-
NY Yankees Top Baltimore Orioles 6-0


On another hot, steamy day in Baltimore, the conditions were no match for Nestor Cortes.
The lefty delivered another sterling performance in his first start since making his All-Star debut, tossing six scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 6-0 win over the Orioles and left to a standing ovation from the sizable contingent of Yankees fans at Camden Yards.
Before the game, when asked about how the heat might impact Cortes, Aaron Boone said of the 27-year-old who grew up in Hialeah, Fla., “Nestor will be fine.”
He was better than that in a game which gave the Yankees another series win after going through a stretch when they lost eight of 12.
“There’s gonna be ups and downs in a season,’’ Cortes said. “If this is our bad part, I’ll take it. We’re grinding and I think people should expect the same thing in the second half that they saw in the first half.”
The Yankees scored three runs in the third. Aaron Judge delivered yet another long homer, and Jose Trevino added a career-high four hits.

-
Vince McMahon Announces Retirement From WWE


Longtime WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon officially announced his retirement in a post shared on his verified Twitter account.
“At 77, time for me to retire,” McMahon tweeted. “Thank you, WWE Universe. Then. Now. Forever. Together.”
McMahon’s decision comes one month after his announcement to voluntarily step down from his responsibilities amid an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct and would be replaced by his daughter, Stephanie, on an interim basis.
The announcement also comes after his son-in-law, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque announced he would will resume his executive position as WWE’s EVP of talent relations effective immediately.
-
Mets Fall to Reds, 1-0


Max Scherzer’s return from nearly seven weeks on the injured list went about as well as the Mets could have scripted Tuesday night.
But in a case of mistaken identity, Scherzer’s teammates evidently thought he was Jacob deGrom.
That meant giving him nothing in terms of run support, nullifying the zeroes Scherzer placed on the scoreboard against the Reds.
Mike Moustakas hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth that accounted for the Reds only run in the Mets’ 1-0 loss at Great American Ball Park.
Seth Lugo, pitching for a second straight night, loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth before Moustakas ended it with a drive to medium center field. Buck Showalter later indicated he went with Lugo because Adam Ottavino, who last pitched Sunday, was unavailable.
“It’s frustrating to waste a good outing by a lot of pitchers,” said Showalter, whose Mets saw their NL East lead on the Braves shrivel to 2 ½ games.
Scherzer was brilliant over 79 pitches that encompassed six shutout innings in which he allowed two hits and struck out 11. He finished strong, retiring the last eight batters he faced, six of them by strikeout. Scherzer wanted to go deeper but understood Showalter’s decision to remove him.

-
Yankee Giancarlo Stanton Homers, AL Beats NL in All-Star Game


Returning to the ballpark he grew up going to, Giancarlo Stanton made himself right at home by nearly sending a ball to the neighborhood from which he hails.
The Yankees slugger clobbered a 457-foot moonshot for a two-run home run that helped the American League knock off the National League 3-2 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Stanton’s blast, which tied the game at two in the fourth inning, earned him the All-Star Game MVP, making him only the third Yankee to win the award (joining Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera).
“Just having my pops here was special,” said Stanton, who grew up in nearby Tujunga. “He took me to games here when I was growing up to watch players like everyone that was playing out there today.”
Byron Buxton followed Stanton with a home run of his own, the back-to-back shots giving the AL the lead and sending them to their ninth straight win in the Midsummer Classic.

-
Yankees Over Reds 7-6 in Ten Innings


DJ LeMahieu has won the Yankees many a game over the last four years with his stellar fielding and consistency at the plate. However, on his 34th birthday, LeMahieu gave the Yanks a boost with his legs en route to a 7-6 win in 10 innings over the Reds Wednesday night.
Starting the bottom of the 10th as the automatic runner on second, LeMahieu was primed to be the winning run with the heart of the order coming up. Following an Aaron Judge strikeout and an intentional walk of Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton stepped into the box looking to send an exuberant Yankees crowd home happy — but he never got the chance.
After Stanton fell behind in the count 0-2, Reds reliever Alexis Díaz bounced a slider allowing LeMahieu to get to third base. On the very next pitch, with Yankee Stadium still buzzing with anticipation, Díaz spiked another slider. LeMahieu immediately took off down the line, with fans roaring as he slid into home plate with the winning run before being mobbed by his teammates. Even a usually reserved LeMahieu couldn’t hold back a smile as he was showered with high fives.

