Mets slugger Pete Alonso hit 23 home runs in the final round to beat Orioles slugger Trey Mancini to claim back-to-back Home Run Derbies after winning in 2019. Alonso hit a whopping 35 home runs in the opening round. In the second round, Alonso worked his way past Washington’s Juan Soto, who had beaten the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani in a first round swing off.
The MLB All-Star game is tonight at Coors Field in Colorado. Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani was announced as the starting pitcher for the American League and will bat leadoff for the group. Ohtani is the second Japanese player to be tabbed as the starting pitcher for an All-Star Game, following in the footsteps of Hideo Nomo, who did it in 1995 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and closer Craig Kimbrel were named to the National team.
For the White Sox, Shortstop Tim Anderson, pitchers Lance Lynn, Carlos Rodon and Liam Hendricks will represent the South-Siders on the American League team.
The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks. Edmonton sent defenseman Caleb Jones and a 2022 conditional third-round draft pick to the Blackhawks who also sent minor league forward Tim Soderlund to the Oilers as part of the deal. Keith won the Norris Trophy in 2010 and 2014, which is the NHL award that goes to the league’s top defender of the season. The 37-year-old was a part of three Blackhawks Stanley Cup teams and has made three All-Star Games.
The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team lost back-to-back exhibition games for the first time since the pros joined the roster in 1992. Australia upset the Americans 91-to-83 Monday in Las Vegas to get the team off to an 0-and-2 start. The first loss came from the Nigeria team over the weekend. Team USA had been 54-and-2 in exhibition games since pros joined the roster. They’ve now matched those losses over nearly three decades in only three days.
The Bucks will look to get even tomorrow. Milwaukee will host the Suns for Game Four of the NBA Finals. The Bucks are coming off a big 120-100 win over Phoenix in Game Three at home on Sunday. The Suns still lead the series two games to one.
In the NFL, The Washington Football Team’s new name will be revealed in early 2022, and they won’t be called the Warriors. Team president Jason Wright said the new team name and logo will not have “linkage to Native American imagery.” Wright told the Washington Post that the traditional burgundy and gold colors will remain. The Team changed its name last July.
Local Sports
2013 Ottawa High School graduate Michael Hermosillo is leading the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A farm team with the highest batting average of any player with 100 or more at-bats. Hermosillo signed with the Cubs as a free-agent outfielder this offseason.
Ottawa Lady Pirates Abby Bukantis was named the Times 2021 Softball Player of the Year. Bukantis finished with 175 strikeouts and only 16 walks this season. The Lady Pirates won the 2021 Class 3A regional championship.