Pete Alonso proved his own claim that he is the "best power hitter in the game" after being crowned back-to-back Home Run Derby champion at Denver's Coors Field on Monday.

Alonso, who was the winner in 2019 before last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, defeated Baltimore Orioles' Trey Mancini 23-22 in the final.

The head-bopping New York Mets slugger, who batted second, finished the job with six home runs in a row in bonus time, winning with 35 seconds left.

Alonso was the dominant hitter throughout the derby as Los Angeles Angels' two-way top seed Shohei Ohtani, failed to fire, losing to Juan Soto 31-28 in the first round after being tied twice.

The 26-year-old Mets right-hander defeated Kansas City's Salvador Perez 35-28 in the first round, before knocking off Soto 16-15 with 50 seconds to go in the semi-finals.

"I've done this before and I'm extremely confident in my ability to hit the ball out of the yard," Alonso said. "I feel like I'm the best power hitter in the game. It was on display tonight."

Alonso continued his domination in the final against Mancini, who had a great run to the final having overcome stage three colon cancer only 12 months ago.

"Trey's story is unbelievable," Alonso said. "Everybody in the derby put on a show. I'm just happy he was able to participate and put on a show."

Florida-born Alonso would not commit to chasing a third Home Run Derby title despite admitting winning it "never gets old".

"I don’t know, we'll see," he said. "I'm going to enjoy this one for now. I'll have to think about it, but this event is so fun."

Shohei Ohtani's remarkable 2021 season is set to continue after he was named as the starting pitcher for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game, having already been confirmed as the starting designated hitter.

Japanese sensation Ohtani has gone from strength to strength in his first year, pitching and batting in the same game for the Los Angeles Angels.

The two-way superstar has 33 home runs, 12 stolen bases and 87 pitching strikeouts already this term. Only Babe Ruth had previously passed 25 homers, 10 stolen bases and 75 strikeouts in an entire AL career.

Ohtani is five clear atop the homer standings in the major leagues, making him an obvious choice as the AL's starting DH.

But the 27-year-old made history as the only player to make the All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher, and it was confirmed on Monday he will start from the mound in Tuesday's showpiece.

"This is what the fans want to see," said Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, in charge of the AL team. "It's personally what I want to see."

Ohtani could first bolster his reputation further, however, as he prepares to take part in Monday's Home Run Derby, where the Angels ace is the favourite.

Jose Altuve helped the Houston Astros complete an incredible comeback against the New York Yankees in MLB, while the San Francisco Giants won again.

The Astros trailed 7-2 against the Yankees heading into the bottom of the ninth inning before staging a stunning comeback on Sunday.

Chas McCormick and Abraham Toro brought the Astros within two before Altuve belted a three-run walk-off homer to seal an 8-7 win.

The Astros are 55-36 heading into the All-Star break, while the Yankees slipped to a 46-43 record.

The Giants will take the best record into the break after beating the Washington Nationals 3-1.

Curt Casali's three-run homer in the second inning proved to be enough for the Giants to improve to 57-32. Kevin Gausman struck out nine over six innings to improve to 9-3 this season.

Dodgers seal comeback win, brilliant Bassitt

The Los Angeles Dodgers also produced a fine comeback on Sunday. Trailing 4-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers scored three times in the eighth before Max Muncy belted a three-run walk-off homer.

Chris Bassitt gave up just four hits in seven innings to help the Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers 4-1. Bassitt is now 10-2 this season.

Jorge Polanco went three-for-six with five RBIs to see the Minnesota Twins past the Detroit Tigers 12-9.

Miami Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez set an MLB record by striking out the first nine batters in a 7-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves.

Misery for Mets

The Yankees were not the only New York team to give up a big lead on Sunday.

The Mets led the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 through one but ended up slumping to a 6-5 loss. It marked the first ever time the Mets and Yankees both blew a five-plus run lead and lost on the same day.

It was a good day for the Pirates, who also selected catcher Henry Davis from Louisville with the number one pick in the MLB Draft.

Altuve steps up

Altuve delivered at a perfect moment for the Astros, sinking the Yankees with a walk-off shot.

Sunday's results

Chicago White Sox 7-5 Baltimore Orioles
Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 Boston Red Sox
Miami Marlins 7-4 Atlanta Braves
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 New York Mets
Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Tampa Bay Rays
Houston Astros 8-7 New York Yankees
Cincinnati Reds 3-1 Milwaukee Brewers
Minnesota Twins 12-9 Detroit Tigers
Oakland Athletics 4-1 Texas Rangers
San Francisco Giants 3-1 Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Dodgers 7-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies 3-1 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Angels 7-1 Seattle Mariners

All-Star Game

The season will take a break with the All-Star Game to be held on Tuesday. The regular season resumes with a clash between the Yankees and Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

Gerrit Cole returned to Houston with venom as he tossed down 11 strikeouts to lead the New York Yankees to a 1-0 win over the Astros in the MLB on Saturday.

