Sports

The Yankees and Mets players shine as MLB All-Stars

By JAIME C. HARRIS AmNews Sports Editor

The New York Yankees have been the best team in Major League Baseball this season. Despite going into last night’s (Wednesday) game at home versus the Cincinnati Reds on a three-game losing streak, only the second stretch of the season losing three in a row— the first was May 22 and the 23rd—they still had the best record in baseball at 61-26 and were 14 games ahead of the second place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.

Their superlative play was rewarded with six All-Star selections in the annual Midsummer Classic that will be held at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles next Tuesday. The first place Mets, who are 55-34 and held a slight 2.5 game lead over the 53-37 Atlanta Braves in the National League East after a 7-3 win over the Braves yesterday, have four players who have been tabbed for the NL squad.

The Yankees have the most players in MLB that were either voted in as starters or chosen as reserves. Outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton will be starting in the American League outfield. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cole were picked for their excellent first halves, and catcher Jose Trevino and reliever Clay Holmes round out the group.

In a video posted by the Yankees on Sunday, the 29-year-old Trevino, from Corpus Christi, Texas, who is in first season with the team after being traded to them by the Texas Ranger on April 2, was genuinely shocked when informed by manager Aaron Boone he had become a firsttime All-Star.

“Holy s–t, you’re serious?” asked Trevino incredulously. Trevino said he had plans for the three-day break before learning the surprising news. “I had no clue… I was actually gonna go buy a car in Texas, like holy s–t. You’re serious, right?”

The Mets will be represented by first baseman Pete Alonso, who held baseball’s RBI lead with 72 at the start of yesterday’s schedule, second baseman Jeff McNeil, outfielder Starling Marte and closer Edwin Diaz. Similar to Trevino, the 33-year-old Marte is in his first season with the Mets after breaking into the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012. After seven-plus seasons with the Pirates, the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was traded to the Miami Marlins in August of 2020.

Last July he was traded again to the Oakland Athletics and in November signed a fouryear, $78 million free-agent contract with the Mets.

Outfielder Starling Marte is one of four Mets selected for the National League All-Star team; the Yankees lead all of Major League Baseball with six All-Star selections (Wikipedia - All Pro Reels photo)

Sabrina Ionescu is on fire, but the Liberty not as much

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

In her WNBA All-Star Game debut Sabrina Ionescu had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. She also won the skills challenge— first New York Liberty player to do so—the day before the big game. Her team, Team Wilson, which also included fellow Liberty player Natasha Howard, even got the win. In her third WNBA season, Ionescu, who was also named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for June, is finally living up to being a No.1 draft pick.

While Ionescu has been achieving triple-triples, the Liberty continue to search for consistency. During last week’s three-game West Coast road trip, the team scored a huge win over the Las Vegas Aces— currently sitting number two in the league—but dropped close games to the Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury. Heading into this week’s home games, New York was not in a playoff position.

Following the loss to the Mercury, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello praised Ionescu and Howard, but noted, “We still need some energy coming from the bench.” Brondello did say the team is getting more rhythm the longer they play together.

“We’re just going to continue to get better and control the controllables and do what we can every single practice, every single game,” said Ionescu about the team’s goals. “We’re not really looking too far ahead on the standings and where we’re at and wins or losses. It’s really just about where we’re at in the moment and how we can continue to get better and learn through the process.”

The Mercury game was played the day after the Aces game, and backto-backs are an ongoing challenge of the WNBA. Brondello said the team built momentum as the game progressed. While she was disappointed in the outcome, she’s proud of the effort. “I know that we’re in the right direction,” Brondello said. “We’re still a young group, and we’re growing and learning together with every experience that we get.”

Both Ionescu and Howard said they are excited for the second half of the season. Hopefully, the All-Star experience in Chicago, which included some interesting new elements—a four-point shot line, a 20-second shot clock and automatic points for free throws during most of the game— brought fresh excitement.

The safe return to the U.S. of Brittney Griner, who was named an honorary All-Star starter, remains a priority. It was the final AllStar Game for Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles, who have announced their retirements following this season.

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