Texas
Back in the MLB All-Star Game, Texas Rangers reliever Kirby Yates made this one count
ARLINGTON — Kirby Yates’ children were too young to remember their dad’s first trip to the All-Star Game. His kids — Oaklee and Kove — were 2 and 1 when the Texas Rangers’ closer was named to the National League roster five seasons ago as a member of the San Diego Padres.
In hindsight? It worked out fine. They’ll remember the one that mattered more.
Yates, who did not pitch in that 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland, made his midsummer classic debut Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. He made it count, too.
Kirby Yates’ only other All-Star appearance was in 2019. He didn’t get to pitch in the game.
Yates made the most of the opportunity this time around in front of the home crowd. 🔥🔥🔥
(Via @Rangers)pic.twitter.com/l63tNlTbgv
— SportsDay Rangers (@dmn_rangers) July 17, 2024
The 37-year-old right-hander — who’s in the midst of a career revival after a number of injuries stalled it — pitched a perfect eighth inning and struck out two batters in the American League’s 5-3 win inside the Rangers’ home park.
He was one of three Rangers players who competed in Tuesday’s exhibition, joining second baseman Marcus Semien (a three-time All-Star) and shortstop Corey Seager (a five-time All-Star). Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and his assistants served as the AL’s coaching staff.
Yates struck out Washington shortstop C.J. Abrams on three pitches, including an 87.2 mph splitter that got the 23-year-old to whiff for strike three, and ran a 94.2 mph fastball past San Francisco outfielder Heliot Ramos in the next at-bat for his second strikeout. Los Angeles catcher Will Smith bounced out to third base on three pitches to end the inning.
“You’re always kind of going in there trying to do an immaculate inning, and I was off to a good start then messed that up,” said Yates, who walked off the field to a standing ovation from the home crowd. “You just don’t want to suck, let’s put it that way.”
He didn’t, and he hasn’t this season. Yates posted a 1.05 ERA, 46 strikeouts and went 16 for 16 in save opportunities for the Rangers in the first half. The Lihue, Hawaii native estimated that somewhere between 20 to 30 family members made the trip to Texas to watch him throw.
Their journey matched Yates’ own. He led the NL with 41 saves and had a 1.19 ERA in 2019, but an elbow injury derailed his 2020 season and he underwent Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2021 season. He pitched for the Atlanta Braves last year but never quite felt like himself.
He became an All-Star again this season. The whole family got in on the fun this time.
“It just didn’t involve me, right?” Yates said. “It involved my wife, it involved my kids. We made a decision to leave our home, go somewhere else to rehab, take all the necessary steps, put our kids in a school in a place we weren’t familiar with. Did all these things that we thought were right to help my career get back to where I needed to go, and it’s just rewarding and all of that.
“It wasn’t just me, there was a village that was behind this.”
Yates, like many, grew up a Ken Griffey Jr. fan. He and his kids took a photo with Griffey on Monday night during the Home Run Derby. Both accompanied Yates and his wife, Ashlee, down the red carpet prior to Tuesday’s game.
“I know they were really nervous walking down the red carpet,” Yates said. “But I think once they got going, they kind of relaxed a little bit. My daughter loved it. It’s just neat to be able to spend it with them, because I hope it’s something they remember, too.”
Seager — who replaced Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson at shortstop prior to the fifth inning — nearly gave the AL a lead in the ballpark in which he’s hit so many memorable home runs. In a six-pitch at-bat vs. Cincinnati fireballer Hunter Greene, Seager drilled a slider just outside of the right field foul pole, then sent a 96.3 mph fastball deep into center field immediately after. Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Teoscar Hernández chased it down at the warning track.
The 102.9 mph, 402-foot flyout would have been a home run in 17 ballparks, according to Baseball Savant. Just not at Globe Life Field, where the Rangers’ home run song (the theme from The Natural) briefly played after Hernández’s grab.
“Did it really?” Seager asked. “Oh no, that’s bad mojo right there.”
And, on the topic of possibly weird mojo, Seager did not bat directly behind his double-play partner Semien as he usually does for the Rangers. Semien — Texas’ leadoff hitter — started at second base and hit ninth for the AL. He went 1 for 2 with a single and a run scored off of San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb as part of a three-run third inning.
“It was weird not playing up the middle with him, too,” Semien said. “Gunnar is a big shortstop, similar build [to Seager]. He made a nice play out there. Corey and I, our goal is to be playing up the middle in these things.”