It was a star match-up between Cole, who was with the Astros from 2018 to 2019, and Zack Greinke at Minute Maid Park.

Cole, who came into the game with a 6.46 ERA across his last three starts, starred early before Aaron Judge homered in the third from Greinke.

The Yankees pitcher kept the Astros scoreless across seven innings, the first time he had achieved that since May 27.

But he completed a shutout, tossing down 129 pitches, the most by any pitcher in a single game over the past two seasons.

Double grand slam in Dodgers rout

The Los Angeles Dodgers piled on the runs with a 22-1 thrashing of the Arizona Diamondbacks highlighted by grand slams from Mookie Betts and Justin Turner. The Dodgers finished with eight home runs, while Walker Buehler starred on the mound with seven strikeouts.

The 22 runs scored by the Dodgers tied an LA record and are the most runs ever scored in a game at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers also become the first team in MLB history to hit two grand slams in a game twice in the same season.

The Cincinnati Reds won 4-3 over the Milwaukee Brewers buoyed by Nicholas Castellanos' three-run home run, a Eugenio Suarez solo shot in the ninth inning secured the victory.

The St Louis Cardinals scored five runs in one innings, with home runs from Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong as they won 6-0 at the Chicago Cubs.

Cruel blow for Braves slugger

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr will undergo season-ending knee surgery after he tore his right ACL jumping for an outfield catch during Saturday's 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Acuna had hit 24 home runs in the 2021 MLB season, with a majors-high 72 runs.

Brown creams 472-foot homer

Seth Brown hit a monster 472-foot home run in the fourth inning off Mike Foltynewicz as the Oakland Athletics won 8-4 over the Texas Rangers in extras. It was a game of homers, with Rangers pair Adolis Garcia and Joey Gallo striking home runs, along with the A's Stephen Piscotty with a two-run homer in the 11th inning.

Saturday's results

Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Minnesota Twins 9-4 Detroit Tigers
San Francisco Giants 10-4 Washington Nationals
Chicago White Sox 8-3 Baltimore Orioles
Oakland Athletics 8-4 Texas Rangers
Pittsburgh Pirates 6-2 New York Mets
Atlanta Braves 5-4 Miami Marlins
Philadelphia Phillies 11-2 Boston Red Sox
Cleveland Indians 14-6 Kansas City Royals
Cincinnati Reds 4-3 Milwaukee Brewers
St Louis Cardinals 6-0 Chicago Cubs
New York Yankees 1-0 Houston Astros
New York Mets 4-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Seattle Mariners 2-0 Los Angeles Angels
Colorado Rockies 3-0 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 22-1 Arizona Diamondbacks

Reds at Brewers

The in-form Reds (47-42) will aim to continue their impressive run against National League Central leaders, the Brewers (53-38), in the final game in their series, before the All Star break.

Shohei Ohtani equalled Sammy Sosa's MLB record and set one of his own as he hit a 33rd home run of the season for the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani has sent plenty of records tumbling already this season and continued his outstanding form against the Seattle Mariners, although it was not enough to propel the Angels to victory as they went down 3-7.

The 26-year-old, who last month joined all-time great Babe Ruth as the only player in American League (AL) history to have had 25-plus home runs, 10-plus stolen bases and 75 pitching strikeouts in their career, is set to become the first Japanese-born player to start an All-Star Game since Ichiro Suzuki in 2010 and will also feature in the Home Run Derby.

Already down as the star attraction for the festivities at Coors Field, Ohtani – the first player to be named to an MLB All-Star Game as a position player and a pitcher – offered another reminder of his quality with a remarkable 463-foot blast at T-Mobile Park.

One of the biggest hits at the stadium, which has been in use since 1999, came from Marco Gonzales' pitch, with Ohtani recording a power of 116.5mph off the bat, putting the Angles into a 3-0 lead in the third inning, though Seattle fought back to secure victory.

It also brought Ohtani level with Sosa for the most home runs by a player born outside of the United States prior to an All-Star break.

Barry Bonds (39) holds the all-time record, though Ohtani's 16 home runs in his last 21 appearances are the most by any AL player during a season.

Cortes and Yankees hit back

While Ohtani's efforts proved fruitless for the Angels, the New York Yankees had little trouble in dispatching the Houston Astros on their first return to Minute Maid Park since a 2019 defeat in the American League Championship Series.

The Yankees prevailed 4-0, with Brett Gardner and DJ LeMahieu each scoring two-run doubles. Nestor Cortes, meanwhile, starred with the ball. Handed a spot-start, he led the way in the shutout. 

"I have bad history against the Houston Astros," said Cortes, who had given up six home runs in four previous games against the Texas side. "So to give four innings of strong baseball was good. And we got the win, so that's what was most important."

Acuna restrained as Braves come up with the win

Ronald Acuna Jr had to be stopped from confronting Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender as the Atlanta Braves won 5-0.

