Instead of a tie or the game going to extra innings, MLB and the players' union agreed that if the Midsummer Classic was tied after nine innings, the game would be decided by a home run derby. Of course, it wouldn't be like the one fans saw on Monday night but it gave an electric finish to an entertaining contest.
Each manager chose three batters to take three swings. Whoever had more homers was deemed the winner and Kyle Schwarber led the National League to victory on Tuesday.
But one question remained: how did each league's managers -- especially Aaron Boone -- choose who would be hitting?
Well, the Yankees skipper made it clear how that process went.
"We had to pick our guys yesterday," Boone said after the game. "Wanted to make sure I picked guys I knew would be in the game there and still hot. That was my choice."
Boone's choice of three hitters was the Athletics' Brent Rooker, the Mariners' Randy Arozarena and the Rays' Jonathan Aranda. Interesting choices, for sure.
Rooker put on a show in Monday's Home Run Derby, hitting 17 bombs and missing out on the second round because eventual winner, Cal Raleigh hit a ball less than a foot further. The Athletics outfielder has 20 homers this season, which is eighth in the AL. Arozarena has 17, which is 15th in the league but Aranda has only 11 this season.
Where was Aaron Judge? Where was Junior Caminero, who was the Home Run Derby runner-up?
As Boone explained, he wanted players who were playing in the later innings as they were more warmed up and ready to go. So that means starters who play 3-4 innings are not available.
"We weren’t going to switch. We picked our players yesterday, then it was just the matter of picking the order," Boone said when asked about planning for the All-Star Game. "You have a plan going in. You know the starters are playing half the game, you got a couple of guys nursing through some things so you're protecting a couple of guys too and keeping it shorter for them. You plan for that going in."
Even if Boone had his full roster available, it may not have mattered. Schwarber did what he does best, hitting three bombs with his three swings, and clinching the win without Pete Alonso having to take a swing.
The Yankees skipper was impressed by the swing-off performance even if he wasn't surprised.
"I'm not shocked, especially after he clipped the first one," he said. "You get that first one under your belt. He put three great swings on it...I saw him nodding his head and he did Schwarber-type things."
That was the obvious question after the All-Star Game ended in a dramatic home run swing-off on Tuesday night in Atlanta, the first ever of its kind, after the game itself was played to a 6-6 tie after nine innings.
Three players on each side, three swings each. Those were the rules.
If ever there was a spot for Judge, this was it. But apparently Judge and Ohtani had already left Truist Park for a private flight to enjoy the off days before the second half of the season resumes, as many of the top stars for years have done after being taken out of the game.
Too bad. What potential for even more drama. It could have come down to Judge and Pete Alonso, who was lined up to hit third for the National League, a spot that figured to decide the swing-off.
Except Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber intervened with quite a clutch feat, hitting three home runs in his three swings, to put the NL over the top by a count of 4-3, and render Alonso’s swings unnecessary when the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda went homerless in his three swings.
Aranda instead of Judge. That’s quite a whiff for MLB.
Of course, nobody could have predicted the game would end in a tie, and this new format would be invoked for the first time ever.
Furthermore, Judge is one player who always does the right thing and may not have even been aware of the new format, which was adopted only last season and had received little publicity.
Still, with that type of drama as a possibility, MLB ought to make sure the biggest stars are there at the end just in case. Alonso told reporters the swing-off participants are named by the manager before the game, but suffice to say, both managers knew Judge and Ohtani wouldn’t be there.
In any event, if the swing-off seemed a hokey way to decide the game, it also came with genuine enthusiasm, as players from both teams lined up outside the dugout to cheer on the participants.
“The boys were into it,” was the way Schwarber put it when interviewed on the field afterward.
Even a traditionalist like Derek Jeter, commenting for FOX, admitted, “I wasn’t sure about it at first, but it was probably better than playing extra innings. It was exciting.”
The new format was adopted so that managers wouldn’t have to save pitchers for the potential of extra innings, thereby giving the most players the best chance to participate.
And as it turned out, a two-run rally in the ninth inning by the American League, which included the tying run scoring against Edwin Diaz on a slow roller by Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians, made the swing-off possible.
It also denied a likely MVP award for Alonso, who had hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning off Royals lefty Kris Bubic to give the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
And maybe it would have gone differently had NL manager Dave Roberts simply turned the ninth inning over to Diaz. Instead, he went first to Padres closer Robert Suarez, who gave up a run on one-out doubles by Byron Buxton and Bobby Witt Jr.
So with the tying run on second, Roberts brought in Diaz. He was fortunate when Matt Olson fielded Jazz Chisolm Jr.’s scorcher down the first-base line, tossing to Diaz covering for the second out of the inning.
With Witt Jr. at third, Diaz got Kwan, the little lefty slap hitter, to make soft contact on a back-door slider, but third baseman Eugenio Suarez had no chance to throw him out, and the game was tied.
