Bellinger, Dodgers Walk-Off for 60th Win
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to grow day by day, looking more and more like a legitimate World Series contender, as they continue to find new ways to win. That included on Saturday, as Cody Bellinger recorded his first career walk-off RBI with a bases loaded walk in the 10th inning for a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. This was after Bellinger snapped a 12-game homerless drought with a game-tying shot in the eighth inning. That was his team-leading 25th home run, helping Los Angeles become the seventh team to reach 60 wins before the All-Star break. They reach that mark this early for the first time since 1974, and for the third time in franchise history. Their 60-29 record tops the majors, as does their 38-11 mark at home. The Royals got a go-ahead home run from Salvador Perez in the eighth inning, but dropped their second straight at Dodger Stadium. Reliever Scott Alexander loaded the bases and walked in the winning run for L.A. to suffer the loss. The series finale is Sunday afternoon, which is the final game before the break in Miami.
Yankees Snap Out of Slump with Walk-Off Win Over Brewers
The New York Yankees have struggled their way to second place in the American League East, which makes it a bad time to go against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had a five-game win streak heading into Saturday after a series opening win over the "Bronx Bombers" on Friday, but they saw that streak come to an end in thrilling fashion. After trailing for most of the afternoon, the Yankees got an unlikely hero in a comeback victory, as Clint Frazier came through in the clutch. Frazier hit the walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning off of All-Star closer Cory Knebel for a 5-3 Yankees' win. Frazier also tripled in a run in just his sixth major league game, and became the youngest Yankee with a walk-off homer since 21-year-old Melky Cabrera did it in 2006. The win snaps a mild three-game losing streak for New York, who is just 7-17 since June 12th. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth to earn his second win of the season. Yankees' pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts on the day against the Brewers' offense, which got a three-run home run from Domingo Santana in the first inning. The rubber game of this series takes place on Sunday afternoon.
Rockets Give James Harden Record Extension
James Harden had an easy choice to stay in Houston after the addition of Chris Paul, but the dollar amount definitely didn't hurt. The Rockets gave the MVP runner-up a four-year extension, which guarantees him $228 million through the 2022-23 season. Harden has finished second in the MVP race the past two seasons, and has two years and $59 million remaining on his current contract. The extension's value of $170 million makes this the richest extension in NBA history. The bearded All-Star is coming off a career-best season where he averaged 29.1 points, an NBA-high 11.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds. He reportedly played a big role in luring in CP3, who informed the Los Angeles Clippers that he wanted to play in Houston during a meeting earlier this off-season. The trade was made just one day later to join Paul and Harden for a lethal combination. The Rockets' off-season is far from over, as their attention has turned to acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks to create a trio that could possibly contend with the mighty Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to grow day by day, looking more and more like a legitimate World Series contender, as they continue to find new ways to win. That included on Saturday, as Cody Bellinger recorded his first career walk-off RBI with a bases loaded walk in the 10th inning for a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. This was after Bellinger snapped a 12-game homerless drought with a game-tying shot in the eighth inning. That was his team-leading 25th home run, helping Los Angeles become the seventh team to reach 60 wins before the All-Star break. They reach that mark this early for the first time since 1974, and for the third time in franchise history. Their 60-29 record tops the majors, as does their 38-11 mark at home. The Royals got a go-ahead home run from Salvador Perez in the eighth inning, but dropped their second straight at Dodger Stadium. Reliever Scott Alexander loaded the bases and walked in the winning run for L.A. to suffer the loss. The series finale is Sunday afternoon, which is the final game before the break in Miami.
Yankees Snap Out of Slump with Walk-Off Win Over Brewers
The New York Yankees have struggled their way to second place in the American League East, which makes it a bad time to go against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had a five-game win streak heading into Saturday after a series opening win over the "Bronx Bombers" on Friday, but they saw that streak come to an end in thrilling fashion. After trailing for most of the afternoon, the Yankees got an unlikely hero in a comeback victory, as Clint Frazier came through in the clutch. Frazier hit the walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning off of All-Star closer Cory Knebel for a 5-3 Yankees' win. Frazier also tripled in a run in just his sixth major league game, and became the youngest Yankee with a walk-off homer since 21-year-old Melky Cabrera did it in 2006. The win snaps a mild three-game losing streak for New York, who is just 7-17 since June 12th. Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth to earn his second win of the season. Yankees' pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts on the day against the Brewers' offense, which got a three-run home run from Domingo Santana in the first inning. The rubber game of this series takes place on Sunday afternoon.
Rockets Give James Harden Record Extension
James Harden had an easy choice to stay in Houston after the addition of Chris Paul, but the dollar amount definitely didn't hurt. The Rockets gave the MVP runner-up a four-year extension, which guarantees him $228 million through the 2022-23 season. Harden has finished second in the MVP race the past two seasons, and has two years and $59 million remaining on his current contract. The extension's value of $170 million makes this the richest extension in NBA history. The bearded All-Star is coming off a career-best season where he averaged 29.1 points, an NBA-high 11.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds. He reportedly played a big role in luring in CP3, who informed the Los Angeles Clippers that he wanted to play in Houston during a meeting earlier this off-season. The trade was made just one day later to join Paul and Harden for a lethal combination. The Rockets' off-season is far from over, as their attention has turned to acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks to create a trio that could possibly contend with the mighty Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.
