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A Baker’s Dozen

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s starter Sonny Gray pitched six innings of one-run ball and Willson Contreras hit a two-run home run, leading the Red Sox to a 6-1 win and a four-game series sweep of the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Sox, who are now on a 13-game win streak, broke open the game with a three-run third inning before Contreras ripped his second homer in three games to round out the scoring in the fifth.

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Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-4 and scored a run for the Red Sox.

Gray (12-1) scattered one run on five hits — including a solo, inside-the-park home run by Victor Mesa Jr. — en route to his ninth straight quality start. The veteran right-hander has now allowed one run or fewer in five consecutive outings.

Gray threw just 49 of his 91 pitches for strikes, but the Rays went 0-for-15 with runners in scoring position on the day. Chandler Simpson (2-for-4) was the lone Tampa Bay batter with multiple hits.

The Red Sox responded to Mesa’s inside-the-park job into the right-center-field triangle in the second by tying the game in the bottom half. After Caleb Durbin hit a leadoff single to left, stole second and took third on a throwing error, Andruw Monasterio doubled into the left field corner to make it a 1-1 game.

A three-run third off Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan (8-6) put the hosts in firm control. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out, and a passed ball brought Jahmai Jones home with the leading run. Durbin and Romy Gonzalez followed with an RBI fielder’s choice and groundout, respectively.

The big inning proved to be more than enough offense for Gray, who stranded two runners on base in each of the first three frames before dealing a 1-2-3 fourth and inducing an inning-ending double play in the sixth to conclude his outing.

The Red Sox added to their lead in the fifth, as Rafaela knocked a leadoff single up the middle before scoring on Contreras’ two-run homer to deep right-center field.

McClanahan left after five innings, having given up all six runs (four earned) on five hits. He walked three and fanned three.

Greg Weissert, Jovani Moran and Ryan Watson all pitched scoreless innings to clinch the win for Gray.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | July 19

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PHILADELPHIA – (Reported at this week’s MLB ASG) – Each summer, Major League Baseball takes a little break for the annual All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This season, the Midsummer Classic, as they love to call it, was here in the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Phillies were the hosts and their fans – those with a terrible reputation as being just a tad too passionate – were out in force.

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Yes, the same people who threw snowballs at Santa Claus (Eagles) and outwardly boo’d Saint Nick were dressed in Phillies red this week and they were rooting hard for their hometown heroes. The Philly fanatics were especially proud of starting pitcher Christopher Sanchez and sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, although ace Zack “I’m not going to be disrespected” Wheeler declined his late invite to the game when Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns came up lame.

The Philly fans were vocal on Monday night when the MLB Home Run Derby (rumored to be on Netflix) took over the stadium and 43,863 spectators jammed their way into gorgeous Citizens Bank Ballpark 41 years to the day when Sir Bob Geldorfstaged the greatest rock concert of all-time right down the block at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

That concert – coupled with a simultaneously staged show at Wembley in London – raised money in relief of the famine in Ethiopia and what stands as proof from that incredible 1985 rock show and this week’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game is that sports and music are two international languages, each with the power to change the world for the better.

Case in point for the All-Star Game; at the end of the 5th inning, all those mean and nasty Philly fans stood as one. They grabbed ‘sharpies’ or whatever marker was handy and scribbled the name of someone they love, loved or maybe someone losing a battle against cancer and they participated in utter silence when the FOX Sports television cameras came back from a very brief break.

On a brighter note, some saluted survivors while others thanked doctors and nurses, surgeons and oncologists who cured their special someone of the dreaded diseases that all form one, terribly tagged as Cancer.

MLB’s “Stand Up to Cancer” is, by far, the most amazing community event any sports or entertainment entity undertakes. While the JIMMY Fund in Boston is doing its thing every summer by raising some $1 billion at a $75 million clip each year with thePan Mass Challenge (PMC) with every cent going to cancer research at Dana Farberand some of the other great research institutions of the USA (thank-you Johns Hopkins), MLB takes a broader approach and simply asks everyone in attendance to “Stand Up” in the fight against cancer.

It is an incredibly powerful moment in time for, as once, everything in the world of baseball – STOPPED 🛑.

How often does that happen? (No labor jokes are allowed).

Philly faves Boyz to Men sang Michael Jackson’s “I’ll be there,” as the players, umpires and, most importantly, 43,000+ fans stood in a silent tribute.

