Worldwide Sports News

After the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night, everything stopped.

Players, coaches, managers, umpires and fans joined in to remember those we've lost and those among us who are fighting a battle against cancer.

Providing the music for this year's Stand Up To Cancer moment this year was Philadelphia band Boyz II Men. They came up together at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts before "Motown Philly" and "End of the Road" turned them into one of the biggest R&B acts of the 1990s. The city liked them enough to name a street after them – Boyz II Men Boulevard is real in Philadelphia. Patti LaBelle, also a Philadelphia native, opened the night with the national anthem.

"I'll Be There," is what Boyz II Men chose to carry the crowd through the Stand Up To Cancer moment.

As they sang, fans, players, coaches and umpires held the names of those close to them touched by cancer, including Derek Jeter, who held up the name of former Yankees outfielder Gerald Williams. The 14-year major leaguer died in February 2022 after a battle with cancer. Jeter announced the death himself, calling Williams "one of my best friends in the world."

Together, we stand up to cancer. pic.twitter.com/BanDQxo7C0

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026

Boyz II Men weren't just a hit for the hometown crowd. American League manager John Schneider was into it, too. He went up to them after their performance and shook their hands.

"That was cool. Me and (Twins manager Derek Shelton) were sitting there talking like, wow, this is kind of cool here in Philly. You know, brings you back to your teenage days a little bit," the Toronto Blue Jays manager said. "I thought that everything, every performance, was cool. From that to the anthem to 'God Bless America.' Everything was really cool. Awesome to shake their hand and say, hey, huge fan. You know what I mean, for a 46-year-old dude saying huge fan."

The partnership between MLB and Stand Up To Cancer goes back to 2009, and they have done the same moment at every All-Star Game to help raise awareness. MLB and its 30 teams have put tens of millions of dollars behind Stand Up To Cancer ever since, money the organization credits with helping produce nine FDA-approved cancer treatments.

Rays fans can catch their breath — for now.

Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero exited Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in the top of the third inning after getting drilled on the left hand on a pitch from Cardinals right-hander Riley O’Brien.

Immediately after being hit with a 98-mph fastball from O’Brien, the American League All-Star fell to the ground as his helmet also came off. 

Caminero remained on the ground in pain before popping up shortly after and walking off under his own power.

X-rays came back negative, and he is considered day-to-day, a good sign for the Rays.

View this post on Instagram

“Yeah, in the moment I was just scared, right,” Caminero told reporters after the AL’s 4-0 win through an interpreter, according to MLB.com. “Kind of in that situation, right there in the moment, you’re thinking the worst, and I honestly thought something might have been broken. But look, thank you to God that everything’s fine, and now it’s just a little bit sore, but we’re all good.”

The Rays lead the AL East at 56-38 despite low expectations entering the season, and part of that reason is because of Caminero. 

Caminero has been their offensive engine, as he’s hit 28 home runs and has a .927 OPS through 94 games. 

The 23-year-old also took part in Monday night’s Home Run Derby and fell to eventual winner Jordan Walker in the semifinals.

It’s the type of welcome you’d expect a rival crowd to give you. 

And no, it wasn’t just for a player or coach. 

At the MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Phillies fans loudly booed Mr. and Mrs. Met as they were introduced and presented on the scoreboard. 

In front of a sea of Phillies shirts and hats, Mrs. Met led the charge by walking on top of the first base dugout with her hands out wide. 

Mr. Met followed, and it’s safe to say he had fun on top of the dugout — even if Philadelphia fans were jeering loudly. 

Mr. Met crouched down and appeared to be doing pushups before pumping his fist. 

Even if it seemed harsh, the welcome makes sense. The Mets and Phillies are longtime division rivals. The Phillies lead the all-time series 565-534-1, though the Mets won the only playoff series between the two teams during the 2024 NLDS.

This season, the rivalry has swung in the Phillies’ favor, as they lead the season series 4-2, which includes a convincing 15-3 win on June 20. 

