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Meet the Estonian amateur who started golf by accident and qualified for the Open

Richard Teder secured a major debut at Royal Portrush after a hole out in a playoff and the 20-year-old only took up the sport after his aunt won a prize

All we know already about Richard Teder suggests his Open Championship debut may provide essential viewing when he becomes the first golfer from Estonia to tee it up in the oldest major.

He qualified by holing out from 90 yards in a sudden death playoff, a euphoric scene which preceded the eating of half a doner kebab for dinner. Teder picked up golf by accident, finds the sport straightforward and learned English via YouTube. There are far more illustrious names in the field at Royal Portrush but few competitors have such a backstory.

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Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani Carry MLB Into the All-Star Break

ATLANTA — As Major League Baseball breaks for Tuesday night’s annual All-Star Game, it’s already been a tumultuous season for a number of teams facing high expectations.

One thing that hasn’t changed coming into the break: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani are still the headliners of the season. While their teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, have been struggling recently, the superstars still have them at or near the top of their respective divisions.

The Yankees have straightened out after a six-game losing streak and remain only two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. They released veteran infielder D.J. LeMahieu this week, eating the final $22 million owed on his contract, and moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base from third.

Judge goes into Tuesday night’s game with a first half for the ages: 35 homers, 81 RBIs and a gaudy 1.195 OPS. His batting average has dropped from .402 on May 21 to .355, still handily leading the Major Leagues. The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge is on pace to break his AL record of 62 homers set in 2022. He hit his 350th career homer on Saturday, the fastest of any player in MLB history to do so, 182 games earlier than Mark McGwire.

“Please appreciate what you’re seeing with Judge,” Tony Clark, the executive director of the players’ union, said Saturday in an on-field interview prior to the annual Futures Game at Truist Park. “Hitters that size don’t do what he’s doing. Trying to keep all your moving pieces in the same place day in and day out is difficult enough, let alone when your levers are as large as his are.”

The Dodgers, meanwhile, had suddenly lost seven in a row through Friday and had watched their lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West shrink from eight games to four in a week before winning the final two games of the series. Perhaps it’s coincidence, but their tailspin has coincided with Ohtani’s return to pitching on June 16.

Since then, Ohtani’s batting average has dipped from .300 to .276 and his OPS from 1.039 to .987. His 32 homers have helped keep the Dodgers in first place, but he’s hit just three of them during the month of July.

Meanwhile, he’s made five starts as a pitcher and thrown a total of nine innings, his max of three innings on Saturday when he allowed a hit, a walk, struck out four Giants, and tossed 36 pitches. Bringing him back to the mound after his second reconstructive right elbow surgery for the first time since Aug. 23, 2023, has turned Ohtani from one of the most prolific hitters in the game to a short-shift pitcher and, for now, a mediocre batter.

Clark thinks it will be a short-term issue, once Ohtani gets used to preparing to pitch every five days while still hitting in the top spot every day.

“He comes off the mound and has to immediately get ready to hit, to lead off,” Clark said, noting the problem is particularly acute at Dodger Stadium. “I’ve never seen that before.”

No one has. Clark said he expects Ohtani to figure it out. “Of all my worries in baseball, Ohtani’s not one of them,” he said.

Try this one: Hitting is down overall in MLB, with a .245 average, three points lower than 2023, when new rules were invoked to speed up the game and eliminate defensive shifts.

The drought has been particularly felt in the NL, which boasts right now only one .300 hitter—Dodgers catcher Will Smith at .323. Freddie Freeman has plummeted from .374 on May 31 to .297. Mookie Betts has never gotten it going offensively this season and is hitting .244, 47 points below his lifetime mark of .291. Is this what his relocation from right field to shortstop has wrought?

Players and franchises have been moved from once comfortable positions with the abandon this season. The Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have played in minor league ballparks this season with all the accompanying financial and aesthetic  problems.

The teams are the lowest drawing in MLB, with the Rays averaging 9,852 and A’s 9,799 at parks that seat 11,000 (Steinbrenner Field), and 14,000 (Sutter Health Park), respectively.

The A’s are one  of six teams in either league at this point with no shot at making the playoffs. The Rays held their own until playing 16 of their last 19 games on the road prior to the break. They were a half a game out on June 28 and are now 5.5 games back after losing 10 of their last 14.

How this all has skewed the playoff races is still a matter to be determined, Clark said.

“I’d like to be able to wait until all the games are played and then take the numbers and look at them,” he said.

And that leaves us with the All-Star host Braves, who because of injuries and other issues, are among the teams playing way below expectations. They opened 5-13 and have yet to be able to straighten it out. They’re still 11 games under .500 at the break, 12.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East and 9.5 games in arrears of the third NL Wild Card spot with eight teams ahead of them. This, despite having the 10th-highest payroll in the league at $232 million.

“We’re just going up and down like a roller coaster,” Marquis Grissom, the former Braves centerfielder and manager of the American League in the Saturday’s Futures Game, said of the Braves. “We get going one minute, the next minute, we don’t.”

The disappointment is palpable in a team that won the World Series as recently as four years ago and has veteran skipper Brian Snitker, in the last year of his contract, looking toward retirement.

“I’ll never say never, because I always felt if I had a say-so, coming down the stretch, that we were going to have a chance,” Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, who managed the National League in the 2025 MLB All-Star Futures Game on Saturday, said. “I’d agree it’s going to be tough. Obviously.”

