Make it seven straight wins for the American League in the All-Star Game. Joey Gallo’s solo homer in the seventh inning gave the AL a 4-1 lead before the junior circuit hung on for a 4-3 win over the National League in Cleveland.
The story for the American League was on the mound as nine hurlers each threw one inning and combined to allow just five hits while striking out 16. Indians hurler and game MVP Shane Bieber gave the local fans a thrill by striking out the side in the fifth. Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman also fanned three in their one inning of work. Former Indian Michael Brantley opened the scoring with an RBI double off loser Clayton Kershaw, scoring Astros teammate Alex Bregman. Gary Sanchez began the junior circuit’s second rally by leading off the fifth with a double before scoring on Jorge Polanco’s single.
Charlie Blackmon put the NL on the board with a two-out homer in the sixth, but the AL regained control on a run-scoring double-play grounder and a solo homer by Joey Gallo. The insurance runs came in handy once Home Run Derby winner Pete Alonso delivered a two-run single in the eighth. Masahiro Tanaka worked a scoreless second to get the win. The American League leads the overall series, 45-43-2.
Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco was saluted in the fifth inning of the All-Star Game during Major League Baseball's "Stand Up to Cancer" campaign after being recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia. Carrasco had been feeling fatigued in May, and was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia following an exam at the Cleveland Clinic. He has been cleared to resume conditioning and throwing activities to the extent he can tolerate them.
In MLB news, Commissioner Rob Manfred says Major League Baseball has been unable to find any changes in the manufacturing process of balls. Manfred also insists that MLB has given no direction toward the alteration of baseball and denies that owners want to see more home runs. A May 2018 report by professors specializing in physics, mechanical engineering, statistics and mathematics concluded there was less drag on the ball, causing more homers. Batters have hit 3,691 homers in 1,345 games, on pace for 6,669. That would be 9% over the record 6,105 hit in 2017. Astros hurler Justin Verlander is among several pitchers who have intimated recently that the balls are juiced. Manfred countered by saying “manipulation of the baseball is a great conspiracy theory.”
Manfred also said that extending protective netting down foul lines is a ballpark-to-ballpark decision because of differing configurations. Following a series of foul balls that injured fans, Major League Baseball mandated ahead of the 2018 season that netting extend to the far end of each dugouts. Still, several fans have been hurt by foul balls this season.
WIMBLEDON
Serena Williams had to grind out a tough match against fellow American Alison Riske to reach her 12th Wimbledon singles semifinal. The 23-time Grand Slam champion split her first two sets before pulling out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win over 55th-ranked Riske. The 37-year-old Williams trailed 3-1 in the first set and was tied 3-3 in the third before a service break put her in control.
The 11th-seeded Williams next faces Barbora Strycova, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 33 with a 7-6, 6-1 victory over No. 19 Johanna Konta of Britain. Williams also teamed with Andy Murray to win their second-round mixed doubles match in straight sets over Fabrice Martin and Raquel Atawo.
Seventh seed Simona Halep will take on No. 8 Elina Svitolina in Thursday’s other semifinal match at Wimbledon. Halep defeated Zhang Shuai of China 7-6, 6-1 to get to her second semifinal at Wimbledon. Svitolina will make her debut in that round at any major tournament following her 7-5, 7-4 victory against Karolina Muchova.
NBA
As expected, the NBA is giving coaches the right to challenge one call per game next season. Coaches may challenge a personal foul charged to their team, a called out-of-bounds violation, a goaltending violation or a basket-interference violation. The league told teams last month that the challenge will be in place on a one-year trial basis pending approval from the board of governors, which has now happened.
Also, instant replay can now be triggered by game officials working in the review center in Secaucus, New Jersey, without the involvement of the on-court refereeing crew. The replay center will have the authority to review whether a shot was a 2-pointer or 3-pointer whether or not refs in an arena ask for such a shot to be checked, plus potential shot-clock violations.
NFL
The NFL International Combine is headed to Germany for the first time. Up to 50 athletes will be selected to go through a series of tests in front of NFL evaluators at a sports training facility outside of Cologne on Oct. 19. The showcase is similar to the annual NFL Combine that takes place in Indianapolis after the Super Bowl, with the goal of trying to discover and evaluate potential NFL talent internationally.
