Category: Baseball

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

MONDAY

Juan Soto’s three-run homer was the Mets’ second game-tying or go-ahead homer when down to their final out this season, along with Tyrone Taylor’s in the Subway Series on May 17. The Mets have had nine such homers since 2015, and three of the nine have come against the Braves (Daniel Murphy’s at Turner Field on September 13, 2015, Dominic Smith’s walk-off at Citi Field on September 29, 2019, and now Soto’s on Monday).

Soto’s homer had an astonishing +74.5% WPA (Win Probability Added), the most for a Mets plate appearance since Pete Alonso’s three-run walk-off home run of Pete Fairbanks (+78.4%) on May 17, 2023.

TUESDAY

Bo Bichette’s single in the bottom of the first marked his 1,000th career hit. Bichette accomplished the feat in 840 career games, making him just the fifth player debuting since 2008 to do that, along with Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and Luis Arraez.

Kodai Senga’s strikeout of Lane Thomas to begin the top of the third marked the 400th strikeout by the Mets bullpen this season, making them the second-fastest group to reach that mark behind the White Sox’ ’pen.

A.J. Ewing became the youngest player to record four hits, a home run, and a stolen base in a game in franchise history, and the first since Francisco Lindor on May 30, 2024 against the Diamondbacks.

Ewing also became just the ninth Met to simply record a four-hit game at age 21 or younger, joining: Ed Kranepool, Wayne Garrett, Wally Backman, Gregg Jefferies, Edgardo Alfonzo, José Reyes, David Wright, and Francisco Alvarez.

The Mets allowed 59 runs in a six-game span for the first time in franchise history.

The Mets lost despite scoring 12 or more runs for just the second time in franchise history, after a 13-12 loss on May 24, 2022 in San Francisco. The Mets now have a 200-2 record in games when they score 12+ runs. (credit: SNY)

The Mets allowed 14 or more runs for the fourth time this season, tied for most in the majors with the Nationals and A’s. The only other seasons in Mets history where they have allowed 14+ runs on at least four occasions through their first 92 games were 1962 (5) and 2020 (4).

The Mets allowed 19 or more hits for the first time since the first game of a doubleheader on August 12, 2023, when they lost 21-3 to the Braves. Those two games mark two of four contests in Citi Field’s history in which the Mets allowed 16 or more runs.

The Mets allowed five or more runs in multiple innings for the first time since a 20-2 loss in Atlanta on June 30, 2021.

Seth Lugo appeared in his 135th game at Citi Field, the fourth-most of any player in the ballpark’s history behind Jeurys Familia (256), Edwin Díaz (188), and Bobby Parnell (169).

Jac Caglianone’s fifth-inning double off Austin Warren had a 115.0 mph exit velocity, representing the hardest-hit ball the Mets have allowed this season. The next day, Caglianone’s 113.1 mph double off Tobias Myers earned sixth place on that leaderboard.

WEDNESDAY

A.J. Ewing’s leadoff homer went 420 feet, tied for the furthest-hit ball of his young career.

Ewing became the fifth different player to hit a leadoff homer for the Mets this season. Only the 2019 Rays and 2022 Giants have had more players (6) hit leadoff homers in a year. (source: SNY broadcast)

Christian Scott began his night by striking out Carter Jensen, marking the 100th strikeout of Scott’s career. Scott became just the 13th player in Mets history with 100 strikeouts in their first 21 career outings, joining: Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Gary Gentry, Dwight Gooden, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Tylor Megill, Kodai Senga, and Nolan McLean.

THURSDAY

Sean Manaea completed seven innings for the first time since October 8, 2024, against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field.

On July 18, 2017, Michael Wacha threw a complete game shutout at Citi Field as a Cardinal. Since then, he has made seven starts at Citi Field and allowed at least four earned runs in each one, with a combined 0-7 record and 8.39 ERA.

Juan Soto’s 435-foot homer was his longest at Citi Field as a Met, and the longest home run hit by a Met from the left side at Citi Field since Brandon Nimmo’s 440-foot shot off Patrick Corbin almost exactly two years earlier on July 10, 2024.

FRIDAY

Nolan McLean racked up his fifth consecutive start with six or more innings pitched. He’s the first Mets right-hander to do that since Luis Severino from June 5-July 20, 2024. He also notched his third consecutive quality start, something only one other Mets pitcher (Clay Holmes) has done this season.

