The Texas Rangers will be well represented at next month’s All-Star Game in Seattle after they had a franchise-record four players elected to start.

The American League West leaders will have catcher Jonah Heim, third baseman Josh Jung, shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien as starters. Heim and Jung are first-time All-Stars, Seager will be making his fourth appearance and Semien is an All-Star for the second time.

The Rangers are 49-32 and in line for their first winning season since 2016 and will host next year’s All-Star Game.

Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout was selected for his 11th appearance and will be joined in the lineup by teammate Shohei Ohtani, who last week was chosen as the designated hitter as the league’s top-vote getter in the first round.

Also elected as first-time starters were Tampa Bay Rays teammates Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena, Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia and catcher Sean Murphy, Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez and Arizona Diamondbacks rookie Corbin Carroll.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will have three players starting for the NL: first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Mookie Betts and DH J.D. Martinez.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado was elected to his fifth start and eighth appearance.

Aaron Judge was voted to start for the fifth time, but the Yankees star hasn’t played since June 3 because of a torn ligament in his right big toe.

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. earned an outfield spot last week as the NL’s top vote-getter during the first round.

Red-hot Phillies win 9th straight on road

Kyle Schwarber homered on the game’s first pitch to back Taijuan Walker’s strong start and the surging Philadelphia Phillies finished a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs with a 3-1 victory.

Bryce Harper knocked in two runs and Trea Turner added two hits and a run to help the Phillies win for the 18th time in 23 games. They have won nine straight road contests to match their best streak since May 1984.

Walker limited the Cubs to one run and six hits over six innings to win his fifth start in a row. He has a 0.84 in that span.

Ohtani hits 14th June home run in Angels’ loss

Shohei Ohtani extended his major league lead with his 29th home run but the Los Angeles Angels fell to the Chicago White Sox, 9-7.

Ohtani’s two-run shot in the ninth inning off Kendall Graveman was his 14th home run in June, breaking the Angels’ record. He is 14 for 30 with five home runs and eight RBIs in his last seven games.

Eloy Jimenez and Zach Remillard each had two-run singles in Chicago’s six-run third inning, and the White Sox won their second straight despite giving up four home runs.

Domingo German threw the 24th perfect game in major league history in the New York Yankees’ 11-0 rout of the lowly Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

German retired all 27 Oakland batters in order to become the first pitcher to accomplish the rarely seen feat since Felix Hernandez did it for the Seattle Mariners against the Tampa Bay Rays on Aug 15, 2012.

The Yankees right-hander struck out nine in his first career complete game. He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as Yankees pitchers to throw perfect games.

German threw 72 of 99 pitches for strikes, mixing 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs that averaged 92.5 mph with 17 changeups and one sinker.

German’s perfect game came after he allowed 15 earned runs and 15 hits in his past two starts, spanning 5 1/3 innings.

Seth Brown came closest to reach base for the Athletics when he hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who made a diving stop and tossed to German for the second out of the fifth inning.

Just over a month ago, German was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball after using too much rosin on his hands in a start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in three runs and Josh Donaldson added three RBIs as New York defeated Oakland for the 15th time in the last 21 meetings.  

Rays score 3 in 9th to rally past Diamondbacks

Josh Lowe doubled home two runs to cap a three-run ninth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a matchup of division leaders.

Scott McGough was called on to protect a 2-0 lead in the ninth but surrendered singles to Yandy Diaz and Wander Franco before Luke Raley singled home the first run.

After Isaac Paredes lined out to second, Lowe ripped a double into the left-centre field gap to plate the go-ahead runs.

A loss would’ve dropped the Rays behind the Atlanta Braves for the best record in baseball, but Lowe’s hit means Tampa Bay remains atop the majors.

Red-hot Braves sweep Twins

The Atlanta Braves kept rolling, beating the visiting Minnesota Twins 3-0 to cap a three-game sweep.

Atlanta extended its winning streak to five games and posted its 21st victory in 25 contests to add to its National League-leading 53-27 record.

Matt Olson hit his NL-best 26th home run and contributed an RBI double for the Braves, who top the major leagues with 147 homers.

Atlanta’s 55 home runs in June are one shy of the franchise record set in June 2019.

Minnesota fell to 40-42 after scoring just three runs in the series and striking out 31 times.

Shohei Ohtani once again displayed his two-way brilliance Tuesday, striking out 10 batters from the mound and hitting two home runs to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Ohtani was 3 for 3 from the plate with a walk, and solo shots in the first and seventh innings raised his home run total to 28 on the season, extending his major-league lead.

