Freeman, Smith join Ohtani to give Dodgers 3 All-Star starters for first time since 1980
Detroit will have three fan-picked starters for the first time since 2007 after second baseman Gleyber Torres along with outfielders Riley Greene and Javier Báez were voted in at their positions for the July 15 game at Atlanta's Truist Park.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker of the Chicago Cubs were picked for the NL outfield along with Ronald Acuña Jr. of the host Braves.
Arizona second baseman Ketel Marte, New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and San Diego third baseman Manny Machado also were voted NL starters.
Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson. Cleveland third baseman José Ramírez and Baltimore designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn were picked as AL starters.
Wilson edged Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. 52% to 48% and will become just the second rookie shortstop to start an All-Star Game after Baltimore's Ron Hansen, who started both games in 1960. Wilson's father, Jack, was an All-Star for Pittsburgh in 2004.
There will be nine first-time starters for the second time in three years. Wilson will be joined by Greene, O'Hearn, Raleigh and Torres in the AL lineup and Crow-Armstrong, Lindor, Smith and Tucker in the NL lineup.
Báez edged the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout 26% to 24% in the closest vote, winning the third AL outfield slot.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge earned a starting spot last week as the top vote-getter in the first round, when Ohtani was picked as NL DH with the top total in his league. Under rules that began in 2022, voting is split into two stages, and the second phase ran from Monday to Thursday.
Los Angeles hadn't had this many starters since first baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell and center fielder Reggie Smith in 1980 at Dodger Stadium.
Detroit's three elected starters for the 2007 game at San Francisco were catcher Iván Rodríguez, left fielder Magglio Ordóñez and second baseman Plácido Polanco.
Freeman is the senior All-Star, picked for the ninth time and his fifth as a starter. He will return to Atlanta, where he starred from 2010-21.
Guerrero, Judge, Marte, Ohtani and Ramírez were holdovers from last year's elected starters.
Pitchers and reserves will be announced Sunday.
___
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Clayton Kershaw reflects on long, difficult journey to 3,000 strikeouts
LOS ANGELES — There was no difference in Clayton Kershaw's slow, methodical trot off the mound. It was the exact same walk he's made back to his Dodger Stadium dugout thousands of times. Stoicism painted his face, even as a capacity crowd showered him with the kind of raucous applause heard after a World Series win. His manager of a decade, Dave Roberts, pumped his fist, a gleeful grin on his face. Advertisement But Kershaw didn't acknowledge his feat — 3,000 career strikeouts — until he was about 10 paces from the dugout. There, he stopped, took off his hat and saluted the people who had spent 18 seasons supporting him. He'd spent all night chasing strikeouts, getting one pitch away and not finishing the job. The bullpen had warmed up twice. His pitch count eclipsed triple digits for the first time in years, and the distinct fear of getting No. 3,000 during his next start in Milwaukee left a pall over the evening. Then, Kershaw fired a slider over on the outside corner to White Sox infielder Vinny Capra. It wasn't a good one, Kershaw said. But as soon as home plate umpire Jim Wolf rung Capra up, that no longer mattered. 'I was pretty desperate to get strikeouts all day,' Kershaw said with a chuckle, letting his guard down after the 5-4 walkoff win, on-field celebration and clubhouse toast. 'I understand the list of what the 3,000 strikeout club is. So I am grateful to be a part of that list. But at the end of the day, individual stuff comes and goes. It's just the people around you that make it special. I'm so thankful for that.' It hasn't been easy for Kershaw to embrace making this about himself, to admit that this moment was as big a deal to him as it was for everyone else. His teammate, Freddie Freeman, has been counting down each strikeout. So has his oldest son. But for a pitcher who has won three Cy Young awards, an MVP, a Gold Glove, garnered 10 All-Star Game invitations and won two World Series, this still meant something. To the 53,536 fans who were there, to all the family and friends who came out. To even the two managers — both of whom he's faced — this was a celebration of a career as much as it was a milestone. 'To get 3,000 strikeouts, that takes a long time,' Roberts said. 'And a lot of trials, tribulations, surgeries, rehabs, frustrations, tears. To continue to fight back, come back, show up and post, that's hard to do. 'Now, I think he can even say that every box has been checked.' Dodgers fans often get derided for showing up late and leaving early. On Wednesday, the capacity crowd was almost entirely seated by the time Kershaw's quest began. For them, it was an emotional roller coaster, disappointment after disappointment, audible groans heard even when he recorded outs. Boos abounded when the home plate umpire wouldn't ring up batters on pitches well off the plate. The 37-year-old produced 13 two-strike counts through the first five innings. Roberts said it was like managing a no-hitter, with the push-and-pull of when to remove the starter changing with every pitch. Advertisement No one was there to watch the Dodgers and the White Sox. They wanted to see Kershaw secure the final 0.1 percent of his all-time milestone. And until it happened, there was no guarantee that it would. 'I honestly didn't pitch that great tonight. My slider was so bad,' Kershaw said. 