Arensman, who rides for the Ineos-Grenadiers team, posted the biggest victory of his career. After crossing the finish line in the deep fog enveloping the ski resort of Superbagnères, Arensman lay exhausted on the road with his head in his hands.

“To be honest, I just wanted to experience the Tour, the biggest race in the world,” he said. “Now, to win a stage in my first Tour, and to do it this way, it’s unbelievable, crazy.”

He went solo with 23 miles left from a breakaway, and quickly opened a comfortable lead. He started the final ascent to Superbagnères, which is more than 7.5 miles long, on his own and resisted the return of the main contenders.

It was Arensman’s second Grand Tour stage win, having previously won a stage at the 2022 Spanish Vuelta.

As Arensman posed no threat to the overall standings, Pogačar and his teammates controlled the race from the back, with the yellow jersey holder and his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard trailing by around three minutes with five miles remaining.

Vingegaard tried a move with 2.5 miles left and Pogačar responded with ease. The two rivals then watched each other closely and Arensman crossed first at the summit, more than one minute ahead of the duo.

Having won the previous two stages in the Pyrenees, Pogačar settled for second place. He accelerated in the final section to gain more time on Vingegaard, who completed the stage podium.

“We can be happy and satisfied with the Pyrenees,” Pogačar said. “Today we did a super stage, riding at our own pace all day long.”

Overall, Pogačar increased his lead over Vingegaard to four minutes, 13 seconds, with Florian Lipowitz in third place, 7:53 off the pace after Remco Evenepoel abandoned.

Evenepoel, who was third overall, struggled early on as the peloton faced another day of suffering on climbs that are part of the Tour’s lore such as the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagnères.

The Olympic champion was dropped on the ascent of the Tourmalet. Evenepoel won the opening time trial but suffered in the Pyrenees. After struggling during Friday’s uphill race against the clock to Peyragudes, he managed to keep his third place in the general classification, more than seven minutes behind Pogačar.

Sunday’s stage

Riders will exit high mountains during a 169-kilometer ride from Muret to the medieval city of Carcassonne.

Although the route could favor sprinters, the Côte de Saint-Ferréol and then the Pas du Sant, a roughly two-mile climb at 10%, could provide opportunities for bold challengers seeking a breakaway.

The race finishes next weekend in Paris.

The brutal effort in the Pyrenees mountains was all about strength and stamina. It was just a painful experience offering no respite after already 12 grueling stages of racing. Riders first covered 1.8 miles to reach the bottom of the climb to Peyragudes, a daunting 5-mile ramp with a steep gradient.

On that brutal terrain, Pogačar reigned supreme and killed any suspense. He increased his lead in the general classification to more than four minutes.

“I really wanted to go all out from start to finish, smashing the pedals as much as possible,” he said. “I almost blew out in the end but I saw the time on the finish arch and it gave me an extra push because I saw I was going to win.”

It was Pogačar’s 21st stage win in cycling’s biggest race.

Setting off last, the three-time Tour champion was faster than everyone else on the flat section, putting five seconds into time trial world champion Remco Evenepoel. Jonas Vingegard was eight seconds off the pace through the first time check.

Pogačar was even better as soon as the road started to climb and he crossed the finish line at Peyragudes with a lead of 36 seconds over Vingegaard, his closest challenger. Primoz Roglic was third, 1 minute, 20 seconds off the pace.

Pogačar said he rode “on instinct,” having decided not to use the race radio.

“I suffered a bit with three kilometers to go. I took a deep breath and recovered some power because I knew the last kick was super steep and I wanted to have somewhat good legs,” he added.

Evenepoel cracked in the climb and was overtaken by Vingegaard, who started his effort two minutes after his Belgian rival.

Pogačar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, cemented his grip on the race during Thursday’s first big mountain stage on the slopes of Hautacam, where he destroyed the field to take the stage win and reclaim the yellow jersey.

Overall, Pogačar has a 4:07 lead over Vingegaard. He has been in dominant form since the start of the season and, barring an accident, his current form leaves little doubt about who will be wearing the yellow jersey when the race finishes in Paris on July 27.