But while the All-Star break is always a time to take stock of the present, it’s also a chance to look ahead, which is what Grissom was doing in Atlanta. His son, Marquis Grissom Jr., played for the National League futures team. This is just another example of how the game continues to pass from generation to generation, a la Fernando Tatis to San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., the latter having had two hits in the 2018 Futures Game, and ex-Braves star Andruw Jones to Druw Jones, an Arizona Diamondbacks product who knocked in a run in last year’s Futures contest.

“With the coaches I have like my father, I’m still old-school, doing hard work,” Grissom Jr., a Triple-A pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization, said. “I still try to learn analytics and do certain things. But the game ain’t changed. I’m still trying to play the same game.”

The All-Star Game itself will offer two of its top kids as starters: Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates representing the NL for the second year in a row, and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers opening for the AL. 

Perhaps in a sign of the times, Ohtani will not pitch, but he’ll start at DH, his Dodgers manager and the NL manager Dave Roberts said Sunday.

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NBA Summer League Day 4: Collin Murray-Boyle makes his debut, Reed Sheppard keeps dominating

LAS VEGAS —It's Day 4 of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, and it feels like we are on to Act II. The big stars all sat — no Dylan Harper, no Ace Bailey, no Khaman Maluach — and the focus is shifting to guys further down the bench. Here is some of what stood out to us on Sunday.

Collin Murray-Boyle makes his debut

A hamstring injury delayed the debut of No. 9 pick Collin Murray-Boyles, but the Raptors' latest addition at forward made his debut on Sunday.

"Was it worth the wait? Of course it is," Murray-Boyles said of finally getting to play. "Just to have the chance to be on the court, my first, I guess, NBA feel is amazing. Since my hamstring, that was probably my first time going in about... It's been a minute, probably a month and a half.

So, just to get back out there, get the feel out there again, it's amazing."

Boyles showed that the pre-draft scouting report on him was accurate. He showed off his handles with a nice spin move in transition. He had made a few strong defensive plays, including a block, one of which led to a putback dunk.

However, the concern about Murray-Boyles coming into the draft was his shot, and when he airballed his first two 3-point attempts that lived up to the hype, too.

"You're not going to make every 3, but obviously having the confidence to shoot the ball is something I've been working on," he said.

Murray-Boyles finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and eight personal fouls. He looked a bit rusty (as to be expected coming off an injury) but showed real potential. —Kurt Helin

Nets, Wizards many rookies

In a game that featured 10 players drafted in the first round over the last two seasons, none shone brighter than Drew Timme, the former Gonzaga star who went undrafted in 2023. He finished with 30 points and a handful of impressive highlights.

Did that dunk surprise you? Well, you weren't alone.

"I'm not gonna lie, I did not know I made it," Timme said with a laugh. "It's not really what I'm known for, but I get up every now and then."
Timme had 22 points on Thursday and has played well enough to earn consideration for a standard contract next season.

As far as the first-round picks in Brooklyn, all of them were impressive in their own way. Danny Wolf didn't score a ton, but he grabbed 10 rebounds and added three steals and four blocks while also hitting two three-pointers. There aren't many seven-footers who are this dynamic.

Egor Demin shot 4-of-10 on threes, which was a point of emphasis for him during the pre-draft process after he shot 27.3 percent from deep during his lone season at BYU. Denim is a special passer, and if he's able to shoot the ball consistently, he could be in for a big rookie season.

Alexandre Sarr wasn't great in Washington's first Summer League game, but he dominated against the Nets, nearly finishing with a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. That improvement was something that Wizards coach J.J. Outlaw said they wanted to see from him.

"We wanted to see him be aggressive," Outlaw said. "We wanted to see him engaged. I think that you saw, you know, our guys really, really fed off of him. Anytime he's leading the way for us, we're going to have good nights."

Tre Johnson led the Wizards with 21 points and hit multiple tough shots. He's averaging 19.5 points while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor through two games. —Noah Rubin

Other notes from around Summer League

• Reed Sheppard's relatively rough day. Reed Sheppard once again led the way for the Rockets, finishing with 18 points in the loss to the Pistons. However, it certainly was a rougher performance for him than Friday night. A big reason for that was Daniss Jenkins. Most of Sheppard's points came when Jenkins was on the bench, and Sheppard finished with six turnovers while shooting 6-of-19 from the floor. That certainly isn't what Houston was hoping to see out of the third overall pick from 2024, but it speaks to the level of defense that Jenkins played. It wasn't a one-sided effort from Jenkins either; he led the Pistons with 23 points, and he dished out six dimes. —Rubin

• Orlando's Noah Penda shows promise. From the "guys I like Now that I've seen them file," Noah Penda, the French forward, impressed. The No. 32 pick last month, played more like a four than the wing he was advertised to be, but has a high IQ game and finished with nine points, 14 rebounds and some decent defense.

"He's just got a knack for where to be on the floor, his instincts are phenomenal. I thought his rebounding for us was huge today. His ability to pick up things on the fly," Magic coach Ameer Bahhur said. "We played him at the five today, which he had never done before. And so his ability to just kind of handle that and keep moving and jump right into it, I thought was phenomenal."

His shot is the question, he was 3-of-5 in the paint but 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. Still, you can see the potential as a point four who could stretch the floor someday.

