
The NL East race? Justin Verlander? What we’re watching the final two weeks of the MLB season
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3 years agoon
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adminAs the 2022 regular season has winded down, all eyes have been on Aaron Judge’s chase to break Roger Maris’ American League record for most home runs in a single season and Albert Pujols’ race to 700 career home runs.
One of those milestones has been reached, with Pujols hitting two home runs against the Dodgers in Los Angeles to join the elusive 700 club, while Judge sits at 60 homers, two away from the record.
While these have surely been two of the most exciting storylines the past couple of months, there is still plenty left to play for in the final weeks of the season. Will the Atlanta Braves or New York Mets come out on top of the NL East and secure the No. 2 spot in the National League? Are there any players to pay special attention to before the postseason?
The season ends on Oct. 5, with the postseason scheduled to begin two days later. What should we be watching? ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Buster Olney, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield tell you everything you need to know. Let’s get into it.
Which playoff races are you following most closely the final two weeks of the season?
Doolittle: The race with the most impact on the playoff bracket is the one for the NL East title between the Braves and Mets. In terms of the overall season, these are the second- and third-best teams in the NL, in whatever order you want to put them in. The winner of the division gets a first-round bye. The second-place team gets to host a wild-card series, starting the playoff fatigue meter on its pitching staff, and if it survives that, then it gets to face a rested and unusually strong Los Angeles Dodgers team. Score one for the new format because this is a race for first place with some real stakes on the table.
Olney: There is some intrigue built around the home-field advantages in the American League, specifically the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. A three-game series in Seattle would be intense, given the great history of Mariners fans supporting their laundry, and any series in Toronto seems to carry a special passion. But let’s face it, down the stretch, we will be locked into the resolution of the NL East, because you could argue that these are two of the four best teams — and the loser will have an extra playoff round to hurdle.
Passan: Well, seeing as there are only three real races and nobody has mentioned the third, I’ll give some love to the sprint — or jog … or crawl — for the final two NL wild-card spots. The San Diego Padres hold the first and have that could-get-hot-and-do-a-lot-of-damage-in-October feel to them. The Philadelphia Phillies shook off their miserable start and, like San Diego, are top-heavy. And the Milwaukee Brewers, after getting lapped by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central, have hung around by doing what they do well: hitting tanks and pitching. It might not be the sexiest race, but for now, it’s a race nonetheless. And for that we should celebrate — or appreciate … or acknowledge.
Schoenfield: I was just out in Seattle and saw more Mariners gear and heard more Mariners talk than I have in a long, long time. The recent tough stretch and the injuries to Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez have Mariners fans thinking a lot of bad thoughts — and as one of those fans, those thoughts are admittedly hard to avoid given the 21-year playoff drought. So while the NL East race is certainly more important — as Brad alluded to, delaying that pitching fatigue meter for a round could be huge — my eyes are on that wild-card race.
Which remaining series do you have circled on your calendar?
Doolittle: There isn’t a whole lot left on the docket in terms of teams facing each other who are competing for the same thing over these last couple of weeks. A notable exception to that is next weekend when the Mets visit the Braves in Cobb County. The division should be on the line in a playoff atmosphere and all that.
Olney: Mets at Braves next weekend, largely because we’ve got the last game for Sunday Night Baseball, but also because there will be so much at stake. Depending how the Mets handle their rotation in the last two weeks, it looks like we could have Jacob deGrom in that game, which would be a blast.
Passan: The only series in the season’s final three days between two teams with October dreams is Philadelphia at Houston. Currently, the Phillies are lined up to throw Aaron Nola in Game 1, Ranger Suarez in Game 2 and the unfortunately named Bailey Falter in Game 3. Philadelphia understandably wants to have a postseason spot locked up by then, because the prospect of facing Cristian Javier, Lance McCullers Jr. and Justin Verlander in must-win games is a daunting one indeed.
Schoenfield: Besides Mets-Braves and every Mariners series, I’m looking at the season-ending series when the Blue Jays travel to the Baltimore Orioles, which could determine whether the Blue Jays host the wild-card series and/or whether the Orioles get in. But here’s one that has nothing to do with the playoff races but will have history on the line: Colorado Rockies at Dodgers for six games to finish the season. The NL record for wins in a 162-game season is 108, by two legendary clubs — the 1975 Reds and 1986 Mets. The Dodgers won’t catch the 1906 Cubs, who won 116 games, but they have a chance to be the greatest regular-season team in modern NL history.
Of the teams that have already clinched a playoff spot, who has the most left to play for in the final weeks?