-
Mets Look Bad in Loss to Braves 4-1


One look at the Mets’ starting lineup Tuesday was all it took to measure the degree of difficulty this team faced against the surging Braves.
The ugly numbers at the bottom were .210, .216, .200 and .167, representing the batting averages of Dominic Smith, Eduardo Escobar, Travis Jankowski and Patrick Mazeika.
Such is life for the Mets as they await returns from Jeff McNeil and Starling Marte and perhaps a trade to bolster the lineup. McNeil is on paternity leave and Marte has been sidelined with left groin tightness.
An anemic showing at the plate, coupled with two home runs allowed meant a 4-1 loss for the Mets at Truist Park that evened this ballyhooed series between the NL East rivals. The Braves returned within 1 ½ games of the division lead, a night after Max Scherzer’s seven-inning gem carried the Mets to victory.
“The Braves’ pitching staff is really good,” said Francisco Lindor, who drove in the Mets’ only run with a triple in the fifth. “They executed today and the times they missed we didn’t capitalize on it.”

-
Walmart Heir Purchases Denver Broncos


The Denver Broncos have entered a sale agreement with the Walton-Penner family ownership group, led by Walmart heir Rob Walton, as part of a reported record-setting deal to purchase the NFL franchise.
The Broncos confirmed the acquisition in a statement shared by team president and CEO Joe Ellis.
“While this purchase and sale agreement is pending approval from the NFL’s finance committee and league ownership, today marks a significant step on the path to an exciting new chapter in Broncos history,” Ellis said.
The winning bid is valued at $4.65 billion, the most expensive price ever paid for a U.S. sports team, more than doubling the $2.275 paid by David Tepper to acquire the Carolina Panthers in 2018.

-
Max Scherzer Pitches Great, Mets Beat Braves 4-1


NY Mets pitcher Max Scherzer dominated the opposition while his Braves counterpart, Max Fried, was lucky to survive the early innings.
With Scherzer in charge the Mets’ wasted opportunities weren’t so pronounced. The right-hander’s seven strong innings led a 4-1 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 42,925, pushing the Mets’ NL East-lead over the Braves back to 2 ½ games.
The Mets (54-33) still have 14 games remaining against the Braves before the regular season concludes. Scherzer offered a reminder on this night of why team owner Steve Cohen was willing to give him a three-year contract worth $130 million last offseason.
Scherzer didn’t dent until the seventh, when Austin Riley crushed a two-out homer that pulled the Braves within 2-1. The ensuing batter, Marcell Ozuna, doubled on a hanging slider before Scherzer struck out Eddie Rosario and pumped his fist in celebration. Before Riley’s homer, Scherzer had retired 12 straight batters and 20 of 21 overall in the game.
Mets infielder Luis Guillorme smashed a leadoff eighth-inning homer, and Adam Ottavino and Edwin Diaz combined to pitch the final two innings scoreless. It was the first time this season manager Buck Showalter opted to use Diaz on three straight days.

-
Mets Officially Retire Keith Hernandez’s Number 17


Keith Hernandez entered the field to a standing ovation Saturday and departed to handshakes and backslaps from players on the current Mets roster.
In between, the former first baseman managed to maintain his composure as he reflected on a storied Mets career that culminated Saturday with his No. 17 retired by the club.
Hernandez joined Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza and Jerry Koosman as the only Mets to have the honor bestowed upon them.
“I am absolutely humbled and proud my number will be up in the rafters for eternity,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez was joined on the field by his family, including his three daughters and brother, Gary.

The Mets delegation included Piazza, team owner Steve Cohen, manager Buck Showalter and Hernandez’s former teammates Mookie Wilson, Tim Teufel and Ed Lynch.
Ron Darling was present in dual capacity, as a former teammate and current SNY broadcast partner. The ceremony was emceed by Mets radio voice Howie Rose.
Steve Cohen and Showalter presented Hernandez with a mosaic portrait of himself that was made with over 6,000 Keith Hernandez baseball and Strat-o-Matic cards.