Ohtani (7-3) allowed one run while pitching 6 1/3 innings, striking out 10 and collecting the win.

The superstar from Japan is just the sixth player in baseball history to hit two home runs while striking out 10 or more batters in a game.

Ohtani is now batting .304 on the season with a 1.009 OPS, and Tuesday’s performance lowered his ERA to 3.02 this year.

Eloy Jimenez was 3 for 4 for the White Sox and scored on an Andrew Vaughn single in the ninth to make things interesting, but Angels closer Carlos Estevez shut the door for his 20th save of the season.  

Mets beat Brewers ahead of owner Cohen’s presser

Brandon Nimmo hit two home runs, David Peterson tossed six shutout innings and the slumping New York Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2.

The victory came hours after Mets owner Steve Cohen announced on Twitter that he plans to hold a news conference Wednesday to address his team’s struggles.

After winning 101 games last year, New York is 36-43 this season and had lost 16 of their previous 21 games before Tuesday’s victory.

The Mets entered the season with an all-time record payroll of $355million.

Manager Buck Showalter hinted before the game that the Mets’ struggles have been tough for Cohen to tolerate.

“He’s frustrated - very competitive man, trust me, very competitive man,” Showalter said. “He likes to win.”

Kershaw, Martinez in spotlight as Dodgers blank Rockies

Clayton Kershaw gave up just one hit in six dominant innings, J.D. Martinez went deep twice to reach 300 home runs in his career and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0.

Kershaw held the Rockies hitless until a Brenton Doyle single with two outs in the sixth and needed just 79 pitches to collect his 10th win of the season.

Kershaw, whose only career no-hitter came against the Rockies in 2014, said after the game that he was battling fatigue but plans to make his next scheduled start.

Martinez hit a two-run shot in the third inning, then hit his milestone home run in the sixth – a solo shot off Brad Hand.

Spencer Strider struck out 10 in seven innings and Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh for the red-hot Atlanta Braves, who recorded their 11th win in 12 games with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Ozuna snapped a 1-1 tie with his third homer in five games, while Ronald Acuna Jr. added a two-run shot later in the seventh to help Atlanta take the opener of this three-game series between division leaders. 

The Braves are now 18-3 since June 3 and own the National League's best record at 51-27.

Strider improved to 9-2 by holding the AL Central-leading Twins to one run and three hits while extending his MLB-leading strikeout total to 146. The right-hander's only blemish came when he allowed a solo homer to Joey Gallo in the second inning.

Minnesota starter Sonny Gray matched Strider for six innings before surrendering Ozuna's blast and a two-out single by Michael Harris that chased him from the game. He was charged with three runs and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. 

Ohtani's 26th home run helps Angels edge White Sox

Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league home run lead and Mike Trout scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Angels a 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Trout led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk against Reynaldo Lopez and Ohtani greeted reliever Aaron Bummer with a walk before the two stars executed a double steal to put two on with none out. After Bummer struck out Brandon Drury, the left-hander uncorked an errant pitch that allowed Trout to slide into home plate with the deciding run.

Ohtani tied the contest at 1-1 with his 26th homer of the season, a 446-foot blast into the right field seats off Dylan Cease in the fourth inning that snapped a tie with Atlanta's Matt Olson for the most in the majors.

Both Cease and the Angels' Reid Detmers engaged in a stellar pitching duel from that point on. Detmers yielded a run on just two hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings. Cease also fanned 10 while allowing one run on five hits in six innings.

Luis Robert homered for the fourth time in three games in the first inning to account for Chicago's lone run. 

Orioles withstand long delay to rout Reds

A rain delay of nearly two hours wasn't enough time to slow down the Baltimore Orioles' bats in a 10-3 win over the suddenly struggling Cincinnati Reds.

Five Baltimore players each collected two hits as the Orioles overcame a 1-hour, 44-minute stoppage in the second inning to earn their third consecutive win. Austin Hays gave Baltimore a 2-1 lead with a two-run single before the delay and finished with three RBIs, while Adley Rutschman drove in two runs in the rout.

Jordan Westburg, ranked the Orioles' No. 3 prospect by MLB.com, made his big league debut and recorded his first hit with a fifth-inning single. The second baseman also drove in a run on a fielder's choice.

The Reds were dealt a third straight loss following a 12-game winning streak that was the club's longest since 1957. Cincinnati dropped a half-game behind Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central after the Brewers defeated the New York Mets, 2-1, on Monday. 

Spencer Steer homered and knocked in all three Cincinnati runs while finishing 3 for 3.

The St. Louis Cardinals gave up four runs in the first inning but rallied to beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-5, on Sunday to split the teams’ two-game series at London Stadium.

