As of this week, there are now two instances in MLB history of a player making the All-Star Game as both a pitcher and a batter — and both belong to Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani became the first-ever double-duty All-Star last season, during a year that was unlike anything we had […]
Major League Baseball’s long-standing policy requiring the All-Star rosters to include a representative from every team has helped to produce some pretty questionable selections over the years. Because let’s be honest: Some teams just don’t have any All-Star-worthy players on the payroll some seasons. But this year, that’s less of an issue than usual. According […]
The Hot Takedown team gathers after an exciting week in sports, including the U.S. women’s national soccer team winning its fourth World Cup title, Kawhi Leonard making waves by signing with the Clippers and Serena Williams surging into the Wimbledon semifinals. In advance of tonight’s MLB All-Star Game, we debate the value of this friendly […]
The Miami Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara is having a perfectly serviceable year as major league pitcher. He has started 17 games for the worst team in the National League and posted a respectable ERA of 3.82. But if you look under the hood of Alcantara’s season, there’s some cause for concern. His WHIP is 1.40, and […]
All-star games occupy a weird place in today’s sports universe. Once upon a time, they served the semi-important function of showcasing great players for fans who seldom — if ever — got to see them play. These exhibitions used to hold some level of romantic appeal for fans. But now, we can watch every player […]