Angels’ two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will compete in the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Jed Jacobsohn/Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will compete in the All-Star Home Run Derby at Denver’s Coors Field on July 12.
The Los Angeles Angels star will be the first Japanese-born player in the derby, held the night before the All-Star Game.
The 26-year-old outfielder, designated hitter and pitcher has 19 home runs, three behind major league leaders Fernando Tatis Jr. of San Diego and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto. Ohtani is hitting .270 with 47 RBI, and he is 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts.
Ohtani won Japan’s home run derby in 2016, when he also was MVP of the second of Japan’s two All-Star Games.
He will become the seventh Angels player in the derby, after Wally Joyner (1996), Troy Glaus (2001), Garrett Anderson (2003), Vladimir Guerrero (2007), Mark Trumbo (2012) and Albert Pujols (2015).
Anderson and Guerrero won the competition, and Joyner was a co-winner.
ORIOLES: Baltimore put left-hander Bruce Zimmermann on the 10-day injured list because of left bicep tendinitis.
Zimmermann was supposed to be Baltimore’s starter Friday night against Toronto, but the Orioles instead will go with right-hander Thomas Eshelman. They selected Eshelman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk.
Baltimore also designated catcher Chance Sisco for assignment.
Zimmermann is 4-4 with a 4.83 ERA this year. His move to the IL is retroactive to Tuesday.
Cisco has hit .154 in 23 games in 2021.
The Blue Jays recalled left-hander Anthony Kay from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned right-hander T.J. Zeuch to Buffalo.
COVID RESTRICTIONS: The pace of coronavirus vaccinations in Major League Baseball has slowed, with no additional teams in the past week joining the 22 that had already reached the the 85% vaccination threshold for players and other on-field personnel.
Major League Baseball and the players’ association said that 85.3% of tier 1 and 2 tier individuals had been fully vaccinated and 86.5% had received at least one dose.
Previous weekly announcements included just tier 1, and MLB said on June 11 that 83.5% had been fully vaccinated and 85.1% had been partially vaccinated.
Tier 1 includes players, managers, coaches, team physicians, athletic trainers and strength and conditioning staff.
Tier 2 includes ownership, front office staff, travel staff, head groundskeepers and ballpark operations staff.
Once a team reaches 85% vaccinations among tiers 1 and 2, it has the option to apply loosened protocols to tier 2.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
ATHLETICS 5, YANKEES 3: James Kaprielian finally made it to the Bronx, six years after New York took him in the first round of the amateur draft, and beat the Yankees by pitching three-hit ball over 5 2/3 innings as Oakland extended its winning streak to seven.
Tony Kemp hit a three-run homer in the sixth on a hanging slider from Wandy Peralta (1-1), overcoming a 3-2 deficit with the first home run by a left-handed hitter this year off the southpaw reliever.
ORIOLES 7, BLUE JAYS 1: Cedric Mullins homered twice and Thomas Eshelman pitched effectively into the fifth inning to help host Baltimore snap an eight-game losing streak.
BRAVES 9, CARDINALS 1: Ozzie Albies and William Contreras homered off Carlos Martínez in a four-run second inning, Max Fried allowed two hits in seven innings, and the Atlanta won at home.
NATIONALS 1, METS 0: Yan Gomes hit a game-ending single in the ninth inning, Erick Fedde extended his scoreless streak to 20 innings and Washington allowed just two hits in a win over visiting New York.
Juan Soto opened the ninth with a walk and moved to third on Ryan Zimmerman’s single to right. Gomes then singled to left to beat Edwin Díaz (1-2).
PIRATES 11, INDIANS 10: Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer in a five-run first inning and Pittsburgh nearly squandered a 10-run lead in the late innings before hanging on to beat visiting Cleveland, snapping a 10-game losing streak.
Ke’Bryan Hayes had a three-run double that highlighted a five-run outburst in the sixth inning, staking the Pirates to an 11-1 lead.
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