Sports
Pirates rookie Paul Skenes makes MLB history after getting selected to MLB All-Star Game
Pittsburgh Pirates phenom pitcher Paul Skenes has made it to the National League All-Star team, and with the selection comes new MLB history.
Skenes became the first player in league history to be taken No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft and then named the following year to an All-Star team, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Skenes debuted only two months ago, but the hype has been very real for the LSU product.
Paul Skenes, #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the New York Mets at PNC Park on July 5, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The 22-year-old made his long-awaited debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs, where he mowed down seven hitters, while allowing one homer, six hits and two walks over his innings of work.
Since then, Skenes has earned himself a 2.12 ERA over 10 starts, striking out 78 hitters with just 12 walks. Additionally, the Pirates are 7-3 in games he starts.
PIRATES ROOKIE PHENOM PAUL SKENES MAKES MLB HISTORY WITH ANOTHER DOMINANT OUTING
“You definitely can’t expect it,” Skenes said of his All-Star Game bid, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I think it’s just a product of being present and doing the work that it takes, that kind of thing. The expectation was definitely to win the national championship when we were there. That was the only thing that we wanted to do.
“But in terms of getting drafted first overall, getting called up whenever I was called up, and now the All-Star game, there were no expectations for me. It’s kind of just about doing as much as I can and allowing others to make the decision for me.”
Paul Skenes, #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 17, 2024 in Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
Sporting a triple-digit fastball on the radar gun with some other nasty breaking pitches, Skenes has proven to be the young ace the Pirates hoped he would be one day. They are certainly not complaining that he is already making an impact in the bigs after needing just 12 minor league starts before his debut.
“I think the thing we’re seeing with him is No. 1, he has really elite stuff,” manager Derek Shelton said of Skenes. “The things that we’re seeing on him is his ability to grow within starts. I think even the last two starts, the first couple innings he’s been out of sorts a bit with his mechanics, and we’ve seen him make adjustments and not let games get away from him. That’s a really rare thing for a young pitcher.”
There were several other firsts for National League pitchers alongside Skenes in this year’s All-Star Game, including Miami Marlins reliever Tanner Scott, Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm and San Diego Padres reliever Robert Suarez, among others.
Paul Skenes, #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 17, 2024 in Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
In fact, each pitcher is either a first- or second-time All-Star except for Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale, who will be pitching in his eighth All-Star Game.
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Sports
Ketel Marte frustrating Diamondbacks by opting to take days off with trade deadline looming: report
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Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has reportedly been frustrating people within the organization with the MLB trade deadline looming.
Marte, a switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, is someone Arizona has tried to trade this past winter despite his talent and six-year extension that kicked in this season.
But USA TODAY reported Marte “continues to frustrate segments of the organization by opting to take days off.” Most recently, Marte decided to sit for last week’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, where superstar Shohei Ohtani was pitching, and he then proceeded to hit a walk-off home run the next day for the D-Backs.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
The reason for Marte missing the game last Wednesday was a mixture of his decision as well as the second baseman dealing with lower-back and hamstring ailments, per Arizona Sports. Marte didn’t want to risk any further injury.
“We’re all human, and we all need a day here and there,” Marte said through a translator following the walk-off homer he hit on Thursday’s game.
KETEL MARTE RECEIVES STANDING OVATION FROM DIAMONDBACKS FANS IN FIRST HOME GAME SINCE CONTROVERSIAL HECKLING
This also isn’t new for Marte, who created some tension in the clubhouse due to absences and off-day requests near the All-Star break. It was reported that Marte’s teammates didn’t appreciate trying to time his off-days, leading to an apology later on.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks bats during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, on May 30, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/Getty Images)
With Marte being involved in trade rumors in the past, they will certainly pick up with MLB’s trade deadline scheduled for Aug. 3 this year. It’s later than usual, but with teams dealing with injuries as well as trying to bolster their lineups, rotations and bullpens, players with Marte’s talent will surely lead to calls to those in the Arizona front office.
Marte should be sold at a high price, if at all, given he is under contract through the 2030 campaign at a relatively low price after signing his six-year, $116.5 million contract. He also has a player option for the 2031 season, where he will be age 37.
While second base is his usual spot on the field, Marte has played shortstop as well as center field in his 12-year career. The Dominican Republic product has earned three All-Star nods, including each of the past two seasons.
Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 23, 2026. (Norm Hall/Getty Images)
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This year, Marte is slashing .250/.304/.450 with a .754 OPS — the lowest mark since his 2022 campaign in Arizona (.727). He has hit 11 homers, driven in 37 runs and scored 37 times across 60 games.
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Sports
The Times’ softball coach of the year: Katie Stith of JSerra
Katie Stith, the softball coach at JSerra High, can finally take a bow and become the most famous Stith in the family — at least for a couple weeks.
Imagine being the daughter of legendary club softball coach Mike Stith (OC Batbusters), then going into coaching. Katie did just that and has earned the spotlight after guiding JSerra to its first Southern Section Division 1 championship.
She has been selected The Times’ coach of the year for 2026.
It was her eighth season, and if you want to play in Division 1 in Southern California, you have to go through the gauntlet of powerhouses, from Norco to Orange Lutheran to Murrieta Mesa.
JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs. The team finished 25-8 and had wins over Norco, La Mirada, Oaks Christian, Orange Lutheran and Garden Grove Pacifica — all prominent programs.
She was able to rely on pitcher Liliana Escobar and catcher Annabel Raftery in those pressure-packed moments from the first game to the last.
Sports
Danish soccer star suffers medical scare during match years after on-field cardiac arrest
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Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed during his team’s international friendly match against Ukraine on Sunday.
Eriksen, who has a history of collapsing on the pitch, did so again as help rushed out to meet him near midfield.
Thankfully, the Danish Football Union said in a statement that he was “conscious and feeling well under the circumstances.” The 34-year-old’s incident led to the game being abandoned.
Christian Eriksen of Denmark looks on during the UEFA International Friendly match between DR Congo and Denmark at Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, 2026. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)
Denmark was up, 2-1, on Ukraine in the 61st minute at the time of Eriksen’s collapse.
Eriksen previously starred for Tottenham and Manchester United in the English Premier League. He currently plays for VfL Wolfsburg in 2. Bundesliga.
SOCCER PLAYER DIES AT 21 AFTER COLLISION WITH OPPONENT DURING MATCH
During the European Championship between Denmark and Finland in June 2021, play was suspended after a terrifying scene where Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in the first half of the game.
Play immediately came to a halt at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, where Eriksen was lying on the grass unresponsive. CPR was needed to resuscitate him, as medical staff and teammates made a circle around his body in clear distress, hoping for the best.
Denmark’s and Ukraine’s players accompany Christian Eriksen to an ambulance during a friendly match at Odense Stadium in Denmark on June 7, 2026, after he collapsed on the field. (Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Eriksen received 10 minutes of medical care and was later taken off the pitch on a stretcher with an oxygen mask around his mouth. Images began to circulate on social media at the time, showing Eriksen awake and having a hand on his forehead.
Eriksen was later transferred to a hospital and was stabilized.
Since that moment, Eriksen was fitted with a heart-starting device called an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boesen released a statement via multiple outlets, stating Eriksen’s “pacemaker is responding as it should.”
Christian Eriksen of Denmark looks on during a UEFA international friendly between DR Congo and Denmark at Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Liege, Belgium, on June 3, 2026. (Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto)
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“He was briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly, and we were quickly in contact with him,” Boesen’s statement read.
“He will not undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
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