"His versatility allowed us to use him as another ball handler to relieve pressure and bring the ball up the court," Bahhur said. "And he did a great job, whether he was at the four, whether he was at the five, he got us into what we needed to do and he helped us run our offense." —Helin

• Celtics Baylor Scheierman looks ready for his chance. Baylor Scheierman was buried in the Celtics' depth chart as a rookie — that's a team where breaking through as a wing is hard. However, next season the former No. 30 pick may get his chance.

He looked ready to take advantage of that chance Sunday at Summer League.

He finished with 13 points, and seven rebounds and assists. —Helin

• Detroit's Ron Holland, Chaz Lanier look good. Ron Holland came into the league as an athletic defender, but he showcased the development in his game against Houston. He dished out three dimes and had a handful of other passes that led to clean shots for his teammates, and he also knocked down two three-pointers. He shot 23.8 percent from beyond the arc during his rookie season, so if he can improve that mark, he can make a huge impact for the Pistons next season.

Chaz Lanier knocked down four three-pointers in the game. He should help make up for Tim Hardaway Jr. signing with Denver and Malik Beasley under investigation for betting on NBA games. The second-round pick out of Tennessee has six triples in two Summer League games. —Rubin

• Pistons' Daniss Jenkins someone to watch. This is what Summer League is about — undrafted, unheralded players putting on a show and getting noticed by decision makers around the league. The Pistons' Daniss Jenkins is doing just that.

A year ago, Jenkins went undrafted out of Rick Pitino's St. John's, and he spent most of last season as the point guard of the Motor City Cruise of the G-League. He put up impressive numbers there — 18.5 points and 6.4 assists per game — and at Summer League, he has stood out. In the Pistons' first game, he had 18 points and hit 3-of-5 from 3 (shooting was a question mark), and on Sunday, he scored 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from 3.

The Pistons have an open roster spot and an open two-way contract. Jenkins is a name to watch. —Helin

• Mavericks shut down Cooper Flagg. This shouldn't be a surprise, but after a 31-point outing in his second game, the Dallas Mavericks have shut down Cooper Flagg for the rest of Summer League.

This is the way of Summer League, for teams the risk of injury outweighs what a lot of these players can learn from the experience. Expect more stars to get shut down in the coming days. —Helin

• Knicks Pacome Dadiet is interesting. The Knicks used a late first-round pick (25th) a year ago on French wing Pacome Dadiet, who got in 18 games for them as a rookie who was seen as a project. Watch him play and you can see the draw, he is a fluid athlete. His shot is still a work in progress — he shot 3-of-11 in this one — but you can see the attraction. —Helin

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Filip Zadina Signs Multi-Year Contract Extension In Switzerland

Swiss club HC Davos has signed three of its key forwards to three-year contract extensions – Czech Filip Zadina, 25, Canadian Adam Tambellini, 30, and Swede Simon Ryfors, 27.

“We are delighted that Simon, Filip, and Adam have so clearly committed to HCD and are planning their future with us,” said club sports director Jan Alston. “All three are hungry for more, and we expect a high level of play from them over the next three years.”

It’s interesting that Zadina chose to sign long-term in Davos after last summer, when the Czech winger was reportedly close to signing with his hometown club Dynamo Pardubice, but a sticking point was term – the club wanted a multi-year deal but Zadina, then 24, wanted to keep his NHL options available and chose the shorter-term offer from Davos. Presumably, this contract contains an opt-out in case he receives an NHL offer.

Last season, Zadina had 43 points in 53 National League regular-season and playoff games. He also had four points in three games in the Spengler Cup, which Davos hosts annually.

In addition to Tambellini and Ryfors, Zadina’s teammates in Davos this season will include ex-NHLers Joakim Nordström, Brendan Lemieux, Rasmus Asplund and Klas Dahlbeck.

Rasmus Asplund Leaves Florida Organization For SwitzerlandRasmus Asplund Leaves Florida Organization For Switzerland Swedish forward Rasmus Asplund, 27, has signed a two-year contract with HC Davos, the National League club announced on Tuesday.

Originally from Pardubice, Czechia, Zadina went overseas at age 17 to play junior hockey for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. After winning the league’s rookie-of-the-year award and making the first all-star team, he was drafted sixth overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

Between 2018 and 2024, Zadina played 262 NHL games for the Wings and San Jose Sharks, recording 91 points and 40 penalty minutes. In 2023-24, his last NHL campaign to date, Zadina hit career highs in games played (72) and goals (13).

Internationally, Zadina performed brilliantly for the Czechs at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, recording eight points in seven games as the Czechs finished fourth. In his only senior-level World Championship to date in Riga in 2021, Zadina had four points in eight games.

Photo © Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images.

CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in SwitzerlandCONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Tuesday.
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Detroit Could Bring Back 'Hockeytown' Slogan for 100th Season

Explaining the story behind Detroit's 'Hockeytown' slogan and how it could return for the Red Wings Centennial season. 

The Detroit Red Wings are celebrating their 100th anniversary with some new Centennial themed things heading into the next season like new jersey patches, events for fans and most notably a potential change back to a historic centre ice logo. 

Fans will remember the historic run of Detroit dominance when the Red Wings were winning Stanley Cups with the famous "Hockeytown" across the winged wheel at centre ice. Detroit had become the hub of hockey excellence and just as the Red Wings on the rise back to hopeful Stanley Cup contention, the franchise asked the fans if they want to have their signature slogan back on home ice. 