In addition to booing Mr. and Mrs. Met, attendees booed Juan Soto, who’s been in the National League East for the majority of his career, starting with the Nationals and now with the Mets. 

Fans also booed the contingent from the rival Braves when they were introduced, and even chirped at Jordan Walker, who won the Home Run Derby in a thriller over Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber on Monday. 

Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez fittingly got the start for the NL, but yielded three runs in the first inning, courtesy of singles from Yankees stars Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice.

PHILADELPHIA — Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was struck on the left hand by a pitch from St. Louis Cardinals closer Riley O'Brien in the top of the third inning and was immediately removed from the 96th All-Star Game, but appears to have avoided injury.

X-rays were negative, and Caminero said he will play Friday, when the Rays open the second half with a doubleheader at Boston.

O'Brien's 97.6 mph sinker came on the second pitch of the at-bat and hit Caminero on the outside of his left hand. He immediately sprawled on the ground, stayed down for a minute and then bounced up and jogged into the American League dugout.

Junior Caminero left the game after being hit by a pitch in the hand pic.twitter.com/gVuzV9XCbH

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 15, 2026

He was replaced by pinch runner Miguel Vargas.

"I'm fine. Thank God nothing is broken," Caminero said via a translator in the middle innings of Tuesday's game. "I was just scared."

O'Brien was with Caminero in the AL clubhouse when Caminero received his X-ray results.

American League and Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he texted his Tampa Bay counterpart Kevin Cash with Caminero's test results, relieved one of the league's greatest players seemingly dodged a bullet.

"That's the last thing anyone wants to see," Schneider said after the AL's 4-0 victory. "I know X-rays on Junior's pinky were negative, and everything seems to be okay. I shot Kevin Cash a text right after that happened, and he was appreciative of that.

"We'll see them in about a week, so I hope Junior is all right. He's an unbelievable baseball player and even better person. You're trying to do what's right by everyone."

Caminero, 23, made his second consecutive All-Star appearance and hit 28 home runs before the All-Star break. O'Brien saved 24 first-half games for St. Louis.

PHILADELPHIA — In the early going of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, the Yankees were outscoring the National League, 3-0.

After a pregame ceremony heavy on pageantry and patriotism at Citizens Bank Park, the American League got to bat and rallied immediately against Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, with run-scoring knocks courtesy of Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice.

Sánchez got into trouble quickly, watching Yordan Álvarez shoot a one-out single through the middle and walking Shea Langeliers, the pair then advancing a base on a ball Junior Caminero chopped into the ground.

After a Bobby Witt Jr. walk, the bases were loaded with two outs and the stage set for a couple of Yankees hitters to inflict some left-on-left damage.

Bellinger, excellent against southpaws, smacked a single through the middle to score two.

Two pitches later, Rice singled to virtually the same spot to score one more, the two accounting for the three runs the AL would plate in the inning.

Sánchez only allowed more than two earned runs in four of his 20 starts this season.

Editor's note: Follow along for live updates and highlights from the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

Philadelphia fans embraced Mike Trout like one of their own at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

The event serves as a homecoming of sorts for the Los Angeles Angels star. The three-time MVP is a New Jersey native but has deep ties to Philadelphia, which is located 45 miles south of his hometown.

Trout received a loud ovation from the crowd as he was introduced before the Midsummer Classic.

A nice cheer for Mike Trout as he makes his return to the All-Star Game!

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/1jixyUfXM0

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026

"It's been everything," Trout said about this All-Star experience during a pregame interview on the broadcast. "… Philly is a special place, it's where I grew up and it's awesome."

Trout served as the American League's leadoff hitter but struck out in his first at-bat against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez.

Among those in the crowd cheering for Trout were his friends and family.

It was Trout's first All-Star Game appearance since 2019, allowing his two sons, Beckham Aaron and Jordy Michael, to watch him play in the event.