The moment is so powerful on site at the game that it actually travels through time and space and into the living rooms, TV rooms, bars and saloons to every single fan watching the game come the break between the home (National League) 5th and the visitor’s (American League) top of the 6th inning.

Names are displayed. Everyone has a direct connection.

Everyone.

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Memories are etched into a small 8 1/2 x 11 placard and tears begin to flow.

Put simply, it’s impossible not to cry, to weep, to bawl unrestrainedly as you recall a loved one lost to cancer.

Personally, I was thanking my lucky stars and the very research money being collected to have had a Johns Hopkins and Harvard trained surgeon work his magic to use an incredible robotic device and his masterful, steady hands to literally “zip out” what he later told me was “quite a bit of it” from my innards.

My thanks to Dr. Douglas M. Dahl of Mass General.

And to his colleague Dr. Anthony Zeitman of Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology and his capable team who brought in the cavalry to be sure the cancer was gone for good. Side note: The cocky MD said, “Listen, you’re going to die … pause … but you’re not dying from this!”

Dr. Zeitman learned his craft at the Imperial College London School of Medicine and is always recognized amongst America’s top doctors. I’ll second the motion and will be thinking of him tonight as I do of him, and Dr. Dahl, almost every day of my life.

I was thinking of Heather Walker of the Boston Celtics who was diagnosed with the rare brain cancer, glioblastoma, in January 2021 and passed away on April 26, 2023 after undergoing several clinical trials but also raising more than $644,000 in her #Move4Heather campaign to raise money for very specific cancer glioblastoma research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where she had been treated.

TL, Heather Walker, John Caron

Heather was a force of nature and she performed her job with the utmost professionalism, as the Celtics noted in a news release when she passed and later when they dedicated the pressroom at TD Garden to her, “Displaying exceptional courage, she made a point of raising awareness for glioblastoma through the Move4Heather movement, wanting to use her situation to help the lives of others, which was entirely consistent with her character,” the Celtics said. “Through her illness, she was resolute and extraordinary in boosting the spirits of those around her, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and essential awareness in hopes of easing the suffering and saving the lives of others.”

Sadly, I’ve had a few other NBA PR colleagues pass away from various forms of cancer and we remember them all, naming press rooms and celebrating their memories each basketball season. One, “A.T,” has been fighting for what he calls a long journey, fighting the disease in hospitals and cancer centers from Atlanta to Houston.

Tuesday night, after the 5th inning, I was thinking of my high school friend, “J.J.”

He played third base for the Holy Trinity Titans, so an “H.T. (or Titans) for J.J. will be on my placard at Citizens Bank Park and I’ll be thinking of his decade-plus more fight against several different forms of cancer. With some, just as we thought he had it licked, another form of the disease would surface.

Most recently, J.J. has been making monthly trips from New York to Los Angeles, California to see Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong – the man who saved his life two times over. In fact, they have a little saying, “I’m one day closer to being cured and I hope that those you love are one day closer, too.”

Readers of WWYI can still participate in any way you choose. Visit StandUpToCancer.org and make a donation of any dollar figure you can afford.

Don’t be afraid or ashamed to shed a tear when you donate, but do so knowing “we’re one day closer to a cure.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Oh my, the D-R-A-M-A in the W-N-B-A continues. Just this week, we had …

  • Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello disparaged Atlanta Dream center-forward Angel Reese
  • Brondello apologized
  • Caitlin Clark put up a record 45-points, 10-assists outing vs. Seattle Storm
  • That performance included a key 3-pt FG to give Indy a 105-102 lead at :39.2
  • On Thursday, in answer to a question on a CNBC Roundtable broadcast, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Clark was being used as a “political football”
  • Going back to a June 24 game between the Indiana Fever and Mercury, Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas made contact with her fist to Clark’s throat in the second quarter.
  • Thomas was not called for a foul on the play during the game, but the league subsequently upgraded the play to a flagrant foul and suspended her one game for “recklessly making contact with her fist.”

Here are some basic thoughts on the big picture issues:

The league is – always was and will be – VERY physical. It’s nothing new. Right from ‘97, we used to say, ‘these girls are NASTY.” At Olympic level, our bigs would BANG with Aussies, Russians like it was football.