Diaz got out of the inning by striking out Randy Arozarena on a two-strike pitch called a ball, and then overturned by Diaz’s challenge of the pitch by the ABS challenge system that was used for the All-Star Game.
All of which led to the swing-off and what could have been a fabulous finish for Alonso.
As it was, he said he was thrilled with his home run in the actual game after deciding to skip Monday's Home Run Derby for the first time in his career.
"That beats any Derby win,” Alonso told reporters in Atlanta. “That’s really special. The Derby is just batting practice at the end of the day. To do it playing in a game against the league’s best, that’s really special.”
Still, it could have been extra special.
Alonso said that during the swing-off, he was in the indoor cage, taking swings and watching Schwarber on a nearby TV monitor.
“He put on a hell of a show,” Alonso said. “I was standing by the cage, saying ‘hell, yeah, Schwarbs.’ I mean he’s my teammate here, so I was rooting for him.
“I was still ready for my moment if it came. Instead, we did it the easy way.”
Aranda came within a couple of feet of tying the swing-off at 4-4 as he hit one high off the wall in right.
All in all, it made for some unexpected drama that can’t be scripted. It was fun without Judge and Ohtani. It would have been a lot more fun with them.
No one wants to see players get hurt in a game, especially if it's during an exhibition. But that was potentially the case for Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
Suarez, playing in his second All-Star Game and a hot name in this trade deadline cycle, especially when it comes to the Mets and Yankees, led off the eighth inning against the White Sox's Shane Smith. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Suarez took a 96 mph fastball to the pinky of his left hand.
The infielder got on one knee in pain while trainers attended to him, but Suarez stayed in the game and ran the bases.
Suarez even played the field in the ninth and made a spectacular throw to get the first out of the inning.
It seemed as though Suarez avoided disaster but the third baseman was supposed to hit for the National League during the first-ever swing-off. He was replaced by the Marlins' Kyle Stowers.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was leading the National League, said after the game that he had Stowers replace Suarez due to the hit-by-pitch. Suarez would tell the media that he received X-rays at Truist Park during the swing-off and that they were negative. He also said he's relieved by the results.
Suarez is having a great season, which is why he's the talk of many a trade rumor recently. At the break, he's slashing .250/.320/.569 with an OPS of .889. His 31 homers are second in the National League, while his 78 RBI lead the league.
He is in the final year of his contract, so he makes the perfect trade deadline acquisition as a rental, especially for a Diamondbacks team (47-50) who are 11 games back of the NL West crown but are still just 5.5 games back in the NL Wild Card.
It was a familiar story for Marcus Bontempelli and his team on the weekend. To mine the stats sheet, no player on the ground had more possessions, tackles, clearances, inside 50s and metres gained. It still wasn’t enough. The Bulldogs lost to a good side, but remain a decidedly lopsided, occasionally exhilarating and increasingly bewildering team.
Leading his team off, the captain had the same look he often gets after losses like that – the wrung-out look of a man asking: “How much more do I have to do here?”
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins have begun to shift into a new era. With the organization in a transitional period - and in the midst of a rebuild - the Penguins are putting the focus on youth and development.
And that focus on development is certainly prevalent when examining their new coaching staff.
Fast forward to mid-July, and that clean slate has been written on with nearly an entirely new coaching staff, save for a few. Muse brought on assistants Todd Nelson, Nick Bonino, Rich Clune, and Mike Stothers and added assistant video coach Troy Paquette. The only retentions from Sullivan’s old staff were goaltending coach Andy Chiodo and video coach Madison Nikkel.
GM and POHO Kyle Dubas were clearly going for a different direction, and each coach made the decision to join the staff for different reasons. But they are united in their messaging, as they want to help this team simultaneously maintain its winning culture while putting the focus on a younger generation.
And that work will kick into high gear after all of the initial relationship-building and planning heading into training camp this fall.
“It’s making sure that we’re growing every day and growing an environment that’s going to be extremely competitive, but it’s where the individuals can grow and the group can grow on a daily basis,” Muse said. “I believe a big part of my job is setting that environment there, along with the coaching staff, and making sure that foundation is there right from day one.”
And, beyond Muse - who has spent time both as an NHL assistant and in developmental leagues, namely with USA Hockey and the U.S. National Team Development Program - there is a breadth of developmental experience on the staff.
Nelson won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with the Hershey Bears - AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals - in 2023 and 2024, and he also won one with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2017. Between that experience and his NHL experience as an assistant, Nelson knows what it takes to win and develop talent at the same time.
In fact, he thinks those two things work in tandem.
“I think winning is a form of development, to be quite honest with you,” Nelson said. “I’ve always said that if you don’t have success at the minor league level, how do you expect these kids to go up and play in the Stanley Cup playoffs and feel comfortable in those situations? So, it’s a balance.”
He added: “I liked what I heard about what we’re trying to do here,” Nelson said. “To work with some of the talent here, it’s going to be fantastic.”