“So far, so good,” Pogačar said. “We’re just a bit over halfway now and it’s still a long way to Paris but if we keep riding like this and don’t do any mistake, then we can be satisfied with this margin.”

Evenepoel salvaged his third place overall, 7:24 behind the race leader, but he was under threat from Florian Lipowitz, just six more seconds back in fourth place.

After taking a beating in Hautacam, Vingegaard conceded more time to Pogacar but reassured himself by limiting his losses in the time trial. Unlike Pogačar who used a road bike, Vingegaard opted for a time trial machine and used an aerodynamically designed helmet.

“Yesterday was one of my worst performances and today was one of my best,” Vingegaard said. “The Tour is far from over. We have to keep believing we can do something here in the race.”

Saturday’s stage

The peloton faces another day of suffering during Saturday’s Stage 14 from Pau to Luchon-Superbagnères. It features four major climbs, including the final ascent to the ski resort of Superbagnères, which is more than 7½ miles long.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Sunlight streaked through a few low-hanging clouds when Padraig Harrington opened the British Open with a piercing 3-iron into the wind. Darkness began covering Royal Portrush nearly 16 hours later Thursday night when the final group trudged off the 18th green.

One of the longest days was also among the more fickle in the 165 years of this major.

Five players from five countries tied for the lead at 4-under-par 67, the biggest logjam in this championship since 1938. There was sun and there was rain, a wee breeze and big gusts, and the Open wasn’t even three hours old.

The one predictable part Thursday: Scottie Scheffler right in the mix.

And what make the massive throng at Royal Portrush tolerate rounds that approached six hours was seeing their favorite son, Rory McIlroy, birdie the 17th to recover from a bad patch on the back nine and join the 31 players who broke par.

Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England handled the notorious “Calamity Corner” par-3 16th by chipping in for birdie. Harris English, the unflappable American whose longtime caddie couldn’t get a travel visa for the UK because of prison time served 20 years ago, put his short-game coach on the bag and made seven birdies.

They were joined by Li Haotong of China, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark.

One shot behind was Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player who has not finished out of the top 10 in the last four months, a stretch that includes another major among three wins.

McIlroy made bogey on the opening hole with an entire country behind him – that was still three shots better than his start in 2019 – and overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch with a key birdie on No. 17 that allowed him to break par at 70.

“Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago,” said McIlroy, who hit only two fairways. “I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.”

Scheffler only hit three fairways in his round of 68.

It’s not that golf’s best were necessary wild off the tee. There was that small matter of weather, often the greatest defense of links golf, which brought the occasional rain, the constant wind and rounds that nearly last six hours.

That’s why Scheffler seemed perplexed about so much attention on his accuracy off the tee.

“You’re the second guy that’s mentioned that to me,” Scheffler said. “I actually thought I drove it pretty good. I don’t know what you guys are seeing. When it’s raining sideways, believe it or not (it’s) not that easy to get the ball in the fairway.

“Really only had one swing I wasn’t too happy with on the second hole,” he said. “But outside that, I felt like I hit a lot of good tee shots, hit the ball really solid, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple of rounds.”

There also was his 4-iron to 3 feet on the 16th for birdie, the start of birdie-birdie-par finish.

But no one could go extremely low.

Olesen, the British Amateur champion last year, was the first player to get to 5 under until a bogey at the last. Bezuidenhout was the only player from the afternoon wave to join the crowd at the top.

Fitzpatrick reached a low point in his game at The Players Championship and appears to be back on track, particularly with what he called a well-rounded game in tough conditions on these links. He is coming off a tie for fourth last week in the Scottish Open.

The chip-in was his highlight, from well below the green to the right, into the cup on the fly.

“A bit of luck, obviously,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need that. It just came out a little bit harder than I anticipated and on the perfect line.”

Li might have had the most impressive round, keeping bogeys off his card, by holing a 10-foot par putt on the final hole.

Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine.

Harris walked along with Ramon Bescansa, a former player, occasional caddie and mostly known for teaching putt and chipping.