For the second time this season, the Mets scored just two runs despite getting 10 hits. The Mets are one of just six teams to score two or fewer runs despite getting 10 or more hits on multiple occasions this season, along with the Blue Jays (4), Tigers (3), Orioles (2), Pirates (2), and Giants (2).

Brett Baty achieved a 10-game hitting streak, the longest of his career (his previous high was eight, set in July 2025).

Baty tallied six total bases for just the fifth time in his career, and the first since May 10, 2025 against the Cubs at Citi Field. The Mets now have a three-game losing streak in games where Baty tallies six or more total bases.

SATURDAY

Carson Benge reached 15 career stolen bases in his 93rd career game. He’s one of just five Mets with 15+ stolen bases in their first 100 career games, joining: Mookie Wilson (26), Lenny Dykstra (23), José Reyes (22), and Lee Mazzilli (19).

The Mets were shut out for the ninth time this season, leaving them tied with the Cubs and Giants for the second-most shutout losses in baseball behind the Padres (10) entering the All-Star break.

SUNDAY

Luke Weaver recorded his 25th consecutive outing without allowing an earned run, tying A.J. Minter for the second-longest such streak by a pitcher in franchise history behind Mark Guthrie (33).

Zach Thornton’s 39 pitches through four innings were the fewest of any Mets pitcher through four innings this season. (source: PIX broadcast)

Thornton became just the third Mets pitcher to finish seven innings without allowing an earned run this season, along with Clay Holmes on April 4 in San Francisco and Nolan McLean on June 17 in Cincinnati.

The Mets scored two runs or fewer through nine innings for the 41st time this season, leaving them tied with the Angels for the most such games in MLB entering the All-Star break.

The Mets played their 15th extra-inning game of the season. No other team in MLB has played more than twelve. Only the 1971 Mets (15) and 1978 Mets (19) played that many extra-inning affairs through their first 97 games of a season in franchise history.

For a fourth consecutive time, the Mets’ meeting with the Red Sox at Citi Field resulted in a series sweep. In both 2020 and 2021, the Red Sox swept a two-game series from the Mets at Citi Field. In September 2024, the Mets swept the Red Sox in three games. Now, the sweep streak continues in the Sox’ favor.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

Carlos Beltrán is the only Met to triple in the All-Star Game, having done so in San Francisco in 2007 off Justin Verlander. Beltrán’s triple marked the first batter that 24-year-old Verlander ever faced in an All-Star Game.

This July, Beltrán is getting inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, while Verlander heads to his 10th and final All-Star Game before retirement.

The Cubs finished the “first half” (actually, first 59.3 percent) of the 2026 schedule on a high note, taking four fo six on a road trip to Baltimore and Cincinnati. That gives the Cubs a 27-23 road record, one of the better road marks in MLB to date. And of their 66 remaining games, 35 will be at Wrigley Field, where they are 27-19.

At the All-Star break I usually post a Cubs mid-season grades article. That will appear here tomorrow. In the interim, here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs over the past week.

Three up

Welcome back, Alex Bregman

Bregman had just six hits on the week, but two of them were key home runs that helped the Cubs solidify leads in games they won against the Reds Saturday and Sunday. For the week he posted an OPS of .846, which included nine RBI. Even some of the outs he made on the trip were hard-hit balls.

A good second half from Bregman would be an enormous boost to the offense.

Here’s his home run Saturday, which wound up being the difference in the game [VIDEO].

Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned into an OBP machine

PCA had two games of the six on the trip in which he didn’t have a hit, and he still put up a really good slash line of .273/.429/.591 because he drew six walks. He also hit two home runs, scored six runs, stole a base and continued to play outstanding defense.

This catch ended the fifth inning on Saturday in Cincinnati [VIDEO].

For most, if not all, other teams, that ball likely falls in between three fielders and continues the inning. Instead PCA makes it look routine.

After the Cubs got swept by the Brewers in May at Wrigley Field, PCA was batting .225/.302/.357. Since then, in 46 games: .358/.465/.710 (63-for-176) with 10 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs, 33 RBI, 37 runs scored, 32 walks and 12 stolen bases. He was NL Player of the Month for June and so far in July (10 games): .353/.500/.676 (12-for-34) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, four stolen bases, eight walks and nine runs scored. Keep that up and another monthly award could happen.