'It's a little bit harder when you're actually trying to strike people out. I've never really had to do that before.' After two innings, Kershaw's K till was empty. The first 11 batters came and went. Three runs scored — Austin Slater already had a home run and a triple. Fifty pitches in, and nothing to show for it. This night had been the preordained endpoint, with dozens of Kershaw's friends and family in attendance. And suddenly, the odds of him finishing it off went from a sure thing to on the verge of perilous. Then, he got Miguel Vargas, a former teammate, whiffing on a curve off the inside corner in the third. A brief reprieve, then another 11 batters passed before he struck out Lenyn Sosa in the fifth. When he finally caught Vinny Capra staring at his signature slider in the sixth, he'd thrown a season-high 100 pitches. It was his last batter, a must-K situation. And the surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer rose to the occasion. 'He made a really good pitch,' Capra said. 'He's a really good pitcher, and he's been doing it for a long time.' It's a refrain Capra repeated several times after the game. He'd only had a couple hours to process his place in history, and a few minutes to get over the gut-wrenching walk-off loss. Cheers, Kersh. — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 3, 2025 It's been 17 years, one month and eight days since Kershaw recorded his first career strikeout — an up-and-away fastball to Skip Shumaker. A proud hitter who, all these years later, can appreciate his place in Kershaw's career, even if it came at his own expense. 'Let's ambush him, welcome him to the big leagues,' Shumaker thought, reflecting on his mindset before the at-bat. 'I'm like, first pitch, I'm going for it. I'm gonna welcome this kid to the big leagues.' Advertisement By the end of the at-bat, Shumaker said he had a new thought: 'Oh boy, this is going to be a long game.' 'I think people would be lying if they told you that they knew. They knew he was going to be an All-Star pitcher. There was no doubt,' said Shumaker, who went on to play for the Dodgers in 2013, and is regularly reminded by Kershaw of the punchout. 'Did I think I was going to be one of 3,000? No. I did not think that. What he's turned into, I'm just so happy for him.' After Shumaker, the strikeouts continued. Buster Posey was his 500th strikeout in 2011, then came Yonder Alonso for K No. 1,000 two years later. Drew Stubbs was the 1,500th victim a decade ago, Jonathan Villar marked No. 2,000 in 2017 and Nick Ahmed No. 2,500 on Sept. 3, 2020. It's been five long years since the last milestone. Kershaw has been on the IL seven times and signed three free-agent contracts since. He's been beaten up in the playoffs, and at times, looked like his career might be over. But on Wednesday, he finally crossed the finish line. And as he looked up into the crowd, to his family seated on the first row of the second deck, it all felt worth it. 'We've been through it, we have,' Kershaw said. 'I've been through it, a lot. Ups and downs here. More downs than I care to admit. But the fans tonight, it really meant a lot. It was overwhelming.'
NBC Sports
25 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Caitlin Clark to miss 4th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark will miss her fourth consecutive game with a strained left groin for the Indiana Fever when they host Las Vegas. The Fever announced Clark's status on Wednesday, a day before their game against the Aces. Clark's most recent absence, the WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, did not count toward the regular-season standings. 'She's making progress,' Fever coach Stephanie White said. 'Making progress and feeling good are two different things. We want to make sure that she feels good. We want to make sure that she's confident. We want to make sure that we're not putting her in a position to have any setbacks.' Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft and one of the two captains selected for the WNBA All-Star Game later this month, never missed a game in college at Iowa or with the Fever as a rookie. A strained quadriceps earlier this season kept her out for five games.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Deciphering what's real about the WNBA. Plus: A pair of U.S. Soccer wins
Good morning. Tragic news overnight, as Liverpool's Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car accident in Spain. More here. Talking Points: WNBA business booming — but what about for players? Lately, it's never a dull week in the W. We just wrote Sunday about the flurry of activity around Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, but we already have updates there. Plus: veritably seismic news about the league's expansion plans. Advertisement So as we barrel toward the second half of the season, I thought it would be worth bringing in an expert to provide some fresh, well-informed talking points to have in mind while hanging around the BBQ this weekend. Here's Sabreena Merchant: In your story with Ben Pickman earlier this week, we got concrete details on the disparity between Clark's pay and what she's actually worth — potentially $1 billion — to the league. What's the biggest takeaway? 💬 Although various economists threw out different numbers regarding Clark's overall value, no one disputed the rocket fuel she has poured onto the WNBA economy, in terms of ticket sales, TV viewership, merchandise sales and even the number of people voting for the All-Star game. It's a monumental shift. The problem that kept popping up is that the convoluted ownership structure of the WNBA — 42 percent belongs to the WNBA, 42 percent to the NBA owners and 16 percent to investors in a 2022 capital raise — prevents the players from recouping that value. While NBA players get a 50/50 split of basketball-related income, WNBA salaries account for about 10 percent of the league's revenue. Advertisement The league announced Monday it's expanding to 18 teams by 2030. Give us a vibe check on the reaction. 