Sports
MLB stars praise ABS for more than just accuracy
Jul 7, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez (28) gestures for an ABS challenge during his at bat against the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — In the 1992 movie Mr. Baseball, aging slugger Jack Elliot (portrayed by Tom Selleck) lived by a simple mantra: “Baseball is a game. And games are supposed to be fun.”
On the big screen, that belief ultimately helped the fictional Elliot overcome his own bad habits and imperfections.
Twenty-four years later in real life, it is one reason that big leaguers like Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease appreciate the first season of MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike challenge system.
“I think it’s entertaining,” Cease said at Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game press conference. “I like it when it goes my way, and I don’t like it when it doesn’t. I think it’s entertaining, and it’s just one of those where I’ve kind of just accepted it is what it is, and I thought it’s been kind of nice.”
At the unofficial halfway mark of the first season of ABS implementation, Cease’s sentiments were echoed by most players attending the Summer Classic.
It wasn’t just that they appreciated what the system added in terms of correcting mistakes. They also acknowledged the new competitive wrinkles it added that perhaps hadn’t been appreciated beforehand.
For starters, each team’s two incorrect challenges per game have become precious commodities. Lose them and your team is at a decided disadvantage.
That happens more often than you might think. There has been an average of roughly 4.2 challenges per game through the season’s first half, and only 53.3% of those have been successful.
“You can really see a difference when you’re out of challenges,” Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout said. “It changes the whole game. We talk about it all the time. When we lose challenges in the game, it’s a game-changer.”
The system has also supported the idea that catchers have the best view for determining the strike zone, succeeding at 58.7% of their challenges, while batters have succeeded 47.8% of the time and pitchers only 36.6% of the time.
That intuitively makes sense given each player’s point of view. But it can sometimes require emotional management when a pitcher believes he caught the zone only for a catcher to keep the challenge in his pocket.
“It’s just something at the end of the day, it just goes back to the trust that pitchers put in their catchers,” Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers said. “They know that we’re there for them at the end of the day. We want them to be successful.”
Meanwhile, the fears among some umpires that the new technology would stain their profession simply haven’t materialized.
Only two men in the blue — CB Bucknor and Andy Fletcher — have seen more than two-thirds of their challenged calls overturned. And Bucknor has been sidelined with health issues since the very early part of the season.
“They want to do as good as possible, too,” Langeliers said. “In my personal experiences, the umpires have been really good (with it).”
The system isn’t perfect. Perhaps its largest unintended impact has been changing the entire concept of the strike zone. Once defined in part by where a batter stands in the box, it now depends only on the location of home plate and the batter’s pre-measured dimensions.
That can lead to some odd situations, where a pitch catches the back or front corner of the plate but would’ve been a ball when it crosses the hitter’s plane. But that might be a relatively small price to pay for getting the big calls right most of the time, said Blue Jays and American League manager John Schneider after he raised exactly that point.
“That’s me nitpicking,” Schneider confessed. “I think that it’s done what it was intended to do so far. And I’m sure there’ll be tweaks along the way, like anything in the league.”
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
Sports
Todd Clements moves ahead by 2 at Corales Puntacana Championship
PGA Tour logo sign is shown at the PGA Tour Grill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Fla. Englishman Todd Clements birdied four of his final six holes Friday to shoot 6-under-par 66 and build a two-shot lead at the Corales Puntacana Championship in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Clements played the back nine first at Puntacana Resort and Club, and after birdieing Nos. 10 and 12 he converted nine pars in a row. He sank consecutive 7-footers for birdie at Nos. 4 and 5, tapped in another at the par-5 seventh and finished with a flourish at the par-3 ninth, holing a 21-foot putt from the back of the green.
At 13-under 131, Clements has a slight edge over Ben James (66), Gordon Sargent (67) and Johannes Veerman (67). Spaniard Alejandro Del Rey (68) is alone in fifth at 10 under.
“This game’s crazy,” said Clements, who was a co-leader after 18 holes. “I feel like my short game’s been up and down this year. I kind of have some good weeks — good days and bad days and I felt yesterday wasn’t such a good day around the green. Then just worked on a couple bits, spoke to my coach and yeah, kind of figured a little bit out and hit some much better shots today.”
Clements said his usual caddie was injured, so he had to hire a local caddie just an hour before his second-round tee time. He did not specify what kind of injury his caddie sustained.
“That kind of changed the routine of things, but out there taking ownership of everything I do kind of paid off today,” Clements said.
The 29-year-old normally plays on the DP World Tour in Europe and is in position for his first PGA Tour victory at the alternate event being played opposite the Open Championship.
He’ll have to fend off a couple of 23-year-olds who are among the top players at their age. James turned pro this summer and Sargent did so last year following decorated college careers.
James is making his fifth start as a professional and has made the cut every time. In his pro debut, he led the RBC Canadian Open after 36 holes, shooting a second-round 63 before posting a 78 on Saturday and finishing tied for 54th.
James said he didn’t foresee such good results so early.
“But as I played, you know, I had the lead the first week and after three (more starts), now I’m coming out here to win, but we’ll see,” James said. “I’ve been playing nice and that’s just all I want to do is play two more nice rounds.”
Both he and Sargent posted bogey-free second rounds.