As head coach of the Bears, Nelson had the opportunity to see some of the Penguins’ young talent firsthand - 12 times last season, to be exact - so he knows what kind of talent is waiting in the wings for the Penguins.
“I saw some of the young talent coming up, and they gave us fits,” Nelson said. “So, it’s an exciting time.”
Stothers, 63, has been involved at all developmental levels, from junior hockey to the AHL to the NHL. His most recent gig was as an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks, a position he had to vacate due to a battle with Stage 3 Melanoma of the Lymph Node, but he knew the opportunity with the Penguins was the right one to step back into because of the collaborative nature of the staff and the environment.
"I think it's going to be a collaboration between the three of us, to be honest with you," Stothers said. "There are no right answers, there's no '100 percent' way of doing things.... Everything's well-researched. Everybody does their pre-scouts and everything else. So, it's like a chess match, it really is."
Between Muse, Nelson, Stothers, Bonino, and Clune, Muse is also the only coach who did not play at the NHL level. Having the right mix of playing experience, veteran coaching experience, and experience working with young players should serve this Penguins’ staff well as it looks to the future.
There may be some growing pains, and there will have to be collaboration with Pittsburgh’s veterans in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, too. But Muse is confident in the ability of his chosen staff to build relationships with every player individually and to get the most out of them, wherever they are in their development.
“It’s a nice mix, and everyone knows what to work on and look at this summer," Muse said. "I have a lot of confidence. It’s a hard-working coaching staff, and these guys are going to be putting in the time. And we’ll come back together here at the end of the summer and be able to, kind of, piece some more things together prior to training camp.”
ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber went 3 for 3 in the first All-Star Game home run swing-off to put the National League ahead 4-3 following a 6-6 tie in which the American League rallied from a six-run deficit on Tuesday night.
In baseball’s equivalent of soccer’s penalty-kicks shootout, the game was decided by having three batters from each league take three swings each off coaches. The change was agreed to in 2022 to alleviate the concern of teams running out of pitchers.
Schwarber was named All-Star MVP after going 0 for 2 with a walk in the game.
Brent Rooker put the AL ahead by homering on his last two swings, and Kyle Stowers — subbing for Eugenio Suárez — hit one.
Randy Arozarena boosted the AL lead to 3-1, and Schwarber was successful on all three tries, going down to a knee as he sent the one into the Chop House seats in right.
Jonathan Aranda failed on all three tries, hitting the right-field wall with his second, and the NL didn’t have to use its last batter, two-time Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso, as it won for just the second time in the last 12 All-Star Games. The AL leads 48-45 with two ties.
Ketel Marte’s two-run double in the first had put the NL ahead, and Alonso’s three-run homer off Kris Bubic and Corbin Carroll’s solo shot against Casey Mize opened a 6-0 lead in the sixth.
The AL comeback began when Rooker hit a three-run pinch homer against Randy Rodríguez in a four-run seventh that included Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI groundout.
Robert Suarez allowed consecutive doubles to Byron Buxton and Witt with one out in ninth, and Steven Kwan’s infield hit on a three-hopper to third off Edwin Díaz drove in the tying run.
Joe Torre, the 84-year-old former Yankees manager, went to the mound for a pitching change in the eighth to take the ball from Shane Smith and hand it to Andrés Muñoz. The Hall of Famer was picked as a coach by current New York skipper Aaron Boone, who managed the AL.
Heat on the mound
Paul Skenes, the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game each of his first two seasons, struck out Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in a perfect first that included Aaron Judge’s inning-ending groundout. The 23-year-old right-hander reached 100 mph on four of 14 pitches.
Jacob Misiorowski, a controversial inclusion after pitching in just five major league games in his rookie season, fired nine pitches of 100 mph or more in a one-hit eighth 34 days after his major league debut. The 23-year-old righty, added to the NL roster by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, reached 102.3 mph.
There were 21 pitches of 100 mph or more, down from a record 23 last year but up from 13 in 2023, 10 in 2022 and one in 2021.
Robot umpire debuts
Four of five challenges were successful in the first use of the robot umpire in the All-Star Game
Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson also was successful as the first batter to call for a challenge, reversing a 1-0 fastball from Washington’s MacKenzie Gore in the fifth inning that had been called a strike. Mets closer Edwin Díaz and Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk also won challenges, and Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers lost one.
Earning a hand
Freddie Freeman was removed for Alonso with two outs in the third inning, giving the crowd of 41,702 a chance to cheer a player who spent 12 seasons with the Braves and helped win the 2021 World Series title.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived in a Valentino smoking jacket and Christian Louboutin shoes. Instead of having players line up on the foul lines as they were introduced, they walked to a four-level red podium stretching across the infield dirt with flashing lights, smoke a DJ and dancers.
A first-ever All-Star Game tiebreaker, in the form of a home run swing-off, took place Tuesday night in Atlanta after the American and National League teams played to a 6-6 tie in nine innings.
