MLB ALL-STAR GAME AWARDED TO CUBS IN 2027
The Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field will host the 2027 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday.
Manfred made his announcement at Wrigley Field with Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Hall of Fame member and eight-time All-Star Andre Dawson and two-time All-Star Shawon Dunston among those in attendance.
The game will be played July 13, 2027, as the culmination of All-Star Week festivities.
The 97th Midsummer Classic will be the fourth hosted at Wrigley Field. The American League won the previous meetings at Wrigley Field in 1947, 1962 and 1990.
“I applaud the Ricketts family, the entire Cubs organization, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Sports Commission for presenting an impressive vision for 2027 All-Star Week,” Manfred said. “The hard work put in to transform all of Wrigleyville into an outstanding destination deserves to be celebrated and shared on a national stage.
“We look forward to bringing the Midsummer Classic back to historic Wrigley Field and working alongside the Cubs, city and state officials, and the local organizing group to bring an extraordinary experience to the baseball fans of Chicago.”
The 2026 contest will take place in Philadelphia to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. The Phillies’ former home, Veterans Stadium, hosted the All-Star Game in 1976 to honor the nation’s bicentennial.
PADRES MAKE WAVES AT TRADE DEADLINE AGAIN, UNAFRAID TO DEAL AWAY ONE OF BASEBALL’S TOP PROSPECTS
For the second time in four years, A.J. Preller turned the San Diego Padres into the biggest stars of baseball’s trade deadline.
In 2022, the San Diego general manager snagged slugger Juan Soto, sending James Wood, MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams and three others to Washington in an eight-player blockbuster.
Then on Thursday, the aggressive Preller pulled off a slightly less seismic version of that deal, trading top prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics and bringing back closer Mason Miller.
Prospects that highly touted are rarely dealt anymore. De Vries, a shortstop, is ranked No. 3 overall by MLB Pipeline. Last year at the deadline, none of Baseball America’s top 100 prospects were traded.
By the time this year’s deadline passed, Preller had traded 14 players and acquired eight. Left-handers JP Sears and Nestor Cortes, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano were among those the Padres landed in addition to Miller, an All-Star last season who is under team control through 2029.
Here’s a division-by-division look at this year’s deadline:
AL East
TORONTO leads the division by 3 1/2 games, but the Blue Jays have dropped four of five. They took a gamble, albeit one with some upside, in acquiring 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who has made several rehab starts as he works toward a return from Tommy John surgery. The second-place YANKEES added All-Star relievers David Bednar and Camilo Doval to their bullpen and acquired some more power in third baseman Ryan McMahon. BOSTON’s deadline was less inspiring, unless oft-injured right-hander Dustin May can get hot down the stretch.
BALTIMORE has shown it can build a strong farm system of position players, but poor pitching has the Orioles in last place this year. They did add some interesting minor league arms over the past week while selling off more than a half-dozen players. TAMPA BAY is 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and added reliever Griffin Jax and starting pitcher Adrian Houser, but the Rays also traded away a dependable starter in Zack Littell. Just assume the unorthodox Rays know what they’re doing and move on.
AL Central
KANSAS CITY is a half-game behind CLEVELAND in the standings, and both have about a 13% chance of making the postseason according to FanGraphs. But they went in opposite directions at the deadline. The Royals largely stayed the course, making some under-the-radar additions like outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and left-hander Bailey Falter, while the Guardians — who are three games out of a playoff spot — dealt away Bieber and reliever Paul Sewald. Of course, that’s nothing compared to the way MINNESOTA tore apart its roster, trading Jax, infielder Carlos Correa, reliever Jhoan Durán and more than a half-dozen others.
DETROIT didn’t have a terribly sexy deadline but added starters Charlie Morton and Chris Paddack along with a few bullpen arms. The WHITE SOX held onto outfielder Luis Robert Jr. He has club options for the next two years, so perhaps we haven’t heard the last about his potential trade value.
AL West
SEATTLE threw down the gauntlet Wednesday night by acquiring slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Then HOUSTON answered Thursday by bringing Correa back to the team that drafted him. The difference between these two moves is that Correa is under contract through at least 2028, while Suárez can become a free agent this offseason. But the Mariners can worry about that later.
TEXAS, which is five games behind the first-place Astros but just a game behind Seattle for the final wild card, added Merrill Kelly to its rotation. He may have been the best starting pitcher dealt — but pitching hasn’t been the problem for the Rangers this year.