Thus, it’s impossible to officiate. – if you replaced WNBA staff with best BIG EAST officials or even the NBA officiating staff, they’d struggle. It’s war under there, and a lot of contact at top of key and perimeter – “Jordan Rules kinda stuff”

Caitlin gets it x2. (racial and/or jealous players). 4). Commish should’ve resigned day after last season as she lost players

And, my opinion – which is not widely agreed upon by the experts – Caitlin Clark was GREAT in college, and she played at such a high confidence level, but no one defended her. Zippo. S

She’s still GREAT – easily one of the Top 10 in WNBA – but she gets bullied and bounced. She’s young, and a bit slight (weight/body strength). Every night, she’s facing more physically gifted players. Think John Wall, Trae Young, or Jeremy Lin as NBA type comparisons.

Now, think of the way the great Allen Iverson dealt with all the pressure, the attention, the tag as “The Franchise and The Answer,” as he was getting decked every time he drove the lane. Iverson kept his mouth shut, barely, maybe never showed aggression after he got clobbered. Iverson just walked to the free throw line and drained two shots.

In my opinion, and I totally agree it might not be fair, but I think Clark needs to watch a lot of Iverson footage.

HALL ESCORTS: Each year, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame indictees are asked to choose another (or more than one other) Hall of Famer to present them to the masses at the hallowed Hall in Springfield and accompany them on-stage at the ceremony. It is quite an honor.

The 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees and Presenters:

Joey Crawford – Danny Crawford (Class of 2025), Rod Thorn (‘18)

Mike D’Antoni – Jerry Colangelo (‘04), Bob McAdoo (‘00), Steve Nash (‘18), Amar’e Stoudemire (‘26), Rod Thorn (‘18)

Elena Delle Donne – Sylvia Fowles (‘25), Marianne Stanley (‘22)

Mark Few – John Calipari (‘15), Grant Hill (‘18), John Stockton (‘09)

Chamique Holdsclaw – Tamika Catchings (‘20), Tina Thompson (‘18), Teresa Weatherspoon (‘19)

Candace Parker – Tamika Catchings (‘20), Allen Iverson (‘16), Cheryl Miller (‘95), Dwyane Wade (‘23)

Doc Rivers – Kevin Garnett (‘20), Paul Pierce (‘21)

Amar’e Stoudemire – Jerry Colangelo (‘04), Mike D’Antoni (‘26), Grant Hill (‘18), Tracy McGrady (‘17), Steve Nash (‘18), Rick Welts (‘18)

1996 USA Basketball Women’s National Team – Teresa Edwards (‘11), Lisa Leslie (‘15), Rebecca Lobo (‘17), Katrina McClain (‘12), Dawn Staley (‘13), Sheryl Swoopes (‘16), Tara VanDerveer (‘11)

Sizzlin’ Sox Find a Way

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox are in unfamiliar territory, and they’ll hope to remain there Sunday when they wrap up a four-game series against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays.

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Boston’s 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay on Saturday extended the team’s winning streak to 12 games and moved Boston’s record to 49-48. It’s the first time the Red Sox have been over the .500 mark this season since they beat Cincinnati on opening day.

Boston pitching held opponents to 17 runs during the first 11 games of the team’s winning streak, but it was power at the plate that produced Saturday’s win. Wilyer Abreu homered twice, including a two-run shot off Garrett Cleavinger that gave Boston a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning. Tampa Bay led 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh.

“Never a doubt,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said with a laugh after the game. “Electric. It was awesome. Once again, we didn’t get a ton of hits early, but the ones we got mattered. The at-bats late, Wilyer obviously, just (an) electric win.”

The winning streak has moved Boston from the bottom of the American League East standings into third place. The Red Sox trail the division-leading Rays by seven games.

“They feel good about themselves and another game that shows, at the moment, they don’t feel like they’re out of it,” Tracy said. “If you keep it close, they feel like they’re gonna make a run at it, so it was awesome, awesome to watch that.”

Abreu, who hit a solo home run to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead, has 15 home runs this season, including four in his last two games.

“When (Abreu is) not hot, he still takes quality at-bats,” Tracy said. “When he hits a homer or two, you feel like they come in bunches, and they certainly are right now and they’ve been in big spots.”

The Rays enter Sunday’s matchup looking to end a four-game losing streak.