Three players from each team, including the Mets’ Pete Alonso, lined up to take three swings apiece to decide the game.
But as it turned out, Alonso never got to swing because Kyle Schwarber hit three home runs in three swings to win it as the NL outhomered the AL 4-3.
The AL was leading 3-1 after two home runs by Brent Rooker and one by Randy Arozarena, against one by Kyle Stowers from the NL, when Schwarber hit three to put them ahead.
Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays had a chance to re-take the lead for the AL and leave it up to Alonso, but he failed to hit a home run in three swings, missing one by only a couple of feet high off the right field wall.
The new format was adopted so that managers wouldn’t have to hold back pitchers for the potential of extra innings, allowing as many players as possible the chance to participate in the game.
Here are some takeaways...
-For a long time, it looked like Alonso’s three-run home run in the sixth inning would be the difference in the game, as it gave the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
However, the AL rallied for two runs in the top of the ninth, the last one scoring on an infield hit, a slow roller to third, by Steven Kwan against Edwin Diaz.
Alonso jumped on a 1-0 fastball at 93 mph from KC Royals’ lefty Kris Bubic and drove it over the right field wall for a three-run shot that gave the NL a 5-0 lead at the time.
Fernando Tatis Jr. started the inning with a walk and promptly stole second base. Brendan Donovan then grounded a ball to deep short and easily beat Bobby Witt Jr.’s throw to first, as Tatis went to third.
Alonso, who had replaced Freddie Freeman at first base in the third inning, got jammed in his first at-bat against Seattle Mariners’ right-hander Bryan Woo. This time he got a pitch out over the plate and took it to the opposite field for a no-doubter of a home run.
It was the third home run by a Met in an All-Star game, following Lee Mazzilli in 1979 and David Wright in 2006.
There were two other home runs in the game: Diamondbacks’ outfielder Corbin Carroll delivered a solo shot, also in the sixth inning following Alonso, and gave the NL a 6-0 lead.
Rooker hit a three-run shot in the seventh inning off Giants’ right-handed reliever Randy Rodriguez, cutting the NL lead to 6-3 at the time.
The show of power on both sides was fitting for a game that featured an in-game tribute to the late Hank Aaron, the late home run king who played for the Braves in both Milwaukee and Atlanta.
Tuesday night’s game was paused going into the top of the seventh as MLB paid tribute to Aaron with a video and light-show reconstruction of sorts of Aaron’s 715th home run in 1974 in Atlanta that broke Babe Ruth’s then record total of 714.
The tribute included Vin Scully’s memorable TV call, played for both the Truist Field crowd and the national TV audience to hear.
The NL led 6-4 going into the ninth but San Diego Padres’ reliever Robert Suarez gave up back-to-back doubles with one out, at which point Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts went to Diaz.
The Mets’ closer was fortunate that Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s one-hop smash down the first base line was fielded by the Braves’ Matt Olson for the second out of the inning. But Kwan then hit a slow roller toward third and easily beat it out as Bobby Witt Jr. scored from third to tie the game.
-Clayton Kershaw, appearing in the game courtesy of a Legends pick by MLB, was mic’d up as he pitched the second inning, and had some fun with it, commenting on each pitch he chose to throw.
He embraced the conversation with Joe Davis and John Smoltz of FOX, and as he went to a 1-2 count on Vlad Guerrero Jr., even invited Smoltz to call the next pitch.
“Smoltzie, what do you want?”
“Cutter in,” Smoltz replied
To which Kershaw feigned indignance, and said, “I don’t throw a cutter, Smoltzie.”
Then he threw a slider that froze Vlad Jr. for strike three, his second out of the inning, at which point Dave Roberts pulled him from the game to get a standing ovation from the crowd.
Yankees’ left-hander Carlos Rodon pitched a scoreless third inning for the AL, allowing one hit, a double by Pete Crow-Armstrong.
-Mets’ left-hander David Peterson pitched a scoreless fourth inning for the NL. He allowed a pair of two-out singles but got Ryan O’Hearn on a soft comebacker to the mound to escape the inning.
-Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie who gained instant fame of sorts by being named to the NL All-Star team after only five starts, showed off his 100-mph-plus fastball while pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
Misiorowski threw nine fastballs at 100 mph or harder, including a few at 102 mph, though he recorded no strikeouts. Instead, he gave up some hard contact but allowed just one hit, on a 94-mph change-up, a single by the Rays’ Jonathan Aranda.
-Eugenio Suarez, a potential trade target for both the Mets and Yankees, was hit on his left hand by a pitch by Chicago White Sox reliever Shane Smith.
Suarez was examined on the field by medical personnel but stayed in the game. He went on to make a nice barehanded play in the ninth on a slow chopper hit by the Royals’ Maikel Garcia, throwing him out by a full stride.