Lastly, his .386 season OBP ranks fifth in the National League. You did not have that on your Bingo card for this year.

The starting pitching was surprisingly good

As you know, the Cubs rotation has been ravaged by injury. And yet, in the six games on the road trip, Matthew Boyd, Shōta Imanaga, Colin Rea, Javier Assad and David Peterson combined for a 3.03 ERA and 1.286 WHIP in 32.2 innings, keeping the team in position to win in pretty much all of the games. And in one of the two games the team lost on the trip, the bullpen failed — in that 3-2 loss to the Orioles Thursday, Peterson threw five good innings and the Cubs had the lead entering the eighth.

No question, the rotation needs reinforcements. But if they can even pitch this well for an extended period, if the bullpen also can be reinforced and hold leads, perhaps another long winning streak can happen.

Three down

Nico Hoerner continues in his long slump

At the end of April Nico was batting .291/.370/.449 with four home runs and seven stolen bases in 31 games.

In 63 games since then he’s batting .202/.270/.263 with no home runs and seven steals. He does have a lot of doubles — he has 15 in that 63-game stretch and his 23 doubles are tied for fourth in the NL — but otherwise his offense has almost completely disappeared, and he enters the break on a skid of 0-for-14.

There’s really no one on this team who needs the break to reset more than Hoerner. Hopefully he comes out blazing when the season resumes.

Ian Happ’s slide is still going

Happ went 6-for-21 (.238) over the week with no extra-base hits, though he did have three walks for a .333 OBP.

He started the year looking like he might set a career high in home runs, but now he’s hit just one in his last 25 games dating to June 14, and over that span has a .565 OPS with 31 strikeouts.

As we all know, Happ is a notorious streak hitter. Coming out of the All-Star break would be a perfect time for him to go on a hot streak.

The Drew Pomeranz experiment might be short-lived

Pomeranz had a really good year for the Cubs in 2025, but they declined to re-sign him. Instead he went with the Angels and didn’t perform well there. They wound up releasing him and the Cubs signed him. There wasn’t much risk, as they’re only paying a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum.

In four appearances, Pomeranz has an 8.31 ERA and two home runs allowed in 4.1 innings. If that doesn’t improve soon, I could see the Cubs letting him go when one of the currently injured relievers returns, or if the team can make a deal for a reliever.

Recaps

[Dbacks.com] D-backs roll into break with statement sweep in LA: ‘We haven’t told our story yet’ – It’s the Diamondbacks’ first sweep of the Dodgers in Los Angeles since Sept. 4-6, 2017. They also became the first team to sweep the Dodgers this season. “You know, this is a pretty good team,” Perdomo said. “They have amazing players. To come here and play three games against those titan players, it feels good to sweep them up. They haven’t been swept [by us at home] since ’17, and I think that was our goal, try to get that sweep for us.” With the sweep, the Diamondbacks enter the All-Star break with a 49-47 record and sit just 2 1/2 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot currently held by Miami.

[Arizona Sports] Sweeping Dodgers sends Diamondbacks to All-Star break with sense of optimism – Sunday’s game did not start quite so positively with rookie starter Mitch Bratt getting touched up for three runs in three innings in place of Zac Gallen, but Arizona’s defense and bullpen simply took over the baseball game. Moreno made an athletic, bare-handed play to rob Shohei Ohtani of a potential infield single in the fifth inning. Geraldo Perdomo made a highlight bare-handed play and Arenado snagged a diving catch in the sixth. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen threw six hitless innings on Sunday against one of the game’s most dangerous lineups.

Team news

[AZ Central] Diamondbacks MLB Draft. Day 2 focuses on pitching depth – The Arizona Diamondbacks selected nine pitchers out of 16 picks on the second day of the MLB Draft on Sunday, July 12. Three were taken with the first three picks and eight of the first 12 were pitchers Sunday. The DBacks had five selections on the first day, July 11, two of those picks being pitchers. “You try to play to the trends of the draft every year, and a lot of hitters go early,” Diamo1ndbacks amateur scouting director Ian Rebhan said at the end of the draft Sunday. “There’s a lot of really good value in the college pitching circuit in those middle rounds and we kind of leaned into that.”