Acuna was struck by a slider in the seventh innings and seemed set to charge over to Bender before he was held back by Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro and the home plat umpire.

It is the seventh time Acuna has been hit by a Miami pitcher since his rookie season in 2018 – indeed, a hit-by-pitch in the meeting on July 2 led to the ejection of the Marlins' Pablo Lopez.

"Not a big deal," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "He hit him with a breaking ball. Everybody handled themselves fine."

Charlie Morton was the star for Atlanta, meanwhile, with the 37-year-old striking out seven and walking out two.

Friday's results

Baltimore Orioles 1-12 Chicago White Sox
Boston Red Sox 11-5 Philadelphia Phillies
Chicago Cubs 10-5 St. Louis Cardinals
Cleveland Indians 2-1 Kansas City Royals
Houston Astros 0-4 New York Yankees
Los Angeles Dodgers 2-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins 0-5 Atlanta Braves
Milwaukee Brewers 0-2 Cincinnati Reds
Minnesota Twins 4-2 Detroit Tigers
New York Mets 13-4 Pittsburgh Pirates
Tampa Ray Rays 7-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Texas Rangers 3-2 Oakland Athletics
San Diego Padres 4-2 Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants 5-3 Washington Nationals
Seattle Mariners 7-3 Los Angeles Angels

Brad Miller recorded a three-homer game for the first time in his career as the Philadelphia Phillies crushed the Chicago Cubs 8-0 at Wrigley Field in the MLB on Thursday.

The Cubs, who snapped their 11-game losing run with Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Phillies, returned to their recent form woes.

Chicago failed to score on the night, with Phillies pitcher Zach Eflin having five strikeouts across six innings but Miller played a major role in his 14th career multi-home run game.

Miller hit a home run in the third inning to left field. In the fifth inning, he hit another from Adbert Alzolay over the wall.

The 31-year-old hitter saved his best for last with a monster into the old Wrigley Field scoreboard at right field in the seventh inning, wearing a third Phillies home-run sombrero to salute. Miller only had six homers for the season coming into the game.

Garcia lifts Brewers to victory

Avisail Garcia hit a two-run homer at the bottom of the eighth inning to earn the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers are now 53-36, while Garcia has 16 home runs this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers drove in five runs in the fifth inning on their way to a 6-1 road win over the Miami Marlins to round out their series.

Logan Gilbert sent down eight strikeouts across seven innings as the Seattle Mariners won 4-0 over the New York Yankees.

Nats blow 8-0 lead

The Washington Nationals blew an 8-0 lead against the San Diego Padres, losing 9-8 in a walk off. Star pitcher Max Scherzer saw seven runs in the fourth inning before leaving the game as their 8-0 lead disintegrated. Among those was Daniel Camarena's spectacular grand slam, making him the first relief pitcher to achieve that since 1985.

Indians walk-off win

Franmil Reyes secured a 7-4 walk-off win for the Cleveland Indians with a three-run home run. The deep center-field bomb was Reyes' second career walk-off homer and it also ended Cleveland's nine-game losing stretch.

Thursday's results

Los Angeles Dodgers 6-1 Miami Marlins
Oakland Athletics 2-1 Houston Astros
Colorado Rockies 9-3 Arizona Diamondbacks
Seattle Mariners 4-0 New York Yankees
Cleveland Indians 7-4 Kansas City Royals
Philadelphia Phillies 8-0 Chicago Cubs
Minnesota Twins 5-3 Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 Cincinnati Reds
San Diego Padres 9-8 Washington Nationals

Angels at Mariners

There's a full 15-game fixture on Friday, headlined by Shohei Ohtani's in-form Los Angeles Angels (44-42) making the trip to face the Seattle Mariners (46-42) in an American League West match-up.

Jesus Aguilar walked it off for the Miami Marlins who continued their perfect run in their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 9-6 win on Wednesday.

Aguilar hit a three-run home run to clinch a walk-off victory over the reigning MLB champions, who had scored five runs in the third inning.

LA's Mookie Betts had homered at the top of the third inning, before Justin Turner teed off with a 402 foot home run, which was his 14th of the season to make it 5-2 for the Dodgers.

In a game full of home runs, the Marlins hit back with Garrett Cooper homering, before Zach McKinstry got one of his own.

Cooper homered again, marking his first career multi home-run game to tie the game up in the sixth inning.

Aguilar stepped up at the bottom of the ninth with the Marlins trailing 7-6, launching a huge drive from Edwin Uceta for his first home run at LoanDepot Park this season.

deGrom brings up 1,500 Ks

Jacob deGrom reached 1,500 career strikeouts as the New York Mets claimed a 4-3 walk-off win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the first game of their double-header.

After seeing an early Luis Urias' home run, deGrom reached the milestone as the second fastest player in MLB history, from198 games.