Doolittle: Well, this is really a choice between the Braves and the Mets. And I guess I would say the Mets have more to play for. For the Braves, they have a couple of things going for them that lighten the pressure load. First, they are the defending champions. Their fan base is as happy as it’s ever going to get. Second, most of the roster has a fresh memory of navigating all the way through the playoffs and winning it, despite not having a particularly strong playoff seed. Of course, that was a different format, but I don’t think the Braves are going to be fazed if they end up as a wild-card team.
On the other hand, for much of the summer, this felt like “one of those years” for the Mets, when everything just seemed to be falling in place on the way to a banner season in team history. While the Mets haven’t exactly fallen apart, to go all the way through that and end up as a wild-card team — and not have a division title to show for it — would just seem to me to be a bit of a letdown.
Olney: The Braves and Mets — Atlanta seems to have a legit shot at becoming the first team in more than 20 years to win back-to-back titles, but playing that first round would be a burden for a club that is already kind of banged up right now, with the injuries to Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider et al. And as for the Mets, at a time of the year when they would likely prefer to limit the innings of Max Scherzer and deGrom, having to roll them out in a wild-card round would be taxing.
Passan: The right answer is Braves and Mets for all the reasons outlined above. But let’s not forget Seattle. If the Mariners snag the top wild-card spot in the AL, they’ll guarantee their first home playoff game in 21 years. If they finish in the second or third slot, they’ll head on the road for all three games and need to advance to bring playoff baseball back to T-Mobile Park, one of the most beloved — and loud — stadiums in baseball.
Schoenfield: I’ll be curious to see how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts works his bullpen after he announced the other day that Craig Kimbrel will no longer be the closer. He said it will be closer by committee, but this final stretch will be an indicator as to exactly what that means and who might be in line to get those final three outs. Evan Phillips has been the team’s best reliever, but he’s also been so valuable in a setup role and has little ninth-inning experience with just three career saves. The Dodgers are the best team in the majors, but with one glaring weakness that will remain a question heading into the postseason.
Which individual stat performances not involving Aaron Judge or Albert Pujols are you watching closest the rest of the way?
Doolittle: This question is not fair because I’m only watching Judge and Pujols for the most part on the stats front. How can you not? And not for the obvious home run chases, but because there are other cool things in play. For one thing, Pujols is getting very close to overtaking Babe Ruth on the all-time RBI list. I mean, that’s amazing. (Though, because the statistic wasn’t recognized by baseball until 1920, many of Ruth’s aren’t officially counted, leaving Pujols recognized as No. 2 on the all-time list, even though he technically trails Ruth by six RBIs.)
Beyond that, I have been anxiously following the injury news regarding Patrick Corbin and his ailing back. It sounds like he should be back in the Washington Nationals’ rotation soon, so that he can continue his quest to lose 20 games. He has been stuck at 18 for a while now. I know it’s perverse, and I truly wish no ill on Corbin. I just have a thing for little historical oddities like that. No one has done it since Mike Maroth in 2003.
Olney: I’m going to cheat on my answer a little bit, because it does actually involve Judge — the AL batting title could be the difference between him winning the Triple Crown or not. If Xander Bogaerts wins it, that will nicely frame his foray into free agency; if Luis Arraez pulls it out, what a cool accomplishment in a race with other great players.
Passan: I want to see Shohei Ohtani‘s final stat lines — and whether his 2022 performance actually exceeds that of 2021, when he was the runaway AL MVP. The easy answer is: probably. He’s nearly the same offensive player and is significantly better on the mound. The fact that Judge is putting up an all-time-great season which could be capped by a pair of historic moments, and that there’s actually a pretty good argument in Ohtani’s favor, would seem to suggest that the only thing that should separate Ohtani from the MVP as long as he’s in the midst of his prime is something truly extraordinary.
Schoenfield: Justin Verlander‘s ERA. He’s at 1.82 with one start remaining for the Houston Astros. Not including the shortened 2020 season, only 11 pitchers have finished with a sub-2.00 ERA in the wild-card era (since 1995). But only two of those have come in the AL: Pedro Martinez’s 1.74 for the Boston Red Sox in 2000 and Blake Snell’s 1.89 in 2018 for the Tampa Bay Rays. If Verlander tosses eight scoreless innings (right now, his start might be Friday against the Rays), he would finish with an ERA of 1.737, which would edge him past Martinez’s 1.742.
OK, we couldn’t get through this without one Judge question … Will he win the Triple Crown or not?