💬 I may be the wrong person to ask, but there has been a general swell of enthusiasm about adding more roster spots and being able to grow the business of the WNBA. Players have consistently advocated for more investment in their product, and the three new ownership groups are doing that, to the tune of $250 million in expansion fees per team. For reference, the expansion fee for Golden State, which debuted less than two months ago, was $50 million. There is some concern about the league chasing expansion instead of solidifying the business of the 13 existing franchises — check out Satou Sabally's comments on that front. The WNBA is also publicly touting its growth while privately keeping money away from players in CBA negotiations. It's a tough balancing act to strike. More: Will the league stop at 18 teams? Advertisement Oh, right: the actual basketball! What's an underrated story on the court as we approach the second half? 💬 Phoenix (12-5) has five rookies in its rotation, four of whom were undrafted and played the first part of their professional careers abroad, yet sits second in the standings. While Indiana (8-8), Las Vegas (8-8) and even Seattle (10-7) were projected to be the biggest threats to a Minnesota-New York finals encore, the Mercury have been the most consistent team outside that duo, and their offseason acquisitions of Sabally and Alyssa Thomas have meshed seamlessly. How Phoenix holds up now that the rest of the league has tape on its new roster is something to keep an eye on moving forward. Thank you, Sabreena! My take: This league is genuinely rising, but there's some reason to worry about the bubble bursting. Let's keep it moving News to Know A pair of U.S. Soccer wins There was just something about concurrent U.S. men's and women's national team games on a summer evening that felt … so right. It apparently did for the players, too: The men's side advanced to the Gold Cup final with a 2-1 win over Guatemala last night, thanks to a pair of goals from Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna, while the women handled rival Canada 3-0 in a friendly. Luna's second goal within 11 minutes was a banger: Emma Hayes' USWNT went 3-0 in this window, scoring 11 goals and conceding none. Mauricio Pochettino's team will play Mexico on Sunday with a chance to win his first trophy as USMNT manager. 🍿 Advertisement Kershaw's big milestone Dodgers veteran Clayton Kershaw became the 20th pitcher — and just the fourth lefty — in MLB history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts last night in a win over the White Sox. The 37-year-old joins Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer as active members of the club. Our story notes Buster Posey has the most career plate appearances against Kershaw (120), which got me wondering: Who has the presumptive Hall of Famer struck out most? Check tomorrow's newsletter for the answer. More news The Knicks are expected to finalize a deal soon to hire Mike Brownas their next head coach, league sources said. More intel here. (This and all links below free to read!) Advertisement An update on Red Panda: The legendary halftime performer severely fractured her wrist in Tuesday's fall, which was caused by the left pedal of her unicycle being damaged while in transit, per her manager. American Taylor Fritz survived another late-night, five-set thriller at Wimbledon to advance to the third round. Read our Day 3 briefing. More than 600 people are registered for the Women's Pro Baseball League's first tryouts next month; 150 will be made eligible for the draft in the fall. Very cool. A's shortstop Jacob Wilson was the only rookie voted in as anMLB All-Star Game starter, a decent surprise as he edged out the Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. Full lineups here. Advertisement Bills first-round pick Maxwell Hairston has been accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit stemming from an alleged incident when he was a freshman at Kentucky. Read more. 📫 Love The Pulse? Check out our other newsletters. What to Watch 📺 Women's Euros: Spain vs. Portugal 3 p.m. ET on Fox Our summer of soccer continues. Spain, the reigning women's World Cup winner, begins its tournament as the favorite, while Portugal hopes to advance past the group stage for the first time in its four major tournament appearances. Follow our Euro 2025 coverage here. 📺 WNBA: Fever vs. Aces 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video Two star-studded teams, each sitting at .500 with one-third of the season behind them. Caitlin Clark is set to miss her fourth straight game with a groin injury, but her team should be in good spirits coming off its Commissioner's Cup win earlier this week. Pulse Picks There's probably something we could all learn from 73-year-old Pete Carroll, now the oldest head coach in NFL history, about aging gracefully. His consistency in approach has made Carroll the NFL's 'Benjamin Button,' as Michael-Shawn Dugar and Tashan Reed write. Advertisement The grass on which Coco Gauff announced herself six years ago now appears to be her worst surface, rather than her best. What's the problem? Smart piece here from Asli Pelit on how women's soccer players are building media ventures to 'seize the mic, shape the narrative and open doors for the next generation.' Jesse Granger has a comprehensive piece on how the Vegas Golden Knights have adopted a 'home run' philosophy as an organization. Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Bobby Bonilla Day explainer. Good for him. Most-read on the website yesterday: Live updates from Day 3 at Wimbledon. More there today! Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA, The Pulse 2025 The Athletic Media Company