Jose Peraza scored a pinch-hit home run before Jeff McNeil's walk-off hit as Dominic Smith dived to home plate.

Shohei Ohtani homered again to bring up his 32nd of the season, the most ever in an MLB season by a Japanese-born player, as the Los Angeles Angels won 5-4 over the Boston Red Sox.

The Angels were helped by Jared Walsh's two home runs, taking his season tally to 22.

The Chicago Cubs snapped their 11-game losing run with an 8-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, avoiding reaching their longest streak of defeats since 2000.

Joey Gallo became the second player in Texas Rangers franchise history to hit 10 home runs across a 10-game span but they lost 5-3 to the Detroit Tigers.

Paddack and Padres rough shift

Not a lot went right for the San Diego Padres in their 15-5 defeat to the Washington Nationals, especially for Chris Paddack. The Padres pitcher only lasted two innings with the Nat 7-0 up, coughing up nine hits. Nabil Crismatt stepped in but Washington moved 9-0 up after the third inning too.

Special Smith catch among crowd

In the second game of the Mets-Brewers double-header, which Milwaukee won 5-0, Dominic Smith pulled off a spectacular catch riding the sidewall reaching into the crowd from a wayward Rowdy Tellez left-field skier.

Wednesday's results

Tampa Bay Rays 8-1 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 14-3 Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago White Sox 6-1 Minnesota Twins
Detroit Tigers 5-3 Texas Rangers
New York Mets 4-3 Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds 5-2 Kansas City Royals
Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 Cleveland Indians
Los Angeles Angels 5-4 Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays 10-2 Baltimore Orioles
Miami Marlins 9-6 Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 New York Mets
Chicago Cubs 8-3 Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros 4-3 Oakland Athletics
Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants 5-2 St Louis Cardinals
Washington Nationals 15-5 San Diego Padres
New York Yankees 5-4 Seattle Mariners

Athletics at Astros

The top two sides in the American League West will meet again as the Houston Astros (54-33) host the Oakland Athletics (49-39).

Bryce Harper flexed his muscles as the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies defeated the slumping Chicago Cubs 15-10 in MLB on Tuesday.

Harper homered and tied a career high with five hits as the Phillies scored double-digit runs in consecutive games for the first time since 2015.

Phillies star Harper hit his seventh home run of the season after crushing a three-run drive in the seventh inning, extending Philadelphia's lead to 15-4.

Andrew McCutchen hit a grand slam, while Rhys Hoskins also went deep for the Phillies on the road in Chicago.

The out-of-sorts Cubs tried to rally but crashed to an 11th straight defeat.

Ohtani star of the show

The Los Angeles Angels were 5-3 winners over the Boston Red Sox thanks to two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who allowed just five hits across seven innings on the mound. Ohtani also hit an RBI double.

Luke Voit fuelled the New York Yankees' 12-1 rout of the Seattle Mariners. Voit had five hits, three RBI and one run in Seattle. According to Stats Perform, he is the third player in Yankees history to have five-plus hits in a game after entering hitting below .200 (minimum 100 plate appearances), after Roy Weatherly (1943) and Cecil Fielder (1997).

Dodgers fall on wild pitch

The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 2-1 at the Miami Marlins after catcher Will Smith's wild throw flew past third base for a game-ending error in the 10th inning.

Catch of the season?

Wet weather but no worries for Chicago White Sox centerfielder Billy Hamilton. He produced a highlight moment with a leaping catch to thwart Max Kepler in the ninth inning. The White Sox topped the Minnesota Twins 4-1.

Tuesday's results

Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles 7-5 Toronto Blue Jays
Miami Marlins 2-1 Los Angeles Dodgers
Texas Rangers 10-5 Detroit Tigers
Philadelphia Phillies 15-10 Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox 4-1 Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals 7-6 Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros 9-6 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 5-3 Boston Red Sox
Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 Colorado Rockies
St Louis Cardinals 6-5 San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres 7-4 Washington Nationals
New York Yankees 12-1 Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers-New York Mets (postponed)
Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Indians (postponed)

Brewers at Mets

The Brewers (51-35) and Mets (44-37) will contest a doubleheader on Wednesday after Tuesday's clash was postponed due to inclement weather. All eyes will be on Mets ace Jacob deGrom as Corbin Burnes starts for the Brewers.

The Tampa Bay Rays hit two runs in the ninth inning with Yandy Diaz securing a 9-8 walk-off victory in a thrilling clash against the Cleveland Indians in MLB on Monday.

Diaz hit a chopper down to right, with second baseman Cesar Hernandez sending a wild throw well wide of home plate, as Randy Arozarena crossed.

Earlier, Brandon Lowe launched a big grand slam deep to right-field off Logan Allen as the Rays raced to a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

Indians right-fielder Harold Ramirez pulled off two outstanding catches to end the fourth inning, before Cleveland reeled the Rays in with four runs in the fifth inning.

