Sports
AL Pitching Shines Again in Midsummer Classic Shutout Win
PHILADELPHIA — The American League won Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, which automatically makes it worthy of being stuck in a time capsule so that future generations know what the Midsummer Classic was like a quarter of the way through the 21st century.
The AL’s 4-0 victory improved the Junior Circuit to 23-5-1 in the All-Star Game since 1997. It is 32-10-1 since 1983, when Fred Lynn hit the first (and for at least one more year, only) grand slam in game history to fuel a 13-3 win that snapped the National League’s 23-2-1 streak dating back to 1960.
“Anytime you come in, you want to win,” Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler said.
Cody Bellinger had a chance to join Lynn in the history books when he walked to the plate with the bases loaded in the first. His two-run single was enough to give the AL the lead for good (obviously) and lock up MVP honors in yet another low-scoring All-Star Game.
“We took advantage early of some guys getting on base, put some pressure and put the ball I play,” Rays pitcher Nick Martinez said. “Little bit of Rays baseball there.”
And while the Rays have the best record in the AL despite ranking 16th in the majors with 425 runs and 26th with 94 round-trippers, you can’t get much more Rays baseball than piecing together a low-hit game.
AL catchers Dillon Dingler and Adley Rutschman said they both noticed a zero underneath the NL’s hit column until the fourth, when Juan Soto singled for the first of just three hits for the National League.
The AL was working on a combined one-hitter until Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in the eighth. And only a two-out ninth-inning single by Otto Lopez prevented the National League from matching the fewest hits in an All-Star Game. The NL was also two-hit in 1990.
“Having arm after arm after arm after arm, that just makes it so much easier on us,” Dingler said.
Eleven AL pitchers recorded 15 strikeouts, tied with the 2015 NL squad for the second-most all-time in a nine-inning All-Star Game. Thirteen of the NL’s 21 batters Tuesday struck out at least once, including three-time batting champ Luis Arraez, who is hitting .330 this year and has 23 more regular season walks than strikeouts over his eight-year career.
The NL did a pretty good job too Tuesday, when it limited the AL to one run on four hits — including Miguel Vargas’ seventh-inning homer — over the final eight innings.
Ten of the 20 AL batters whiffed at least once, including former batting champ Yandy Diaz, who leads the league with a .322 average.
The teams combined for five runs or fewer for the third time in the last five years and the fifth time in 13 All-Star games since 2013 — a good summation of an era in which every team’s bullpen is churning out guys throwing A-plus stuff. There were five runs or fewer scored in an All-Star Game just five times from 1997 through 2012.
“That’s the game now — you know guys’ stuff is unbelievable,” AL manager John Schneider said. “To see Luis Arraez strike out and Yandy Diaz strike out a couple times is kind of like — you never see it.
“I think the bullpen guys kind of fed off of it. They were all excited coming off the mound. It speaks volumes to how good the pitching is.”
And for one more year, at least, the result spoke of how good the AL is in the All-Star Game.
“Always feels good to win, no matter what it is,” Rutschman said.
Sports
WTA roundup: Former DC champ Liudmila Samsonova wins opener
Jul 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Liudmila Samsonova celebrates after her match against Madison Keys (USA) (not pictured) on day one of the Mubadala DC Open 2026 at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Liudmila Samsonova, the 2022 Mubadala DC Open champion, enjoyed her return to Washington on Monday, beating sixth-seeded Madison Keys 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.
The Russian withstood 10 aces from Keys by winning 80% of her first-serve points (35 of 44).
It was a less stressful day for other seeded players, as eighth-seeded Emma Navarro defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 and seventh-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Canada controlled Poland’s Magda Linette 6-1, 6-4.
Other winners on Monday were Ashlyn Krueger, Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.
Memphis Classic
Katie Volynets battled for a 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3) upset win against third-seeded Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland in first-round action at Memphis.
Volynets rallied after losing the first three games of the final set. Golubic was hurt by committing eight double faults without serving an ace in the match.
The only other seeded player in action, fifth-seeded Camila Osorio of Colombia, defeated Australian qualifier Storm Hunter 7-5, 7-5. Osorio prevailed on 76% (26 of 34) of her first-serve points.