Glover Quin has retired after 10 seasons in the NFL. The former Detroit Lions and Houston Texans safety announced his plans Tuesday on Instagram. Quin started every game for nine straight years after starting in 12 games as a rookie in 2009 with the Texans. He had an NFL-high seven interceptions in 2014 with the Lions and 24 interceptions during his career.
SOCCER
Today the U.S. women's national soccer team will be showered with praise and paper confetti at the first ticker tape parade in New York City since the team's World Cup win in 2015. The parade will start at 9:30 a.m. and move down the Canyon of Heroes, a section of Broadway between the Battery and City Hall in Manhattan. After the procession, Mayor Bill de Blasio will give the players a symbolic key to the city in a ceremony at City Hall. The team has already started celebrating its record fourth Women's World Cup title. After touching down at Newark International Airport on Monday, players exchanged toasts over Champagne and sang "We Are the Champions."
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says Megan Rapinoe has accepted an invitation for the U.S women's soccer team to celebrate its World Cup victory with a visit to Congress. The New York senator said Tuesday he looks forward to scheduling a time when "these inspiring women can come to the nation's capital." The co-captain has said she's not interested in celebrating at the White House. It's unclear if the winning team would be invited by President Donald Trump to visit.
NHL
The Colorado Avalanche agreed to a two-year contract extension with coach Jared Bednar after guiding the team to back-to-back playoff appearances. His contract runs through the 2021-22 season, the team announced Tuesday. Bednar is 103-116-27 in three seasons at the helm of the Avalanche. He earned his 100th NHL coaching victory on March 27 against Vegas. After the team struggled in his first season in charge, Bednar got the Avalanche back on track. The team made a 47-point turnaround in 2017-18, which matched the fourth-highest year-to-year improvement in league history.
The Blackhawks have traded defenseman Henri Jokiharju to the Sabres for underachieving forward Alex Nylander. Chicago is hoping a chance of scenery will help Nylander, who was selected by Buffalo with the eighth overall pick in the 2016 draft. The 21-year-old Nylander had three goals and three assists in just 19 games with the Sabres over three seasons.
Former Predators captain Greg Johnson has died at age 48. His former agent told USA Today that Johnson died Monday in his Michigan home but gave no other details. Johnson also played for Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago during his 12 years in the NHL, finishing with 145 goals and 224 assists in 785 games.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Harvard University has fired a fencing coach over the sale of his home for nearly double its assessed value to a wealthy businessman whose teenage son was later admitted to the school and joined the team. Athletic Director Bob Scalise said in an emailed statement Tuesday that head fencing coach Peter Brand has been fired for violating Harvard's conflict-of-interest policy. The Boston Globe reported in April that Brand received nearly $1 million in 2016 for his suburban Boston three-bedroom house, which was assessed at the time at about $550,000. The buyer, Jie Zhao, never lived in the home and sold it at a steep loss 17 months later. The Globe reported last month that a federal grand jury is investigating the sale. Both men have denied wrongdoing. An email seeking comment was sent to Brand's attorney Tuesday.
BRITISH OPEN
John Daly has withdrawn from the British Open three days after being told he can't ride in a cart. The R&A announced Tuesday that Daly, who won the Open at St. Andrews in 1995, has withdrawn because of a medical condition. He was replaced at Royal Portrush by Kevin Streelman. Daly cited the Americans with Disabilities Act in requesting — and receiving — a cart for the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. Daly says he has osteoarthritis in his right knee and that makes it difficult to walk. The R&A said it denied his request because it considers walking to be an integral part of the championship.
TOUR DE FRANCE
Italian rider Elia Viviani has claimed his first career stage win on the Tour de France after storming a bunch sprint. Viviani made the most of the slight uphill finish in the eastern city of Nancy. He used his considerable power to edge Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan and claim the fourth stage of the three-week race. The 133-mile flat route from Reims to Nancy did not pose any major difficulty and was a perfect opportunity for sprinters to get a stage win. Julian Alaphilippe, the first Frenchman to wear the yellow jersey in five years after his solo victory in Stage 3, kept the overall lead.
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