The term “Hockeytown” became synonymous with Detroit and the Red Wings, but its origins are more recent than people may believe. The Red Wings first introduced “Hockeytown” as a marketing slogan in 1996, a pivotal time when the team was building toward Stanley Cup contention like they are today. 

The branding campaign was created to rally the fanbase and solidify Detroit’s image as the top hockey city in the country. The phrase quickly gained traction among fans and the hockey world alike as the Red Wings entered a dominant era, led by several legends. 

Sources indicate that the slogan was first prominently painted at center ice during the 1996–97 NHL season, the same year the Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup since 1955, cementing the truth of the name that Detroit indeed was the home of hockey. It became a defining visual of Detroit hockey throughout the late 1990s and 2000s.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The “Hockeytown” branding remained at centre ice in famous Joe Louis Arena for over two decades, through the Red Wings’ multiple Stanley Cup wins in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. When the team transitioned to the newly built Little Caesars Arena in 2017, they initially kept the tradition alive by incorporating the same branding at center ice for the arena’s debut season. 

However, by the summer of 2018, just before the 2018–19 season, leaked photos showed that “Hockeytown” was no longer part of the ice design. The organization confirmed the change, stating they wanted to “debut a fresh, new look” at center ice with the decision drawing criticism and confusion from long-time fans. 

The Red Wings never officially abandoned the term publicly, but they quietly distanced themselves from the formal branding. The trademark for “Hockeytown” was listed as cancelled in 2018, according to records and reports published on Detroithockey.net and The Comeback, signaling a notable shift in the franchise. 

Despite its removal from center ice, the identity of “Hockeytown” never truly disappeared. It remains deeply embedded in the culture of Detroit and is still featured prominently in merchandise, team videos, and local landmarks like the Hockeytown Café. 

The name persists not just as a marketing slogan but as a badge of honor that reflects Detroit’s generational passion for hockey. 

As the team enters their 100th season, the Red Wings asked fans whether the “Hockeytown” logo should return to center ice. Whether or not the logo returns to centre ice, the meaning of “Hockeytown” remains very much alive in the hearts of Detroit fans.

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Roman Anthony is youngest Red Sox player in 60 years to achieve this feat

Roman Anthony is youngest Red Sox player in 60 years to achieve this feat originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Roman Anthony was the No. 1 ranked MLB prospect ahead of his Boston Red Sox debut in June, and after a bit of a slow start, he has really found his groove at the plate.

The Red Sox have entered the All-Star break on a 10-game win streak, which has vaulted them into the second wild card playoff spot in the American League and only two games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East division.

One player helping lead the Red Sox into the break scorching hot is Anthony. He extended his hit streak to nine games with a double in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park.

Anthony, at 21 years old, is the youngest Red Sox player to have a nine-game hit streak since Tony Conigliaro 60 years ago.

Anthony is batting .389 with four extra-base hits, six RBI, 10 runs scored and a 1.044 OPS during his hit streak. He’s batting .341 with a .431 on-base percentage and a .931 OPS in July so far.

Pushing this hit streak to 10, 15 or even 20 games will be difficult with the Red Sox’ schedule about to get a lot tougher. Boston exits the All-Star break with series versus the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers (in that order).

But the most encouraging aspect of Anthony’s recent hot streak is how comfortable he looks at the plate. He’s not chasing bad pitches. He’s not trying to mash the ball. He’s taking what the opposing pitchers give him and doing as much damage as he can.

The Red Sox are right in the middle of the playoff race, and the second half of the season has the chance to be really exciting. If the Red Sox are going to return to the postseason for the first time in four years, they’ll need Anthony to keep producing like an impact player.

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MLB 2025 Home Run Derby Predictions: Odds, Expert Picks on Cal Raleigh, Oneil Cruz, James Wood, Matt Olson

The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby takes place Monday night and it's going to be one for the memory books as a catcher is the headliner and odds on favorite.

The Mariners' Cal Raleigh is having a historic season with 38 homers, marking the most by a catcher at the All-Star break in history. This season, Raleigh ranks ahead of MVP favorites (and non-HR derby contestants) Aaron Judge (35) and Shohei Ohtani (32) — and now, Raleigh is the favorite to win the Home Run Derby, but will have to overcome some tough historical trends to do so.

Raleigh will become the second-ever player to switch hit in the Derby (Adley Rutschman in 2023, lost 2nd round), plus no catcher has ever won the derby. This is year 39 of the event, so odds are against Raleigh despite him being the favorite.

The Twins' Byron Buxton is having a phenomenal comeback season and has the longest home of this field at 479 feet, while Oneil Cruz of the Pirates is second with a 463 footer and the Nationals' James Wood third at 451.

Matt Olson is also in the field after replacing his Braves' teammate Ronald Acuna Jr., who has dealt with some injuries the last few weeks. To round out the field, the Athletics Brent Rooker, Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Junior Caminero of the Rays make up the eight-man field.

Home Run Derby Details & how to watch

  • Date: Monday, July 14, 2025
  • Time: 8:00PM EST
  • Site: Truist Park
  • City: Atlanta, GA
  • Network/Streaming: ESPN / ESPN2

Odds for the Home Run Derby

The latest odds as of Monday morning at BetMGM:

  • Cal Raleigh, Mariners (+275) - $10 to win $27.50
  • Oneil Cruz, Pirates (+350) - $10 to win $25
  • James Wood, Nationals (+400) - $10 to win $40
  • Matt Olson, Braves (+800) - $10 to win $80
  • Brent Rooker, Athletics (+850) - $10 to win $85
  • Byron Buxton, Twins (+900) - $10 to win $90
  • Junior Caminero, Rays (+1000) - $10 to win $100
  • Jazz Chisholm Jr., Yankees (+1400) - $10 to win $140

The Format of the Home Run Derby

During the first round, the eight hitters have three minutes or 40 pitches, whichever comes first, to hit homers.