The ANGELS are the worst team in the American League that didn’t make a clear move toward selling. And they didn’t do anything likely to move the needle much as they try to make up ground. The ATHLETICS are finally making news for reasons other than their nomadic existence. Add De Vries to an organization that already has two of the game’s top rookies in the majors, and the future looks a little brighter.
NL East
The METS lead PHILADELPHIA by a half-game atop this division, and both teams went big on bullpen help. New York went for quantity with Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley, while the Phillies made one huge move in adding Duran. MIAMI held onto Sandy Alcantara. Perhaps his value will improve by the offseason — right now he has a 6.36 ERA in his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
WASHINGTON sold in fairly predictable fashion, but ATLANTA — currently 16 games under .500 — curiously held onto Raisel Iglesias despite no shortage of teams looking for late-inning relievers.
NL Central
MILWAUKEE and the CUBS boast the game’s two best records, and they appear reasonably satisfied with what they have. Both added some bullpen help. CINCINNATI was more aggressive, acquiring Littell from the Rays and Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from PITTSBURGH. Trading Hayes within the division was a gamble by the Pirates, given that he’s under team control through 2030, but he has an OPS well under .600 for the second straight year. Pittsburgh is under pressure to improve while Paul Skenes is young and cheap.
ST. LOUIS looked like a buyer a month ago, but the Cardinals have lost 17 of 25 and are now a .500 team.
NL West
SAN DIEGO’s flurry of moves didn’t draw a particularly brazen response from the DODGERS, who were actually on the prospect-receiving end of the deal that sent May to Boston. SAN FRANCISCO certainly looked like a buyer when it acquired Rafael Devers earlier this season, but now the fading Giants are under .500 and will hope the haul of prospects they received — particularly from the Mets and Yankees for Rogers and Doval — pan out.
ARIZONA had two of the best trade chips on the market in Suárez and Kelly and cashed in both. COLORADO’s assets were less enticing, but the Rockies did unload McMahon and his contract.
MLB ROUNDUP: DOWN 9-0 IN FIRST, ROCKIES SHOCK PIRATES 17-16
Brenton Doyle capped a five-run ninth inning with a two-run home run, and the Colorado Rockies rallied after giving up nine runs in the first to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-16 on Friday night in Denver.
Hunter Goodman also went deep in the ninth, Warming Bernabel had four hits — including a three-run home run and his first career triple — and Ezequiel Tovar tied a franchise record with four doubles for Colorado.
For the Pirates, Oneil Cruz hit a grand slam, Andrew McCutchen homered and finished with three hits and five RBIs, Nick Gonzales had four hits and Bryan Reynolds and Isiah Kiner-Falefa finished with three hits apiece.
Colorado starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela was chased from the game after recording just two outs, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
Marlins 13, Yankees 12
With one out in the ninth, Xavier Edwards scored from third base on a swinging bunt by Agustin Ramirez as host Miami rallied for a wild walk-off win over New York.
The Marlins trailed 9-4 before scoring six runs in the seventh inning. They also entered the bottom of the ninth down 12-10. All-Star Kyle Stowers led Miami with a grand slam, and Javier Sanoja homered twice.
The Yankees acquired three relief pitchers at Thursday’s trade deadline — Jake Bird, David Bednar and Camilo Doval — and they combined to give up nine runs on Friday. Doval (4-3) took the loss and blew his fifth save of the season, allowing three ninth-inning runs, one of which was earned.
Brewers 16, Nationals 9
Blake Perkins homered twice and William Contreras had five hits, including his third homer in two games, as visiting Milwaukee beat Washington in a slugfest.
Andrew Vaughn had a home run among his three hits and Andruw Monasterio had four hits for Milwaukee, which pounded out 25 hits and has won four of five. The Brewers had two five-run innings, getting enough cushion to stave off a five-run Washington ninth.
Paul DeJong homered and CJ Abrams had three hits for the Nationals, who lost their third straight despite delivering 15 hits of their own.
Cubs 1, Orioles 0
Carson Kelly had two hits and Ian Happ drove in the lone run of the game as host Chicago made quick work of Baltimore for its fourth win in six games.
Cade Horton allowed just two hits over five shutout innings for Chicago, striking out three and extending his shutout streak to 17 2/3 innings over his past three starts. With Horton dealing, the Cubs put away the Orioles in one hour and 49 minutes, which tied the fastest game in MLB this season.
Adley Rutschman doubled to lead Baltimore, which could not take advantage of a strong start by Trevor Rogers. The left-hander put forth his best start of the season, giving up one run on just four hits over eight innings while striking out a season-best eight against no walks.
