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Sit down, Norway-England. Shove it, Argentina-Switzerland. It’s time to talk about America. Well, about America’s national pastime. No, not football. Baseball. Today, we’ve got to talk about two kinds: professional and amateur.
Today’s Headlines
Sox Are Steaming
In 1986, Lady Luck sided with the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. Now, 40 years later, there’s no luck to be had in Queens. Instead, there’s just the sad reality of a 4-0 loss. For New York, it’s more of the same: Leaving runners on, struggling to get depth from starting pitching, and underachieving. For Boston, it’s also more of the same. Now winners of eight straight, Boston is riding its pitching and its out-of-nowhere offensive depth. For the former, it was a by-committee approach that held New York to just three hits. As for the latter, it’s Andruw Monasterio and Masataka Yoshida. Monasterio and Yoshida both hit two-run bombs. Monasterio’s came first, while Yoshida’s came second and smothered the Mets. Bill Buckner, consider yourself atoned. Maybe.
Roch Chalk
With the first pick in the 2026 MLB Amateur Draft, the Chicago White Sox selected UCLA junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky. Cholowsky has long been viewed as the favorite for the pick, and for good reason. This year, the 21-year-old hit .320/.452/.646 with 21 home runs, 60 RBIs, 10 doubles, and a 1.088 OPS in 60 games. All this comes on the heels of an equally impressive sophomore season that saw Cholowsky hit .353 with a 1.190 OPS. He’ll join an already budding White Sox youth movement. And maybe, just maybe, eventually help the team get back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
In other draft news, the Tampa Bay Rays picked high school shortstop Grady Emerson second overall. MLB.com ranked Emerson ahead of Cholowsky, in part due to some gaudy numbers. In 2026, Emerson slashed .532/.548/1.013. Yes, he slugged 1.013. He was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and is now a Ray. Here’s how the rest of the top five rounded out: The Minnesota Twins nabbed Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, the San Francisco Giants selected UC Santa Barbara pitcher Jackson Flora, and the Pittsburgh Pirates picked LSU outfielder Derek Curiel.
Valdez Volleys, Reynolds Reaps
Speaking of the Pirates, Esmerlyn Valdez is quietly enjoying a nice rookie season for the Buccos. Yesterday, it hit its zenith. Valdez blasted two home runs and collected six RBIs in the 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The 22-year-old struck initially with an RBI single. Shifting tones, Valdez then went deep in the third. Afterward, Valdez went even louder. Trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, he belted a game-winning grand slam to put Pittsburgh ahead 7-6. After yesterday’s antics, he’s now hitting .311 with a 1.092 OPS through 27 games. Not so quiet a name anymore.
The Pirates weren’t done there. They’d go on to win the second half of yesterday’s doubleheader 3-2; in large part to, guess who: Valdez. He went deep once again, this time blasting a 385-foot bomb to hand Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead. Unlike before, this wasn’t the clincher. Milwaukee rebutted and tied things in the fifth. It wasn’t until the sixth that Bryan Reynolds came through with a game-deciding RBI single.
Grisham Brings The Blue
Doom seemed set on the horizon for the New York Yankees. Down 2-0, another disappointing loss lurked. Then came Trent Grisham and a turnaround of all those dark clouds in a 4-2 win. Here’s the situation. It’s the top of the eighth. Ryan McMahon provides the first ray of sun. The third baseman mashes a solo shot. 2-1, now, but still, the clouds haven’t parted. A Ben Rice walk nudges them. Grisham then splits them. He pounces on the third pitch he sees, a high fastball, and powers it. The ball is a scorcher to right, and lands 398 feet for the go-ahead runs. Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz tucks the Nats in, and Yankees closer David Bednar puts them to bed. A brighter blue than previously thought visible now travels over the Bronx.
Egads, Yoshi
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is human after all. LA’s ace allowed a season-high six earned runs in a 9-2 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tying a season-high four walks would seem the chief cause of Yamamoto’s struggles. They were not. The real cause is the sixth inning. Yamamoto surrendered a walk, a single, a sacrifice fly, a two-run double, and an intentional walk. By then, it was just 3-0. Arizona backup catcher James McCann then showed the world Yamamoto’s man, not machine, by hammering a two-run homer to make it 6-0. It was McCann’s first home run of the season. McCann would record his second a few innings later, going back-to-back with Nolan Arenado to seal the fairly easy win.
Cubs Stave off Cincy
The Chicago Cubs held on. Ahead 5-3, Chicago’s bullpen put two members of the Cincinnati Reds on in the bottom of the ninth. Up to dish stepped All-Star rookie Sal Stewart. You-know-what’s clenched across Chicago. Thankfully, Stewart was no match for Trent Thornton. The veteran got ahead of Stewart 0-2 before finally coaxing a harmless grounder. Nico Hoerner took care of the rest. It was a much-welcome sigh of relief for the Cubs, who battled the Reds all night long. Cincy took the lead, Chicago halved it, tied it, then surpassed it. JJ Bleday tied it again before Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman aired a pivotal two-run homer.