[SI] Diamondbacks Draft Intriguing Lefty Flamethrower – Worley made just 14 starts in the 2026 season at Stony Brook, but pitched to a stellar 3.12 ERA and struck out an unbelievable 93 batters in just 69.1 innings of work, though eh did walk 31. Not only is Worley a left-hander, which is a premium asset unto itself, but he’s 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, which can easily lend itself to big velocity readings and high levels of extension. In terms of velocity, his 60-grade fastball has a bit of a wide range, but has hit 99 MPH on occasion, and scouting reports state that he measured out at 20 inches of induced vertical break, or “ride” at the Combine.

[Burn City Sports] How the Diamondbacks swept the Dodgers without their biggest bats – What made the sweep even more impressive was who led the way. Arizona’s top three of Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll didn’t play their best baseball at the plate, collecting just two hits as a trio. With its biggest stars relatively quiet, the club needed the rest of the lineup to step up. That’s exactly what happened. Tim Tawa, who was recalled from Triple-A Reno on July 5, put together the best series of his young MLB career. He went 7-for-13 with two home runs and seven RBIs, providing timely hits and steady defense at first base while giving the lineup a spark.

[USA Today] What do we really know at MLB All-Star break? Baseball’s biggest second-half questions – [The Rays] have shown interest in seeing whether the Diamondbacks would move second baseman Ketel Marte and Giants All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez as a backup plan. He now has 10-and-5 rights and is expected to veto all trades, which Arizona has told teams… Ever since several D-backs officials and players expressed their frustration with Ketel Marte for sitting out their game against the Dodgers and starter Shohei Ohtani, Marte has since played in every game – starting all but six times this season. “He’s very driven as an athlete overall,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.

[Arizona Sports] Diamondbacks OF Tommy Troy getting MRI on shoulder – Arizona Diamondbacks rookie outfielder Tommy Troy will undergo an MRI on his right shoulder on Monday, manager Torey Lovullo said Sunday. The news comes one day after Troy left Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers after banging into the center field wall to make a catch in the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Jorge Barrosa entered the game in place of Troy. Troy’s injury comes as the D-backs (49-47) enter the All-Star break still without outfielder Jordan Lawlar, who has not played since June 19 after sustaining a right hamstring strain.

And, elsewhere…

[MLB] Ranking all 8 competitors in a stacked Derby field – Is this the most fun Home Run Derby field in memory? The Derby is always a blast, but I’m not sure we’ve ever had eight competitors who are as individually compelling to watch as what we’ll see in Philadelphia on Monday. Even without Aaron Judge, two-time Derby winner Pete Alonso or defending champion Cal Raleigh, this lineup is absolutely stacked. Any of these guys could win. Here’s a semi-educated guess at who will. To be clear: I’ve listed the players in order of what I believe to be their likelihood of winning. [2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby takes place today, starting at, 5 pm-ish AZ time on Netflix]

[ESPN] Blaze Alexander fractures hand after being hit by pitch – The frustration of struggling through a lackluster first half of the season became alarmingly evident Sunday for both the Orioles and Royals. An errant pitch from Royals reliever Lucas Erceg that struck Baltimore’s Blaze Alexander on the left hand resulted in both dugouts and bullpens emptying onto the field near home plate during the seventh inning of the Orioles’ 8-2 victory. Though both teams began the day in last place in their divisions, there was no shortage of emotion after Erceg hit Alexander with an inside fastball. Alexander took a few steps toward first base before shouting at Erceg, prompting Orioles manager Craig Albernaz to quickly restrain his infielder from charging the mound.

Tacoma Rainiers

The Rainiers managed a split this week, debuting their shiny new star prospects in hitter-friendly Las Vegas. Esteemed sluggers Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo donned the Rainiers jersey for the first time in their young careers, putting them just a short drive and a handful of AB’s from a big league promotion. There’s not yet a meaningful sample to draw any real conclusions (especially in such an extreme hitting environment), but each of them has already launched their first PCL homer and are looking more and more comfortable by the game. They’re must see TV.

