Free Baseball: London Series recap — ASG squads and HR Derby field announced — Stars of the weekend
By: Jeff Tracy
Tags: London, Sports, All Star Game, Baseball, MLB

Free Baseball: London Series recap — ASG squads and HR Derby field announced — Stars of the weekend Jeff Tracy Jul 1, 2019·7 min read

1. The London Series did not disappoint!

It might not play like a standard baseball field, but London Stadium sure is photogenic.

MLB had itself a nice little weekend across the pond.

SATURDAY: Yankees win 17–13 in a game that lasted a staggering 4 hours, 42 minutes.

The 1st inning alone lasted 58 minutes , ending in a 6–6 tie and giving MLB quite the opening salvo to their European expansion.

, ending in a 6–6 tie and giving MLB quite the opening salvo to their European expansion. The ball flew early and often, as the teams combined for 6 homers and 10 doubles, with 11 different players recording a multi-hit day.

SUNDAY: It looked like it would be more of the same after Boston hit 3, first-inning homers, and the Yanks plated 2 in the second, but then both teams went scoreless for 4 straight innings.

But then, London Stadium did its thing, as the teams combined for 14 runs across the final 3 innings en route to a 12–8 Yankees victory and series sweep.

as the teams combined for 14 runs across the final 3 innings en route to a 12–8 Yankees victory and series sweep. There were another 9 players with multi-hit games, as the weekend wrapped up with 65 hits and 50 runs across 18 innings.

Neither of these games was exactly par for the course when it comes to major league baseball. They were both higher scoring and longer lasting by far than the average game, even when considering the talent and high profile that these two teams in particular boast.

In fact, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that folks from both the Yankees and Red Sox talked about how ineffective their pitchers’ breaking balls were in London Stadium, as pitches that usually spin down in the zone stayed up for the batters to crush (likely a result of the aerodynamics within the stadium) — hence the ludicrous offensive display that took place.

But regardless, representatives from Paris, Munich, Berlin, and Amsterdam have already reached out to MLB showing interest in hosting games in the future, and the fans in London certainly seemed to enjoy themselves if we use the eye test as a barometer. So overall? I’d say it was a smashing success.

Fireworks over London Stadium after Saturday night’s European MLB debut.

More from the weekend in London:

Freddie Mercury won the mascot race on Saturday, but Henry VIII edged him out on Sunday for the victory. (Winston Churchill and the Loch Ness monster, sadly, were both shut out of the win column.)

won the mascot race on Saturday, but Henry VIII edged him out on Sunday for the victory. (Winston Churchill and the Loch Ness monster, sadly, were both shut out of the win column.) The Freeze (Atlanta’s sprinting superhero) took a surprising L himself on Saturday! But he, too, got revenge on Sunday with a photo-finish victory.

(Atlanta’s sprinting superhero) took a surprising L himself on Saturday! But he, too, got revenge on Sunday with a photo-finish victory. Sweet Caroline made the trip from Fenway.

This die-hard Yankees fan from the Netherlands brought an absolutely wild back tattoo with him to the games.

brought an absolutely wild back tattoo with him to the games. And the Yanks even extended their MLB record for consecutive games with a HR, as SS Didi Gregorius hit a solo shot in the 8th inning for their 12th and final run of the game.

P.S. I don’t know the laws over there, but I’m pretty sure this qualifies as a hate crime.

2. All-Star reserves and pitchers announced, HR Derby field rounding into form, and the Orioles set a new MLB record

Just a handful of the 47 All-Star pitchers and reserves announced yesterday.

Your 2019 All-Star squads have been selected! After the starters were revealed on Thursday night, the reserves and pitchers were announced yesterday.

First-timers: 31 players (at least) will be making their ASG debut this year. (It’s “at least” because there will undoubtedly be more guys selected as injury reserves between now and the game.)

31 players (at least) will be making their ASG debut this year. (It’s “at least” because there will undoubtedly be more guys selected as injury reserves between now and the game.) Starting pitchers: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts — the NL squad’s manager — said he’d be going with Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu , whose 1.83 ERA leads the majors by nearly a third of a run. (Alex Cora (Red Sox/AL manager) hasn’t said who’ll be starting for the AL yet.)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts — the NL squad’s manager — said he’d be going with Dodgers lefty , whose 1.83 ERA leads the majors by nearly a third of a run. (Alex Cora (Red Sox/AL manager) hasn’t said who’ll be starting for the AL yet.) Youth movement: The NL starting lineup is the youngest in ASG history, with an average age of 25.75.

The NL starting lineup is the youngest in ASG history, with an average age of 25.75. The Ocean’s Eleven “What happened to all that money?” award goes to Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Patrick Corbin — That trio signed this offseason for a combined 29 years and $770M…and none of them will be making the trip to Cleveland.

The Home Run Derby field is nearly finalized — with 6 of the 8 participants already signed on — and it is STACKED.