Former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras went 4 for 4 and scored two runs for St. Louis, while Paul Goldschmidt delivered the go-ahead RBI single that chased NL ERA leader Marcus Stroman in the fourth.

The Cubs later said that Stroman exited early due to a blister on his throwing hand. He was charged with six runs - three earned - on eight hits. 

St. Louis committed two errors in the first inning before recording an out, saddling starter Matthew Liberatore with four unearned runs, but five Cardinals relievers held the Chicago lineup in check the rest of the way.

The Cubs fell to 37-39 and missed a chance to get back to .500, while the Cardinals have won five of seven following a six-game losing streak.

Yankees rally to take series from AL West-leading Rangers

Harrison Bader delivered a go-ahead two-run double during an eighth-inning rally that lifted the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers.

The Yankees trailed 3-2 before scoring three times in the eighth to win the rubber match of the three-game series. DJ LeMahieu had a two-run double earlier for New York, which went 4-2 on its week-long homestand after returning to the Bronx on a season high-tying four-game losing streak.

New York also overcame ace Gerrit Cole's shortest outing of the season, a 4 2/3-inning stint in which he was tagged for three runs and nine hits.

Jonah Heim had a solo home run off Cole and finished 2 for 4. Leody Tavares also collected two hits and an RBI for Texas, which stranded 10 runners compared to just three for the Yankees. 

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi was in line for his 10th win of the season after yielding two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings and exiting with a one-run lead. 

Braves hang on to take two of three from Reds

Matt Olson hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning and the Atlanta Braves staved off a comeback attempt from the Cincinnati Reds for a second straight day to hold on for a 7-6 win.

Olson's 25th homer of the season, which snapped a 3-3 tie and matched him with Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead, helped Atlanta win the three-game series between National League division leaders and two of its hottest teams. The Braves have now won 17 of 20 and snapped Cincinnati's 12-game winning streak with a 7-6 victory on Saturday.

The Braves tacked on a needed insurance run in the top of the eighth to go up 7-4, but the Reds rallied and pulled within one on Matt McClain's two-run double with two out in the bottom of the inning.

McClain was left stranded, however, and Raisel Iglesias later got Kevin Newman to ground into a game-ending double play with two on in the ninth to record his 12th save.

McClain finished 4 for 5 with a home run, three doubles and five RBIs to become only the second Reds rookie since 1901 with four extra-base hits in a game, joining Chris Sabo in 1988.

Marcell Ozuna knocked in a pair of runs for Atlanta, while Charlie Morton earned the win after striking out seven while allowing three runs in five innings. 

St Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol admitted featuring in Major League Baseball’s second London Series exceeded the expectations he had ahead of the trip.

Beating division rivals the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Sunday to split the two-game series at London Stadium likely crept into his assessment, but it was the overall experience of the English event that most stood out.

With the Phillies and Mets set to cross the pond next June, MLB seems to have converted an enthusiastic ambassador within its own ranks ahead of the next editions in 2024 and 2026.

He said: “Coming into it I knew it would be a good experience but it’s a lot better than I anticipated, from being able to come into the city and get an idea of the culture and the people, and then the stadium, the game environment.

“It’s very festive I would say. A very, very positive experience.”

Saturday’s crowd of 54,662 had already broken the record for the biggest attendance for an MLB game this season, a tally exceeded on Sunday with 55,565 flocking to West Ham’s Premier League home.

That number would not fit inside most MLB stadia.

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras said: “I enjoyed every single second out there. The experience was nothing but amazing. I think that’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. The fans were amazing and I’m really thankful they came out to watch us play.”

MLB did its best to transform the Hammers’ venue into a bona fide big-league ballpark, complete with monstrous hot dogs, ‘donut burgers’ and a traditional sing-along to Take Me Out to The Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch.

But converting curious Britons is key to the sport’s sustained success on these shores, so it was important to get the balance right for what – at least after unscientific surveys of accents inside London Stadium – seemed like a decent home crowd to complement those who travelled over.

Also essential to the league’s ambitions is ensuring that Great Britain is growing a new cohort of players at an exciting time for the country’s national teams.

Last year, the men’s baseball team played heavy hitters like the USA in the World Baseball Classic, the sport’s closest equivalent to the World Cup, after qualifying for the first time.

A women’s baseball team has formed and played in Europe, while GB softball – who narrowly missed out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, are about to test themselves at their own World Cup qualifier in Dublin next month.

