Schedule Sunday 7/13 Futures Game 5:00pm ET/ 2:00pm PT Monday 7/14 Home Run Derby 8:00pm ET/ 5:00pm PT Tuesday 7/15 All-Star Game 8:00pm ET/ 5:00pm PT
ALL STAR FINAL VOTE Chris Sale, Anthony Rizzo voted into All-Star Game ESPN Chicago -- 30 minutes ago White Sox ace Chris Sale and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo made it a Chicago sweep, winning the 13th annual All-Star Game Final Vote on Thursday. Sale and Rizzo both secured the final roster spots for the 85th Midsummer Classic that will be played Tuesday in Minnesota. Sale, who received 6.7 million votes, was one of five pitchers nominated for the American League. He beat out Garrett Richards of the Los Angeles Angels, Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers, Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians and Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros en route to garnering his third All-Star selection. In the National League, Rizzo overtook Justin Morneau of the Colorado Rockies as he secured his first All-Star selection. Rizzo, who received 8.8 million votes, also finished ahead of Atlanta Braves outfielder Justin Upton, Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon and Miami Marlins third baseman Casey McGehee. __
fwiw... Mattingly announced the Dodgers' rotation coming out of the All-Star break: Dan Haren, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and, if he's healthy, Josh Beckett. Mattingly wouldn't say so, but the reason for that order is so that Greinke, Kershaw and Ryu would be lined up for the Dodgers' series in San Francisco July 25-27. __
puigatory Yasiel Puig debuts All-Star worthy look, brands a baseball, then gets ejected By Mark Townsend | Big League Stew Only one player in Major League Baseball is capable of being ejected in the third inning and still stealing the show. That one player, of course, is Yasiel Puig. On Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, Puig was the center of attention from the moment he first walked on to the field, until his third inning exit after home plate umpire David Rackley ejected him for arguing balls and strikes. Undoubtedly, it was a much shorter stay than he, the Dodgers or the 51,794 fans in attendance would have liked. His exit wasn't exactly graceful, either — we understand a few magic words were spoken — but his entrance and pregame antics surely made up for it. Here's the one thing we can definitely take away from Saturday: Yasiel Puig is ready for his All-Star close up. Puig was selected by the fans to start his first All-Star game this Tuesday night at Target Field. He'll also be a participant in Monday's Home Run Derby, meaning he'll have a full slate once he arrives in the Twin Cities. But rest assured, while he's there, he aims to look like a star from head to toe. Yes, that even includes his haircut, which got quite a touch up on Saturday. That's definitely an All-Star worthy haircut, and it's an absolutely perfect look for Puig. Sure, some will view it as arrogance or an attempt to draw attention to himself (which it most certainly is), but who needs to worry about that? It should be all about having fun and embracing being an All-Star, which Puig apparently intends to do. Speaking of which, Puig was preparing for his Home Run Derby appearance during Dodgers batting practice. If the impression he left on this baseball is any indication, we'll be in for treat. Puig hit the ball so hard that the name stamp on his bat left an imprint on the baseball. He literally branded it, which is incredible. Feel sorry for the baseballs headed to Target Park this week. A similar or even more disfiguring fate may await them, especially if Puig is still simmering following the ejection. As for the fans, be prepared to be entertained, because Puig looks like he's bringing his 'A' game. __
National League #ASG lineup: - McCutchen/Pirates CF - Puig/Dodgers RF - Tulowitzki/Rockies SS - Goldschmidt/D'Bags 1B - Stanton/Marlins DH - Ramirez/Brewers 3B - Utley/Phillies 2B - Lucroy/Brewers C - Gomez/Brewers LF - Wainwright/Cardinals P
Don't blame him for picking his guy to start, but his explanation was stupid. "Have the utmost respect for Clayton." But Wainwright b/c of leadership & performance"
I'm glad Gomez and Puig are on opposite ends of the field cause they're crazy enough to like run into each other hahaha.
Former Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas wishes rookie Jose Abreu -- who leads the majors in homers -- was participating in Monday's Home Run Derby, not just Tuesday's game. "I'm disappointed [he wasn't selected]," Thomas told ESPN Chicago in a phone conversation from Minneapolis on Sunday. "He's a breakout star. He needs to let the world know who Jose Abreu is." hey frank guess you somehow missed (or completely ignored) the following nothing like stirring up a shitstorm when you don't know the facts idiot For several weeks now, White Sox rookie Jose Abreu has told reporters numerous times he did not want to participate in the Home Run Derby because he feared it would alter his hitting mechanics. __
New format for 2014 Home Run Derby ESPN.com news services Ten players will compete in the event on July 14 at Target Field, five from the American League and five from the National League. Round 1 Ten participants total; five participants representing each league. The batting order will be determined prior to the event. Hitter No. 1 for the NL will hit first followed by Hitter No. 1 for the AL. This order will continue for hitters Nos. 2-5 for each league, with the NL going first, followed by the AL. Each participant will receive seven outs. The player from each league who hits the most home runs (AL 1, NL 1) will automatically advance to Round 3 (semifinals). The next two participants with the most home runs from each league (AL 2, AL 3/NL 2, NL 3) advance to Round 2. Round 2 The two participants advancing from Round 1 for each league will compete against each other (AL 2 vs. AL 3/NL 2 vs. NL 3). The NL matchup will occur first, followed by the AL matchup, with NL 2 and AL 2 choosing if they want to hit first or second. Each participant will receive seven outs. The winners from the Round 2 matchups (one from each league) will advance to Round 3 (semifinals). Round 3 (Semifinals) The top seed from each league (AL 1, NL 1) will face the winner from his league's Round 2 matchup. The NL matchup will occur first, followed by the AL matchup, with NL 1 and AL 1 choosing if they want to hit first or second. Each participant will receive seven outs. The participant from each league with the most home runs will advance to the finals. Round 4 (Finals) The semifinal winners (one player from each league) will compete for the crown of Home Run Derby champion. The batting order will be determined by a coin flip, which will be held at a meeting at home plate between the two finalists and their league captains (note that a finalist and team captain could be the same person). Each finalist will receive seven outs. Tiebreaker(s) If two or more players are tied for advancement into the next round or for the championship, each player will receive three swings to hit as many home runs as possible. If they are still tied after three swings, they will each take one swing. This process is repeated if necessary until one player wins the swing-off. __