“(The Red Sox are) having a bunch of good at-bats right now,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “We fell behind Abreu right there (in the seventh), who’s as hot as anybody maybe in the game. I think we threw him three fastballs in a row and on the third one he capitalized.”

The Rays outhit the Red Sox 10-6 in the loss, but five of Boston’s six hits went for extra bases. In addition to Abreu’s two home runs, Jahmai Jones hit a two-run homer for the Red Sox. It was his second game with Boston since he was acquired from Detroit.

Tampa Bay received solo home runs from Victor Mesa Jr., and Jonny DeLuca.

“We did some good things offensively,” Cash said. “That was encouraging. Hopefully, we can build off that.”

Sunday’s pitching matchup will feature Tampa Bay left-hander Shane McClanahan (8-5, 2.83 ERA) and Boston righty Sonny Gray (11-1, 2.54).

McClanahan has a 5-1 record and a 2.23 ERA in seven career starts against the Red Sox. Gray is 6-6 with a 4.14 ERA in 17 career appearances (15 starts) against Tampa Bay.

–Field Level Media

The Open: Burns in Front

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ROYAL BIRKDALE – (Wire Service Report) – Sam Burns shot a 5-under par 65 with a clean back nine in the third round of The Open Championship to take a two-stroke lead Saturday at Southport, England.

Burns sits at 10-under 200 and ahead of New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who became part of history with a third-round 62, and South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who posted 67, at Royal Birkdale  Golf Club. Fox and Kim are at 8 under.

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Burns is making a run at his first title in a major after strong efforts earlier this year by tying for second in the Masters and finishing as the U.S. Open runner-up.

His 62-65 run over the past two rounds is the lowest 36-hole stretch in major championship history.

Burns has five victories on the PGA Tour, but none this year.

Fox matched a majors record with 62 early in the day to surge into the lead. He’s the third golfer in this tournament to post 62, joining the accomplishments of Burns and second-round leader Lucas Herbert of Australia from Friday.

Fox, who made the cut by two strokes, moved to 8 under for the tournament after a round sparked by playing the first eight holes in 5 under.

Herbert, whose lone PGA Tour triumph came in the 2021 Butterfield Bermuda Championship, slumped to 71 and is tied for fourth place with Ryan Gerard (69) at 7 under.

Bryson DeChambeau, who was embroiled in controversy following the second round after he was assessed a two-stroke penalty, had a steady round of 69 to hold a tie for sixth place. Until the final hole, his only bogey came on the second hole, and he posted birdies on Nos. 6, 15 and 17.

So DeChambeau, who played Saturday in a pairing with Burns, is at 6 under with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg (67) and first-round leader Jackson Suber (70).

Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who began the round four strokes off the lead, shot 70 and stayed at 4 under. On the surface, it was a quiet round with a birdie on No. 5 and a bogey at No. 16 along with 16 pars.

–Field Level Media

Yo Eleven

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Wilyer Abreu hit home runs in back-to-back at-bats as the Red Sox won their 11th straight game and swept a day-night doubleheader, defeating the visiting first place Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 on Friday night.

Abreu cranked a two-run homer — the first of back-to-back shots with Willson Contreras — in the first inning before leading off the third with a go-ahead solo blast.

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The victory came in a bullpen game for Boston, with six relievers combining to 6 2/3 scoreless innings with four hits behind Eduardo Rivera, who allowed three runs over the first 2 1/3 innings.

Greg Weissert (2-2) earned the win, while Aroldis Chapman pitched a clean ninth for his 20th save. Boston relievers faced the minimum over the final three innings.

Junior Caminero, who hit a solo home run in the third, and Jonny DeLuca both had multi-hit games for Tampa Bay.

The Rays scored a pair of two-out runs to jump out to a first-inning lead, forcing Rivera to throw 36 total pitches after the first two batters were retired on five. A Caminero single and two walks in succession loaded the bases for DeLuca to knock a two-run single past diving Boston shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng.

However, the visitors’ lead did not last long. After Ceddanne Rafaela hit a one-out double down the left field line, Abreu cleared the right-center-field bullpen for a game-tying two-run homer, and Contreras flipped the scoreboard with a solo shot over the Green Monster in the next at-bat.