Not to be outdone, red-hot Ryan Bliss was on fire at the plate this week, collecting 18 (!!!) hits in the six game slate. This wasn’t just empty contact either; Bliss managed a homer, a triple, and five doubles on the week with a pair of stolen bases to boot. He’s been absolutely unbelievable this month and is beginning to look a bit more like the player he’s been in the past. Though his season numbers are still in a tough spot, look for him to continue this torrid stretch and regrow his stock as a potential major league contributor.

Arkansas Travelers

The Travs wound up splitting the series this week despite missing their fearless rotation leaders in Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan to the Futures Game on Sunday Morning. Both Sloan and Anderson appeared in the game, working scoreless innings, and Anderson let the opposing hitters know exactly what he thought of them with an ice cold walk off the mound in the first inning of action.

Compounding the temporary leave of absence from the rotation leaders, this is the first iteration of the Travs lineup without the tandem of the aforementioned Montes and Arroyo, each of whom more than earned their promotion up to Triple-A. Despite the current lack of star power, there’s plenty of names that have really turned into contributors; Charlie Pagliarini, Caleb Cali, and Hunter Fitz-Gerald don’t get a lot of buzz in prospect circles for various reasons, but each of them have really produced and have carved out a nice niche in this system. They’re one’s to watch out for as under-the-radar organizational depth.

Everett AquaSox

Another week, another split for the stagnant AquaSox this week. This squad is so immensely talented on the offensive side of the ball, but it’s been a mixed bag from the pitching staff this season. Certainly not an easy environment to pitch in due to the Baby Park conditions of Everett’s home field, but they’ll need a bit more from the staff if they really want to get things rolling.

After a rough few months at the dish, top prospect Luke Stevenson has looked great at the plate this month and is finally stringing some really nice AB’s together. Whether it’s intentional or not, Stevenson seems to have gotten less passive at the plate and is seeking out damage rather than waiting for the “perfect pitch”; having run massive walk rates up to this point, Stevenson’s walk rate has considerably diminished in the month of July, and his numbers have subsequently taken off. This could very easily be a product of a small sample size, but if a tangible change actually has been made, to see such strong results is a fantastic sign. On the month, Stevenson is slashing .351/.415/.730, good for an OPS of 1.145. With a strong defensive foundation, the potential with Stevenson remains sky high.

Yet another prospect with seemingly limitless potential, Jonny Farmelo logged yet another successful series at the dish, popping a homer in the middle of a six-hit week. Farmelo’s really gotten into some great power this year, and the underlying metrics seem to back that production up; he’s been rocketing the ball all over the ballpark and letting his exceptional speed on the basepaths turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He’s an electrifying player that should probably get a look at Double-A Arkansas once all the draftees are assigned to their new homes.

Inland Empire 66ers

The 66ers dropped the series by a score of 4-2 this week, though they managed to play in one of the most chaotic games of baseball I’ve ever seen. Almost immediately falling behind 16-0, IE managed to post an 11 run seventh inning to cut the lead to just two, then immediately give up a six spot in the bottom of the eighth to seemingly put the game out of reach. Comically, they managed seven more runs in the ninth, but came up short, losing by a final score of 22-21. 33 total hits, 20 walks, 6 errors, and 43 runs. What a ride.

This team is about to look considerably different in the coming weeks; the M’s went exceptionally heavy on the college demographic in this past weekend’s draft, and their particular emphasis on hitters means their lower minors rosters are going to get crowded quick. Lots of fun new names, but the roster composition could be a bit tricky to sort out unless there’s a large of contingency of these draft guys that end up being “dev only”, high performance camp types. Regardless, this team absolutely needs an infusion of talent; they’ve really struggled to find consistency this year, and some big-time bats would work wonders for this lineup.

For those that have been curious, Jackson Steensma made his return to the mound after receiving a shot in his arm for some discomfort. He logged two scoreless innings and should be on a slow ramp up in the coming weeks.

ACL Mariners

It was an objectively brutal week for star prospect Nick Becker; logging 20 PA’s, he struck out 11 times and managed just two hits (a double and a homer, for what it’s worth). Flush that one and move on.

On a more positive note, Yorger Bautista has been much better this month and seems to be getting some positive regression come his way after some unfortunate luck early in the season. Slashing .355/.375/.548 on the month, Bautista has lowered his K% significantly and may have turned a corner offensively. If everything clicks with him, he could be one of the better prospects in this entire system. Hopefully he closes out 2026 with a bang and cements himself as a future foundational talent.