Doolittle: Triple crown? What about the double triple crown? Or more accurately, what about the quintuple crown? Or even the sextuple crown? Yes, Judge has a chance to become the first hitter since Miguel Cabrera to win the traditional Triple Crown, and that would be very cool. But Judge also has a chance to win the sabermetrics triple crown, leading the league in all three slash categories. Nobody has won both the traditional and the sabermetric triple crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. It has happened only a handful of times in baseball history.
And then you can even tack on a sixth category, runs scored, which Judge is going to win anyway. You might even say Judge would become the first person to win the double triple crown, because back when Yaz did it, no one knew what the hell a sabermetric triple crown was. Anyway, the answer to your question is yes, he’s going to win all the things.
Olney: No, I don’t think he will. In spite of manager Aaron Boone’s statement to the contrary, I do think he’s wearing down a bit from the scrutiny of the home run chase — and after he breaks the record (assuming he breaks the record), I think there will be a bit of an exhale from him. We’ve seen that from other stars after passing milestones. But context is important: I’m the idiot who said at midseason he wouldn’t get to 60 homers.
Passan: Yes. Not because he matches up better with his opponents or because Bogaerts and Arraez, his two batting-average foes, have some discernible advantage. If we’ve learned anything this year, it’s very simple: Don’t bet against Aaron Judge.
Schoenfield: Unfortunately, I’ll say no. It’s a toss-up at the moment between Judge, Bogaerts and Arraez for the batting title, which basically gives Judge a one-in-three chance, meaning the odds are against him.
And finally, what is one under-the-radar theme fans should be paying more attention to in the final games of the regular season?
Doolittle: The rules are changing, so fans who really love baseball the way that it is right now should be storing as many of these moments to come in their memory banks as they can. If you love batters stepping out of the box and adjusting their gear, or pitchers taking a half a minute between pitches, you better get your fill now. And if you love a second baseman standing in shallow right field, you better get to the ballpark and snap a few pictures. Because these things are going away.
Olney: Watch for the team that finishes strongly, because as the Braves showed us last year, a group of players rolling into the postseason can ride that hot streak right into the World Series. My No. 1 candidate: the Cleveland Guardians, who could be baseball’s version of a No. 10 seed advancing to the Final Four. They are playing well and have such a unique style with strong pitching and hitters who put the ball in play. They could never be the best regular-season team because of the lack of power, but in a few postseason rounds? Maybe.
Passan: That sound you hear … is the bullpen door swinging open. The playoffs have turned into a relief parade, and while an excellent bullpen doesn’t necessarily foretell a team’s success, here’s a stat worth chewing on: The top seven bullpen ERAs belong to teams that either have already secured a postseason berth or are current wild-card contenders: Astros, Dodgers, Braves, New York Yankees, Guardians, Mariners, Rays. And with every out in October more meaningful and every situation with increasing leverage, bullpen ball is coming.
Schoenfield: Has anybody mentioned the NL wild-card race? Because, umm, the Padres and Phillies haven’t exactly locked up those final two spots over the Brewers.
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Shocks at No. 1 — and No. 2?! Winners, losers and takeaways from MLB draft Day 1
Published
9 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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Multiple Contributors
Jul 13, 2025, 11:00 PM ET
The first day of the 2025 MLB draft is complete! The Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick, opting for the prep shortstop — who might be more likely to sign below slot — in a draft with no clear-cut top prospect. And there were plenty of other intriguing selections as the first three rounds unfolded Sunday night.
The Seattle Mariners had to have been thrilled to have Kiley McDaniel’s No. 1-ranked prospect, Kade Anderson, fall to them at No. 3, and Ethan Holliday was selected at No. 4 by his famous father’s former squad the Colorado Rockies.
We asked ESPN baseball insiders Alden Gonzalez, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield to break down their favorite and most head-scratching moves of the draft’s first night, as well as to predict which players will bring the most to their new teams in the long term.
A lot of us were thrown for a loop by the first two selections. What do you make of the Nationals taking Ethan Willits at No. 1 and the Angels picking Tyler Bremner at No. 2?
Gonzalez: I was stunned on both accounts. Though there was definitely some uncertainty around the Nationals’ approach, especially since the firing of GM Mike Rizzo, I didn’t see anybody, anywhere, projecting Willits to be their choice at No. 1 overall. But the Angels drafting Bremner was an even bigger risk. Kiley had him 18th in his latest ranking. Six pitchers were ranked ahead of him. But Bremner might be someone who can rise and impact their major league roster quickly, and the Angels are always looking for that.