Each player has an untimed round that continues until three outs occurs following the firs three minute round. If a batter hits a homer longer than 425 feet during the first three minutes or 40 pitches, that player we be awarded with an extra out, like last year.

The semifinals will have a round of two minutes or 27 pitches, whichever comes first, for the four-player field. The first round amount does not carry over into the second round, so the two best head-to-head totals advance to the finals where the format will be the same as the semifinals.

Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Marlins and the Orioles

Rotoworld Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) is rooting for Cal Raleigh to win the Derby but likes James Wood and a sprinkle on a long shot:

"Cal Raleigh (+275) is on a truly historic run and he has the chance to accomplish something he manifested as an 8-year-old kid, a Home Run Derby Title. Most of America will be rooting for Raleigh and I will be too, but for the odds and historical aspect of being a catcher and switch hitting, I am not in love with betting on Raleigh.

My personal favorite pick is James Wood (+400). He is a superstar in the making for the Nationals and played four games in Atlanta this season and hit a homer in his first appearance, and has played multiple series in Atlanta over the last season and a half, so he's familiar enough with Truist Park too — something Raleigh is not.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. (+1400) is on pace to shatter his career-high 28 homers. He's only 27-year-old, which is likely his prime or peak. I am bias though. He's the only player I've watched hit a homer in person this year, so I sprinted a few bucks on him for the +1400 value, although I admit, I do not expect Jazz to win."

Drew Dinsick (@Whale_Capper) is rocking with the Georgia native Matt Olson in the derby:

"Matt Olson (+800) is the only player in the field with experience in this unique format and having whatever home field advantage exists in this event, so I think Olson is live and the +800 price is attractive enough to get involved."

Eric Froton (@CFFroton) likes James Wood to bring some hardware back to DC:

"James Wood (+400) has 24 homers and 69 RBI, which both rank tied for 8th in all of baseball. The 22-year-old, 6-foot-7 234-pounder that hits lefty may not be a household name, but he has all the makings of a home run derby winner in his second season."

Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of the Home Run Derby

  • No catcher has ever won the Home Run Derby
  • Cal Raleigh leads the MLB with 38 homers
  • 11 of James Wood's 24 homers have gone to centerfield, which leads the MLB
  • Junior Caminero has the second-fastest bat speed in all of baseball this season
  • Byron Buxton (21 homers) is on pace to shatter his career-high 28 homers this season
  • Byron Buxton has the longest homer of the derby field at 479 feet this season
  • Brent Rooker will have his childhood hitting coach toss him pitches in the derby
  • Jazz Chisholm Jr. (17 homers) is on pace to destroy his career-high of 24 from last season
  • Matt Olson is a Georgia native and he attended the derby the last time it was in Atlanta as a fan back in 2000
  • Oneil Cruz hit a baseball 122.9 MPH this season, which ranked the fastest of the tracking era and he has the second-longest homer on the season out of the derby field at 463 feet

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

  • Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
  • Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
  • Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
  • Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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Alex Toohey's potential evident in three straight NBA Summer League possessions

Alex Toohey's potential evident in three straight NBA Summer League possessions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Alex Toohey’s third NBA Summer League game easily was his best so far Sunday night in the Warriors’ 103-93 win against the Utah Jazz at the Thomas & Mack Center. 

Through his first two games, Toohey was an absurd minus-81. On Sunday night, Toohey was a plus-10 in 24 minutes with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal.

The best of the Warriors’ top draft pick came in three straight possessions at the end of the first half. Toohey only had two points at the time, and continued to look a step behind. Another disappointing half was about to wrap up. Then something kicked Toohey into gear for the final one minute and 49 seconds. 

Up by three points, the Warriors turned the ball over when Jazz center Kyle Filipowski absorbed a charge during an out of bounds play. Toohey then guarded Filipowski, playing physical and handsy with the second-year pro. An aggressive Toohey boxed Filipowski out on a missed corner three and beat him for the rebound. 

That’s when Toohey took it the other way himself, weaved past Filipowski and drew a foul on him while going for a coast-to-coast layup. Toohey again tightly defended Filipowski at the top of the arc, but was beat and forced to foul. Making up for it on the other side, Toohey again tapped into his point-forward skills. 

This is where Toohey’s feel for the game shined. Where his two years as a pro in Australia can help negate some of his weaker spots early on. Toohey grabbed a rebound from an errant shot, pushed the pace and dribbled into the paint right at Filipowski. Toohey Eurostepped, kicked it out to Taran Armstrong and got in position on Filipowski before spinning baseline and finishing a nifty reverse layup. 

Sprinting back on defense, Toohey contested Isaiah Collier’s shot. He tried to take on Filipowski again but was given the ball. For the final possession of the first half, however, the ball was back in Toohey’s hands and the 21-year-old went to work. 

Toohey crossed up Cody Williams, the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft, used a hesitation move in the paint and zeroed in on Filipowski. He had won his battle, mentally and physically. The former Duke star showed defeat at the buzzer after Toohey made another two free throws. 