Strong candidate for the all name team, OF Brayden Corn has been quite good for the Baby M’s this season and looks like he’ll be getting a shot at affiliate ball sooner than later. He was a 15th rounder last season, and though it’s not overwhelmingly loud tools, he’s posted a .932 OPS with 10 stolen bases.

DSL Mariners

It may sound like a broken record at this point, but this DSL roster absolutely mashes. It wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if this team produces several notable prospects in the coming years, and unheralded guys like Elias Perez and Fabian Gonzalez are playing themselves into the spotlight. Gregory Pio and Juan Rijo are still leading the way, but this is as fun of a roster as we’ve seen since Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo were making their professional debuts nearly a half decade ago.

DJ LeMahieu’s career is in so many ways one of great contrasts. A bolt-out-of-the-blue signing ahead of the 2019 season, he went from being a former NL batting champion in the game’s friendliest park for contact to one that is far more served to home runs in the AL. The initial free agent deal is one of the more lopsided in Yankee history in terms of value, but a front office determined to avoid CBT penalties lead to one of the messier contract extensions in that same period. Even perhaps his greatest moment as a Yankee — an incredible, ninth-inning ALCS home run — was undercut, erased by one of the most painful playoff defeats in an era that features many of those.

Happy birthday, man of opposites!

David John LeMahieu
Born: July 13, 1988 (Visalia, CA)
Yankees Tenure: 2019-25

Already a solid MLB player by the time the Yankees got ahold of him, DJ had already taken home three Gold Gloves, won the batting crown in 2016 hitting .348, and made two All Star teams. A second round pick by the Cubs out of LSU in 2009, he got a cup of coffee in Chicago just two seasons later, before being dealt to the Rockies that offseason. He quickly established himself as a defensive-first player with a barely-league average bat, except for that ‘16 season.

There’s nothing quite like slugging, and getting that mark up to .495 that season was a huge part of one of DJ’s two five-win seasons. LeMahieu was never a true home run hitter, getting a couple here and there, but his true skill was hard-hit line drives to right field. At Coors, with a huge outfield and defenders playing further back than just about anywhere else in the sport those balls tend to drop in for singles. Still, I think it was a slight stroke of genius for Brian Cashman to notice that those hard-hit line drives to right field, once you move to Yankee Stadium or some of the other, smaller ballparks in the AL East, are either going to bounce off the outfield wall for a double, or just stretch over for four bags.

With Giancarlo Stanton in the fold joining Aaron Judge the season before, the club had about as much pure power as a team could ask for. What they really needed was a true leadoff hitter, someone to be on base when Judge and Stanton were taking their daddy hacks. Inked for two years and $24 million (lol), DJ settled in as a utility infielder before eventually shoving veteran Brett Gardner out of the top slot in the lineup by May. In a season defined by the Next Man Up attitude, LeMahieu — French for The Machine, famously — appeared in 145 games, set career highs in hits, home runs, doubles, RBI, runs scored, wRC+, and a 5.7 fWAR good enough to finish the year fourth in MVP voting. That he did it for $12 million AAV underscores what an incredible bargain that season was.

The Rockies had made the playoffs twice in DJ’s tenure in Denver, and he had stunk in both runs. In that 2019 campaign though, albeit in only nine games, the now-entrenched second baseman hit .325/.386/.625, a Judgian triple slash, with three home runs including of course the biggest one of the run:

That game should have ended with a Yankee extra-inning miracle, immediately in the annals of the great New York playoff wins. Instead, a small man gave up a home run to a smaller man, and the Yankees were bounced.

Along came COVID-19, and the delayed start to the 2020 season, and perhaps LeMahieu’s apotheosis. I’m normally one to toss all 2020 stats, but I won’t do it when a second baseman slashes .364/.421/.590, a 1.011 OPS! Yes, it was 50 games. No, I don’t care. The Yankees had the best hitter in the American League and it wasn’t Aaron Judge. Somehow LeMahieu finished third in MVP voting, and I’m still grumpy about it. If nothing else, he was the first player to win a batting title in both leagues.