Rogers: The first two picks really summed up the uncertainty of the entire draft. The Nationals’ faith in a 17-year-old will be tested over the coming years, but the pick will likely save them some money for later in this draft and give Willits time to grow. The same can be said of many of the top picks: They’re going to need time. There are far fewer sure things this year — though Bremner could be the exception. The Angles love to graduate their players quickly, and as a college arm, he could see the majors sooner rather than later. Like Willits, this could also be a cost-saving move for later spending.
Schoenfield: In a draft that not only lacked a sure-thing No. 1 overall pick but was viewed as weaker at the top than those of recent years, it’s perhaps not a huge surprise that the Nationals and Angels used their picks to strike likely underslot deals with Willits and Bremner, giving them money to spend later in the draft — which they can use on high school prospects who might have slipped, trying to buy them out from going to college. It’s a strategy teams have used with success over the years, so the drafts for the Nationals and Angels will have to be viewed in their totality and not just focused on these two players.
What was your favorite pick of the night — and which one had you scratching your head?
Gonzalez: The Rockies have done a lot of things wrong over these last few … uh, decades. But it was really cool to see them take Ethan Holliday at No. 4 after his father, Matt, starred in Colorado for so long. Outside of the top two picks, Ethan Conrad going 17th to the Cubs was my biggest surprise of the night. Kiley had him ranked 30th; others had him falling out of the first round entirely. There’s uncertainty coming off shoulder surgery. But Conrad, 21, put up a 1.238 OPS in 97 plate appearances before his season ended prematurely in March. And the dearth of college bats probably influenced a slight reach here.
Rogers: I’m loving Billy Carlson to the White Sox at No. 10. Though they lost 121 games last season, Chicago couldn’t pick higher than this spot per CBA rules — but the Sox might have gotten a top-five player. Carlson’s defense will play extremely well behind a sneaky good and young pitching staff that should keep the ball on the ground in the long term. Meanwhile, with the pick of the litter when it came to hitters — college outfielders and high school kids as well — the Pirates took a high school pitcher at No. 6. Seth Hernandez could be great, but they need hitting. A lot of it.
Schoenfield: The Mariners reportedly wanted LSU left-hander Kade Anderson all along, but they certainly couldn’t have been expecting to get him with the third pick. (Keep in mind that the Mariners were lucky in the first place to land the third pick in the lottery, so they added some good fortune on top of good luck.) They get the most polished college pitcher in the draft, one who should move quickly — and perhaps make it a little easier for Jerry Dipoto to dip into his farm system and upgrade the big league roster at the trade deadline. Even though I understand why the Angels did it, Bremner still seems a little questionable. With the second pick, you want to go for a home run, and the consensus is that Holliday or even Anderson is more likely to be a more impactful major leaguer. Bremner’s lack of a third plus pitch is an issue, and you have to wonder if the Angels are relying too much on his control — which, yes, should allow him to get to the majors — and ignoring the possible lack of upside.
Who is the one player you’d like to plant your flag on as the biggest steal of this draft?
Gonzalez: Seth Hernandez, who went sixth to the Pirates and should someday share a rotation with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. High school pitchers are incredibly risky, especially when taken so early in the draft. But Hernandez is a great athlete who already throws hard, boasts a plus changeup and showed improvement with his breaking ball this spring. He’ll go the Hunter Greene route, from standout high school pitcher to major league ace.
Rogers: Jamie Arnold will look like a steal at No. 11, especially when he debuts in the majors well before many of the players taken around him. I’m not worried about the innings drop in 2025 — not when he was striking out 119 hitters and walking just 27. The A’s need to polish him up but will be pleased by how consistent he’ll be. You can’t go wrong with a college lefty from an ACC school — at least, the A’s didn’t.
Schoenfield: I’m going with Billy Carlson with the 10th pick — with the admitted caveat that the White Sox haven’t exactly been stellar at developing hitters. But Carlson looks like an elite defensive shortstop with plus power, and that alone can make him a valuable major leaguer. If the hit tool comes along, we’re looking at a potential star. OK, he’s Bobby Witt Jr. lite? That’s still an All-Star player.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Day 1 of this draft?
Gonzalez: The Nationals throwing a wrench into the proceedings by selecting Willits. It was a surprising choice, but in their minds an easy one. Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo called Willits the best hitter and best fielder available. And in a draft devoid of can’t-miss, high-impact talent, Willits is no doubt a solid pick — a polished hitter who should stick at shortstop and might consistently hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases at a premium position. He also might come under slot, allowing flexibility later in the draft. But his selection is what allowed Anderson to reach the Mariners at No. 3 and prompted the Rockies to draft Holliday at No. 4, among other dominoes. It set a really interesting tone.