MLB’s Trafalgar Square takeover included one of those women in the home run derby, and was set up to draw the attention of those who might not have purchased a ticket this time round, while outreach programmes took place at schools and clubs around the country.

Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar added: “It’s huge to grow the game. For a lot of us it was the first time in Europe.

“Any time you can come out here and try to grow the game a little bit, it’s big and hopefully they leave today and you inspire some kids to go out there and buy a glove, buy a bat and go in the backyard and play a little bit.”

The St Louis Cardinals stormed back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs 7-5 and split Major League Baseball’s second London Series.

For some punters this event was about gawking at two-foot long hot dogs and potentially seeing a handful of home runs, though noises around London Stadium suggested a decent number of the 55,565 in attendance were genuinely invested in the sport.

Players from both sides emphasised the seriousness of MLB’s trip across the pond – which holds genuine consequences for the National League Central rivals’ postseason hopes – while MLB will be evaluating if and how they can continue to stage games in London after the last scheduled series here in 2026.

Chicago were dealt a blow when pitching ace Marcus Stroman was forced off with injury to start the fourth, while the division-bottom Cardinals (32-45)  benefitted from an alert offence and strong performance from the bullpen in a game that featured 11 different men on the mound.

Stroman entered the afternoon with wins in an MLB-leading seven straight starts, while Cardinals boss Oliver Marmol turned to Matthew Liberatore after Jack Flaherty was a late fitness scratch.

The Cardinals quickly fell behind after the ‘visiting’ Cubs batted first, capitalised on a pair of errors and got themselves out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

But St Louis rallied in the bottom half of the second and had the bases loaded with two outs before singles from Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan made it 4-3.

With a man on first, Marmol swapped his starter for right-hander Jake Woodford at the top of the third, while neither of the two pinch runners Cubs boss David Ross introduced for the subsequent at-bats crossed home plate and the score stood at 4-3.

But it was all tied up at the end of the inning after Jordan Walker’s line drive to centre brought home Lars Nootbaar.

The Cards took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fourth through Paul Goldschmidt, who this weekend became the first MLB player to play in five countries and drove in Edman to make it 5-4.

Something seemed to be troubling the usually reliable Stroman. He began the game with the national league’s lowest earned-run average, but in London he ended the afternoon with six runs allowed and hit Donovan with a pitch.

A mound visit determined the Cubs ace was suffering from a blister to his right index finger and he was pulled after 3.1 innings and replaced by Michael Fulmer, St Louis extending their lead when Lars Nootbaar’s sacrifice fly allowed Donovan to score from third.

The Cardinals managed just six hits across all nine innings on Saturday. By Sunday’s seventh-inning stretch they had posted 11, including Nolan Gorman’s fifth-inning single to make it 7-4.

The bullpen quartet of Woodford, Genesis Cabrera, Giovanny Gallegos and Andre Pallante combined for seven scoreless innings before Jordan Hicks gave up a sacrifice fly to Nico Hoerner, allowing Nick Madrigal to cross home plate.

Though the Cubs had no given up a run since the fifth it was too late to spark a comeback, despite winning a video review challenge.

It was down to Seiya Suzuki to make magic happen with their last out. Instead, Hicks caught him swinging to seal the all-important victory in Britain.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman is confident Major League Baseball has the right ingredients to go global with more marquee international events like this weekend’s London Series against the St Louis Cardinals.

Stroman will start Sunday’s second contest of the two-game series at London Stadium, with the Cubs targeting a sweep of their bitter National League Central rivals after Justin Steele picked up a 9-1 win in Saturday’s opener.

The 32-year-old is one of the sport’s most dynamic and expressive personalities both on and off the mound, resulting in the alliterative moniker ‘the Stro Show’ for his starts – the last seven of which have ended in wins.

Stroman, who on Saturday was described by manager David Ross as “the MVP of our team” who “loves the spotlight”, had never visited the English capital before this trip and said it has opened his eyes to Major League Baseball’s international reach.

Asked if MLB could be embraced globally, Stroman told the PA news agency: “Absolutely I think we can. It’s just a matter of marketing our players and putting us on this stage so that the world can kind of see.

“Yeah, I would love to continue playing in all the cities around the world. I think it’s pretty special. I think you also realise how many fans we have worldwide, whereas when we stay in America you kind of lose sight of that.”

Stroman made his big-league debut in May 2014 for the Toronto Blue Jays, the only MLB franchise outside the United States.

An anterior cruciate ligament tear sustained in spring training the following year denied him a coveted hometown opening-day start at Yankee Stadium, with many assuming he would miss the entire season.