At the bottom of the ninth, wonderkid Wander Franco drove Brett Phillips home, before Diaz's chopper helped Arozarena finish it off.

The win sees the stuttering Rays – who had lost five of their past six games coming in – move to 49-36, while the Indians are 42-40.

Gausman denied, Tatis homers up

The St Louis Cardinals scored five runs in the final three innings to record a 5-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco pitcher Kevin Gausman did not allow a hit through his first six innings before Nolan Arenado sparked a two-run rally for St Louis, with a two-run triple from Matt Carpenter, before Alex Reyes closed it out for the Cardinals.

Fernando Tatis Jr. became the fastest player aged 22 or younger to reach 27 home runs in a season (68 games) in the San Diego Padres' 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals. Tatis also pulled off a miraculous catch at shortstop in the eighth inning from Ryan Zimmerman.

MLB's home run leader Shohei Ohtani had the chance to be the hero at-bat on his 27th birthday in the ninth inning but the Boston Red Sox held their nerve to win 5-4 over the Los Angeles Angels. Raphael Devers starred for the Red Sox with three RBIs.

Ben Gamel had two home runs with six RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates brought Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried back down to earth after Sunday's walk off following an 11-1 rout.

Cubs' losing run extends to 10

June 24 feels like a long time ago when the Chicago Cubs threw a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with their 13-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies marking 10 straight defeats. Cubs manager David Ross blew up in frustration and was ejected.

Elite company for Pujols

Albert Pujols reached his 6,000th career base, becoming the fourth player to achieve the feat in MLB history as World Series champions the Dodgers lost 5-4 to the Miami Marlins. The other players to reach the mark are Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays.

Jorge Alfaro's home run in the eighth inning won it for the Marlins, ending the Dodgers' nine-game win streak.

Monday's results

St Louis Cardinals 5-3 San Francisco Giants
Miami Marlins 5-4 Los Angeles Dodgers
Pittsburgh Pirates 11-1 Atlanta Braves
New York Mets 4-2 Milwaukee Brewers
Tampa Bay Rays 9-8 Cleveland Indians
Minnesota Twins 8-5 Chicago White Sox
Philadelphia Phillies 13-3 Chicago Cubs
Detroit Tigers 7-3 Texas Rangers
Cincinnati Reds 6-2 Kansas City Royals
Boston Red Sox 5-4 Los Angeles Angels
Washington Nationals 7-5 San Diego Padres

Brewers at Mets

The leaders in the National League (NL) East, the Mets (44-37), go again against the NL Central-leading Brewers (51-35).

The New York Yankees salvaged the final game of their abbreviated Subway Series against the New York Mets, holding on to split the doubleheader with a 4-2 victory after dropping the opening game 10-5 on Sunday.

Languishing in fourth place in the American League (AL) East, the Yankees appeared in serious danger of being swept after closer Aroldis Chapman imploded again in the first MLB game.

Holding a 5-4 lead entering the decisive seventh inning, Chapman served up a game-tying home run to Pete Alonso to open the frame, then put the next two Mets batters on base before manager Aaron Boone pulled the plug, hoping to avoid a repeat of the stunning meltdown his All-Star reliever had earlier in the week against the Los Angeles Angels. 

His move did not help, as Jose Peraza, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor produced run-scoring hits to blow the game open against Lucas Luetge. 

The Yankees' bullpen came through in the nightcap, though, as Chad Green came on to hold what was then a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning and did not allow the Mets to reach base the rest of the way. 

Green finished the game in style with an "immaculate inning" – three strikeouts on the minimum nine pitches – in the seventh. 

According to Stats Perform, Green is the first pitcher in the modern era to pitch at least three perfect innings, strike out at least six batters and have an immaculate inning all in the same game.

Fried caps Braves' shock comeback against Marlins

Down 7-3 to the Miami Marlins in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Atlanta Braves scored four times to tie the game, then got a walk-off single from pitcher Max Fried in the 10th to prevail 8-7. 

Austin Meadows had three doubles, Wander Franco hit his second MLB home run, and the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff shut down the dangerous Toronto Blue Jays line-up in a 5-1 victory, the team's first road win since June 14 after 10 straight defeats. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates scored two runs for the fifth consecutive game but came out on top this time, winning 2-0 in a brilliant pitching effort by Tyler Anderson to snap the Milwaukee Brewers' 11-game winning streak. 

Slumping Cubs drop ninth in a row

The Chicago Cubs fell 3-2 to the Cincinnati Reds for the second consecutive day, giving them nine losses in a row and dropping them back to .500 at 42-42 for the first time since they were 21-21 on May 19. 

A 10th-inning fielding error by Cleveland pitcher Emmanuel Clase allowed the eventual winning run to score as the Indians dropped their sixth in a row, 4-3 to the Houston Astros. 

Another Ohtani bomb

Shohei Ohtani did it again, extending his MLB lead with his 31st home run of the season, a 459-foot blast that gave the Angels a 3-0 lead on the way to a 6-5 walk-off win against the Baltimore Orioles. 