As the Warriors rookie looked to get in position for a rebound, Filipowski swung him around his hip and threw Toohey down. Players have tried to punk him in the past. That’s life as a youngin in the NBL. But this is Toohey’s time to show he isn’t going to let anything deter his path to the NBA.

Immediately, Toohey got up and pointed right at Filipowski’s face. He talked his talk and was held back by Warriors teammates. The play was deemed a common foul and Toohey hit one of two free throws to give Golden State a 10-point halftime lead. 

Toohey went on a 7-0 run of his own in the final one minute and 27 seconds of the second quarter to go ahead 50-40. 

“He just seemed a little bit more at ease,” coach Lainn Wilson said to reporters after the win. “I think the first two games were just a little fast. Again, he’s taken time to adapt to things and I thought today he really found his footing. 

“Kind of was processing things, seeing things in real time. He hit a big three there in the second half. Overall, I just thought he was finding his footing, which was positive.”

His three in the fourth quarter put the Warriors up by nine with seven and a half minutes to go. Toohey also finished a circus layup later in the fourth, and yes, it was with Filipowski guarding him. Toohey made his free throw for a three-point play and was 6 of 7 from there for the game.

Summer league is for building blocks in a zoo of overreactions. Three straight possessions in Toohey’s third summer league game looked to add the amount of confidence that was missing from his game, moving forward with a new sense of belonging. 

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Canadiens’ 2025-26 Schedule Revealed

The NHL is set to release the 2025-26 season schedule on Wednesday, July 16th, but we’ve seen a copy of the Montreal Canadiens’ schedule already, and a few comments come to mind.

As is often the case, the Canadiens will kick off their season on the road, starting with an Original Six back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings on October 8th and 9th, followed by a Saturday night game in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

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The Canadiens’ first home game is scheduled against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, October 14th, followed by a match-up with the Nashville Predators on Thursday, and a visit from the New York Rangers on Saturday, the 18th. With all due respect to the Kraken, this is hardly the most exciting opening night opponent. Kudos for the three original matchups on the road; however, that’s an interesting start to the season. Montreal will only host four home games in October, the final one being against the Buffalo Sabres on the 20th. Then, the Habs will wrap up the month with a western trip with halts in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle.

The Canadiens will have eight home games in the following two months, the November schedule featuring a first game against old rivals, the Boston Bruins, and a duel with last year’s first-round opponents, the Washington Capitals, in Montreal on November 20th. The month will also end with a road trip, this one featuring battles with the Utah Mammoth, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Colorado Avalanche.

December will start with a home back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators and the Winnipeg Jets. Zach Bolduc will get to face his former St. Louis Blues teammates on December 7th, and Canadiens fans will welcome Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 20th. Montreal will then spend Christmas on the road, as is the tradition.

January will be the busiest month with 17 games crammed in in readiness for the quiet month of February, when the NHL will shut down to allow the players to take part in the Milan Cortina Olympics in Italy. The Canadiens will play only four games that month, two on the road against the Minnesota Wild and the Jets, and two at home against Noah Dobson’s former team, the New York Islanders, on the 26th, followed by a visit from the Caps on the 28th.

March will be a busy month with 15 games, and the Canadiens will wrap up their season on April 12th. However, they’ll still play seven games in the month with a final home stretch of four games, which will wrap up on April 11th, meaning the Habs will finish their season with a back-to-back, challenging circumstances if they are fighting for a playoff spot. Although by then, they should be used to it, since they will be taking part in no less than 17 occurrences of two games in two nights. This is an intense schedule to say the least, but it was to be expected with the Olympic Games break. It will be interesting to see if all teams have as many back-to-backs. 

Photo credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images

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Pros and Cons: Should Mets trade for Sandy Alcantara?

The Mets' starting rotation situation this year has been wild.

They started off with so much depth that there were questions about how they'd fit everyone in. By the middle of the season, though, a rash of injuries had them reaching into the minors for spot-starters, pondering whether to promote their top pitching prospects, and eventually deploying bullpen games for two of the three Subway Series matchups against the Yankees in early-July.

While the injury to Griffin Canning was season-ending and Tylor Megill's possible return is TBD, things have normalized over the last week.

The Mets are now finally using the rotation they envisioned would be their starting five on Opening Day:

Kodai Senga
Sean Manaea
David Peterson
Clay Holmes
Frankie Montas

Beyond those five pitchers are some intriguing options in Triple-A Syracuse. There's Blade Tidwell, who has been called upon a few times in his rookie year, and two prospects who have the potential to develop into top of the rotation arms: Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat.

Speaking earlier this month, president of baseball operations David Stearns said he was reluctant to use top prospects for spot starts. But it's possible McLean and Sproat both debut later this summer when they're deemed ready for long-term roles.

Still, while it's nice to picture a future where McLean and Sproat are mainstays in the rotation, it's impossible to rely on them in the heat of a pennant race in what will be their first taste of the majors.

Combine that with an injury question surrounding Manaea (pitching with a loose body in his elbow) and the workload question hanging over Holmes (who has already thrown more innings this season than any other), and New York should be placing a high priority on adding another legitimate starting pitcher via trade.

Should they target Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara?

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) pitches against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at loanDepot Park / Sam Navarro - Imagn Images

PROS

When Alcantara is at his best, he is quite literally the top pitcher in baseball.

