Judge Cruises to Impressive Derby Victory
The 2017 Home Run Derby was expected to feature a showdown between defending champion Giancarlo Stanton and rookie sensation Aaron Judge, but only half of that expectation came to fruition. Judge made it look too easy in his first career Home Run Derby, becoming the first rookie ever to win the competition outright in Miami on Monday night. Judge got past Miami's own Justin Bour, fellow rookie Cody Bellinger, and Twins' slugger Miguel Sano en route to raising the trophy. It seemed unlikely for Judge to make it past the first round after Bour went off for 22 long balls, but the Yankees' big man responded with 23. Those two numbers are good for the fourth and fifth-highest totals in Home Run Derby history. Judge then used two 500+-foot home runs in the second round to slip past Bellinger, before Sano was no match in an 11-10 loss in the finals. Stanton could not make it out of the first round after falling to Gary Sanchez, 17-16, in a disappointing upset. The way the 25-year-old Judge used all sides of the field with regularity makes it hard to find anyone who can top him in future home run hitting contests.
Sale, Scherzer to Start All-Star Game
The MLB All-Star Game starting lineups and starting pitchers were revealed on Monday afternoon for Tuesday night's game, and the mound will feature no surprises at Marlins Park. Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox will go for the American League, with Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals opposing him for the National League. Both men will be making history with these starts, as Sale will become the first man to start consecutive All-Star Games representing two different teams. The left-hander started last year's game as a member of the Chicago White Sox, lasting just one inning in San Diego and allowing a home run to Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. Meanwhile, Scherzer will become just the fifth man to start for both leagues in the All-Star Game. That dates back to when he started the mid-summer classic as a member of the Detroit Tigers in 2013. Sale earned the honors in his first season in Boston by going 11-4 with a 2.75 ERA and recording a major-league leading 178 strikeouts in the first half. The right-handed ace for the first-place Nationals has similar numbers with a 10-5 record, a 2.10 ERA, and 173 punch-outs. Scherzer gets the nod for the N.L. seemingly only because of Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw starting on Sunday, making him unavailable for Tuesday's game. Kershaw has a 14-2 record for the best team in baseball. Sale seems to be the obvious pick for the A.L., although the likes of Michael Fulmer and Corey Kluber starting Sunday night helped that pick as well.
Lightning Give Tyler Johnson Seven-Year Deal
The Tampa Bay Lightning head in to next season looking to regroup from a down year to their standards, so with that, they needed to hang on to one of their true competitors. They did just that on Monday by giving Tyler Johnson a seven-year deal worth $35 million. General manager Steve Yzerman announced the news Monday afternoon for the 26-year-old, who is coming off a 45-point season in 66 games. That included 19 goals, which was good for third on the team, as he was also fifth in points in his fifth season with Tampa Bay. He became a household name in the state of Florida from his performance in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he led the league with 13 goals. He was also tied for the lead with 23 points, along with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. The former All-Star led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals that year, and looks to be a mainstay in the organization for years to come.
The 2017 Home Run Derby was expected to feature a showdown between defending champion Giancarlo Stanton and rookie sensation Aaron Judge, but only half of that expectation came to fruition. Judge made it look too easy in his first career Home Run Derby, becoming the first rookie ever to win the competition outright in Miami on Monday night. Judge got past Miami's own Justin Bour, fellow rookie Cody Bellinger, and Twins' slugger Miguel Sano en route to raising the trophy. It seemed unlikely for Judge to make it past the first round after Bour went off for 22 long balls, but the Yankees' big man responded with 23. Those two numbers are good for the fourth and fifth-highest totals in Home Run Derby history. Judge then used two 500+-foot home runs in the second round to slip past Bellinger, before Sano was no match in an 11-10 loss in the finals. Stanton could not make it out of the first round after falling to Gary Sanchez, 17-16, in a disappointing upset. The way the 25-year-old Judge used all sides of the field with regularity makes it hard to find anyone who can top him in future home run hitting contests.
Sale, Scherzer to Start All-Star Game
The MLB All-Star Game starting lineups and starting pitchers were revealed on Monday afternoon for Tuesday night's game, and the mound will feature no surprises at Marlins Park. Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox will go for the American League, with Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals opposing him for the National League. Both men will be making history with these starts, as Sale will become the first man to start consecutive All-Star Games representing two different teams. The left-hander started last year's game as a member of the Chicago White Sox, lasting just one inning in San Diego and allowing a home run to Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. Meanwhile, Scherzer will become just the fifth man to start for both leagues in the All-Star Game. That dates back to when he started the mid-summer classic as a member of the Detroit Tigers in 2013. Sale earned the honors in his first season in Boston by going 11-4 with a 2.75 ERA and recording a major-league leading 178 strikeouts in the first half. The right-handed ace for the first-place Nationals has similar numbers with a 10-5 record, a 2.10 ERA, and 173 punch-outs. Scherzer gets the nod for the N.L. seemingly only because of Dodgers' ace Clayton Kershaw starting on Sunday, making him unavailable for Tuesday's game. Kershaw has a 14-2 record for the best team in baseball. Sale seems to be the obvious pick for the A.L., although the likes of Michael Fulmer and Corey Kluber starting Sunday night helped that pick as well.
Lightning Give Tyler Johnson Seven-Year Deal
The Tampa Bay Lightning head in to next season looking to regroup from a down year to their standards, so with that, they needed to hang on to one of their true competitors. They did just that on Monday by giving Tyler Johnson a seven-year deal worth $35 million. General manager Steve Yzerman announced the news Monday afternoon for the 26-year-old, who is coming off a 45-point season in 66 games. That included 19 goals, which was good for third on the team, as he was also fifth in points in his fifth season with Tampa Bay. He became a household name in the state of Florida from his performance in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he led the league with 13 goals. He was also tied for the lead with 23 points, along with Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. The former All-Star led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Finals that year, and looks to be a mainstay in the organization for years to come.