La La(monte) Land
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez homered. No, really. Again. Alvarez, though, took a supporting role in Houston’s 9-1 win last night. The real star, well, there are actually two, were LaMonte Wade Jr. and starter Peter Lambert. Let’s start with Wade. The outfielder channeled his inner-Roy Hobbs. Bases loaded, two outs, top of the third, Houston only ahead 2-0. Wade waylays a 1-1 slider and sends it deep for his first career grand slam. Just like that, it’s not even a game. Lambert ensured it stayed that way. If Wade is Hobbs, Lambert is Nuke LaLoosh, allowing just one run over six innings pitched and striking out seven. All in all, it was an ensemble win.
By The Numbers
⚾ 1,000. Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert is officially a 1,000 strikeout pitcher.
⚾ 440. Orioles infielder Coby Mayo might not be much of a hitter. But when he connects, mama. Mayo murdered a ball 440 feet deep last night with an exit velocity of 110.4 MPH.
⚾ 27. The Washington Nationals blew their 27th game of the season. The MLB record is 37. Here’s to making history!
⚾ 13. As many have mentioned, the Red Sox are winners in 13 of their last 15. They are now, miraculously, just 0.5 games back of the final AL Wildcard spot.
⚾ 8. To recap: Esmerlyn Valdez collected eight RBIs yesterday. Eight.
⚾ 7. Toronto’s Trey Yesavage struggled mightily. The 22-year-old pitched 1.2 innings, allowed four runs, struck out one, and walked seven. Somehow, that is not a career-high. Yesavage walked seven earlier this season.
⚾ 6. Kyle Bradish threw six no-hit innings against the Kansas City Royals before surrendering a single to Jac Caglianone.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Great Jumping Gage
Gage Jump spears this like Neo would a bullet in the Matrix.
https://twitter.com/NBCSAthletics/status/2076028099628851601
Look Up
Superman, just like Derek Hill, wears blue and red. Coincidence? Yes.
SUPERMAN DIVE FROM DEREK HILL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4GtrQ29PwH
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026
CHI, Phone Thome
The White Sox have a Thome again: Landon.
Dreams really do come true. ⚾️🥳
Go go White Sox!
Beyond grateful. pic.twitter.com/CMTYaUz7fj— Andrea Thome ❤️📚⚾️ (@AndreaThome) July 11, 2026
The Ebels Are Able To Be Together
Baseball is a brotherhood—literally—for Brady and Trey Ebel.
"We did it bro" 🥹
Brewers prospect Brady Ebel's reaction to finding out we drafted his brother, Trey, is incredible
CC: @wilsonwarbirds pic.twitter.com/AlFZHy36Bl
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 11, 2026
Here For A Long(oria) Time
Here’s part one. Part two, Evan Longoria’s jersey retirement, comes today.
Had to call in a few friends for this one.
Welcome to the Rays Hall of Fame, Evan! pic.twitter.com/8Oea7zqDTf
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 11, 2026
Wholesome Moment #4
Look, they put a camera on a dog. What do you want me to do? Not include it?
I am a great tracker. My pack sent me on a special mission, all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I am going to find one, and I am on the scent. I am a great tracker; did I mention that? pic.twitter.com/RAtQImBHlN
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Zac Gallen’s season keeps getting worse. Arizona announced that the right-hander will miss his next start due to elbow inflammation. Gallen will go to the IL at least. For how long remains open-ended. Arizona will recall Mitch Bratt to replace Gallen.
⚾ Atlanta had a churnful Saturday. Most notable amongst their moves is the placement of outfielder Mike Yastrzemski on the 10-day IL due to left elbow inflammation. Past that, it’s odds-and-ends. Reliever James Karinchak was optioned, while right-hander Owen Murphy and outfielder Brewer Hicklen were promoted to replace Yastrzemski and Karinchak. Finally, the team outrighted outfielder José Azócar.
⚾ LA’s Landon Knack is back. After some time on the IL, LA reinstated the hurler off the 60-day IL. Sadly, pitcher Charlie Barnes and Kyle Hurt are the casualties. LA optioned the former, and DFA’d the latter.
⚾ Red Sox reliever Danny Coulombe finished the game for his team yesterday. His reward? A DFA.
⚾ Jake Woodford, we hardly knew ye. The Chicago Cubs DFA’d the reliever after just one appearance with the club. Replacing Woodford is the no-longer-injured Phil Maton.
⚾ Brace yourself. The Mets had a busy Saturday. They released reliever Alex Carrillo from the organization and outrighted relievers Guillo Zuñiga and Matt Seelinger to Triple-A.
⚾ The Detroit Tigers claimed righty Andre Granillo off waivers from the Washington Nationals. Granillo posted a 9.64 ERA in eight appearances for Washington.
⚾ Sticking in the AL Central, the Twins picked up right-hander Jack Anderson. Anderson joins Minnesota from Boston’s waiver wire. In Beantown, Anderson pitched to a 3.38 ERA in just eight innings.
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