Rogers: Things change quickly in baseball. Whereas college hitters are usually the safest bets early in the draft, this year high school position players dominated. (And they all play shortstop, at least for now.) Athleticism has returned to baseball, and draft rooms are acting accordingly.
Schoenfield: I’m agreeing with Jesse. The selection of that many prep shortstops stood out — and they all seem to hit left-handed and run well, and some of them have big power potential and a cannon for an arm. Look, the hit tool is the most important and the hardest to scout and project, so not all these kids are going to make it, but their potential is exciting and, to Jesse’s point, their wide range of tools is showing that baseball is still drawing top athletes to the sport.
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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?
Published
12 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
Sports
Van Gisbergen takes Sonoma to extend win streak
Published
12 hours agoon
July 14, 2025By
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Associated Press
Jul 13, 2025, 07:14 PM ET
SONOMA, Calif. — Shane van Gisbergen extended his winning streak to two straight and three victories in the past five weeks with yet another dominating run on a road course.
The New Zealander once again showed he’s in a completely different class on road and street courses than his rivals as he led 97 of 110 laps Sunday to win from pole at Sonoma Raceway. All three of his wins this year have been from pole — which tied him with Jeff Gordon for a NASCAR record of three consecutive road course victories from the top starting spot.
Gordon did it between the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Victory No. 4 for van Gisbergen — who stunned NASCAR in 2023 when he popped into the debut Chicago street course race from Australian V8 Supercars and won — seemed a given before teams even arrived at the picturesque course in California wine country. His rivals have lamented that “SVG” has a unique braking technique he mastered Down Under that none of them — all oval specialists — can ever learn.
That win in Chicago two years ago led van Gisbergen to move to the United States for a career change driving stock cars for Trackhouse Racing. He and Ross Chastain have pumped energy into the team over this summer stretch with Chastain kicking it off with a Memorial Day weekend victory at the Coca-Cola 600.
Van Gisbergen is the fastest driver to win four Cup Series races — in his 34th start — since Parnelli Jones in 1969.
“It means everything. That’s why I race cars. I had an amazing time in Australia, and then to come here and the last couple weeks, or years, actually, has been a dream come true,” said van Gisbergen. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in NASCAR. Thanks, everyone, for making me feel so welcome. I hope I’m here for a long time to come.”
The Sonoma win made it four victories for Trackhouse in eight weeks. Van Gisbergen was second from pole in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
Although he dominated again Sunday, van Gisbergen pitted from the lead with 27 laps remaining and then had to drive his way back to the front. He got it with a pass of Michael McDowell with 19 laps remaining, but two late cautions made van Gisbergen win restarts to close out the victory in his Chevrolet.
Chase Briscoe was second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“I’ve never played against Michael Jordan, but I imagine this was very similar,” Briscoe said after not being able to pass van Gisbergen on the two late restarts — the last with five laps remaining. “That guy is unbelievable on road courses. He’s just so good. He’s really raised the bar on this entire series.”
Briscoe was followed by Chase Elliott in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. McDowell in a Chevy for Spire Motorsports was fourth and Christopher Bell in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing was fifth.
In-season challenge
The midseason tournament that pays $1 million to the winner is down to four drivers.
Alex Bowman finished 25th and eliminated Ty Dillon, who finished 26th. Tyler Reddick (11th) knocked out Ryan Preece (16th), John Hunter Nemechek knocked out teammate Erik Jones as they finished 21st and 22nd, and Ty Gibbs, with a seventh-place finish, eliminated Zane Smith.
Bowman, at eighth, is the highest-seeded driver still in the challenge, which debuted this year.
Crew fight
NASCAR officials had to separate the crews for Brad Keselowski and Gibbs when members from the two teams scrapped on pit road during the race.
Keselowski’s crew confronted Gibbs’ crew after Gibbs drove through their pit stall and narrowly missed hitting some of Keselowski’s crew members already in place waiting for him.
The confrontation appeared to be contained to pushing and shoving and NASCAR officials quickly stepped between them. Both crews were given an official warning for fighting but NASCAR said Gibbs did nothing wrong.
Clean race — for a while
It took 61 of the 110 laps for the first caution for an on-track incident — when Ryan Blaney was knocked off the course and into the dirt early in the third stage. The contact from Chris Buescher left Blaney stranded, and right before NASCAR could throw the yellow, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin both spun.
It was technically the third caution of the race, but the first two were for natural stage breaks.
The race ended with six cautions — two in the final stretch.
Up next
The Cup Series races Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway in Delaware, where Hamlin won last year.
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