Sunday's results

New York Mets 10-5 New York Yankees
New York Yankees 4-2 New York Mets
San Diego Padres 11-1 Philadelphia Phillies
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Washington Nationals
Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 Milwaukee Brewers
Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 Toronto Blue Jays
Detroit Tigers 6-5 Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros 4-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 8-7 Miami Marlins
Minnesota Twins 6-2 Kansas City Royals
Colorado Rockies 3-2 St Louis Cardinals
Boston Red Sox 1-0 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 6-5 Baltimore Orioles
Seattle Mariners 4-1 Texas Rangers
San Francisco Giants 5-2 Arizona Diamondbacks

Dodgers at Marlins

The most appealing pitching matchup of the day will take place in Miami, where newly minted All-Star Trevor Rogers (7-5, 2.14 ERA) and the Marlins host a prominent All-Star snub in Walker Buehler (8-1, 2.35 ERA) and the Dodgers. 

Shohei Ohtani has chalked up yet another first in his historic 2021 season, as the Los Angeles Angels star is the first player ever to be named to the MLB All-Star Game as a position player and a pitcher. 

Already named as the American League's starting designated hitter earlier this week, Ohtani was named to the AL's pitching staff on Sunday as the full rosters for the July 13 game in Denver were unveiled. 

The 26-year-old from Japan leads MLB with 31 home runs and is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts on the mound, with 83 strikeouts in 60 innings. 

Ohtani is also set to feature in the Home Run Derby the night before the All-Star Game, guaranteeing he will be the biggest attraction of the festivities at Coors Field. 

While Ohtani figures to be the star of the show, the Boston Red Sox will have the most representatives, with designated hitter J.D. Martinez, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi and relief pitcher Matt Barnes making the AL squad along with starting shortstop Xander Bogaerts and third baseman Rafael Devers. 

The Houston Astros will send four players to the game, with infield reserves Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa joining outfield reserve Michael Brantley and reliever Ryan Pressly. 

The Toronto Blue Jays also will have four players in the game, as shortstop Bo Bichette joins AL starting first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second baseman Marcus Semien and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. 

On the National League side, the San Diego Padres also have four representatives, as pitcher Yu Darvish made the team along with reliever Mark Melancon and infielder Jake Cronenworth to join starting shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. 

Three injured players were selected for the game and will be replaced on their teams' rosters: Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber and outfielders Mike Trout of the Angels and Kyle Schwarber of the Washington Nationals. 

2021 All-Star Game rosters

American League

Elected starters:

C: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) 
2B: Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B: Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)
SS: Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) 
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays) 
DH: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels)

Starting pitchers:

Ohtani
Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians)
Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees)
Nathan Eovaldi (Boston Red Sox)
Kyle Gibson (Texas Rangers)
Yusei Kikuchi (Seattle Mariners)
Lance Lynn (Chicago White Sox)
Carlos Rodón (Chicago White Sox)

Relievers:

Matt Barnes (Boston Red Sox)
Aroldis Chapman (New York Yankees)
Liam Hendriks (Chicago White Sox)
Ryan Pressly (Houston Astros)
Gregory Soto (Detroit Tigers)

Reserve infield:

Mike Zunino (Tampa Bay Rays)
Jose Altuve (Houston Astros)
Bo Bichette (Toronto Blue Jays)
Carlos Correa (Houston Astros)
Matt Olson (Oakland Athletics)
José Ramírez (Cleveland Indians)
Jared Walsh (Los Angeles Angels)

Designated hitter:

J.D. Martinez (BOS)
Nelson Cruz (MIN)

Reserve outfield:

Michael Brantley (Houston Astros)
Joey Gallo (Texas Rangers)
Adolis García (Texas Rangers)
Cedric Mullins (Baltimore Orioles)

National League

Elected starters: 

C: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
1B: Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
2B: Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B: Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals)
SS: Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
OF: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds)
OF: Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds)

Reserve infield:

J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia Phillies)
Ozzie Albies (Atlanta Braves)
Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)
Brandon Crawford (San Francisco Giants)
Jake Cronenworth (San Diego Padres)
Eduardo Escobar (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Trea Turner (Washington Nationals)

Reserve outfield:

Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Bryan Reynolds (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Kyle Schwarber (Washington Nationals)
Juan Soto (Washington Nationals)
Chris Taylor (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Starting pitchers:

Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee Brewers)
Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres)
Jacob deGrom (New York Mets)
Kevin Gausman (San Francisco Giants)
Germán Márquez (Colorado Rockies)
Trevor Rogers (Miami Marlins)
Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies)
Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee Brewers)

Relievers:

Josh Hader (Milwaukee Brewers)
Craig Kimbrel (Chicago Cubs)
Mark Melancon (San Diego Padres)
Alex Reyes (St Louis Cardinals)

The Oakland Athletics scored three runs in the bottom of the 12th inning to beat the Red Sox 7-6, snapping Boston's eight-game winning streak. 

