Judge, Sanchez set to slug in HR Derby
Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, the Baby Bombers who lead the New York Yankees’ offense, will participate in the All-star Home Run Derby at Miami on July 10.
Judge, a rookie who homered in his first major league at-bat last August, leads the majors with 27 home runs and tops the American League with a .327 batting average and 62 RBIS.
“I’m excited,” he said Monday. “We’ve got a good group of guys going. Getting a chance to go up against Gary is going to be fun. So I think we’re both looking forward to that.”
Sanchez is hitting .289 with 13 homers and 40 RBIS despite missing nearly a month with a strained biceps.
“I think it’s going to be special,” Sanchez said through a translator. “I’m pretty sure the fans are going to enjoy it. I’m pretty sure that the excitement will be through the roof, and if I don’t win I want Judge to win.”
New York made the announcement Monday on Twitter before its game against Toronto.
Judge acknowledged a while back that he’d been invited by Major League Baseball to participate but said he didn’t think the timing was right to announce a decision. Focused on the Yankees’ season, he wanted to wait until All-star rosters were revealed Sunday night.
Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton will defend his title. Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger, who leads the National League with 24 homers, also said he will compete.
Despite his prodigious power and league-leading numbers, the 6-foot-7 Judge said he won’t feel any added pressure to win the derby at spacious Marlins Park.
“I’m just going out there to have fun,” he said.
■ Angels: AL MVP Mike Trout will miss the All-star Game while rehabilitating his left thumb and be replaced in the starting lineup by Boston’s Mookie Betts.
The Los Angeles star outfielder tore the ulnar collateral ligament in the thumb on May 28 during a headfirst slide and had surgery three days later to repair the ligament and dorsal capsule.
Trout is batting .337 with 16 homers, 36 RBIS and 10 steals. He was the AL MVP in 2014 and 2016, and was the All-star Game MVP in 2014 and 2015. He was elected by fans to the starting outfield, his fifth election and sixth All-star team.
■ Rockies: Colorado placed infielder/outfielder Ian Desmond on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right calf and reinstated slumping outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.
Desmond was hurt while chasing a fly ball in Arizona on Sunday. This will be his second stint on the DL after missing the start of the season with a fractured left hand. He’s hitting .283 with five homers and 26 RBIS.
Gonzalez was reinstated Monday after going on the DL in late June with a strained right shoulder. Gonzalez is mired in a slump that’s seen his average dip to .221. He has six homers and 20 RBIS.
■ Blue Jays: Catcher Miguel Montero was acquired by the Toronto from the Cubs, six days after he blamed Chicago pitcher Jake Arrieta for allowing seven stolen bases in a 6-1 loss to Washington.
Toronto said it acquired the two-time All-star and cash for a player to be named or cash.
Montero hit .286 with four homers and eight RBIS in 44 games this season and was designated for assignment Wednesday. He has thrown out one of 31 base stealers this season.
■ Umpires: Angel Hernandez, a big league umpire for nearly a quarter-century, sued Major League Baseball alleging race discrimination.
In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, the 55-year-old Hernandez, who was born in Cuba and lives in Florida, alleges MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre “has a history of animosity towards Hernandez stemming from Torre’s time as manager of the New York Yankees.”
As evidence of the alleged discrimination, the suit cites Hernandez’s lack of World Series assignments in the past decade and baseball not promoting Hernandez to crew chief.
■ Brewers: It was a banner homecoming for Kato Kaelin.
Famous for being a witness in O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in the 1990s, Kaelin, two relatives and a friend won Milwaukee’s 50/50 raffle, splitting $12,411 before taxes.
The Associated Press