Yahoo Sports AM: The 94th MLB All-Star Game

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🚨 Headlines

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Southgate resigns: England manager Gareth Southgate resigned after their second consecutive loss in the Euro final. The Three Lions went 61-17 with 24 draws in eight years under him.

⛳️ Record purse: This week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon will feature a tournament-record $17 million purse and $3.1 million winner’s prize, figures which still trail the other three majors.

🏀 Plot twist: Kawhi Leonard’s removal from Team USA was not in fact a mutual decision between USA Basketball and the Clippers, according to Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, who says the team was “very disappointed” he was sent home.

🏀 Speaking of Team USA: The Americans held off a late surge from Australia to win their second of five pre-Olympic exhibitions, 98-92.

⚽️ Leading scorer suspended: Real Salt Lake forward Chicho Arango, MLS’ leading scorer this season, was suspended four games for violating the league’s anti-harassment policy.

⚾️ Skenes vs. Burnes: The droughts are over

Paul Skenes and Corbin Burnes will take the mound first for the NL and AL in tonight’s Midsummer Classic, ending two of MLB’s three longest All-Star Game starting pitcher droughts.

It’s been a while: Skenes’ Pirates haven’t had a pitcher start the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss in 1975, and Burnes’ Orioles haven’t had one since Steve Stone in 1980. Only the Cubs have a longer drought (Claude Passeau in 1946).

• Skenes is also the first rookie All-Star starter since Hideo Nomo in 1995, and just the fifth ever.

• And in a fun coincidence, Nomo’s start also came in Arlington, which hosts tonight’s game as well.

The pitch that made Skenes an ace: When Skenes toes the rubber this evening, he’ll unleash a dazzling array of five pitches, but none more lethal than the “splinker” he crafted last offseason — “a whiff-snatching, grounder-inducing cheat code that has helped fast-track Skenes to superstardom,” write Yahoo Sports’ Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman. They continue:

The development of such an effective pitch in such a short period of time exemplifies so much about what makes Skenes unique. Only someone with his rare combination of athletic aptitude, competitive intensity, work ethic and intellectual humility could have learned and deployed such an offering.

Skenes made the splinker, and in turn, the splinker made Skenes.

The finished product is a pitch unlike any other: an offering with so much vertical movement that Statcast classifies it as a splitter. Yet it averages 94.1 mph and has touched as high as 97 mph on multiple occasions. On a rate basis, the pitch — which Skenes refers to as a sinker — has already become the single most effective offering in MLB this season, according to Statcast’s Run Value metric.

This is what it’s all about: The All-Star Game might not “matter” inasmuch as it’s purely an exhibition. But when Skenes brings out his splinker against the likes of Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, and Burnes responds with his own devastating arsenal against Shohei Ohtani, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, you’re reminded why we love this game so much.

First pitch is tonight at 8pm ET on Fox.

🌎 The world in photos

Arlington, Texas — Teoscar Hernández outlasted Bobby Witt Jr. in an underwhelming Home Run Derby, becoming the Dodgers’ first-ever Derby winner.

Madrid — The Spanish national team was paraded through the streets on Monday, where over half a million fans celebrated their record-breaking fourth European Championship.

Troon, Scotland — Tiger Woods played a practice round on Monday alongside Justin Thomas and Max Homa ahead of the 152nd Open Championship, which begins Thursday at Royal Troon.

Paris — The Olympics beach volleyball court has a decent backdrop. Just 10 days until the Opening Ceremony.

🎮 EA Sports College Football 25 is out

At long last, the wait is over: EA Sports College Football 25 is finally out.

11 years later: The highly anticipated game, the first in EA Sports’ College Football series since 2013, was released on Monday afternoon for those who purchased the deluxe edition. The standard version comes out on Friday.

NIL payday: College sports’ NIL era means active players can now be paid to have their likeness included in such games. Over 11,000 athletes opted in, with each receiving $600 and a copy of the deluxe edition.

