July, 12, 2025

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Red Sox 5, Rays 4 — Rafaela Walk-Off Caps Boston's 8th Straight Win

Yankees 11, Cubs 0 — Bellinger Blasts 3 HRs in Historic Revenge Game

Giants 8, Dodgers 7 — Adames, Lee Power SF Past LA in Thriller

Padres 4, Phillies 2 — Tatis, Machado Power San Diego Behind Lockdown Bullpen

Cal Raleigh Smashes AL Record with 38th Homer in Mariners' Blowout Win

Look, I know Cody Bellinger went off with 3 bombs — and honestly, it should’ve been 4 if one didn’t get robbed. Yankees look like they have found their rhythm again. BUT.. I’m giving game of the night to either the Red Sox or the Mariners.

Let’s start with Boston. What else can you say? They’re playing lights-out baseball right now and the vibes in that clubhouse are immaculate. Everyone needs to watch the walk-off Rafaela launched — absolute no-doubter. That’s eight straight wins for the Sox!

If I’m allowed to hand out a 2nd best, it’s Cal Raleigh and the Mariners. I ran a poll last week asking who you all thought was the AL MVP, and to my surprise, it was nearly a 50/50 split. At the time, I voted for Judge, but honestly? I think it’s Raleigh now. What he’s doing at the plate, night after night, is just incredible.

Would love to hear your thoughts on who the most impressive player of the 1st half has been. Reply to this email and let us know!

Appreciate you all for reading and I hope everyone has a great Saturday!
- Ryan

🔥 Player Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Red Sox 5, Rays 4

Ceddanne Rafaela crushed a two-run homer off Pete Fairbanks in the 9th to walk it off for Boston, extending the Red Sox win streak to eight games and lifting the Fenway crowd into a frenzy.

🔑 Key Moments

• Ceddanne Rafaela tied the game in the 2nd with a sharp RBI single to right, driving in Wilyer Abreu as Boston answered early Rays offense.

• A defensive miscue in the 3rd allowed Jonathan Aranda to score, part of a three-run inning for Tampa Bay following Hunter Dobbins’ early exit due to injury.

• Marcelo Mayer brought Boston within a run in the 4th with an RBI double, making it 4–3 in his seventh big league game.

• The Red Sox bullpen was lights out after the 3rd, stringing together 6.1 scoreless innings to keep the game close and give the offense a chance.

• Down one in the 9th, Roman Anthony worked a five-pitch walk to set the stage, and Rafaela followed by launching a 406-foot two-run bomb to left-center to win it.

📊 Notable Stats

Red Sox

• Ceddanne Rafaela: 2-for-4, HR (13), 3 RBI

• Trevor Story: 2-for-3, R, BB

• Marcelo Mayer: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI

• Roman Anthony: 0-for-0, BB, R (pinch-hit)

• Chris Murphy: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (Win)

Rays

• Jonathan Aranda: 2-for-5, 2B, R

• Jake Mangum: 2-for-4, SB

• Junior Caminero: 1-for-4, RBI

• Pete Fairbanks: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB (Loss)

Yankees 11, Cubs 0

Cody Bellinger became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his first game against a former team, launching a trio of two-run shots and driving in six as the Yankees routed the Cubs in the Bronx.

🔑 Key Moments

• In the 3rd inning, Bellinger opened the fireworks with a two-run blast off Chris Flexen to make it 3–0 — his first long ball of the night and the turning point in a close game.

• He struck again in the 5th, this time against Caleb Thielbar, with another two-run shot to right-center to double the lead to 5–0 and earn his 18th career multi-HR game.

• In the 7th, Kyle Tucker robbed Bellinger of a potential fourth homer with a leaping catch at the wall in right.

• Bellinger got the last word in the 8th, crushing his third homer of the game into the bleachers off Jordan Wicks, capping a historic night with his 16th of the season.

• Carlos Rodón turned in his best outing of the year, tossing 8 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts and earning his 10th win.

📊 Notable Stats

Yankees

• Cody Bellinger: 3-for-5, 3 HR (14–16), 6 RBI, 3 R

• Paul Goldschmidt: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI

• Jasson Domínguez: 2-for-5, 2 R

• Carlos Rodón: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (Win)

Cubs

• Vidal Bruján: 1-for-1, 2B

• Chris Flexen: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K (Loss)

• Jordan Wicks: 3.0 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Giants 8, Dodgers 7

Willy Adames crushed a solo homer and added a two-run triple while Jung Hoo Lee collected three hits and three RBIs, powering the Giants past the rival Dodgers in a back-and-forth thriller.

🔑 Key Moments

• Adames opened the scoring in the 2nd with a 416-foot solo homer to deep center — his longest blast since joining the Giants.

• Shohei Ohtani answered with a two-run shot in the 3rd, his 32nd homer, giving LA a brief 2–1 lead.

• Lee flipped momentum again in the 4th with a two-run triple that landed just beyond Teoscar Hernández's reach in the right-center gap.

• In the 5th, Dominic Smith launched a leadoff homer, Adames added a two-run triple, and Lee legged out an RBI infield single to cap a five-run rally.

• LA cut the deficit with four in the 6th and another in the 7th, but Camilo Doval ended a tense 9th with a game-saving double play off the bat of Will Smith.