During his Cy Young campaign in 2022, Alcantara led the majors in WAR (8.0) and innings pitched (228.2) while posting a 2.28 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.

While Alcantara isn't a strikeout machine, he has an overpowering fastball that averages around 97 mph (he throws a four-seamer and a sinker). He also features a slider, changeup, and curve, and has a tendency to make hitters pound the ball into the ground.

In addition to being masterful when he's on, Alcantara is young (in his age-29 season), relatively inexpensive (making just $17.3 million this season), and under team control through 2027.

Aside from undergoing Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss all of 2024, Alcantara has been very reliable when it comes to taking the ball.

In each of his four full seasons, he has thrown at least 184.2 innings.

Put it all together and you get an almost ideal trade target. Except...

CONS

Since returning from Tommy John surgery at the start of this season, Alcantara has not been himself.

He has an unsightly 7.22 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 18 starts over 91.0 innings, and advanced stats that are generally poor.

Mar 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) looks on against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at loanDepot Park.
Mar 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara (22) looks on against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at loanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Alcantara is near the bottom of the league when it comes to pitching run value, xERA, xBA, average exit velocity, chase percentage, whiff percentage, strikeout rate, and hard hit percentage.

Meanwhile, his four-seam fastball (his second-most used pitch) is getting clobbered, with batters slugging .551 against it.

The huge caveat here is that it sometimes takes pitchers until their second season back from TJS to round back into form. But the depth of Alcantara's struggles in a pretty large sample this season should be extremely concerning.

It will also take a massive package to obtain him.

When you combine Alcantara's Cy Young upside, his relative youth, his cost, and the team control, it becomes a situation where the Marlins can pit teams against one another until they get an offer that bowls them over. If not, they can hold him until the offseason and hope he rediscovers his Cy Young form between now and then.

The exact return for Alcantara will depend on the type of prospects the Marlins are seeking to headline a deal (pitchers or position players) and their preference when it comes to those prospects' proximity to the majors (are they prioritizing guys who are close to contributing or not).

And it's fair to believe the Mets would lose not just one of their most valued prospects, but two or three of them.

VERDICT

In a world where Alcantara dominates over his next several starts leading up to the July 31 deadline, I could see it making perfect sense for the Mets to swallow hard and hand over a handful of their most prized prospects for him.

Saving that, however, it is impossible to envision a scenario where it would be wise to part with the type of package it would take to get Alcantara when so many questions remain about which version you're getting.

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ICYMI in Mets Land: Key injury updates; Sean Manaea returns

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Sunday, in case you missed it...

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Steph Curry scoffs at ‘Warriors are too old to win 2026 NBA title' narrative

Steph Curry scoffs at ‘Warriors are too old to win 2026 NBA title' narrative originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors hear it all, no one more than Stephen Curry. Small ball no longer succeeds. The NBA has passed them by. They need to reset their roster. And then there is the strong undercurrent beneath the pessimism:
Their core is too old to win a championship.

Curry is 37, will be 38 when the 2025-26 playoffs arrive. Jimmy Butler will be 36, as will Draymond Green. The pessimism is fair, as no team with such a venerable core has won an NBA Finals.

Yet Curry has a response.

“We’ve heard it for even before the ‘22 championship,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area in South Lake Tahoe, where he was co-defending champion at the American Century Championship Celebrity golf tournament.

“We heard it, so to the point like it’s all it all comes down to health. I mean, if you look at every team . . . [Oklahoma City] had a relatively healthy run. And that’s what you need. Like, vets get through a regular season. Try to be in a position where we’re not chasing anything down the stretch.”

That was the case last season, when it’s reasonable to believe a furious pursuit of a playoff berth in the final two months caught up with the Warriors. They finished seventh in the Western Conference, landing in the play-in tournament they’d hoped to avoid.

After slipping past Memphis in the play-in game and taking a 3-1 series lead over the young, physical Rockets in the first round, the Warriors fumbled their chances for an extended break by losing Games 5 and 6. Winning Game 7 at Houston sent them into the conference semifinals with one full day to recover before Game 1 against the Timberwolves.

A Game 1 victory at Minnesota was tarnished by a hamstring injury sustained by Curry in the second quarter. Golden State was swept in Games 2 through 5.

“I know I got hurt,” Curry said. “But you just want to build off that for another year to build chemistry with Jimmy. You know Draymond will do his thing. Hopefully, some of our young guys are able to take another step. That’s every-year process. Just take what we did great, know we’re going to have to elevate that and do it more consistently for a whole year.”

If Curry seems optimistic to the level of fantasy, it’s significant to comprehend his mentality. He believes when others do not. He was too small to thrive at a major college, too delicate to thrive in the NBA and too susceptible to injury to have a long career.

He became a certified star as a sophomore in college, leading tiny Davidson College (generally about 2,000 students) to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Entering the NBA draft after his junior year and drafted seventh overall – behind two other point guards – in 2009, Curry won his first MVP award in 2015 and topped it the following season with the first unanimous vote in league history.

“It’s been that way my whole career, pretty much through high school,” Curry said of being doubted. “But those narratives take a life of their own. I just want to win. That’s it.”

Curry, who will be entering his 17th season in October, is a four-time NBA champion and the most influential basketball player since Michael Jordan.

Ever mindful of skeptics, he has built a Hall of Fame career banishing their lack of faith. After all he has accomplished, might he still be motivated by the doubters?