Top 10 players: Based on EA Sports’ player rating.

1. Will Johnson (CB, Michigan)

2. Will Campbell (LT, LSU)

3. Ollie Gordon II (RB, Oklahoma State)

4. James Pearce Jr. (DE, Tennessee)

5. Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)

6. Travis Hunter (CB/WR, Colorado)

7. Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)

8. Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)

9. Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State)

10. Tate Ratledge (OG, Georgia)

By school: Ohio State leads all schools with eight players in the top 100, followed by Alabama and Georgia with six each and Michigan and Oregon with five each.

📆 July 16, 2014: Stuart Scott’s speech

10 years ago today, legendary ESPN anchor Stuart Scott delivered an unforgettable speech at the ESPYS, where he was honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance in the midst of his ongoing battle with cancer.

What he said: “When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. So live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, then lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you.” Six months later, Scott passed away at age 49.

More on this day:

• ⚽️ 1950: Uruguay upset Brazil, 2-1, to win the World Cup at Rio’s famed Maracanã Stadium in front of 173,850 fans — the largest crowd ever at a soccer match.

• ⛳️ 1995: Annika Sörenstam* won the U.S. Women’s Open for her first career major and LPGA Tour victory, kicking off a Hall of Fame career that saw her win 10 majors (fourth-most) and 72 events (third-most).

*Lasting legacy: In 2014, the LPGA established an annual award given to the year’s best performer in majors, and they named it after Sörenstam.

📺 Watchlist: The Midsummer Classic

The 94th MLB All-Star Game is tonight (8pm ET, Fox) at Arlington’s Globe Life Field*, where the NL will try to win a second straight Midsummer Classic after snapping the AL’s nine-game winning streak last year.

• AL starting lineup: 1. Steven Kwan (LF, Guardians), 2. Gunnar Henderson (SS, Orioles), 3. Juan Soto (RF, Yankees), 4. Aaron Judge (CF, Yankees), 5. Yordan Alvarez (DH, Astros), 6. José Ramírez (3B, Guardians), 7. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B, Blue Jays), 8. Adley Rutschman (C, Orioles), 9. Marcus Semien (2B, Rangers), SP. Corbin Burnes (Orioles)

• NL starting lineup: 1. Ketel Marte (2B, D-Backs), 2. Shohei Ohtani (DH, Dodgers), 3. Trea Turner (SS, Phillies), 4. Bryce Harper (1B, Phillies), 5. William Contreras (C, Brewers), 6. Christian Yelich (RF, Brewers), 7. Alec Bohm (3B, Phillies), 8. Teoscar Hernández (CF, Dodgers), 9. Jurickson Profar (LF, Padres), SP. Paul Skenes (Pirates)

More to watch:

• ⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Costa Rica (7:30pm, TNT/truTV/Max/Peacock) … Team USA’s final game before heading to Paris for the Olympics.

• 🏀 WNBA: Sun at Liberty (7pm, Prime); Sky at Aces (10pm, Prime)

• 🏀 NBA Summer League: Eight games (4-10:30pm, ESPN2/ESPNU/NBA)

*Champs play host: The Rangers are the first defending World Series champion to host the All-Star Game since the 1939 Yankees, and just the third ever (1934 Giants).

⚾️ All-Star Game trivia

Salvador Pérez and Jose Altuve lead this year’s All-Stars with nine selections each, tied for the third-most among all active players.

Question: Which four other active players, not in this year’s game, have been named to at least nine All-Star Games?

Hint: Two starters, one closer and one centerfielder.

Answer at the bottom.

🇪🇸 Spain’s dominant Sunday, Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about Spain’s sports day for the ages, but the nation’s athletic achievements on Sunday actually went beyond “just” winning Euros and seeing Carlos Alcaraz successfully defend his Wimbledon crown.

Vive España!

Trivia answer: Mike Trout (11), Clayton Kershaw (10), Justin Verlander (9) and Craig Kimbrel (9)

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