Tony Kemp's sacrifice fly provided the winning margin after a Seth Brown single and Jed Lowrie double negated the two runs the Red Sox had scored to take the lead in the third extra frame. 

Brown finished a home run shy of the cycle, driving in a run with all three of his hits. 

Kike Hernandez hit his 10th home run of the season and drove home two runs for Boston. 

Walker, Mets roll past Yankees

Taijuan Walker did not allow a hit until Aaron Judge's home run with one out in the sixth inning as the New York Mets opened their rain-delayed Subway Series against the Yankees with an 8-3 win. 

Austin Slater's two-run homer in the eighth inning gave the San Francisco Giants a 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks to maintain a half-game edge in the National League (NL) West. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen turned in five scoreless innings as the defending World Series champions weathered a rain delay to defeat the Washington Nationals 5-3 for their eighth win in a row. 

Joey Votto and Tyler Naquin homered as the Cincinnati Reds sent the Chicago Cubs to an eighth straight defeat with a 3-2 triumph that moved the Reds up into second place in the division for the first time since April 22.

The division-leading Milwaukee Brewers won their 11th in a row with an 11-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates as Omar Narvaez had five hits and Avisail Garcia drove in five runs. 

Rays, Indians drop fifth in a row

The Tampa Bay Rays lost a chance to recover some ground on the Red Sox when they surrendered five runs in the sixth inning of a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays for their fifth consecutive defeat. 

The Cleveland Indians also have lost five in a row and are on the verge of a four-game sweep by the Houston Astros after a 3-2 defeat Saturday. 

No-look Story

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story did not need to see Harrison Bader to get him out, completing a pick-off of the St Louis Cardinals outfielder with a no-look tag. 

Saturday's results

Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 San Diego Padres
New York Mets 8-3 New York Yankees
Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3 Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers 11-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 Tampa Bay Rays
Detroit Tigers 11-5 Chicago White Sox
Cincinnati Reds 3-2 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros 3-2 Cleveland Indians
Miami Marlins 3-2 Atlanta Braves
Kansas City Royals 6-3 Minnesota Twins
Colorado Rockies 3-2 St Louis Cardinals
Oakland Athletics 7-6 Boston Red Sox
Los Angeles Angels 4-1 Baltimore Orioles
San Francisco Giants 6-5 Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers 7-3 Seattle Mariners

Mets at Yankees

New York will have plenty of baseball to watch on Independence Day as the Yankees host the Mets in a doubleheader highlighted by a Gerrit Cole-Marcus Stroman pitching matchup in the first game. 

Another day but the same story for record-setting Shohei Ohtani, who fuelled the Los Angeles Angels' 8-7 walk-off win over the Baltimore Orioles in MLB on Friday.

Ohtani hit two homers and scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Angels overcame the Orioles at Angel Stadium.

The two-way Angels star took his tally to an MLB-best 30 homers in 2021 thanks to home runs in the third and fourth innings.

According to Stats Perform, Ohtani became the first player in American League (AL) history to reach 30 home runs and 10 stolen bases in his team's first 81 games of the season. The only National League (NL) players to achieve the feat are Sammy Sosa (1998) and Albert Pujols (2009).

Ohtani also earned the franchise record for the most homers before the All-Star break, surpassing Mike Trout's 2018 record of 28.

Dodgers extend streak, Manoah masters Rays

World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers won their seventh consecutive game by downing the Washington Nationals 10-5.

Alek Manoah set a Toronto Blue Jays record in their 11-1 demolition of the Tampa Bay Rays. The rookie pitcher made history with seven consecutive strikeouts in a game, according to Stats Perform. Manoah – back from a five-game ban – struck out a career-high 10 batters over seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball. George Springer, Marcus Semien and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. all homered for the Blue Jays.

Willy Adames homered as the Milwaukee Brewers emerged 7-2 victors against the Pittsburgh Pirates for their 10th successive win.

Lopez ejected in Marlins loss

Miami Marlins right hander Pablo Lopez was ejected after his first pitch hit All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. in a 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves. In a long-running history, Marlins manager Don Mattingly and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. were also ejected.

The slumping Chicago Cubs tasted a seventh straight defeat after losing 2-1 at the Cincinnati Reds.

Phillips makes his first appearance on the mound

In a lopsided defeat, the Rays did manage to provide a highlight after outfielder Brett Phillips pitched. With Tampa Bay trailing by nine runs ahead of the bottom of the eighth inning, Phillips was sent to the mound for the first time in his professional career. In an inning, the 27-year-old allowed two hits, a run and two walks.

