Latest news with #MLB:TheShow
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MLB goes full NASCAR with Braves, Reds uniforms for Speedway Classic at Bristol
In an effort to host more baseball games in more unique locations, the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves are set to play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway, the legendary auto racing track in Bristol, Tennessee, on August 2nd. This will be the first-ever MLB game played at a NASCAR track, and the teams involved are going all-out for their part in league history. On Monday, July 21, the Cincinnati Reds unveiled the uniforms they plan to wear for the contest: white jerseys equipped with classic checkered flag patterns and numbers in the same style seen on drivers' cars. The Braves also revealed their jerseys, which will feature similar NASCAR-inspired numbers, as well as a new ballcap designed by New Era with hod rod flames across the brim. The Aug. 2 game will count as a Reds home game and will be proceeded by games against the Braves at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on July 31 and Aug. 1. The game will be held a little more than a month before the speedway, know as "The Last Great Colosseum," hosts NASCAR's annual Bristol Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 13. The baseball field will be set in the middle of the track's infield. GUARDIANS: Why did Cleveland change baseball team name? Origins of decades-long controversy Are there any other specialty pieces of gear for this game? Rawlings has designed new batting helmets directly modeled after racing helmets for this game. Furthermore, Reds' catcher Tyler Stephenson has already revealed a custom chest plate for the game, modeled after the movie 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.' The straps on the back of the protector include the famous line from the movie: "If you ain't first, you're last." Has Bristol hosted other major sporting events? Bristol Motor Speedway anually hosts two NASCAR weekends a year – one in the spring and one in late summer or early fall. The speedway hosted a college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies in 2016, which had almost 157,000 fans in attendance. Partnership with MLB: The Show The Bristol Motor Speedway ballpark as well as the Reds' and Braves' specialty uniforms are expected to be available to play with in the popular baseball video game MLB: The Show 25. What other fanfare will be at the Speedway Classic? There will be a pregame concert headlined by Tim McGraw, Pitbull, and Jake Owen. Owen will host a full day of musical sets in a dedicated fan zone at the venue, per Bristol Motor Speedway. The Commissioner's Trophy is also expected to make an appearance, giving fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to take photographs with baseball's most coveted trophy.
Fox Sports
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
MLB All-Star Home Run Derby: Twins' Buxton joins Wood, Acuña Jr., Raleigh
Minnesota Twins center fielder and Georgia native Byron Buxton was announced as the fourth participant in the Home Run Derby on Monday. The derby will take place next Monday, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. The 31-year-old Buxton will be the eighth Twins hitter to take part in the derby, which Justin Morneau won in 2008. Buxton joins Nationals outfielder James Wood, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh in the eight-man competition. Buxton, who has 20 homers this season, is from Baxley, Georgia, and was the second overall pick by the Twins in the 2012 draft. In discussing his second All-Star selection with reporters on Sunday, Buxton beamed as he described the excitement of his 11-year-old son, Brix, who regularly plays the Home Run Derby on the "MLB: The Show" video game at home. "He always is like, 'Dad, if you do this, I want to bring you a towel!' and I'm like, 'All right.' That's all he cares about. He wants Dad to do it so he can bring me a towel and a Gatorade. And for me, that's special," Buxton said. "Out of everybody there, all the people he's going to see, that's what he wants and cares about. So it's the small things that add up to the big ones." New York Mets slugger and two-time winner Pete Alonso joined Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. in electing to skip the event. Those players confirmed their decisions to reporters over the course of Sunday and Monday. Alonso was selected as a National League reserve for the All-Star Game in a season when he's hit 20 homers. He won the Home Run Derby in 2019 and 2021. It wasn't held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'm not necessarily called this year to do it. I love the event. It's a sick event. I just didn't really feel motivated to do it this year," Alonso said on Sunday, according to "I just figured I'd take a break, use the break as recovery and get back at it, help the team win in the second half." Although he's not participating this summer, Schwarber left the door open to taking part next season when the All-Star Game is held in Philadelphia. Schwarber has 27 homers this season and made his third All-Star team. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Chicago Tribune
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
‘He's always been a hitter': Chicago Cubs call up Moisés Ballesteros for MLB debut with Ian Happ on injured list
Moisés Ballesteros fittingly was playing the video game 'MLB: The Show' when the call came. Triple-A Iowa manager Marty Pevey phoned Ballesteros on Monday to share the news that his big-league dream was coming true. Ballesteros threw his video game controller in excitement. 'I was in shock for like 5 or 10 minutes,' a grinning Ballesteros said Tuesday in the home dugout at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs made the move official Tuesday afternoon, calling up Ballesteros, their No. 4-rated prospect according to MLB Pipeline, with left fielder Ian Happ going on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Right-hander Tyson Miller was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot for Ballesteros, who started against the Miami Marlins in the seven spot as the designated hitter. 'My nerves, the first time in the big leagues — nothing,' Ballesteros said. 