But Stroman saw an opportunity in the rehab stint, using it to do something he had long been determined to accomplish: finish his undergraduate degree in sociology at Duke university, sandwiching four to five hours of classes between training sessions.

That September Stroman made his avowed miracle comeback, returning just in time to help Toronto secure a first trip to the post-season in 22 years.

At 5ft 8in, ‘Stro’, whose personal motto is ‘height doesn’t measure heart’ stands below the MLB average of about 6ft and, from an early age was fuelled to disprove the coaches, peers and pundits who wrote him off because of his stature.

Stroman’s success combined with an eternally optimistic, heart-on-his-sleeve personality has endeared the pitcher to fans in Chicago since he signed a three-year deal worth a reported USD 71million in 2021.

Supporters want the Cubs to sign Stroman to an extension – a point they made abundantly clear at a rally in London by chanting his name at chairman Tom Ricketts.

Stroman is aware of his seven-game streak, but insisted he will not approach Sunday’s start differently, saying: “I just prepare really well and I go out there at the end of the day whatever happens happens, so I do all I can to prepare and then go out there and compete and have fun.”

Ross does not underestimate the potentially valuable impact his equally talented and entertaining Sunday starter could have as MLB tries to convert curious Britons into to bona-fide fans.

He said: “Come out and see the Stro Show. It’s going to be fun. He’s one of the best pitchers in the league. He’s carried us. He’s been our ace. He loves the moment.

“He’s going to be a star on the big stage, you’re definitely going to get that. He’s a guy that loves the spotlight and rises to the occasion when things matter.

“He’s been our MVP of our team, I would say. If the fans want entertainment, definitely show up. They’re going to get a good show.”

Mike Trout, Brandon Drury and Matt Thaiss hit home runs on consecutive pitches to open a 13-run third inning and the Los Angeles Angels pounded out a franchise-record 28 hits in a 25-1 drubbing of the Colorado Rockies.

Hunter Renfroe and Mickey Moniak each went 5 for 5 with four RBIs and David Fletcher had four hits and five RBIs as part of the biggest scoring output in Angels history.

The Angels scored 24 runs in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays on August 25, 1979.

Every Angels' starter had at least two hits except major league home run leader Shohei Ohtani, who went 1 for 7.

After Trout, Drury and Thaiss went deep off starter Chase Anderson, the Angels went on to score 10 more runs in the inning on seven more hits, capped by Moniak’s two-run homer.

The Angels piled on eight more runs in the fourth inning to become the only major league team in the modern era (since 1900) to score 20 or more runs over a span of two innings.

Drury and Thaiss singled home runs and Renfroe had an RBI double before Moniak delivered a two-run double. Fletcher’s three-run homer made it 23-0.

The Rockies avoided the shutout on Brenton Doyle’s home run in the eighth inning.

Braves hold on to end Reds’ 12-game winning streak

Travis d’Arnaud homered for one of his four hits and the Atlanta Braves held on for a 7-6 victory, ending the Cincinnati Reds’ 12-game winning streak on Saturday.

Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna also went deep for the National League-best Braves, who rebounded from Friday’s loss to win for the ninth time in 10 games and improve to 16-4 in June.

The Reds’ 12-game streak tied for the longest in the franchise’s modern era and was one shy of matching the 1890 team’s 13-game run. The 1899 Reds won 14 straight.

Cincinnati also hit four home runs, the final two coming in the bottom of the ninth inning. Jake Fraley and Will Benson took Raisel Iglesias deep to make it a one-run game but the Atlanta closer regrouped and struck out Matt McLain and Jonathan India – both on changeups - to end it.

Cubs rout Cardinals in London

Ian Happ hit two home runs, Justin Steele struck out eight in six strong innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the St. Louis Cardinals 9-1 to open the teams’ two-game set in London.

With a crowd of 54,662 filling London Stadium, the Cubs improved to 9-1 over their last 10 games and moved to within a game of .500 (37-38).

Happ hit solo home runs in the second and third innings, and Dansby Swanson hit a two-run shot in the ninth to provide insurance.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele heaped praise on the 54,662 supporters who packed London Stadium to see his side cruise to a 9-1 victory over bitter division rivals the St Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs’ bats handed starter Steele, who struck out eight and gave up one run across six innings, a comfortable lead and were up 7-0 after four innings on a humid evening that also saw outfielder Ian Happ hit two home runs.

Saturday’s attendance exceeded the capacity of most Major League Baseball stadia, and Steele delighted in how strongly the fans – or in some cases the baseball-curious wearing blue – got behind his team.