However, that great contract was now up, the Yankees had to retain a guy that good, and Cashman’s fetish for stretching contracts out to lower AAV, which was already getting the team in trouble with one Aaron Hicks, would pop up again. The Yankees and LeMahieu agreed on a six-year deal that should have been a four-year deal, for $90 million. Unfortunately, bat speed almost immediately began to sap, as over the next three seasons LeMahieu would see more fastballs than any other hitter in the game. Pairing this new vulnerability with a spate of injuries hastened his decline, and he managed just 112 games and a -0.2 fWAR in his final two seasons with the Yankees. They eventually designated him for assignment and released him from the roster in July of last year. He has not played in MLB since, most recently managing a summer wood-bat collegiate league team in his native Michigan, the Royal Oak Leprechauns.

DJ LeMahieu was a shooting star that burned out after two all-time seasons in pinstripes. In an earlier era he would not have had career earnings over $100 million, and he was worth every penny for that ALCS homer alone. Enjoy the day, DJ.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Dodgers outfielders Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota covered all seven innings in left field for the National League in Sunday’s MLB Futures Game in Philadelphia. De Paula played the first four innings and singled once in his two at-bats.

Sirota struck out in his only at-bat, but much like Eric Gagne’s blown save in the 2003 MLB All-Star Game, Sirota’s on-base streak remains alive and active at 72 straight games once play resumes on Friday.

Player of the day

Great Lakes infielder Logan Wagner, playing second base on Sunday, homered twice and drove in three runs.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The usual suspects were at it in the Comets’ win over the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres). Ryan Ward homered and drove in three.

Zach Ehrhard had three hits, including a double, and scored twice. Jack Suwinski had three hits and a double. James Tibbs III had three hits as well.

Oklahoma City’s bullpen game worked to perfection, with nine relievers each pitching a scoreless frame.

Double-A Tulsa

Two runs in the seventh inning sent the Drillers to defeat at the hands of the Springfield Cardinals. Wyatt Crowell had already tossed three scoreless innings of relief to get to the seventh, but in that frame he walked a pair and allowed a two-run double that provided the final margin.

Christian Zazueta struck out three in his three innings and allowed a run. His start was shortened, but it was also his only time pitching on four days rest this season, as he also started the Tuesday series opener.

High-A Great Lakes

In addition to Wagner, Charles Davalan also homered in the Loons win over the Dayton Dragons (Reds).

Robby Porco and Justin Chambers combined for six strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Class-A Ontario

Jaron Elkins and Easton Shelton each homered in the Tower Buzzers’ win over the Inland Empire (Mariners).

Brady Smith struck out seven in his three-inning start, allowing a run. Luis Carias followed with one run over the final six innings with five strikeouts for the win.

Sunday scores

• Oklahoma City 8, El Paso 0
• Springfield 3, Tulsa 1
• Great Lakes 3, Dayton 1
• Ontario 4, Inland Empire 2

The week ahead

• Oklahoma City at Tacoma (Mariners)
• Tulsa at Frisco (Rangers)
• Great Lakes vs. West Michigan (Tigers)
• Ontario vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres)

All four Dodgers affiliates have the All-Star break off, and don’t start up again until Friday night for shortened, three-game series. From Monday through Thursday this week, minor league games are limited to the Arizona Complex League and the Dominican Summer League.

Bill Caudill celebrates his 70th birthday today.

For those unfamiliar, Caudill was the Blue Jays’ answer to B.J. Ryan back in the 1980s. He broke into the majors with the Cubs, then found his stride as one of baseball’s elite closers in Seattle, before moving to Oakland, where he racked up 36 saves in a season.

After the 1984 season, the Jays traded Dave Collins and Alfredo Griffin for Caudill. Collins spent one not-great season with the A’s. Griffin spent three seasons in Oakland. Surprisingly, the A’s used him as a leadoff hitter. Considering he had a .307 OBP with him, it was a curious choice.

After a decent first season with the Jays (2.99 ERA and 14 saves), the Jays wanted to lock up Caudill for the future.

Caudill became agent Scott Boras’s first client, landing a five-year, $7 million contract. Fortunately for the Jays, only the first three years were guaranteed at $4.5 million, with vesting options for the remaining two. At the time, that was a significant sum. As we know, long-term contracts for closers rarely work out in the team’s favor.