LAS VEGAS — Adam Silver spun it as a step forward, the next step toward NBA expansion. It felt like the NBA's existing owners pumping the brakes on that idea.
What the league will be doing now is a more in-depth study, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the completion of the NBA Board of Governors' meeting. There is no timeline for this study to be completed, let alone a timeframe for cities to be chosen — Seattle and Las Vegas remain the clear frontrunners — or for new owners to buy in at whatever the price point becomes, or for teams to start play.
"It's really day one of that analysis, and so in terms of price, potential timing, it's too early to say," Silver said.
That feels like a setback to a fan base in Seattle that has been waiting for the league to return. It also feels like some owners want to slow the process down, although Silver would spin it as them being deliberate.
"Ultimately, the league office was tasked by our board with doing an in-depth analysis of all the issues around expansion, both economic and non-economic," Silver said after the Board of Governors meeting. "Of course, the non-economic issues include dilution of talent, how it could potentially affect competition throughout the league…
"The economic issues, as we knew would be the case in these discussions among the board, they're very complex because of how you would potentially value the opportunity has a lot to do with your projections on the future growth of the league. Because you are selling equity, and for every additional team you add, you're diluting the economics of the current league."
The economic factors are complex, including the challenge most of the league faces in finding good local broadcast solutions to show their games to their local fans. Then there's franchise valuations — the Celtics recently sold for a valuation of $6.1 billion, and the Lakers sold for a valuation of $10 billion. How much is an expansion franchise worth now, and what will it be worth going forward?
Those economic factors can be worked out if the owners want to, but is there an appetite among the existing 30 owners to expand?
"I think the appetite in the room I would define more as curiosity and more as let's do the work," Silver said. "I think if I were an owner, ultimately what you're considering is, is this additive to the league? And additive can be measured in lots of different ways. There's additive economically, but I think you're also thinking from a competitive standpoint, how would particular markets impact our national footprint?"
Silver has suggested in the past that he thinks the league should expand, but at the end of the day he works for the owners and if they want to go slow, if there is not a consensus to move forward, then Silver is the guy tasked with being the face of the decision to study it more.
Seattle (a lock to get a team) and Las Vegas are the frontrunners to be the league's next franchises, but other cities and entities have reached out to the league. That kind of energy is good for the league, which would like to set a high price and have enough demand to meet it.
What is that price? What are those cities? When will that decision be made? The league will study that in depth, but it will take a while, and this whole process will proceed slowly until then.
Clayton Kershaw and Will Smith bump gloves when Kershaw leaves the game during second inning. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
In a week where so much of the focus was on players who weren’t playing in the All-Star Game, and those who were selected that weren’t seen as deserving, it was the player who had been in more Midsummer Classics than anyone else who delivered the most profound reminder.
Before the start of Major League Baseball’s 95th All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, National League manager Dave Roberts called upon longtime Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw to speak in the clubhouse.
And in an impromptu pregame speech as the team’s elder statesman, Kershaw imparted the most important lesson he’s learned from his 11 All-Star Games.
“The All-Star Game, it can be hard at times for the players,” Kershaw recounted when asked about his message to the team. “It’s a lot of travel, it’s a lot of stress, chaos, family, all this stuff.”
“But,” the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer added, “it’s meaningful, it’s impactful for the game, it’s important for the game. We have the best All-Star Game of any sport. We do have the best product. So to be here, to realize your responsibility to the sport is important … And I just said I was super honored to be part of it.”
Kershaw, admittedly, was picked for this year’s game for more sentimental reasons than anything.
After making only 10 starts in the first half of the year following offseason foot and knee surgeries, the future Hall of Famer was shoehorned in as a “Legend Pick” by commissioner Rob Manfred, getting the nod a week after becoming the 20th pitcher in MLB with 3,000 strikeouts.
The honor made Kershaw feel awkward, with the three-time Cy Young Award winner repeatedly joking that he hadn’t really deserved to return to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2023, despite his 4-1 record and 3.38 ERA so far this season.
At first, he acknowledged, he even had a little hesitancy about participating in this week’s festivities in Atlanta.
“My initial response was just, you don’t ever want to take somebody’s spot,” he said. “You don’t ever want to be a side show.”
A side show, however, Kershaw was not.
Instead, as the man with the most All-Star selections of anyone in this year’s game (and the fourth-most by a pitcher), Kershaw was at the center of one of the most memorable moments from the National League’s win on a tiebreaking home run derby after a 6-6 tie.
Upon entering the game at the start of the second inning, he retired the first two batters he faced; the latter, a strikeout looking of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He then turned to the dugout to see Roberts coming to get him, ending what could very well be his final appearance in the Midsummer Classic (even though, he has made a point of noting, he has not made any decision on retirement after the season).
And as he exited the mound, he was serenaded with one of the night’s loudest ovations, waving a hand in appreciation before blowing a kiss to his family in the stands.