The long ball trend continued for both teams in the third. Caminero knotted the score again with a one-out solo shot just inside the left field foul pole, but Abreu deposited the second pitch of the bottom half of the frame to deep right-center to put Boston back in front 4-3.

Tampa Bay starter Mason Englert (0-3) retired the next three batters after Caleb Durbin was caught stealing and then got two outs in the fourth, but the Red Sox expanded their lead as Cheng walked and scored from first on Anthony Seigler’s two-out double off the base of the wall in the right field corner.

Boston’s bullpen did the rest. After Weissert recorded the final two outs of the third, Jovani Moran had the longest outing of the bunch, throwing back-to-back 1-2-3 innings.

The Rays’ stable of relievers was also strong. Craig Kimbrel, Cole Sulser and Cam Booser did not allow a hit over three innings behind Englert, who was tagged for eight hits and five runs across the first five frames.

–Field Level Media

 

Ten in a Row, Here They Go

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Report) – Jake Bennett threw six scoreless innings before a six-run sixth inning allowed the Boston Red Sox to blow open a 10-0 win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Friday afternoon.

Masataka Yoshida and Carlos Narvaez each homered as part of three-hit days for the Red Sox, who banged out 15 hits en route to their 10th consecutive victory dating back to July 3.

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Yoshida (3-for-5) added a double and finished a triple shy of a cycle, while Narvaez and Caleb Durbin were both 3-for-4.

Bennett (5-3) allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out three. He has won four straight outings.

Alec Gamboa went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits over the final three innings for a save.

The Red Sox quickly bounced back from going down 1-2-3 to start the game against Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax (5-7), as back-to-back hits by Durbin and Yoshida led to second-inning runs. Jarren Duran drove in the opening run on a sacrifice fly before Narvaez dropped an RBI single into center for a 2-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Bennett threw 3 1/3 no-hit innings before Junior Caminero’s one-out single in the fourth. Jonathan Aranda was Tampa Bay’s lone baserunner before that knock, drawing a one-out walk as the second batter of the game.

In the fourth, Yoshida tucked a leadoff solo homer around Pesky’s Pole in right field to extend the Boston advantage to 3-0.

The first six Red Sox batters reached base and five scored in the sixth. Durbin was hit by a pitch, Yoshida singled to center and Romy Gonzalez walked to load the bases, and then Duran continued the merry-go-round by chopping a two-run single through the right side.

After Chris Roycroft relieved Jax, Narvaez and Tsung-Che Cheng laid down back-to-back bunt singles that produced runs. Catcher Nick Fortes’ throwing error on Narvaez’s chopper plated another.

Roycroft did induce a double play ball, but two more runs came home with two outs, as Ceddanne Rafaela battled through a nine-pitch at-bat for an RBI double off the Green Monster and Durbin knocked another RBI single to right after Wilyer Abreu was intentionally walked.

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In the eighth, Gamboa — who was recalled as Boston’s 26th man for the twin bill — worked around a Taylor Walls one-out double as only the second Tampa Bay hit before Narvaez socked a solo homer over everything in left field to move the Boston lead to double digits.

The Red Sox took their last at-bats with position player Ben Williamson pitching for the Rays.

–Field Level Media

Red Sox vs Rays: Put Up, or Shut Up

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FENWAY – (Wire Service Preview) – The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays certainly hope their players had a restful MLB All-Star break.

It will be a busy return to play for the American League East rivals on Friday as they begin a four-game, three-day series with a day-night doubleheader in Boston. The Red Sox return to play with a nine-game winning streak that has brought them only a half-game outside the playoff picture.

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Since a July 1 loss to the Washington Nationals, the Red Sox rolled to three straight road sweeps against the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago White Sox and New York Mets before the break. Incredibly, interim manager Chad Tracy’s club allowed more than two runs in only one of those nine games, including a pair of shutouts.

“When you’re winning, everything is good,” All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman said.

The Red Sox got timely hitting in Sunday’s final game in New York, winning when trailing after eight innings for the first time this season. Boston scored twice in the ninth to tie the game at 2-2 and Anthony Seigler delivered the game-winning RBI in the 10th inning.

Brayan Bello, who was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to join the bullpen, threw 4 1/3 crucial innings while piggybacking starter Payton Tolle to set the stage for the late-game combination of Chapman and Garrett Whitlock.