Reds 3, Braves 2
Will Benson had a rare home run among his two hits to lead Cincinnati over visiting Atlanta in the second game of the three-game series.
Benson, who scored twice, drove in a pair of runs and stole a base before he crossed the plate on a Matt McLain two-out single in the sixth for the game’s first run.
Reds right-hander Brady Singer (9-8) set a season high with 10 strikeouts while allowing just four hits and a walk over six shutout innings. Braves right-hander Bryce Elder (4-8) gave up two runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
Phillies 5, Tigers 4
Bryson Stott logged just one hit, but it delivered his second RBI of the day to help Philadelphia rally past visiting Detroit.
Trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Otto Kemp doubled in the tying run before Stott beat out an infield single to score what became the game-winning run. Kemp and Nick Castellanos each had two hits for Philadelphia.
Gleyber Torres had a three-run homer for the Tigers, whose four-game winning streak came to an end. Wenceel Perez added two hits, including a solo home run.
Royals 9, Blue Jays 3
Michael Wacha pitched eight strong innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a three-run homer and visiting Kansas City defeated Toronto.
Wacha (5-9) allowed one run and three hits, finishing with seven shutout innings after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. tagged him for a first-inning home run.
Witt Jr. was one of four Royals who homered as Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier and Salvador Perez also had home runs in the victory.
Guardians 3, Twins 2 (10 innings)
Kyle Manzardo had two hits, including a walk-off RBI single to left field to lift Cleveland to a home win over Minnesota.
Jose Ramirez singled in a run and had a stolen base to become the first primary third baseman, and 17th-ever player, with 275 steals and 275 home runs in a career. Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio each had two hits for the Guardians, who won for the 15th time in 21 games.
Austin Martin went 3-for-5 to lead the way for the Twins, who dropped their third straight and lost for the sixth time in eight games.
Dodgers 5, Rays 0
Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer and doubled in two runs, Clayton Kershaw tossed six shutout innings, and visiting Los Angeles opened a three-game series with a win against Tampa Bay.
Freeman went 2-for-4 and homered in back-to-back games and reached base safely in 17 straight contests.
Christopher Morel and Jonny DeLuca each had two hits, leading the way for a Rays team that has dropped four straight games and 10 of 14 since the All-Star break.
Giants 4, Mets 3 (10 innings)
Dominic Smith entered as a pinch-hitter in the top of the 10th inning and delivered a run-scoring single that allowed visiting San Francisco to escape with a win over New York.
The Giants snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory despite blowing a three-run lead and the Mets loading the bases in the home half of the 10th.
Casey Schmitt and Patrick Bailey each had RBI doubles for San Francisco, while New York’s Pete Alonso recorded a home run and two RBIs.
Red Sox 2, Astros 1 (10 innings)
Roman Anthony’s single in the bottom of the 10th inning drove in Wilyer Abreu with the game-winning run as Boston extended its winning streak to three games by beating visiting Houston.
Abreu started the inning at second base as the automatic runner and moved to third on a fielder’s choice before Anthony singled against Bennett Sousa (5-1). Cooper Criswell made his first start of the season for the Red Sox and limited Houston to one run on seven hits in seven innings.
Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena collected three singles after being activated from the 10-day injured list (ribs) Friday. He was in the lineup for the first time since June 27. Carlos Correa started at third base and went 0-for-4 in his first game back with the Astros after being acquired from Minnesota at the deadline.
Padres 4, Cardinals 1
Nick Pivetta allowed just one hit in seven innings and Jackson Merrill capped a four-run fifth inning with a two-run single as San Diego beat visiting St. Louis for its sixth straight win.
Pivetta walked none and struck out five as he lowered his ERA to 2.73. New acquisition Mason Miller pitched a scoreless eighth and MLB saves leader Robert Suarez worked the ninth for his 31st save in 35 chances. The Padres took advantage of two St. Louis errors in the decisive fifth.
Matthew Liberatore (6-9) matched Pivetta pitch-for-pitch for four innings. Willson Contreras gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead when he cracked his 15th homer of the year to start the top of the fifth.
Mariners 4, Rangers 3
J.P. Crawford hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning as Seattle rallied to defeat visiting Texas.
Dominic Canzone led off the inning with a single and Crawford lined a 2-0 fastball from Robert Garcia (1-6) over the right field wall to give the Mariners the walk-off victory. Eduard Bazardo (5-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
The Rangers did all their damage in the third inning, a three-run burst capped by Marcus Semien’s RBI double.
White Sox 6, Angels 3
Andrew Benintendi homered and doubled, and Chicago hit four home runs en route to a victory over Los Angeles in the opener of a three-game series in Anaheim, Calif.
Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-3 with a home run, a walk and two RBIs and Colson Montgomery and Josh Rojas also homered for the White Sox, who won their second straight game while improving to 9-4 since the All-Star break. Miguel Vargas added two hits and scored a run.
Gustavo Campero hit a two-run homer and Nolan Schanuel had two hits for the Angels.
Athletics 5, Diamondbacks 1
Shea Langeliers had three hits, including a two-run homer during a four-run first inning, to lead the Athletics over Arizona in West Sacramento, Calif.
Tyler Soderstrom had two hits and an RBI and Brent Rooker and Carlos Cortes also drove in runs as the Athletics won their third consecutive game and the seventh in their past eight. Jacob Lopez tossed five shutout innings for the A’s.
Corbin Carroll had an RBI and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas each had two hits as Arizona extended its season-worst losing streak to six games. The Diamondbacks have dropped nine of their past 10 games.
A BASEBALL FIELD IN A RACETRACK? MLB’S SPEEDWAY CLASSIC MAKES HISTORY
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — A 110-foot Ferris wheel. Race cars painted in MLB team colors. Food trucks. Live music. Pitching tunnels and batting cages. A chance for photos with the Commissioner’s Trophy. And Clydesdales.
Of course, there’s merchandise available for any fans who forgot to grab their gear supporting the Atlanta Braves or Cincinnati Reds or simply commemorating a spectacle unlike any other.
“My sister’s already texted me asking for a t shirt,” said Marcia Lorenzo, 39, from Charleston, South Carolina.
After about four years in the planning, it’s finally time for the MLB Speedway Classic to play ball Saturday night on the diamond constructed on the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway at the place called the “Last Great Colisseum!”
“When you walk up to Bristol Motor Speedway, much like many of our venues, you know you’re at a big iconic sports location,” said Jeremiah Yolkut, MLB’s senior vice president of global events. “You feel it. You walk into Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, you feel it. And that’s what Bristol Motor Speedway is for NASCAR.”
The MLB Speedway Classic was first announced nearly a year ago as part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to places where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too.
Now it’s time for Tennessee, which has teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS but no MLB team even as a group chases an expansion franchise for Nashville. This game mixes the rich racing history of both Bristol, which hosts a pair of NASCAR races each year, and Tennessee.
“So we quickly worked to make it so that we could viably create this magic moment and give fans that don’t get regular season baseball all the time, an opportunity to see it right there in their backyard in Tennessee,” Yolkut said.
The Reds, chasing an NL wild-card berth, split the first two games in this series with Atlanta. The rubber match will be a part of history as the first Major League Baseball game played in the state of Tennessee.
They will play before the largest crowd ever to see an MLB regular-season game, too.
Reds outfielder Austin Hays said this will be a fun game and can’t wait to see how loud it gets.
“I used to go to the truck races and the (Daytona) 500, the Rolex. I went to high school near Daytona,” Hays said Friday after the Reds’ 3-2 win over Atlanta. “It is the only track I’ve ever been to. It’s a pretty big track. I imagine it’s going to be similar standing on the infield, but it will be a baseball field this time.”
MLB didn’t try to sell every ticket inside the speedway that drew 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track with a racing capacity of 146,000 could host 90,000 or more even with sections blocked off.
Officials announced Monday more than 85,000 tickets had been sold — topping the previous paid attendance of 84,587 set Sept. 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.
Sean Casey, a three-time All-Star now on the MLB Network, sees this as two super powers coming together in a perfect partnership. NASCAR and baseball already cross over in the Atlanta and Cincinnati markets, and this crossover exposes fans to the other sport.
“It’s such a unique situation,” Casey said Friday after broadcasting from the field with MLB Network. “Kudos to (Commissioner) Rob Manfred of Major League Baseball and also NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway for putting this event together because it’s going to be one of a kind.”
Once the time comes for fans to move inside Bristol, the schedule features a pre-game concert with Jake Owen joining stars Tim McGraw and Pitbull. A flyover by Navy jets, and a pair of Hall of Famers in Atlanta’s Chipper Jones and Johnny Bench of the Reds will handle the ceremonial first pitch.
Hunter Greear from Charleston, South Carolina, bought tickets with three friends a year ago. They arrived Thursday camping out and enjoying the weekend. Greear said they really didn’t know what to expect from MLB putting a baseball field in the infield of a racetrack.
“We had an idea,” Greear said. “But everything that’s been leading up to (the game) really has been making that idea even bigger than we could possibly expect it to be.”