“I didn’t anticipate to be here. I definitely didn’t anticipate to pitch,” Kershaw said. “So it was awesome. So thankful for it now.”
Many others in Atlanta felt the same way about sharing the week with Kershaw.
Shohei Ohtani watches his base hit during the first inning. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
NL starter Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates had the locker next to Kershaw in the Truist Park clubhouse, and joked his only hope was that veteran left-hander wouldn’t get sick of him by the end of the event.
“He’s such a class act, it’s just so impressive,” Skenes said. “We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today, and he had all his kids, and watching him as dad too, it was a cool experience.”
San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb recalled his memories of watching Kershaw while growing up in Northern California.
“I just respect him so much, watching him pitch,” Webb said. “You could’ve asked me five years ago, and you could’ve said Clayton Kershaw was a legend already. He is a legend. I’m just happy I’m able to share a clubhouse with him.”
Kershaw’s lighter side was on display Tuesday, as well, with the pitcher mic’d up with the Fox broadcast team for his brief outing.
“I’m gonna try to throw some cheese real quick, hold on,” he joked while unleashing an 89-mph fastball to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, which turned into a lineout in left thanks to a diving effort from Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs.
“Hey!” Kershaw exclaimed. “That was sick.”
On his first pitch to Guerrero, Kershaw threw another fastball that the Blue Jays' star took for a strike.
“Right down the middle,” Kershaw said. “I’m so glad he didn’t swing.”
When Guerrero got to a 1-and-1 count after a curveball in the dirt, Kershaw contemplated his next pitch.
“I think I probably gotta go slider,” he said. “Let’s see what Will thinks.”
Behind the plate, teammate Will Smith instead called for a curveball.
“Nope, he wants curveball again,” Kershaw laughed. “All right, fine.”
Guerrero swung through it — “Oh, got him,” he said — before freezing on a slider two pitches later for a called third strike.
“I’m getting blown up by former teammates saying, ‘Wow, you’ve changed so much,’ and they’re right,” Kershaw joked afterward, acknowledging his once-fiery demeanor never would have allowed him to embrace an in-game interview like that. “I don’t think I would’ve ever done that [in the past]. But it was actually kind of fun.”
Really, that was the theme of Kershaw’s whole week.
Reluctantly accepting his stature as one of the game’s most decorated players. Accepting an invitation designed to honor his career accomplishments. And providing a reminder of the All-Star Game’s meaning, in what will perhaps be his last time on such a stage.
“It’s a very awesome, special thing to get to come to All-Star Games,” he said. “I remember the first one, how special that was. And I don’t think a lot has changed for me over the years to get to come to these things. So I don’t take that for granted. I think it’s really awesome. I mean, I shouldn’t be here anyway, so it’s very possible this could be my last one. So it was just a very awesome night, special.”
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels argue in a recent court filing that a federal securities class action brought by purchasers of WBD stock is without merit. The plaintiffs say they were misled by WBD’s statements and omissions about negotiations for a new NBA TV deal last year.
Jonathan D. Polkes and other White & Case attorneys representing WBD, Zaslav and Widenfels insist the lawsuit is undercut by “wall-to-wall media coverage of the negotiations” between WBD and the NBA over media rights, talks that spiraled into their own legal controversy.
After WBD and the NBA, who had been in a 40-year partnership, failed to reach a deal during an exclusive negotiation period, the NBA weighed outside bids and accepted ones from NBCUniversal and Amazon. WBD then invoked a matching provision, but the league rejected it. The NBA argued it was not a “match” in a technical sense since it came with revisions to Amazon’s offer, and there was disagreement about whether WBD could distribute NBA games through streaming in the same manner as Amazon. WBD sued the NBA last July for alleged breach of its matching right. The parties settled last November and agreed to a new partnership.
That same month, Richard Collura and other investors filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York for violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint portrays WBD officials as misleading investors as to its ability to employ the matching clause and “omitting the significant financial impact WBD would face if it lost NBA rights.”
To that end, the complaint references comments from Zaslav, including from 2022 when he told journalists, “we don’t have to have the NBA.” The complaint also cites comments by Zaslav in 2024 when he referenced “constructive and productive” negotiations with the league and when he stated, “we have matching rights that allow us to match third-party offers before the NBA enters into an agreement with them.”
In addition, the complaint details stock price fluctuations that appeared to be connected to public perceptions about the WBD-NBA negotiations and subsequent fallout. Along those lines, the complaint points out that a “main driver” for WBD and similar broadcast companies is live sports.
“The NBA generated hundreds of millions of dollars annually in advertising revenue, supported WBD’s other sports-related shows, and allowed WBD to charge high carriage rates to cable and satellite providers,” the complaint asserts. It also contends that “the NBA provided WBD with a ‘halo effect’ that boosted all of WBD’s other properties, as well as contributed towards WBD’s non-tangible assets like goodwill.”
WBD’s memorandum of law in support of the motion to dismiss contends the case is flawed for several reasons.