“Trying to make it as simple as possible, honestly,” Sargent said. I think it’s easy to try and do too much out here. Yeah, just going to play golf. You have so many opportunities this year playing 20-something events, so it’s like not putting too much pressure on yourself and just execute the shots you can.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Guardians, Pirates prepare to play 2 after air-quality postponement
Jul 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) throws a pitch against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images Poor air quality in Northeast Ohio postponed the series opener between the Cleveland Guardians and visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, forcing the teams to play a doubleheader Saturday.
Drifting smoke from the Canadian forest fires is expected to persist throughout the day/night twin bill, but the National Weather Service expects it to dissipate to safer levels for the players and fans.
In the rescheduled game at 1:10 p.m., Cleveland right-hander Gavin Williams (10-4, 3.81 ERA) takes on Pittsburgh right-hander Jared Jones (1-1, 4.37). That was the scheduled matchup Friday.
The Guardians will promote left-hander Logan T. Allen (0-0, 0.00 ERA) from Triple-A Columbus to pitch the 7:10 p.m. nightcap. The Pirates haven’t announced a Game 2 starter.
“We can’t control the weather. We can’t control Mother Nature,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We’ve got to do what’s best and what’s smart for both teams and for the fans. It’s just not safe to be out in that environment if it’s not playable.”
The Guardians have won four straight and returned from the All-Star break in a virtual tie with the Chicago White Sox atop the American League Central. Pittsburgh, which will play its second doubleheader in eight days, sits two games out of the final National League wild-card spot.
“Let’s keep playing good baseball and we can revisit that in a month or two,” Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “I have no idea what the standings look like, but I know the feel in the clubhouse — and the way the game looks that we’re putting out there — looks really good.”
Pittsburgh entered the break with its best record in 10 years, three games above .500 after beating the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers three times in 30 hours.
The series featured a huge performance by rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, who had a three-homer, eight-RBI doubleheader. He hit .417 with nine RBIs over the set, raising his season numbers to .309 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs in 94 at-bats.
“It’s been fun to be a part of, so we’ll keep it rolling,” said All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes, who is slated to start Sunday’s series finale. “We’re in a good spot and I’m super confident in our ability to show up after the break.
“There’s a lot of baseball left to play. It’s going to be a fun year.”
Jones starts for the first time since throwing six perfect innings against the Atlanta Braves on July 8, striking out eight before being lifted after just 77 pitches. He has never faced the Guardians.
Pirates manager Don Kelly admitted pulling Jones “sucks,” but wasn’t willing to overwork his surgically repaired pitching elbow. He remains under a limited pitch count.
“Coming off of surgery and everything, we just can’t push him,” Kelly said.
The Guardians counter with Williams, who is second in the AL in wins and third with 134 strikeouts and was arguably the biggest All-Star snub in the circuit. Williams will pitch against Pittsburgh for the first time.
Known as the “Big Rig,” he worked seven innings, recorded 11 strikeouts and gave up two runs in beating the Minnesota Twins on July 9. That win preceded a three-game road sweep of the Miami Marlins heading into the break.
“Hopefully we’ll come back fresh and ready to rock,” Cleveland rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter said.
Allen was a fixture in the Guardians’ rotation from 2023-2025, making 73 starts, but has only pitched four innings in relief for them this year. He is 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA in two career starts against Pittsburgh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lynx trying to extend winning ways vs. Fire with break in sight
Jul 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Natasha Howard (1) and guard Olivia Miles (5) react late during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Sparks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images The WNBA All-Star break is fast approaching, and the Minnesota Lynx are looking forward to a chance to rest their bodies and catch their breath.
“This is sort of a tough stretch for us,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We got off to such a fast start, and we’re maybe that runner that ran really fast and is right now trying to really push themselves to get to that finish line. The finish line for us is the All-Star break.”
But three more games remain for the Lynx before they can hit reset.
Minnesota (19-6) will go for its fifth win in a row when it tips off against the Portland Fire (11-14) on Saturday evening in Minneapolis. The game marks the end of a four-game homestand for the Lynx, who are 9-4 on their home court this season.
The Lynx hope to have standout rookie Olivia Miles back on the court Saturday. Miles left the Lynx’s most recent game after she rolled her ankle, but she returned to the bench late in the game and joined her teammates on the court after their win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Miles averages a team-high 19.3 points and 5.7 assists on the season. She is shooting 50.5% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc.
If Miles is out, or if she is limited by the ankle injury, Courtney Williams could take on a bigger role in the backcourt. Williams (15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game) has provided a steady veteran presence alongside Miles this season and said she’ll do whatever is required of her.
“I don’t ever want to force it,” Williams said. “Always just kind of want to plug in where we need (support) the most, so whether that is scoring … whether that is, you know, stepping up and having to play the point guard.”
The Fire are coming off a 75-56 win over the Washington Mystics. Carla Leite led the team with 14 points and five assists, Serah Williams scored 12 points and Sarah Ashlee Barker had 10.
Leite leads Portland with 15.2 ppg on the season. Bridget Carleton, a former Lynx sharpshooter whom the Fire selected in the expansion draft, is second on the team with 13.2 points per game.
Portland coach Alex Sarama praised his players for their recent success on defense, particularly after they held the Mystics to 56 points.
“A huge part of the game plan was shrinking the floor as much as possible,” Sarama said. “(We were) playing heavily in the gaps, digging on post-ups and really building a wall so they couldn’t see space to get downhill.”
Kayla McBride will look to stay hot for the Lynx. She has led the team in scoring in each of the past six games, including a 24-point effort in their latest win against the Sparks.
–Field Level Media
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