It was a good stretch, but important games are ahead. It all starts with the division-leading Rays, who have won four straight and five of the first six head-to-head meetings between the teams this season.

Heading into the break, Tracy’s message was simple.

“Let’s make sure we’re ready to go coming out of the break,” he said. “Do what needs to be done over the break to physically and mentally not let it slip too far from your mind. Make sure we’re ready.”

Tampa Bay went 13-5 in an 18-game span before the All-Star break, splitting a four-game set against the New York Yankees before taking two of three from the Seattle Mariners. Despite the latter series ending with an 8-2 loss, the Rays still boast the best record in the AL by three games.

Manager Kevin Cash had a scare during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero was hit on the finger by a 97-mph pitch in the third inning, but appears to have avoided a major injury as the unofficial second half of the season begins.

“In the moment, I was just scared, right?” Caminero said through an interpreter. “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.”

Rumors have swirled that the Rays plan to be aggressive at the trade deadline in a few weeks, with Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal being among the targets.

“Know that (Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander) will do everything he can to improve our club, like he always does,” Cash said. “Definitely appreciative of the guys that are here right now and feel like we’ve got a very strong group with us right now.”

The Rays have righty Griffin Jax (5-6, 3.47 ERA) taking the ball against Red Sox southpaw Jake Bennett (4-3, 2.64) in Friday’s opening game. Neither team has announced a pitcher for the nightcap.

Jax has won four of his last five starts, with the lone loss coming in a July 6 outing against the Yankees in which he struck out 10 over five innings. He pitched five innings of one-run ball to beat the Mariners in his last start on Saturday.

Jax will look to turn around his career fortunes against the Red Sox, having posted a 0-1 record and 6.75 ERA in 15 career appearances. Only two of them have been starts, including a four-inning no-decision (two earned runs on four hits) on May 7 this season at Fenway Park.

The 25-year-old Bennett has won three straight starts, working at least seven innings in back-to-back victories over the Angels and White Sox. He held the Chicago to four hits over seven scoreless frames on July 8.

Bennett has lost two starts against the Rays this season, however, going 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 innings.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox Acquire Jahmai Jones

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BOSTON – (Wire Service Report) – The Boston Red Sox added a right-handed batter to their outfield platoon on Tuesday by acquiring Juhmai Jones from the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named later.

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In a corresponding move, the Red Sox optioned outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A Worcester.

The Tigers designated Jones, 28, for assignment last Thursday after he batted .137 (13-for-95) with two home runs and seven RBIs in 57 games for Detroit this season.

Jones is a career .214 hitter with 10 homers and 41 RBIs in 198 regular-season games for the Los Angeles Angels (2020), Baltimore Orioles (2021), Milwaukee Brewers (2023), New York Yankees (2024) and Tigers (2025-26).

The Angels selected Jones in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

He joins a Red Sox roster with left-handed-hitting Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida rotating through the lineup in the outfield and at designated hitter.

Eaton, 29, is 4-for-32 (.125) with one homer and five RBIs in 14 games for Boston this season. He is a career .221 hitter with three homers and 22 RBIs in 127 games for the Kansas City Royals (2022-23) and Red Sox (2025-present).

The right-handed hitter is batting .283 with five homers and 22 RBIs, a .348 on-base percentage and .450 slugging percentage in 48 games for Worcester this season.

–Field Level Media

A National Disgrace

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – It took outfielder Cody Bellinger seven years to get back to the MLB Midsummer Classic. Now he’s part of a select club in the event’s history.

Bellinger and New York Yankees teammate Ben Rice hit consecutive RBI singles during a three-run first inning, and the American League pitched a three-hitter in a 4-0 victory over the National League in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

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With Bellinger driving in two, he was ultimately named the game’s MVP, joining fellow Yankees Derek Jeter (2000), Mariano Rivera (2013) and Giancarlo Stanton (2022) who have earned the honor. The game’s MVP award was introduced in 1962.

“It’s special, man,” said Bellinger, who appeared twice previously in the event with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and 2019. “I mean, you know, wearing this jersey, I feel proud wearing it. It comes with a lot. And I just try to put my best foot forward every day and give it everything I got.”

Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox added an eighth-inning solo shot in his All-Star debut as the AL avenged a 7-6 loss to the NL by swing-off tiebreaker in 2025. There haven’t been consecutive wins by the same side in the exhibition since the AL won nine in a row from 2013 to 2022.

Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease struck out the side in the bottom of the first in his All-Star debut. The Kansas City Royals’ Michael Wacha, Minnesota Twins’ Joe Ryan and Cleveland Guardians’ Cade Smith fanned two batters each in respective shutout innings of relief.

“It’s the game now,” said Blue Jays and AL manager John Schneider. “Guys’ stuff is unbelievable. To see Luis Arraez strike out and Yandy Diaz strike out a couple times. It’s just kind of like, you never see it. So it speaks volumes to how good these guys are.”

Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero exited in the third after taking a 1-0 offering from the St. Louis Cardinals’ Riley O’Brien to the left hand. He underwent X-rays, which were negative, and Caminero said he expects to be available on Friday when the regular season resumes.

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“In the moment I was just scared, right?” Caminero said through an interpreter. “Kind of in that situation right then and there you’re thinking the worst, and I honestly thought something might have been broken, but look, you know, thank you to God that everything’s fine and you know, now it’s just a little bit sore, but we’re all good.”

It was a rough night for the hometown Philadelphia Phillies, beginning when starter Cristopher Sanchez worked into first-inning trouble.

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After a leadoff strikeout, the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez singled, and the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers walked. Sanchez made a nice play on a chopper in front of the mound to retire the next batter, but then walked the bases loaded before Bellinger and Rice both hit hard grounders up the middle to make it 3-0.

Phillies hitters Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Bryce Harper combined to finish 0-for-5 on the evening with four strikeouts. Harper also lost an ABS challenge during his at-bat.

Then again, there were only five total NL baserunners. The Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman and Cincinnati Reds’ Sal Stewart both worked walks. The New York Mets’ Juan Soto singled in his second at-bat, the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in the eighth and the Miami Marlins’ Otto Lopez singled with two outs in the ninth.

National League batters totaled 15 strikeouts, the AL had 12 to go along with seven hits.

Philadelphia closer Jhoan Duran received his ceremonial, strobe light-aided entrance with one out in the final frame and retired the final few batters in the top of the ninth. But even his showing lacked some ballpark energy, with many of the announced crowd of 43,916 already having departed.

It was an underwhelming end for an event resoundingly embraced by its host.

Philadelphian recording artists Patti LaBelle and Boyz II Men as well as Jennifer Hudson were among the pregame and in-game entertainment. There were also appearances by former Phillies All-Stars Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

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Schneider, who grew up in nearby Princeton, N.J., even greeted Boyz II Men in the visiting dugout.

“Everything was really cool, but awesome to shake their hand and say, hey, huge fan. You know what I mean?” he said. “A-46-year-old dude saying, hey, huge fan. But everything about tonight was pretty special.”

Early on, fans roared in approval of their hometown stars, and booed a few select participants, notably Yankees and Mets players, and Home Run Derby winner Jordan Walker of St. Louis, who defeated Schwarber in the event Monday night.

–Field Level Media

When the Baseball World Stops

by

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PHILADELPHIA – Each summer, Major League Baseball takes a little break for the annual All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. This season, the Midsummer Classic, as they love to call it, is here in the City of Brotherly Love. The Philadelphia Phillies are the host and their fans – those with a terrible reputation as being just a tad too passionate – are out in force.

Yes, the same people who threw snowballs at Santa Claus (Eagles) and outwardly boo’d Saint Nick are dressed in Phillies red this week and they’re rooting hard for their hometown heroes. The Philly fanatics are especially pleased with starting pitcher Christopher Sanchez and sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, although ace Zack “I’m not going to be disrespected” Wheeler declined his late invite to the game when Cincinnati Reds starter Chase Burns came up lame.

The Philly fans were vocal on Monday night when the MLB Home Run Derby (rumored to be on Netflix) took over the stadium and 43,863 spectators jammed their way into gorgeous Citizens Bank Ballpark 41 years to the day when Sir Bob Geldorf staged the greatest rock concert of all-time right down the block at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

That concert – coupled with a simultaneously stage show at Wembley in London – raised money in relief of the famine in Ethiopia.

What stands as proof from that incredible 1985 rock show and tonight’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game is that sports and music are two international languages, each with the power to change the world for the better.

