action this coming Friday night for a crucial divisional series against the loathsome Houston Astros. Seattle (51-45) is five games back of Houston for first place in the AL West, and are holding a 1.5 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for the final Wild Card spot. The Mariners have an opportunity to make up some serious ground on the Astros, and will need every home run Raleigh can deliver this weekend.
Fox Sports
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Yankees' Aaron Judge Becomes Fastest MLB Player To Hit 350 Career Home Runs
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge reached 350 home runs faster than any other MLB player on Saturday, as the two-time American League MVP's two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of New York's loss to the Chicago Cubs gave him 35 on the season and 350 for his career in just 1,088 games. Prior to Judge's homer, Mark McGwire needed the fewest number of games to hit 350 home runs at 1,280. However, Judge blew McGwire's mark out of the water, beating him by 192 games. Judge's teammate, Giancarlo Stanton, ranks ninth on that list, as he hit his 350th home run on April 27, 2022, in what was his 1,341st game. Judge is the fourth player to make that list while wearing a Yankees uniform, as well, joining Stanton, Alex Rodriguez and Babe Ruth. Rank Player Games 1 Aaron Judge 1,088 2 Mark McGwire 1,280 3 Juan Gonzalez 1,298 4 Alex Rodriguez 1,301 5 Harmon Killebrew 1,319 6 Albert Pujols 1,320 7 Babe Ruth 1,329 8 Giancarlo Stanton 1,341 9 Ralph Kiner 1,345 10 Albert Belle 1,361 Judge has had impressive amounts of power since entering MLB in 2016. He's smacked over 50 home runs in three separate seasons, leading MLB in that category with 62 in 2022 and 58 in 2024, with the former setting a new AL record. This season, Judge leads all players in all three slashing categories — batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.465) and slugging percentage (.739). He's set to make his fifth consecutive All-Star appearance, and will serve as the captain of the American League team after winning the fan vote. McGwire also holds the record for fewest games to 400 career home runs at 1,412. Judge has 67 games left to go deep another 50 times and secure that milestone, as well. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Major League Baseball New York Yankees Aaron Judge recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