📊 Notable Stats

Giants

• Willy Adames: 2-for-4, HR (12), 3 RBI, 3B, 2 R

• Jung Hoo Lee: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, 3B

• Dominic Smith: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, R

• Logan Webb: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Dodgers

• Shohei Ohtani: 1-for-4, HR (32), 2 RBI

• Michael Conforto: 1-for-4, HR (8), 2 RBI

• Will Smith: 2-for-5, RBI, 2B

• Dustin May: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Padres 4, Phillies 2

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado led the way offensively and made history in the field and at the plate as the Padres edged the Phillies 4–2 in front of a packed house at Petco Park. San Diego’s All-Star duo combined for key hits and sharp defense while the bullpen held Philly scoreless over the final four innings.

🔑 Key Moments

• Nick Castellanos opened the scoring with a 407-foot solo homer off Ryan Bergert in the 2nd, his 12th of the year.

• The Padres answered quickly in the bottom half: Jose Iglesias tied it with a double, and Tatis drove in two with a sharp single to center for a 3–1 lead.

• Kyle Schwarber brought Philly within one with a towering solo shot in the 3rd — his 30th of the season.

• The Phillies threatened in the 8th with back-to-back singles, but Jason Adam recorded a key forceout at home and a popout to end the frame.

• Machado provided late insurance in the bottom of the 8th with his 17th home run — his 100th at Petco Park — to make it 4–2.

• Robert Suarez shut the door in the 9th for his 21st save, giving San Diego its 10th straight win in a save or walk-off situation.

📊 Notable Stats

Padres

• Fernando Tatis Jr.: 2-for-3, RBI, BB, SB (20)

• Manny Machado: 1-for-3, HR (17), RBI, BB

• Jose Iglesias: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R

• Ryan Bergert: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

• Padres Bullpen: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K

Phillies

• Nick Castellanos: 1-for-4, HR (12), RBI

• Kyle Schwarber: 1-for-3, HR (30), RBI, BB

• Bryce Harper: 1-for-4, 2 K

• Ranger Suárez: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 5 K

Mariners 12, Tigers 3

Cal Raleigh made history and then some on Friday night, launching his 37th and 38th home runs of the season—including a grand slam—to break the American League’s pre-All-Star break record and power the Mariners to a dominant 12–3 victory over the Tigers. Raleigh now sits just one shy of Barry Bonds’ all-time mark of 39 homers before the break.

🔑 Key Moments

• Donovan Solano opened the scoring in the 2nd with a two-out RBI triple, becoming the oldest Mariner since Nelson Cruz to do so.

• With two outs in the 5th, J.P. Crawford delivered an RBI single, followed immediately by Julio Rodríguez’s 440-foot blast to left center to extend the lead to 4–1.

• Riley Greene responded with a triple in the 6th to bring the Tigers back within one, but it was short-lived.

• In the 8th, Raleigh crushed a solo shot to make it 5–3, then obliterated a grand slam in the 9th to cap off a 7-run frame.

• Seattle’s bullpen threw four scoreless innings behind a solid 5-inning start from Luis Castillo, who picked up the win and struck out six.

📊 Notable Stats

Mariners

• Cal Raleigh: 2-for-5, 2 HR (37, 38), 5 RBI, 2 R

• Julio Rodríguez: 1-for-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

• Donovan Solano: 2-for-4, 3B, RBI, 2 R, BB

• Luis Castillo: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

• Mariners Bullpen: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Tigers

• Riley Greene: 2-for-4, 3B, RBI

• Zach McKinstry: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, SB (2)

• Tarik Skubal: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K – takes first loss since April

Other scores around the league:

Guardians 4, White Sox 2 (Game 1)
L. Allen: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
E. Clase: 1.0 IP, 1 H

White Sox 5, Guardians 4 (Game 2)
M. Vasil: 3.0 IP, 2 SO, 3 BB
L. Sosa: 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Orioles 5, Marlins 2
D. Kremer: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 7 SO, 1 BB
O. Lopez: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Rockies 3, Reds 2
G. Marquez: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 SO, 3 BB
C. Burns: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 10 SO, 3 BB

Mets 8, Royals 3
F. Lindor: 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI
M. Wacha: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5 SO, 3 BB

Twins 2, Pirates 1
J. Ryan: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
J. Duran: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 SO

Rangers 7, Astros 3
J. Leiter: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 6 SO, 4 BB
W. Langford: 4-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Brewers 8, Nationals 3
Q. Priester: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
R. Adams: 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI

Braves 6, Cardinals 5
S. Murphy: 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
E. De Los Santos: 2.0 IP, 1 SO

Angels 6, Diamondbacks 5
K. Jansen: 1.0 IP, 1 H
R. Grichuk: 3-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Blue Jays 7, Athletics 6
M. Scherzer: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 8 SO, 1 BB
N. Kurtz: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI

⚾ Must-Watch Games Today

🗽 Cubs (55–39) at Yankees (53–41)
🕐 1:05 PM ET
Matthew Boyd (9–3, 2.52 ERA) vs. Max Fried (11–2, 2.27 ERA)

💣 Phillies (54–40) at Padres (51–43)
🕢 7:35 PM ET (FOX)
Zack Wheeler (9–3, 2.17 ERA) vs. Yu Darvish (0–1, 4.91 ERA)

🐅 Mariners (49–45) at Tigers (59–36)
🕐 1:10 PM ET
George Kirby (3–4, 4.22 ERA) vs. Casey Mize (9–2, 2.63 ERA)

🎁 Bonus: Rays (50–45) at Red Sox (51–45)
🕓 4:10 PM ET
Shane Baz (8–4, 4.34 ERA) vs. Garrett Crochet (9–4, 2.39 ERA)
Red Sox go for 9 in a row vs a top contending Rays team.

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