After a terrible stretch of play in late June/early July, the Yankees closed out their first half on a high note by sweeping the Nationals. It wasn’t without stress, as it took late inning comebacks against a Nats bullpen that just had nothing going for it to come away with all three of their wins, but considering how down bad this team was for even a single win a week ago no one is complaining. Riding off the coattails of their split with the Rays, the sweep brought New York to a very decent 5-2
record on the road trip entering the All-Star break, and they sit three games behind first place. That’s still entirely within their reach, but they’ll need a bit of help on top of them keeping this good momentum going once they return to the field.
In the meantime though, it’s time to celebrate the best accomplishments of the team with their All-Star representatives, and the festivities begin later tonight with the Home Run Derby. Ben Rice will be among the participants, and we’ll have an open thread for the event itself up much like our usual game threads. Before that, we open our day with a recap of the MLB Draft as Michael gives his thoughts on the 2026 class the Yankees now have waiting in the wings. Matt covers the Rivalry Roundup featuring a Rays loss to bring the AL East race a game closer, Josh reminisces on DJ LeMahieu’s pair of incredible and ill-advised contracts and the production he brought with them as his birthday falls on today, and Jeremy mulls over the options that the Reds could provide in a potential trade. Later in the day, I’ll be opening up the mailbag for more of your questions, and then I’ll also recap the Derby when all is said and done.
Today’s Matchup:
All-Star Home Run Derby
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Streaming: Netflix
Venue: Citizen’s Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Questions/Prompts:
1. How far will Ben Rice make it in the Derby? Surely he has a better showing than Jazz Chisholm Jr. had last year, right?
2. Was John Schneider out of line for choosing his own guy in Dylan Cease as the All-Star Game starter before Cam Schlittler ruled himself out?