Friday's results

Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Toronto Blue Jays 11-1 Tampa Bay Rays
Chicago White Sox 8-2 Detroit Tigers
Cincinnati Reds 2-1 Chicago Cubs
Houston Astros 6-3 Cleveland Indians
Atlanta Braves 1-0 Miami Marlins
Kansas City Royals 7-4 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 9-3 Colorado Rockies
Boston Red Sox 3-2 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Angels 8-7 Baltimore Orioles
San Francisco Giants 11-4 Arizona Diamondbacks
Seattle Mariners 5-4 Texas Rangers
New York Mets-New York Yankees (postponed)

Mets at Yankees

After the opening was rained out, the Subway Series will get underway between the Mets (41-36) and Yankees (41-39) on Saturday. Taijuan Walker is the starter for the Mets, while the Yankees send Jordan Montgomery to the mound.

The Boston Red Sox homered four times as they crushed the Kansas City Royals 15-1 in MLB action.

Kike Hernandez, Danny Santana, All-Star Rafael Devers and J.D Martinez all hit home runs for the red-hot Red Sox on Thursday.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched seven scoreless innings to help the Red Sox earn the best record in baseball (51-31).

"We're doing some great things offensively," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.

DeGrom dominates

The New York Mets lost 4-3 to the Atlanta Braves but ace Jacob deGrom starred. DeGrom struck out 14 batters, including eight in a row, over seven innings. According to Stats Perform, it is the fourth time in his career that he has struck out at least eight successive batters in a game – twice as many as any other pitcher in MLB history.

Tyler Stephenson helped the Cincinnati Reds rally past the San Diego Padres 5-4. Stephenson drove in the winning run with a two-out single off Mark Melancon in the ninth inning. On June 17, he also had a two-out game-tying hit off San Diego's Melancon in the ninth. According to Stats Perform, he is the only rookie in the last 40 years to have two game-tying or go-ahead hits with two outs in the ninth off the same pitcher in the same year.

Ryu roughed up

Toronto Blue Jays ace Ryu Hyun-jin had a tough outing in the team's 7-2 defeat to the Seattle Mariners. Ryu gave up two home runs as he allowed seven hits, five runs and two walks over four innings.

Royals pitcher Kris Bubic was tagged for four hits, five runs, three homers and three walks in four difficult innings.

Muncy slam

Max Muncy's grand slam lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-2 rain-shortened victory over the Washington Nationals and a sixth straight win.

Thursday's results

Seattle Mariners 7-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Boston Red Sox 15-1 Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox 8-5 Minnesota Twins
Texas Rangers 8-3 Oakland Athletics
Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Houston Astros 7-2 Cleveland Indians
Cincinnati Reds 5-4 San Diego Padres
Atlanta Braves 4-3 New York Mets
Colorado Cockies 5-2 St Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 San Francisco Giants
Los Angeles Angels-New York Yankees (postponed)
Miami Marlins-Philadelphia Phillies (postponed)

Dodgers at Nationals

The Dodgers (50-31) will face the Nationals (40-39) again on Friday. Julio Urias starts for the World Series champions as the Nationals counter with ace Max Scherzer.

Toronto Blue Jays sensation Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres headline the starters for the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.

The starters for the upcoming All-Star Game, scheduled for July 13 at Coors Field – home of the Colorado Rockies, were revealed after two rounds of fan voting on Thursday.

Guerrero (aged 22 years and 119 days) will be the youngest Blue Jays player to start an All-Star Game, while he is also the youngest player to start at first base since George Scott in 1966.

Son of an MLB Hall of Famer, Guerrero is only second to Ohtani (28) for home runs this season with 26, while he leads the majors in RBI (66), on-base percentage (.442), OPS (1.117) and three-plus hit games (11 – level with Trea Turner).

Ohtani, 26, is set to become the first Japanese-born player to start an All-Star Game since Ichiro Suzuki in 2010.

The Angels' Ohtani has the most homers this season, while he owns a 3.60 ERA and 83 strikeouts across 60 innings on the mound.

As for Tatis, the 22-year-old shortstop will be the youngest player to start for the Padres in an All-Star Game.

Tatis entered Thursday's action leading MLB with an incredible .705 slugging percentage, while leading the National League (NL) in homers.

Elsewhere, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers will become the first shortstop/third base combo in Boston Red Sox history to start the All-Star Game.

Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. will join Eddie Matthews as the player in franchise history to start multiple All-Star Games before turning 24, while Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker will give the Cincinnati Reds multiple outfield starters for the first time since 1956.

All-Star Game starters:

American League

C: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals)
2B: Marcus Semien (Toronto Blue Jays)
3B: Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)
SS: Xander Bogaerts (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) 
OF: Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)
OF: Teoscar Hernandez (Toronto Blue Jays) 

National League

C: Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants)
1B: Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
2B: Adam Frazier (Pittsburgh Pirates)
3B: Nolan Arenado (St Louis Cardinals)
OF: Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves)
OF: Nick Castellanos (Cincinnati Reds)
OF: Jesse Winker (Cincinnati Reds)