The following season was a disappointment. Caudill ended with a 6.19 ERA and just two saves. He and manager Jimy Williams clashed, as Caudill believed he deserved the closer role, while Williams preferred the powerful arm of Tom Henke. With rookie Mark Eichhorn frequently pitching multiple innings in 89 games, there were few high-leverage spots left for Caudill.

During the off-season, the Jays released him.

He signed with the A’s but struggled with ongoing shoulder issues and soon left baseball. After retiring, he went on to work with Boras.

Caudill finished his career with 106 saves, a 3.68 ERA over 445 games, and 24 starts.

Happy birthday, Bill.

It is also outfielder Joe Cannon’s 73rd birthday.

Cannon played two seasons with the Jays (1979 and 1980) after arriving in a trade from the Astros, along with Mark Lemongello and Pete Hernandez, in exchange for Alan Ashby.

The trade ultimately didn’t work out for the Jays:

• Lemongello pitched in 18 games during 1979, recording a 1-9 record and a 6.29 ERA.

There’s an unusual note on Lemongello’s Wikipedia page:

In 1982, a few years after leaving baseball, Lemongello and his former Wichita teammate, Manuel Seoane, were arrested for kidnapping and robbing Lemongello’s cousins—Mike Lemongello, a former professional bowler, and Peter Lemongello. Lemongello received seven years’ probation after pleading no contest to the charges.

• Hernandez appeared in 11 games across the 1979 and 1982 seasons.

Cannon played in 131 games over his two seasons with the Jays, serving as a fourth outfielder, designated hitter, and pinch-hitter. He posted a .177/.186/.208 batting line.

Ashby went on to play 11 seasons with the Astros, proving to be a solid catcher both defensively and offensively. The Jays had three promising young catchers—Rick Cerone, Ernie Whitt, and Ashby—but Pat Gillick arguably should have secured a better return for Ashby. Not all of Pat’s trades were winners.

Happy birthday, Joe.

It is also Ty France’s 32nd birthday.

Ty is a glove-first first baseman. I’m not a fan of a glove-first first baseman. But he’s having a decent year with the bat for the Padres this year.

He’s had eight seasons in the majors, 910 games, a .263/.334/.406 with 92 home runs.

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The National League All-Stars are favored tonight at Citizens Bank Park in Philly, but I like the visiting American League All-Stars at the better price.

This is, obviously, not a normal starter handicap because both teams will cycle through elite arms, but Dylan Cease gives the AL a strong opening counter to Cristopher Sanchez, and that's enough for me to take back the value. 

Here are my American League vs. National League predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, July 14 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Who will win the All-Star Game today: American League moneyline

Odds: +127 at Polymarket

I’m taking the American League All-Stars and would play them down to +110.

Calling any All-Star Game a massive edge is a stretch, but +127 is too long in a short-burst pitching format. My analysis could simply be: "Both teams are very good, so why such a large gap?" but I also think there may be an early edge for the AL.

Dylan Cease opens with a 36% whiff rate and AL-best 148 strikeouts, while the American League can still layer Drew Rasmussen’s steady command and Joe Ryan's overall reliability behind him.

The National League has bigger names, but Cristopher Sanchez enters with a 9.58 ERA across two July starts, giving the AL at least a chance to strike in the first inning. That ultimately may be all it takes in an environment where runs should be hard to come by.

COVERS INTEL: Christopher Sanchez is dominant overall, but his sinker has allowed a .371 xwOBA and 56.0% hard-hit rate, giving the AL one early pitch to attack.

All-Star Game Over/Under pick: Under 7.5

Odds: +113 at Polymarket

I’m taking the Under because this game’s structure naturally works against the offense. The Under has cashed in 14 of the last 19 All-Star Games for a reason: hitters get one or two plate appearances, rarely see the same pitcher twice, and face arms throwing max effort in short stints.

That does not mean the Over cannot win. It means even if the AL gets the better early swing, sustained rallies are tougher to build in this format. I expect scattered damage, not a full slugfest. Both teams have incredible pitching depth behind the starters, with names like Paul Skenes, Jhoan Duran, Mason Miller, and Cade Smith available.

All-Star Game odds

• Moneyline: AL +120 | NL -142
• Run line: AL +1.5 (-172) | NL -1.5 (+142)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 | Under 7.5

All-Star Game trend

Three of the previous four Midsummer Classics have been decided by just one or two runs.

How to watch All-Star Game and info

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