For starters, the WBD-NBA negotiations were extremely public in ways that investors and prospective investors of publicly traded companies are normally denied.
“It was impossible to read the sports pages or watch ESPN,” the memorandum notes, “without knowing about the ongoing NBA negotiations, that the negotiations were being monitored obsessively by the media, the industry, and the public, that the outcome was uncertain, and that the outcome would have a financial impact on both WBD and the NBA.”
Numerous news and analysis stories about the negotiations are cited to show investors were exposed to high levels of information about the negotiations.
The memorandum also points out investors and prospective investors could have availed themselves of “the steady drumbeat of disclosures in WBD’s public filings and statements specifically discussing these facts.” Those disclosures, including SEC filings, “expressly warned of the risks” for WBD in losing the NBA deal, including with respect to revenue and goodwill and the importance of maintaining sports content licenses.
Further, the memorandum draws attention to numerous comments by Zaslav saying negotiations with the NBA were important. The fact that he declined to share all the specifics about the negotiations was to be expected, the memorandum suggests, since business leaders in private negotiations with other companies’ leaders could betray confidences and undermine their bargaining position by revealing too much detail.
From this lens, it wasn’t problematic that Zaslav said during an earnings call in May 2024—a couple of months before a matching period would begin—it was “not the time to discuss” details in the NBA negotiations. During that call he also addressed related topics that were not as sensitive, including “costs, churn and [WBD’s] initiatives on bundles.”
WBD also points out that statements made by Zaslav and Wiedenfels were accurate and true. The two men noted that matching rights existed, which was undisputed, without assuring they would be able to exercise those rights without objection by the NBA.
“In fact, the speculation about whether WBD could effectively exercise those rights was also widely discussed in the media,” the memorandum observes. To that point, Sportico and other media detailed dueling arguments as to whether matching rights could apply to the structure of Amazon’s deal, a topic that became the source of a lawsuit before it was resolved via settlement.
Still another alleged flaw with the complaint, WBD argues, is that the company knew it would fail to keep the NBA but nonetheless acted as if the negotiations were legitimate.
The complaint argues that the “quick resolution of WBD’s lawsuit against the NBA” is evidence to that effect. The complaint notes that the parties settled “less than four months after WBD filed its lawsuit” and “before any discovery had been completed.”
As the plaintiffs see it, the lawsuit-settlement sequence “demonstrated that, far from believing in their ability to enforce the Matching Clause, Defendants knew that they could not and did not use the Matching Clause to retain the NBA Rights, and instead filed their lawsuit as a face-saving measure and negotiation tactic that WBD quickly abandoned.”
WBD suggests that a theory positing, as WBD puts it, “Defendants knew all along that they would lose the NBA contract and that the months of negotiations were a sham” is illogical and belied by facts.
“Glaringly absent,” WBD writes, “are any particularized allegations to support this argument of fraud-by-clairvoyance.” The company instead cites a more “straightforward inference” that “WBD was engaged in tough negotiations with the NBA and hoped it would secure the NBA rights, but, ultimately, the NBA chose competing offers.”
The plaintiffs will have the chance to argue against the motion to dismiss. The case is before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla.
The NHL announced the schedule for the 2025-26 season's opening night on Monday. The Florida Panthers will raise their second-straight Stanley Cup banner against the Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins traveling to New York to take on the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Opening night will conclude with the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Los Angeles Kings.
All games will take place on Tuesday, October 7, on ESPN.
This will be the second straight season that the Penguins will open with the Rangers. The Rangers came to PPG Paints Arena on October 9 to start the 2024-25 season and thrashed the Penguins 6-0. The game was virtually over by the end of the first period since the Rangers scored three goals in the opening frame.
This year's version takes on a much bigger meaning, as former Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will face his old team immediately. He led the Penguins to two Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, along with seven total playoff appearances. Sullivan is also the winningest and longest-tenured head coach in franchise history.
He appeared set to be the Penguins' head coach for an 11th-straight season before he and the Penguins agreed to part ways on April 28. It was a tough decision, but one that's for the best, as the Penguins have missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and haven't won a playoff series since 2018. They are also in a rebuild and won't be genuine contenders for a bit.
"I talked to him every day throughout the year, and worked together every day throughout the year, and there were times throughout the year where I started to think that it may just be time for a number of reasons," Penguins general manager and president Kyle Dubas told reporters regarding the decision. "It's a lot to ask of somebody when they've done such a long and successful job here to be managing that and continue to transition the team through."
The Rangers, who fired Peter Laviolette after missing the playoffs this past season, wasted no time and hired Sullivan to be their next head coach on May 2. They believe he can unlock more of their players' potential and help them return to the playoffs this upcoming season.