Other Monday winners were Australia’s Maya Joint, Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova and Tatiana Prozorova, Germany’s Tatjana Maria and Belarus’ Iryna Shymanovich.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Mahle, 3 Giants relievers shut out Brewers in series opener
Jul 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tyler Mahle (54) throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Tyler Mahle limited the Milwaukee Brewers to three hits over six-plus innings, Grant McCray smacked a two-run homer and the San Francisco Giants defeated the visiting National League Central leaders 3-0 on Monday.
Mahle (3-9) never allowed a runner past second base, aided by three double plays in the opener of a three-game series.
Milwaukee’s only baserunners against the veteran right-hander came via singles by Jake Bauers, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio plus walks drawn by Vaughn and Cooper Pratt.
Bauers’ hit and Vaughn’s walk came consecutively with one out in the second inning in a scoreless game. Mahle then got Garrett Mitchell to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
En route to their third win in four games on their current homestand, the Giants took the lead for good in the third against Brewers starter Brandon Sproat (3-6). Jesus Rodriguez led off with a double and Luis Arraez followed with an RBI single.
McCray belted his first homer of the season and the sixth of his three-year career in the fourth after Willy Adames stroked a two-out single.
Mahle was pulled with a 3-0 lead after allowing a leadoff single to Chourio in the seventh. Sam Hentges came on to retire the next three Brewers to complete the inning. Dylan Smith threw a 1-2-3 eighth and Erik Miller struck out two of the three men he faced in a perfect ninth for his third save.
Winning for the second time in his past three starts, Mahle struck out three.
Sproat went six innings and was charged with all three Giants runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out five.
Garrett Stallings kept the visitors within arm’s length with two shutout innings in relief. Milwaukee, nonetheless, was beaten for just the third time in its past 10 games.
The Giants logged their third in five games against the Brewers this season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ceddanne Rafaela's grand slam sends Red Sox past Athletics
Jul 27, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) celebrates with team mates after hitting a grand slam during the sixth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Ceddanne Rafaela smacked his first career grand slam and the scorching Boston Red Sox won for the 18th time in 20 games, beating the Athletics 4-2 on Monday in West Sacramento, Calif.
Payton Tolle (6-6) struck out seven over 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox. He gave up two runs and five hits and one walk.
Boston’s Aroldis Chapman worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his 25th save in 27 opportunities.
Chapman gave up a single to Colby Thomas to start the ninth before striking out Tommy White. Chapman then engaged in a 10-pitch battle with pinch hitter Nick Kurtz and appeared to have won it with a potential game-ending double-play grounder. However, Boston second baseman Anthony Seigler booted the ball and both runners were safe.
Chapman then fanned Henry Bolte and Alika Williams to close it out.
Tyler Soderstrom and Jonah Heim homered for the Athletics, who lost for the 24th time in their past 30 games. Thomas had two hits.
Boston’s Justin Slaten recorded the final two outs of the sixth, Jovani Moran struck out two in a perfect seventh, and Garrett Whitlock worked a flawless eighth.
A’s starter Jack Perkins (2-6) was charged with two runs and one hit over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
Perkins didn’t give up a hit before Connor Wong began the sixth inning with a double into the left field corner. Perkins retired the next two batters before walking Willson Contreras.
Jose Suarez entered and walked Wilyer Abreu to load the bases. Rafaela then swatted a 2-0 slider high in the air to left. Thomas leaped and the ball went off his glove and hit the netting behind the fence for a homer as Boston took a 4-1 lead.
In the bottom of the inning, Heim drilled a leadoff homer to center off Tolle.
The A’s got on the board in the bottom of the first when Soderstrom hit a one-out homer to left.
Boston’s Curtis Mead made his team debut but left prior to the bottom of the fifth due to a left wrist contusion. He was hit by a pitch from Perkins in the top of the fourth. Mead was acquired from the Washington Nationals for left-hander Connelly Early on Sunday.
Athletics All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee on Tuesday. He could be done for the season.
–Field Level Media
WTA roundup: Former DC champ Liudmila Samsonova wins opener
Tyler Mahle, 3 Giants relievers shut out Brewers in series opener