Trout was named as an All-Star for the 12th time in his career. He was selected eight consecutive times from 2012 through 2019.

Paul Skenes might not be pitching in the All-Star Game, but that didn’t stop him from getting dressed up – with his girlfriend, Olivia “Livvy” Dunne. 

Skenes, who was selected to be an All-Star but won’t pitch due to his schedule, posed in an Instagram selfie with Dunne — and on the red carpet — wearing a blue suit, blue pants, a white shirt and a dark blue tie. 

He was pictured next to Dunne, who donned a black and blue dress. 

Dunne held a blue bag in her selfie, which was captioned: “throwing a fit.” 

While being interviewed by reporters on Tuesday, Skenes talked more about his outfit, talking about his alligator boots and an American flag on his tie. 

Dunne, who said she’s wearing Miss Rosier, added she hoped to match Skenes and that he always wears red, white or blue and is a “Patriot.” 

Skenes and Dunne have been together since 2023, when they met while attending LSU.

Skenes’ baseball career has forced their relationship to be long-distance at times, but Dunne said they’ve remained close. 

“I mean, he makes time to come to my events,” Dunne told People in March. “I make time to go watch him pitch. I try to make every start I can.” 

After being selected first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes has blossomed into one of the league’s top pitchers.

He followed his Rookie of the Year win and 1.96 ERA in 2024 by striking out 216 hitters in a Cy Young-winning 2025 campaign. 

Skenes has taken a slight step back in 2026 with a 3.57 ERA but remains one of baseball’s premier young players on an ascending Pirates team. 

While Dunne is no longer a gymnast, she’s now coming to the small screen in the fall and will be part of Fox’s “Baywatch” reboot in her first true foray into acting.

The MLB All-Star Game brings the best players in the game together for a friendly exhibition. But if the game is close as the end draws near, the pressure and the intensity rise to another level.

And if it goes down to the wire, there won't be any extra innings. Instead, if the game is tied after the bottom of the ninth, MLB has created a fun way to settle the score that borrows from the Home Run Derby the previous night.

And last season, a home-run tiebreaker was used for the first time since the new rule was implemented.

Roch Cholowsky is having the time of his life — and his bank account isn’t doing badly either.

Just days after being selected No. 1 overall by the White Sox in the 2026 MLB Draft, Cholowsky signed his rookie contract that includes a record-breaking $10.35 million signing bonus, sources told ESPN.

Cholowsky’s bonus tops the previous mark of $9.25 million for Chase Burns and Charlie Condon in 2024 draft. The slot value for the first pick this year was $11.3 million, so even with the record, the bonus came in slightly under value.

While Chicago hasn’t confirmed the deal, Cholowsky threw out the first pitch at Sunday’s White Sox win and sat in a luxury suite with friends and family. 

“I did see the video [of the first pitch], and I saw the crowd. So it was very exciting,” Cholowsky’s father, Dan, told reporters.

“He flew out 2 or 3 weeks ago and fell in love with the city [Chicago]. I want what’s best for him.” 

“Since he’s been young, I’ve always treated him like a man and I respect his decisions. He said everyone was great to him and he loves it,” Dan added. 

Cholowsky, a 6-foot-2 shortstop, hit .320 with 21 home runs, 60 RBIs and a 1.088 OPS in 60 games for UCLA in 2026. 

Despite falling short of a College World Series title, the Bruins went 51-6 in Cholowsky’s final season. 

Cholowsky hit .329 with 52 homers, 167 RBIs and a 1.072 OPS in 178 games across three seasons with the Bruins. 

He also became the first UCLA player selected first overall since Gerrit Cole went to the Pirates in 2011. 

“You look at what he has done throughout his baseball career, both at UCLA, but prior to that,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz told reporters Saturday. “We had interest in him in high school and then to be able to watch his college career unfold and see what he accomplished and the impact that he had on his teammates and that program and now to envision that type of influence within this organization is something that attracted us to select him at No. 1.”