“At this point?” he replied. “It is white noise because I’m self-motivated enough. I don’t really need any outside motivation to the point where, like, I still love to play the game. And if I have that and I have great teammates and I have a great culture and organization, then I can just be in that space.

“I don’t really need any outside noise to motivate me.”

The oddsmakers generally place at least eight teams ahead of Golden State in the race to the 2026 championship. Five of those teams are in the West: The defending champion and still very young Thunder, the Denver Nuggets, the Rockets, the Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even the Atlanta Hawks, perpetually mediocre in the vastly inferior Eastern Conference, are generating better odds than the Warriors.

All of which warms Curry’s heart.

“We’re excited about the opportunity,” he said. “You know. being in that fight . . . there is nothing like it. And we’ve kind of kicked away for the time for a long, long while. So hopefully we do it for another couple years.”

Before writing off the Warriors – or Curry – it might be worth remembering that early in his career, during the leanest of times, he vowed there would be a prosperous future. And delivered.

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In-game interview hinders Matt Chapman's pre-pitch Willy Adames communication

In-game interview hinders Matt Chapman's pre-pitch Willy Adames communication originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Matt Chapmanusually knows what pitches are coming when playing third base because shortstop Willy Adames has the PitchCom in his Giants hat and relays pitches like a quarterback reading aloud plays.

But that wasn’t the case for a few minutes during San Francisco’s 5-2 extra-innings loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park on Saturday. Instead, Chapman’s routine with Adames was disrupted when the Roku Channel had the Giants’ third basemen wear an earpiece for an in-game interview during the top of the sixth inning.

And ironically, Chapman was asked on the broadcast how he approaches his defensive alignments and preparation, specifically when playing behind San Francisco right-handed starting pitcher Robbie Ray, Saturday’s starter.

“With Robbie, I think right-handers are going to try to hit something off-speed,” Chapman explained. “The fastball is more of a fly-ball pitch. The off-speeders are the pitches a lot of the right-handers hit off Robbie — sliders or changeups down where they’re reaching for it a little bit.”

“I usually get [the pitch] from Willy [Adames], but the fact that I got my left ear with an earpiece in, I’m having a hard time hearing what pitch is coming,” Chapman added when asked about how he knows what pitch is coming.

Fortunately for all parties involved, the Giants exited the sixth unscathed, and there were no defense lapses, let alone anything involving Chapman.

Surely that’s a relief the broadcaster, considering how Chapman truly does rely on Adames to relay the calls, as he thoroughly detailed in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Rich Aurilia from June 9.

“Willy lets me know when off-speed pitches are coming, which really gives me an advantage over at third base. I don’t wear the PitchCom, so Willy tells me what pitch is coming, keeps us communicating; we’re talking about what base we’re throwing to, what to do in certain situations.”

Imagine if Chapman misplayed a ball that cost San Francisco the game because he couldn’t hear Adames relay a pitch? The argument against in-game interviews would have gotten stronger.

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Cora reveals how Crochet has stepped up as a leader for Red Sox

Cora reveals how Crochet has stepped up as a leader for Red Sox originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Garrett Crochet has been one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball through the first half of the 2025 season, and he’s one of the primary reasons why the Boston Red Sox are going into the All-Star break as the hottest team.

Crochet’s latest start came Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. The Red Sox managed to score only one run, but that was enough for Crochet, who tossed his first career complete game. He allowed zero runs on just three hits with zero walks while striking out nine batters.

It was one of many dominant performances he has given the Red Sox in his first season with the team.

Crochet’s impact goes beyond his elite pitching on the mound, though. He’s also helping the team in a profound way off the field.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained Crochet’s impact when speaking to reporters before Saturday’s game.

“The leader, to be honest with you,” Cora said, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “Every five days, we know he’s going to be on the mound. But what he’s doing in the clubhouse — you see him in the dugout, he’s always into the games and talking to pitchers. Yesterday, (Greg) Weissert came out, he didn’t like the slider, they were talking about grips and all that.

“He’s very similar to Alex (Bregman) in that sense. Him and Walker (Buehler), well, Walker has more experience obviously, but he is very smart. With the contract (extension), stuff comes with the territory. You have to be that guy. We haven’t had a guy like that in a while. We’ve had some good ones throughout the years. Now that he is here, he is on the Red Sox, he’s doing an amazing job.”

Crochet made his major league debut in 2020 and he’s only 26 years old. But you don’t have to be a 10-year veteran to be a respected leader. And judging by what Cora said above, it sounds like Crochet has fully embraced the leadership role.

This is a very encouraging development for a Red Sox franchise that has a lot of young players it’s trying to develop. One way to accelerate that development is to surround these talented young players with leaders who will set a good example on and off the field. That’s why it is so important to have guys like Bregman and Crochet around.

The Red Sox have taken a 10-game win streak into the break, and as a result, they sit in the second wild card spot in the American League and trail the first-place Toronto Blue Jays by just two games in the AL East division race.

However, the Red Sox have the toughest remaining schedule in the AL, per Tankathon, and they begin the second half of the season with series versus the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers.

For the Red Sox to keep this momentum alive and secure a playoff spot for the first time since 2021, they’ll need Crochet to maintain his Cy Young-level performance. He doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, but he’s already pitched 129 1/3 innings, which is only 17 below his career high for an entire season. Can he stay dominant with a larger workload? Time will tell.