Semien, a finalist to start at second base, replaced Houston’s Jose Altuve on the roster when the latter pulled out to rest a sore hand that was hit by a pitch on July 5. Seager had a significantly shorter runway. He learned at around 6:45 p.m. Sunday that he’d been called upon to replace Minnesota shortstop Carlos Correa (plantar fasciitis) on the roster.
He and his wife, Madisyn, even had to cancel vacation plans.
“I don’t want to say we were panicked, but we were a little panicked,” Seager said. “[The red carpet] is intimidating if you don’t have time to plan for it, but she looked amazing and we had a great time.”
So did the eldest of the trio.
“It’s all surreal, I won’t ever forget this,” Yates said. “The fans were awesome, it was great, and I’m very appreciative.”
Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
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AUSTIN – Texas officials are rolling out a new online hub aimed at helping residents spot and report the New World screwworm, a pest Gov. Greg Abbott says threatens livestock, wildlife, and the state’s rural economy.
Abbott announced the launch of screwworm.texas.gov, an enhanced website housed in the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s Disaster Portal that he described as a “one-stop shop” for information and resources tied to the state’s response.
The New World screwworm poses a direct threat to Texas livestock, wildlife, and our rural economy,” Abbott said. “This new website puts essential tools in the hands of our producers, veterinarians, and families. Screwworm.texas.gov delivers the facts, maps, identification methods, and certification resources Texans need to detect problems early and report cases without delay. Now every Texan has the information to act. Texas will protect our land, our animals, and our way of life from this pest.
According to the governor’s office, the site is designed to provide “actionable and reliable multimedia information” about the New World screwworm, including fact sheets, videos, and educational materials.
The portal includes background information, guidance on how to spot the pest, sample collection procedures, Texas Animal Health Commission New World screwworm zone maps, the U.S. Department of Agriculture case dashboard, links to best practices for livestock and wildlife, and details on registering for a new no-cost New World screwworm Certified Inspector Training.
The governor’s office said state and federal partners are working together to detect, control and contain the spread, and that expanding public outreach and providing clear information is a key part of reducing risk.
Abbott’s office also highlighted actions taken by the governor in response to the pest, including:
- Directing the creation of a joint Texas New World screwworm Response Team
- Joining USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to announce a $750 million investment in a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration ahead of the first detection
- Deploying state resources and activating the State Emergency Operations Center after the first confirmed Texas cases
- Visiting the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville for a briefing
- Launching a free online training course to certify more inspectors
- Announcing federal funding to strengthen inspection capacity.
Texans are urged to inspect livestock and pets for wounds and report suspected cases immediately, including in wildlife.
For livestock and pets, suspected cases should be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission’s 24-hour veterinarian call line at 1-800-550-8242.
For wildlife, reports should be made to Texas Parks and Wildlife’s 24-hour biologists’ call line at 512-389-4505. Officials also warn people not to move affected animals.
More information and updates are available at screwworm.texas.gov and screwworm.gov.
More than 150 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas have been infected with influenza over the past three weeks — a major outbreak less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated against the flu.
A day off at the pool — and a little sunburn — didn’t stop the Minnesota Twins’ momentum.
Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins went on to complete a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday.
Minnesota has won four games in a row and scored 25 runs in the three-games series in Texas. The two teams had a rare, mid-series day off on Wednesday with the England-Croatia World Cup game being played in Arlington.
“We’re locked in every day,” Lee told Audra Martin on the team’s broadcast. “Yesterday, taking time off, lay out by the pool, get a little burnt and then right back to it. We did a good job getting focused. I feel like we do that with rain delays, too, just lock back in and we’re doing it.”
Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter (3-7). Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to straightaway center that just cleared the extended glove of leaping Alejandro Osuna. Larnach’s third hit was an RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Kriedler hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Joe Ryan (5-3) struck out seven but needed 97 pitches to get through five scoreless innings while allowing three singles. Leiter was done after the fourth, and has given up 17 runs while losing three starts in a row.
The Twins never trailed in the sweep that extended their winning streak to four, matching their longest this season. Their 14-5 record at Globe Life Field is the best for any American League opponent since the ballpark opened in 2020.
Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue hit solo homers for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games. They are 0-15 when giving up multiple runs in the first inning.
Twins DH Josh Bell, who was born in nearby Irving and grew up in the area, had an RBI single before Lee’s homer. Bell hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the series-opening 4-2 win Monday, and had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first of a 12-2 win on Tuesday.
“We’re just passing the baton each time,” Lee said of the offensive output. “Our guys are hot. They feel good and they came out swinging today. It was awesome to see. We’ve done that for a while now.”
Up next
Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) starts Friday at Arizona. The Diamondbacks are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11).
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