He said: “It’s something I’ll never forget. Truly special. It felt like everybody was on the mound there with me, really exciting energy. It was really cool to cap it off like that, punch out the side, it was really cool, and I just can’t say enough about the atmosphere.”

Steele’s comments will be music to the ears of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who on Friday said positive player experiences in series like these will be central to whether or not the league returns to places like London following their final scheduled contest on these shores in 2026.

That is the same year the MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires, with international series once again set to be one of the topics on the table with the players’ association.

The pace of this London Series opener was likely a relief to fans and organisers alike after the first-ever MLB game in London, 2019’s 17-13 slugfest between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, lasted a near record-breaking four hours and 42 minutes.

Outfield fences were pushed further back for this contest, which ended after a comparatively brief two hours and 40 minutes, capped off for the Cubs by shortstop Dansby Swanson’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth.

Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt made history in London by becoming the first player in MLB history to play in five different countries, and also ended the evening the lone Card to have picked up a run batted in (RBI) in England.

Cubs manager David Ross admitted there was uncertainty about how the effects of crossing the pond would affect his team, and was delighted by their efforts on unfamiliar turf.

He said: “I think some of the nerves are gone from the group, especially from my seat where you’re not sure how guys are going to feel with all the travel and everything.

“They go out there and the bats did what they did, I thought it was a really nice performance top to bottom from our line-up, they did a phenomenal job. Happer getting us started off with a homer just kind of lets everybody relax a little bit and still be great.”

Ross’ side remain in third place in the division, so they will be eagerly eyeing up a chance to sweep the division’s bottom-dwelling Cardinals when the series concludes on Sunday.

He is also looking forward to the unique experience of hearing ‘go Cubs go’ chanted in England for a second successive day.

“That sounded good,” he enthusiastically agreed. “That’s the first thing that stood out to me. It was nice and loud. I hope someday I’ll get to watch that on video somewhere tonight or tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll hear it again tomorrow.”

Aaron Judge’s return to the New York Yankees’ lineup may be further away than previously thought.

Just two days after the Yankees said the reigning American League MVP would be resuming baseball activities this weekend, Judge tempered expectations of an imminent return and said he is dealing with a torn ligament in his right great toe.

“I'm not giving you any timeline,” Judge said before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers. “There's no need. I've just got to get better and then I'll be out there.”

Judge told reporters Saturday that the uncommon nature of the injury makes it difficult to predict when he will be back on the field.

“I don’t think too many people have torn a ligament in their toe,” Judge said. “If it was a quad we’d have a better answer. If it’s an oblique or hamstring we got timelines for that. With how unique this injury is and it being my back foot which I push off of and run off of, it’s a tough spot.”

Judge injured his toe on June 3 while crashing into the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium after catching a fly ball.

The AL home run king worked out in a pool this week and had inquired about on-field work, leading to the club’s optimism.

“It’s something I mentioned to the training staff: I want to test it out a little bit,” Judge said. “Maybe play catch, maybe take some dry swings. I just kind of see where it’s at.

“I really wouldn’t say it’s me running on the field and or doing a lot of baseball activity. It’s more me being passive saying, `We’ve done a lot of stuff in here. We’re making some great progress. Let’s test with what I’m going to be actually doing on the field.'”

Judge slugged an American League-record 62 home runs in 2022, the first season of a nine-year, $360million contract. His 19 home runs this season were one short of the major league lead when he was injured.

Judge, a four-time All-Star, leads baseball with 235 home runs since his first full season in the majors in 2017.

New York is 16-26 over the last two seasons when Judge is on the injured list.

Ian Happ hit two home runs as the Chicago Cubs cruised to a 9-1 win over rivals the St Louis Cardinals on Major League Baseball’s return to the London Stadium.

Happ twice tested out the dimensions of West Ham’s home ground, where a full-scale conversion for two games this weekend saw blowing bubbles and beer replaced by hot dogs and peanuts for the first time since 2019, and Dansby Swanson added a late two-run shot to underline the Cubs’ dominance.

The manner in which the Cubs powered their way to an early lead, up 7-0 after four innings, took the jeopardy out of the game but did not dampen the enthusiasm of 54,662 paying punters keen to see American’s pastime back on British shores.

Four years on from two sold-out contests between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and three years behind schedule following the pandemic, the Cubs and Cardinals played out their fierce National League Central rivalry in east London.

But, given the Cardinals’ deficiencies this season, it quickly turned into one-way traffic.

Much has changed in baseball since 2019 with the introduction of the pitch clock designed to speed up play, and both teams got down to business much more efficiently than New York and Boston four years ago.

