MLB Weekly Digest: All-Star Break, President Urges Name Change

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This week in MLB featured the Home Run Derby, All-Star Game, and President Donald Trump suggesting that one team should revert to its previous team name.

Home Run Derby Was A Success-

This year’s home run derby was exciting from start to finish. The derby in which Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh took home the hardware was marked by plenty of drama and awe.

Cal Raleigh advanced by LESS THAN 0.1 FEET ???? pic.twitter.com/Xu3BptW9Ej

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2025

Raleigh was almost a first-round exit in the competition, just edging out Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker by .08 feet. This was a rule that Rooker mentioned after the game, stating he was unaware of it.

Many fans felt as if the tiebreaker should be determined in a swing-off, and not by home run distance.

In the end, Raleigh took home all the hardware, edging out Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero in the final round. It was a feel-good story for Cal, as his father threw to him with his brother catching.

All-Star Game ends with home run derby –

The MLB All-Star game took place Tuesday, July 15th, at Truist Park in Atlanta, and it lived up to the expectations.

In the bottom of the first inning, Diamondbacks 2B Ketel Marte knocked in Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani and Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. off of LHP Tarik Skubal to put the NL up 2-0.

The score stayed 2-0 until Mets 1B Pete Alonso unloaded a three-run bomb into the Chop House off Royals LHP Kris Bubic, making the score 5-0 NL.

Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll followed with a homer of his own to extend the NL lead to six.

The AL got on the board at the top of the seventh with a three-run home run from Brent Rooker, chopping the NL’s lead in half. A Bobby Witt Jr. RBI groundout got the AL to within two at 6-4.

The game got interesting in the ninth as Bobby Witt Jr. knocked in Byron Buxton with an RBI double, and Witt scored on a Steven Kwan infield single to tie the game at six.

The game ultimately would have gone to extras, but instead went into a home run swing off, in which each team chose three representatives to compete. Each competitor would receive three swings.

The AL chose Jonathan Aranda, Brent Rooker, and Randy Arozarena. The National League went with Kyle Stowers, Kyle Schwarber, and Pete Alonso.

Round one concluded with two home runs from Brent Rooker vs one home run from Kyle Stowers.

Round two was the turning point, with Randy Arozarena hitting one home run vs Kyle Schwarber’s three. The NL led 4-3 heading into the final round.

Jonathan Aranda then went 0/3 with home runs, giving the NL the victory, and Kyle Schwarber the All-Star Game MVP award for his swings in the second round of the swing-off.

In the first game, ever ending with a home run derby, the results were positive, and it resulted in high-intensity moments right until the end.

Trump suggests the Guardians change their name back –

In a social media post on Sunday, United States President Donald Trump suggested that the Cleveland Guardians and Washington Commanders reconsider changing their names back to their original names, the Indians and Redskins.

Both teams have undergone a name change and team rebrand in recent years due to controversy with their names being potentially disrespectful to Native Americans.

President Donald Trump says the Cleveland Guardians should return to the Indians, claiming “massive” support from Native Americans: pic.twitter.com/LrmkqHvc48

— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) July 20, 2025

Trump has gone as far as to threaten to prevent the Commanders from building a new stadium in DC if they do not revert to the Redskins team name.

As for the Guardians, this was as much as Trump said, but an interesting headline about a subject that seemed to have been left in their final season back in 2021.

About Post Author

Michael Bodzenta

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I fell in love with sports from a young age. Whether I was playing them throughout high school or in the yard with my friends, I knew I had found something I loved. Watching them was also a main part of my childhood, as I could name almost every player on all three Cleveland sports teams. Talking about sports is something I can do for hours, so as I got older, I quickly realized that I knew what I wanted to do. I started writing about sports and talking about sports in high school. It was fun and easy for me. My dream goal would be to become baseball analyst, covering breaking news and other stories in the sport. I've written numerous articles about sports including the Browns and the Guardians. I currently write for Kent Wired, where I expanded my knowledge to cover Health and Fitness. I have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and Audition. I work as the social media manager/representative for the Kent State Club Baseball team creating graphics mostly on Instagram and some on Twitter (X) . The goal of this is to get more engagement for the team, create awareness, and raise money. I also currently coach for a 17u travel baseball organization (Midwest Stars) out of Hudson, Ohio. Through this I have been able to continue my love for the game, give back to the community, and strengthen my leadership qualities. My passion for sports especially baseball remains unquestioned and I strive to continue to report on something I love.

mbodzent@kent.edu

https://ngscsports.com/