We’ve got two rookies: Pete Alonso (1B, Mets, 28 HR) and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.(3B, Blue Jays, 8 HR).

Pete Alonso (1B, Mets, 28 HR) and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.(3B, Blue Jays, 8 HR). We’ve got the reigning MVP and NL Rookie of the Year: Christian Yelich (RF, Brewers, 29 HR) and Ronald Acuña, Jr. (LF, Braves, 20 HR).

Christian Yelich (RF, Brewers, 29 HR) and Ronald Acuña, Jr. (LF, Braves, 20 HR). And we’ve got the hometown hero and the 2019 XBH leader: Carlos Santana(1B, Indians, 18 HR) and Josh Bell (1B, Pirates, 22 HR).

Carlos Santana(1B, Indians, 18 HR) and Josh Bell (1B, Pirates, 22 HR). And finally, I’m personally offended that Joey Gallo (OF, Rangers, 19 HR) hasn’t been invited to participate. He’ll be there anyway as an AL All-Star and he hits the ball as far and as hard as literally anyone in the world.

The Orioles make history! But not for the reason you’d think (which is a good thing).

Let’s back up a second: Baltimore has won just 24 of its first 83 games, and the last time they won back-to-back games (before this weekend) was the first week of May.

Baltimore has won just 24 of its first 83 games, and the last time they won back-to-back games (before this weekend) was the first week of May. So what’d they do this weekend? They beat the Indians 13–0 on Friday, and when they realized how good that felt they decided to just do it again on Saturday.

They beat the Indians 13–0 on Friday, and when they realized how good that felt they decided to just do it again on Saturday. And that means what, exactly? It means they’re the first team in MLB history to shut out their opponents in consecutive games while scoring that many runs in each contest.

It means they’re the first team in MLB history to shut out their opponents in consecutive games while scoring that many runs in each contest. Anything else involving the word means? In fact, yes! Baltimore’s lone representative at this year’s ASG will be LHP John Means, a rookie with a sparkling 2.50 ERA and a 7–4 record.

Hey, have you guys heard? There’ve been a lot of home runs hit this year. I know — groundbreaking stuff.

This time, I’m talking about the Dodgers and Padres, who are just the 5th and 6th teams in MLB history to have 3 players reach 20 HR before July (Dodgers: Bellinger, Muncy, Pederson; Padres: Machado, Reyes, Renfroe).

No, but really. Did you know about all the homers?

This time, I’m talking about Pete Alonso. Ya know, the one who made the All-Star team as a rookie and is also among the participants in the loaded HR derby field?

Ya know, the one who made the All-Star team as a rookie and is also among the participants in the loaded HR derby field? The Mets 1B tied Mark McGwire for the most HR by a rookie (28) before July.

3. Stars of the weekend 🌟

You know you’re doing something right when your 469-foot homer nearly takes out your own name on the scoreboard in deep center field.

FRIDAY

Nolan Arenado (3B, Rockies): 4–5, 2 doubles, a homer, 2 R, 2 RBI.

The superstar is on pace for his 5th consecutive season with 35+ doubles, 37+ homers, and 110+ RBI.

Lance Lynn (RHP, Rangers): 8 IP, 10 K, 1 BB, 3 H, 0 R, W.

The wily vet is in the midst of a fantastic run right now, with quality starts* in 10 of his last 12 outings, but this was by far his best (and first scoreless) game of the season.

* 6+ IP, 3 or fewer ER

SATURDAY

Nelson Cruz (DH, Twins): 4–5, 2 homers, a double, and 5 RBI.

This guy is just the gift that keeps on giving. The 39-year-old (as of today!) is on pace for his 11th straight season with 22+ HR, and even having missed a few weeks he’s got a puncher’s chance of reaching at least 37 long balls for the 6th straight year.

Brendan McKay (LHP, Rays): 6 IP, 3 K, 1 BB, 1 H, 0 R, W.

It was his MLB debut and he took a perfect game into the 6th inning. I’ll take it.

SUNDAY

Matt Chapman (3B, Athletics): 3–5 with a double, a triple, a homer, 2 R, and a career-high 6 RBI.

Honorable mention: Bryce Harper (RF, Phillies) — 3–4 with a homer, 2 R, and 4 RBI.

Max Scherzer (RHP, Nationals): 8 IP, 14 K, 0 BB, 4 H, 1 R, W.

Max has now faced his former team (Detroit) twice since leaving them as a free agent before the 2015 season. He’s gone 17 innings, allowed 3 runs, and struck out 34 batters.

He’s also now on a run of 12 straight quality starts, during which he’s lowered his ERA from 4.45 to 2.43 (3rd in the NL).

4. San Diego, finally catching a break as a beautiful place someone might want to visit

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

Bonus: Denver is on fire.

All hail the Queen,

I believe that we will win (tomorrow; vs. England),

Jeff