July 8, 2021
1. Billy Hamilton hits a cricket-esque single off the bounce
The lead story, two days in a row on this newsletter — Billy Hamilton. Unsung center fielder for the White Sox, in the middle of a renaissance season. Who would’ve thought?
And if you missed it the night before, here was his catch:
2. The Home Run Derby field is finalized for next week
3. Speaking of which, the HRs of the night: Peraza, Judge, Ohtani
The clutch hit of the day goes to Jose Peraza, tying it up for the Mets in a last-chance seventh inning, and they went on to win in extras.
Aaron Judge, going very deep in Seattle:
And then Shohei Ohtani, doing it yet again (#32), as he passes Hideki Matsui for the most home runs by a Japanese player in an MLB season:
4. Updates to the Trevor Bauer situation
Bobblehead night cancelled. Merchandise removed.
And as of 3:00 ET today, his seven-day leave has been extended another week. Very unclear what comes next, but it’s not looking so great.
5. The Marlins come back to win three in a row against the Dodgers with a walk-off HR
One more addition to the “Home runs of the night”, with this one being the biggest if it weren’t from a last-place team. Jesus Aguilar, in a tie ballgame, two runners on base. Going deep to left field. Marlins win.
6. The Rays throw a combined “no-hitter” in seven innings
No-hitters (or “no-hitters”) in 2021 have become so commonplace that it’s hardly a story at all. But, at least some acknowledgement is merited here — as the Rays sweep a doubleheader at home, just a few miles away from where the Lightning went on to win the Stanley Cup hours later.
7. Sonny Gray completely strips down between innings
Privately, that is — he did not do his stripping on the mound, foreign substances checks notwithstanding.
8. The defensive play of the night: Teoscar Hernandez
Batting .297 with 11 home runs this year, starter in next week’s All-Star Game. And last night, an unbelievable throw to the plate:
9. Notable All-Star Game opt-outs: DeGrom, Altuve, Correa
Jacob deGrom, in the middle of his best-ever season, and one of the best in baseball history, has opted out to take time off with his family:
And yesterday, he hit a significant milestone out on the mound:
And then down in Houston, as the baseball world gets deprived of a would-be-very-fun chance to boo the Astros at the All-Star Game:
10. Aggressive moment of the night, Johan Oviedo: “Shut the f*** up!”
After the incident, if we can call it that, Yaz responded with the line of the night: “We’re in the entertainment business.”
11. Weird inning of the night, Brad Boxberger
Three walks to start the inning. Then, three straight strikeouts. And a suddenly fragile 3–0 lead for the Brewers stays perfectly intact.
12. And lastly, in streaking news: David Fletcher and the Cubs
David Fletcher, beloved Angels infielder, now has a base hit in 21 straight games, turning his season around completely after a rough first two months. There’s something to watch for in Anaheim other than Ohtani, after all:
And then, the Cubs. Thank the heavens, the nightmare is over. Eleven losses in a row, all hopes at a playoff run gone, but finally — an end to the streak.