Case in point for tonight’s game; At the end of the 5th inning, all those mean and nasty Philly fans will stand. They’ll take a ‘sharpie’ or whatever marker is handy and scribble the name of someone they love, loved or maybe someone losing a battle against cancer and they’ll participate in utter silence when the FOX Sports television cameras come back from a very brief break.

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On a brighter note, some will salute survivors while others might thank doctors and nurses, surgeons and oncologists who cured their special someone of the dreaded diseases that all form one, terribly tagged as Cancer.

MLB’s “Stand Up to Cancer” is, by far, the most amazing community event any sports or entertainment entity undertakes. While the JIMMY Fund in Boston is doing its thing every summer by raising some $1 billion at a $75 million clip each year with the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) with every cent going to cancer research at Dana Farber and some of the other great research institutions of the USA (thank-you Johns Hopkins), MLB will take a broader approach and simply ask everyone in attendance to “Stand Up” in the fight against cancer.

It is an incredibly powerful moment in time for, as once, everything in the world of baseball – STOPS.

How often does that happen? (No labor jokes are allowed).

Philly faves Boyz to Men will sing Michael Jackson’s “I’ll be there,” as the players, umpires and, most importaly 43,000+ fans stand in a silent tribute.

The moment is so powerful on site at the game that it actually travels through time and space and into the living rooms, TV rooms, bars and saloons to every single fan watching the game come the break between the home (National League) 5th and the visitor’s (American League) top of the 6th inning.

Names are displayed. Everyone has a direct connection.

Everyone.

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Memories are etched into a small 8 1/2 x 11 placard and tears begin to flow.

Put simply, it’s impossible not to cry, to weep, to bawl unrestrainedly as you recall a loved one lost to cancer.

Personally, I’ll be thanking my lucky stars and the very research money being collected to have had a Johns Hopkins and Harvard trained surgeon work his magic to use an incredible robotic device and his masterful, steady hands to literally “zip out” what he later told me was “quite a bit of it” from my innards.

My thanks to Dr. Douglas M. Dahl of Mass General.

And to his colleague Dr. Anthony Zeitman of Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology and his capable team who brought in the cavalry to be sure the cancer was gone for good. Side note: The cocky MD said, “Listen, you’re going to die … pause … but you’re not dying from this!”

Dr. Zeitman learned his craft at the Imperial College London School of Medicine and is always recognized amongst America’s top doctors. I’ll second the motion and will be thinking of him tonight as I do of him, and Dr. Dahl, almost every day of my life.

I’ll be thinking of Heather Walker of the Boston Celtics who was diagnosed with the rare brain cancer, glioblastoma, in January 2021 and passed away on April 26, 2023 after undergoing several clinical trials but also raising more than $644,000 in her #Move4Heather campaign to raise money for very specific cancer glioblastoma research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston where she had been treated.

Heather was a force of nature and she performed her job with the utmost professionalism, as the Celtics noted in a news release when she passed and later when they dedicated the pressroom at TD Garden to her, “Displaying exceptional courage, she made a point of raising awareness for glioblastoma through the Move4Heather movement, wanting to use her situation to help the lives of others, which was entirely consistent with her character,” the Celtics said. “Through her illness, she was resolute and extraordinary in boosting the spirits of those around her, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and essential awareness in hopes of easing the suffering and saving the lives of others.”

Sadly, I’ve had a few other NBA PR colleagues pass away from various forms of cancer and we remember them all, naming press rooms and celebrating their memories each basketball season. One, “A.T,” has been fighting for what he calls a long journey, fighting the disease in hospitals and cancer centers from Atlanta to Houston.

But tonight, after the 5th inning, I’ll also be thinking of my high school friend, “J.J.”

He played third base for the Holy Trinity Titans, so an “H.T. (or Titans) for J.J. will be on my placard at Citizens Bank Park and I’ll be thinking of his decade-plus more fight against several different forms of cancer. With some, just as we thought he had it licked, another form of the disease would surface.

Most recently, J.J. has been making monthly trips from New York to Los Angeles, California to see Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong – the man who saved his life two times over.  In fact, they have a little saying, “I’m one day closer to being cured and I hope that those you love are one day closer, too.”

Tonight, you can participate in any way you choose. Visit StandUpToCancer.org and make a donation of any dollar figure you can afford.

Don’t be afraid or ashamed to shed a tear, but do so knowing “we’re one day closer to a cure.”