Back then, the opening inning of what turned into an epic 17-13 scoring fest, won by the Yankees, took two minutes short of an hour.

But this entire contest would be over in less than three as the Cubs continued the hot run of form which has made them relevant again in a poor division, this their ninth win in 10 as they improved to 37-38, the Cardinals slumping at 31-45 as the 162-game regular season approaches the midway point.

The scoring started at the top of the second inning as the Cubs wasted little time in getting to the Cardinals’ veteran starting pitcher Adam Wainwright.

Cubs outfielder Happ hit a solo home run straight over the centrefield wall, some 392 feet from the home plate, and they doubled their lead when third baseman Nick Madrigal’s single brought Cody Bellinger home.

It got worse for St Louis in the third. With two out and two strikes against Happ, Wainwright was one pitch away from getting out of the inning but Happ again went deep with a shot to right that landed in the Cardinals’ bullpen.

The Cubs made Wainwright pay as they extended the inning. Swanson and Bellinger hit singles before Christopher Morel’s line drive to centre field allowed Swanson to score and Bellinger came home on another line drive from catcher Yan Gomes.

Back-to-back doubles from Madrigal and Mike Tauchman at the top of the fourth saw the Cubs pad their lead even further and chased Wainwright from the game.

While Wainwright took an early shower, Cubs starter Justin Steele cruised through four innings without giving up a hit.

St Louis finally found a crack in the bottom of the sixth as Tommy Edman scored on a Paul Goldschmidt ground ball into right to give the Cardinals fans something to cheer, but it was too little, too late.

Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman was on hand to lead the crowd in a rendition of ‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ during the seventh-inning stretch before another famous Cubs fan, Bill Murray, took an ovation from fans.

Murray and the rest of the Cubs on hand would have more to celebrate in the top of the ninth when Swanson launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall to put an exclamation point on their win.

Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz became the first Reds player to hit for a cycle in 34 years and Cincinnati outslugged the Atlanta Braves 11-10 for their 12th straight victory.

De La Cruz led off the second inning with a double, hit a two-run homer in the third, had a run-scoring single in the fifth and completed the cycle with a triple in the sixth for his fourth RBI of the game.

The cycle is the seventh overall in Reds’ history and the first since Eric Davis on June 2, 1989. The 21-year-old De La Cruz achieved the feat in just his 15th game – the third fewest since 1900.

Cincinnati matched the 1939 and 1957 teams for the franchise’s longest single season winning streak since 1900.

Atlanta, which had an eight-game winning streak stopped, scored five runs in the first off Luke Weaver, with Travis d’Arnaud’s three-run homer the big blow.

Cincinnati got two runs back in the second inning on Jake Fraley’s home run and pulled within 5-4 an inning later on De La Cruz’s two-run blast.

Joey Votto’s first home run of the game in the fourth inning tied it, but the Braves went back on top in the fifth as Matt Olson’s homer scored Austin Riley.

The Reds went ahead for good with four runs in their half of the fifth. De La Cruz singled in a run and Votto delivered a three-run homer.

Atlanta got solo home runs from Ronald Acuna, Jr., Riley and Olson again in the eighth but was unable to push across the tying run in just its third loss in 18 games.

Ohtani hits MLB-best 25th home run in Angels’ loss

Shohei Ohtani extended his major league lead with his 25th home run and fell a triple shy of the cycle in the Los Angles Angels’ 7-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Ohtani homered off starter Kyle Freeland in the fifth inning and Mike Trout followed with his 16th home run to give the Angels a 4-2 lead.

Ohtani has at least one extra-base hit in 10 straight road games, a franchise record and the longest such streak in the majors since 2009.

Colorado, which had lost eight in a row, went ahead in the eighth on Elias Diaz’s grand slam.

Conforto leads Giants past Diamondbacks in NL West matchup

Michael Conforto had three hits and four RBIs to lead the San Francisco Giants to an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in a battle between the top teams in the NL West.

Conforto had a two-run double in San Francisco’s three-run third inning and came through with another two-run double as part of a four-run fifth. Patrick Bailey capped the uprising with a two-run homer.

The Giants have won 11 of 12 to get within 2 ½ games of NL West-leading Arizona.

Major League Baseball’s second series in London is no holiday for Chicago Cubs pitcher Javier Assad and his touring team-mates.

The 162-game regular season is only just approaching its halfway point, but this weekend’s two games against bitter National League Central rivals the St Louis Cardinals could still prove critical to the Cubs’ playoff ambitions.

So while the travelling pack from Illinois did briefly marvel at Westminster Abbey and other highlights of the capital, it became business as usual once workout day started at London Stadium.