'It's the same game. It's the same goals for me.' He said his goals ultimately come down to one thing: 'Stay here in the Show.' In a twist of happenstance, Ballesteros' parents, Harry and Andry, were able to make it to Wrigley for his debut. They had arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, on Monday from Venezuela on a pre-planned trip to watch him play at Triple A. He was able to share the news of his big-league call-up with them in person. Only 21 years old, the lefty-hitting Ballesteros has raked at every level the Cubs have challenged him with since he signed with the organization for $1.2 million in 2021. And in the process, Ballesteros has put up his standout offensive numbers by facing older pitchers for nearly the entirety of his professional career. For only 41 of his 1,578 plate appearances at all levels, Ballesteros has hit against a younger pitcher. In 34 games with Iowa this season, Ballesteros hit .368 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 18 RBIs and a .942 OPS. He leads all qualified Triple-A hitters in batting average while being seventh in OPS, 11th in on-base percentage (.420) and 14th in slugging percentage (.522). Ballesteros had a 19-game hitting streak from April 11 to May 3, during which he posted a .500 OBP and 1.171 OPS. 'He's always been a hitter,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. 'He's been the youngest player on his team, still, for his whole career. And he's always been one of the better hitters, and that's impressive. 'He's got a gift to hit, that's what his real skill is, what his real talent is, what his gift is. And that's impressive. Every year you look up and you're saying he's doing that at this age, at that level, and you can't help but take notice. It's not easy to do, and you don't see guys do it.' Ballesteros is expected to predominantly DH for the Cubs, though Counsell didn't rule out he might get a look at catcher before adding, 'I don't think that wasn't the intent of calling him up, we have two catchers playing well.' The Cubs are optimistic Happ will only miss the minimum 10 days on the IL, a move that was retroactive to Saturday, because of the oblique strain. But Counsell conceded he had initially thought Happ was only day-to-day, so 'I was wrong already on this one.' Oblique injuries are notoriously tough to predict a recovery time. Seiya Suzuki will take over regular playing time duties in left field during Happ's absence. 'There was a debate whether to kind of stretch this out, to go to kind of come, have him come in every day and see how we're doing,' Counsell said of the IL decision. 'Ultimately, time of year (we) said, 'Let's not go through that process and give it four or five days where you don't have to worry about getting yourself ready to play in a game and have it behind you when you get activated.' So that's what we're going to make sure we do.'
Edmonton Journal
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
How a video game glitch spawned baseball's most unlikely fan club
Article content So imagine his surprise Sunday at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, where he spotted three teenagers, all repping his jersey. And imagine the three teenagers' surprise when he embraced them with open arms. 'I was like, 'What's going on?'' Law said. 'I think about [meeting him] every three seconds, and it still puts a smile on my face every time,' Trent Woods said. Here was the meeting of the Derek Law fan club. Present: three 18-year-olds from Louisville, twins Trent and Trey Woods and their friend Kooper Dean. Plus the man himself, who wandered over from the visiting dugout on a spring afternoon. The teens were so euphoric that they jumped in delight. Law, in Nationals red, was so charmed, he held his cap over his heart. What brought all this about – the jerseys, the scene, the joy? It started with a glitch in a video game. In the 'Diamond Dynasty' mode of video game series MLB: The Show, gamers compete against each other with teams composed of baseball cards. The better the player, the better the rating. The better the rating, the better they are in the video game, generally speaking. For real-life MLB players, though, the game's creators concocted a special twist, called 'Real 99s.' It scrapped the rating system and gave the player a 99 rating for his own card. In simple terms, it meant real MLB players could play with a juggernaut version of themselves.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees Slugger Says Judge Is Playing Beyond Realistic Limits
Even Giancarlo Stanton is running out of ways to describe what Aaron Judge is doing right now. The New York Yankees slugger, who knows a thing or two about hot streaks and jaw-dropping power, didn't hold back when asked about the Yankees captain's torrid start to the 2025 season. Advertisement 'I played MLB: The Show,' Stanton told YES Network. 'And I don't think I could play as good as he's played now. So it's unreal, and it's become almost like everyone just shakes their head. It's can't-miss TV, for sure. It's not an at-bat to miss.' Judge is batting .432, leads the majors in OPS, and has hit safely in 13 straight games. That's a stretch that includes four home runs and more multi-hit nights than most players get in a month. He's not just locked in; he is laser-focused. New York Yankees teammates Aaron Judge and Giancarlo StantonBrad Penner-Imagn Images He's dominating in a way that feels like we should be watching him on a scratchy black-and-white film in a lineup with Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. Advertisement Stanton's comment might sound like playful praise, but let's consider where it's coming from. Remember, Stanton not only once hit 59 home runs in a season and won the National League MVP, but he was the Yankees' best hitter in the playoffs last season. He hit seven home runs in the Yankees' run to the World Series. So, when Stanton, who is on the 60-day injured list, is speechless watching a power hitter, you know what you're watching is special. Judge is the most dangerous hitter in baseball at the moment. And even accomplished hitters are stopping to appreciate it. The Yankees have ridden Judge's bat to a strong start, despite injuries elsewhere in the lineup. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the shelf and Giancarlo Stanton still working his way back, Judge has done more than carry the load; he's turned every plate appearance into must-watch theater. And in a clubhouse full of stars, that still stands out. Related: Giancarlo Stanton Gives an Encouraging Update on His Rehab Timeline Related: A Yankees Legacy Began With a Blast on May 4