It's poetic that Sullivan will face his former team right at the beginning of the season after all the success he had with the Penguins during his 10-year reign as head coach. He will have the opportunity to coach against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust (unless Rust gets traded), all players with whom he won championships. It will also be bittersweet for those four players since they loved having him behind the bench. The NHL loves a good storyline, and they are getting one by scheduling these two teams on opening night.
Sullivan changed the way the Penguins played in 2016 with a super aggressive forecheck and stingy defense. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks remains the perfect example of what his system looks like when it's functioning at its best. The Penguins overwhelmed the Sharks in the offensive zone, doubling them up in 5v5 high-danger chances, 18-9. None of the Sharks' HD chances came in the third period. Heck, they only had three total scoring chances at 5v5 in that period despite being down a goal.
Even outside of the Sullivan factor, the Rangers are one of the Penguins' biggest rivals and have been for several decades. The rivalry has intensified significantly since the two teams met in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. The Penguins had a 3-1 series lead over the Rangers and looked destined to move on to the second round before the Rangers stormed back to win the series in seven games. Since then, a lot of the regular-season games between the two sides have been nasty.
The Rangers won't have Penguins-killer Chris Kreider for any of the matchups this season, which is a big deal. Kreider has nine goals and 12 points in his last 10 games against the Penguins, but was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in June. Instead of facing Kreider three to four times a season, the Penguins will only get to see him twice this year.
That said, the Rangers still have several players who can cause you trouble, including Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, JT Miller, Vincent Trocheck, and Adam Fox, among others. It's going to make for an entertaining start to the season and has the added fuel of the Sullivan factor.
Sullivan won't receive his video tribute from the Penguins right away, as the game will be at MSG, but it will come as soon as the Rangers play in Pittsburgh for the first time. The rest of the 2025-26 NHL schedule will drop on Wednesday.
The Edmonton Oilers will soon have to focus on re-signing their captain, forward Connor McDavid, and while they have plenty of time to get that done, there is already speculation surrounding him, and the Los Angeles Kings have been linked to him.
Johnston talking about how teams would be stupid not to plan for McDavid UFA no matter how slim the chances (SDPN): "I'm sure it has occurred to the Kings, I'm sure it has occurred to the Rangers, you don't think Julien BriseBois down in TB is looking at his long-term roster?"
Chris Johnston doesn’t connect the Kings to McDavid directly, but he mentions that they are probably watching what’s going on. With every day that goes by, worry begins to grow amongst Oilers fans, and the Kings could try to take advantage.
General manager Ken Holland, who worked with the Oilers previously, could look to convince McDavid to join the Kings if they can find a way to make the money work.
Now, everyone knows McDavid will re-sign with the Oilers at some point. However, until it’s made official, everyone in the NHL will plan for the small chance that he hits free agency, including the Kings.
The southpaw was then the fifth pitcher to enter for the National League on the night, and he continued a strong stretch of pitching for the squad.
Peterson set down Riley Greene with a slider out of the zone, then got Aaron Judge to roll over to Francisco Lindor, before allowing back-to-back singles to Home Run Derby champ Cal Raleigh and Vlad Guerrero Jr..
He was able to escape the threat just two pitches later, though, getting Baltimore’s Ryan O’Hearn to roll one softly right back to him, officially closing the book on his first All-Star inning with no runs against.
He threw just 12 pitches during the efficient outing, 10 of which were strikes.
Peterson became the first Mets pitcher to throw a scoreless inning in the ASG since Jacob deGrom (2019) -- funnily enough, the ace righty was in the opposing dugout on Tuesday representing the Rangers.
“It was awesome,” Peterson said. “To be out there and compete, to get Lindor a groundball and then finish the inning with an assist to Pete, it was a great experience -- I’m very honored to be a part of this and I had a lot of fun these past couple of days.”
With his festivities officially in the books, Peterson now turns his attention to the second half of the season.
The left-hander was spectacular for New York during the opening half of the year -- stepping up masterfully with Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea sidelined to injuries, pitching to a 3.06 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 18 outings.
Now that they are back, Peterson feels the Mets are in a good spot.
“It’s exciting having those guys back,” he said. “Seeing Senga come back, seeing Sean for the first time, I’m excited -- going to enjoy these next two days off but then get back to work and make that final push.”
A few innings later, though, the slugger gave the rival crowd something to cheer about.
After Fernando Tatis Jr. and Brendan Donovan reached to lead off the inning, Alonso stepped to the plate looking to do some damage against Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic.
Bubic fell behind 1-0 and then tried to sneak a middle-middle fastball past the big man, but he was not fooled and smacked it 367 feet the other way for an opposite-field three-run homer.
Alonso became just the third Met to leave the yard in an All-Star Game, and the first since David Wright did so back in 2006.
"For me, I think that beats any Derby win," he said postgame. "That's really special, so I'm stoked. I was stoked to do that, stoked to preform the way I did today -- it was just an awesome and incredible experience."
PETE ALONSO HITS A THREE-RUN HOMER IN THE ALL-STAR GAME!