“When we get the chance to explore and visit we definitely will do it and enjoy it and get to talk to the fans and get to know the area, but when it comes time to play we’re looking to have the same result and getting the victory and staying focused,” the right-hander told the PA news agency.

If the season ended today, the 2016 World Series winners would miss the playoffs as they currently sit third place in their division and three places out of the NL wild card spot.

Last season saw the Cubs finish 19 games behind the division-winning Cardinals, but the standings so far this campaign look very different.

With 74 games behind them, the Cubs sit just 3.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds while the Cardinals are bottom of the division after getting off to a terrible start.

Still, St Louis have won four of their last five games heading into the London Series which gets under way on Saturday.

Mexico-born Assad, 25, grins when he admits he is a huge Manchester City fan.

But it was memories of a former Manchester United and West Ham player that made the trip to this particular ground extra-special for the Tijuana native.

“It’s incredible,” said Assad. “Especially being Mexican, seeing ‘Chicharito’ (Javier) Hernandez having played here, it’s really, really cool to be sharing this field in this stadium as well. So it’s just incredible.”

Like his compatriot Hernandez, Assad has represented his country, most recently in the World Baseball Classic, the closest thing the sport has to a World Cup.

The 2023 edition was a historic moment for Great Britain, who qualified a team for the first time – and performed well enough to earn a berth for the next edition and a shout-out from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in Friday’s press conference.

Assad agreed that baseball being seen solely as an American pastime was hugely inaccurate and hopes events like the London Series and MLB’s Parisian debut in 2025 will help grow interest globally and shift those perceptions.

“It’s definitely a worldwide sport,” he added. “There’s a lot of talent in different countries, worldwide. It’s just incredible.”

Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras, who made his debut with the Cubs in 2016 before signing a five-year deal with St Louis in December, said his side was taking the London Series just as seriously as his old club.

He said: “I didn’t realise when I signed with the Cardinals that we were coming out here, so I was excited. I’m really thankful to be here with the Cardinals and to be in London, out of Venezuela.

“I never expected to be here to be honest. I think we’ve come here to do business. My main thing is to go do business the same way I go about playing in the USA. I don’t care who we’re facing, I don’t care about them.”

Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred emphasised the league’s commitment to playing games in London as he announced the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will face off in the third MLB London Series next summer.

This weekend’s two games between the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs at London Stadium mark MLB’s delayed return to Britain following its 2019 debut after a planned 2020 series was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Manfred has been impressed by the sport’s reception in the UK, which will host again in 2026, viewing the country as critical to the sport’s global growth.

He said: “To us London is a really important part of our international strategy. We have seen great growth in baseball. Since we were here in 2019 the number of people in Britain that identify as fans has doubled.

“We are committed to London as part of our programme, and I’m happy to announce we will be back next year with the Mets and Phillies.

“London is a great sports town, and I think because there’s sort of a natural affinity for sport here in London it’s a great place to gain a foothold into Europe.

“Secondly I do think, just for historical reasons, there’s a special affinity between Great Britain and the United States. We understand baseball is a uniquely American phenomenon in some ways, but if you are trying to internationalise starting in friendly territory seems like a good plan.”

A Paris series is also planned for 2025.

Manfred was not keen to speculate beyond 2026, when MLB’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires.

Any future series in London or elsewhere would fall under the next deal, part of the reason the commissioner believes player satisfaction is critical to ensuring teams want to make the trip across the pond in the middle of gruelling 162-game seasons.

Manfred said: “I will say this. The players who came in 2019 found the event, the experience to be a really positive one, and the key to making London a recurring part of the event is making sure that the players have a great trip, that they enjoy themselves while they are here, and we’re working very hard to make sure that happens this time around.”

The two clubhouse dressing rooms for this series will become a permanent fixture at West Ham’s Premier League home and will feature as part of stadium tours.

MLB has retained its “old rivalry, new ground” motto for this year’s series, a concept Manfred says is critical to drawing British crowds.

He said: “We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show fans the very best form of baseball.”

Chase Utley won the World Series with Philadelphia in 2008, and since last summer has lived in London as an “ambassador” for MLB.

While the Cubs, Cardinals, Phillies and Mets might not have the immediate brand recognition of 2019 opponents the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, Utley promised British fans would be just as captivated.

He said: “Obviously it’s lasted a long time, and I think we’ve just had some really good teams at the same time, so we were always fighting for the postseason.

“It’s an intense crowd when you’re in New York, and when you’re in Philadelphia you definitely know where you are. Fantastic players over the years.

“It’s a true rivalry. It doesn’t get much better.”