Eric Larson, who has caddied for English the last eight years, was denied a new travel visa required for the UK. Among the red flags is anyone serving more than 12 months in prison. Larson served 10 years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a case of knowing friends in the Midwest who wanted it and people in south Florida who had it.

Bescansa caddies for Abraham Ancer on LIV Golf, who didn’t qualify for the Open. English is in a crucial stretch of the season as he tries to make the Ryder Cup team. The lanky Georgian isn’t bothered by much, and he’s handled the disruption with ease.

The golf has been pretty steady, too

“Was looking forward to coming to this week, and immediately after playing the course, I really liked it,” said English, who didn’t qualify for the Open when it was at Portrush in 2019. “I loved how it frames the tee shots and you get to see a lot more trouble than you would on a normal links course.”

For everyone, the hardest part was staying dressed for the occasion. There were sweaters and then rain suits, and some finished their round in short-sleeved shirts. This is what is meant by “mixed” conditions in the forecast.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele had a mixture of birdies and bogeys that added to an even-par 71. Shane Lowry, the last Open champion at Royal Portrush in 2019, had the nerves of someone hitting the opening tee shot. He handled that beautifully, along with most other shots in the worst of the weather in his round of 70.

And this might just be the start.

“We’re going to get challenging conditions over the next few days,” Lowry said. “Today, for example, the 11th hole was like the worst hole to get the weather we got in. … I think there’s going to be certain times in the tournament where that’s going to happen, and you just need to kind of put your head down and battle through it and see where it leaves you.”

Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, had the honor of the opening tee shot for the 153rd edition of this championship. He made birdie. And then he shot 74.

‘OLDER GENTLEMEN’ START STRONG

Phil Mickelson delivered more magic Thursday, leaving one shot in a bunker and holing the next one from 75 feet away for an unlikely par. He tipped his cap. He gave a thumbs-up to the crowd.

It looked like the Mickelson of old, especially with all that gray stubble in his beard.

Mickelson, who opened with a 1-under 70, already holds the major championship record for oldest winner, capturing the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island when he was 50.

Now he’s at the oldest championship in golf, the one that least discriminates against age. The Open is where 53-year-old Greg Norman had the lead going into the final round at Royal Birkdale in 2008, and more famously where 59-year-old Tom Watson was an 8-foot putt away from winning at Turnberry in 2009.

Mickelson, 55, was among three players 50 or older who broke par in the opening round, joining 53-year-old Justin Leonard (70) and the 52-year-old Westwood (69).

“The Open gives the older gentlemen a chance to win more than any other tournament,” Westwood said after a day in which he was tied for the lead early in the round until a few bogeys dropped him back.

Westwood is playing the British Open for the first time since he joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022, going through final regional qualifying three weeks ago to earn a spot in the field.

He has yet to win in LIV Golf and his results would suggest he is riding out the rest of his career. And then he showed up at the major he first played in 1995 – Scheffler was not even born then – and found some form.

Links golf helps.

“There’s not the premium on carrying traps. They don’t make it unplayable for us older guys with length,” Westwood said. “You can use your experience, guile and cunning on them.”

Westwood tripped over his words on the Sky Sports interview and then added, “Not easy to say, but easy to use at our age.”

Mickelson, who has not won since that historic day at Kiawah Island, had missed the cut in all three majors this year. He still has five more years playing the British Open as a champion at Muirfield in 2013.

He started strong with a deft touch with his wedge to easy birdie range on the par-5 second, but the real Lefty showed up on the next hole when he put his tee shot into a bunker, plugged and not far from the steep lip.

The first attempt barely got out, rolling on the edge of grass before tumbling back into the bunker. It looked like a bogey at best. But then he splashed out, carrying it some 25 yards and about 10 feet to the left, and the shot had enough side spin to drop into the cup.

He raised both arms. Mickelson loves moments like these, and he’s had plenty of them.

“That was a crazy one,” Mickelson said. “It was really one of maybe two poor shots I hit, that bunker shot that buried in the lip. And then to make it was obviously a lot of luck. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky it went in.”

And then his name stayed on the leaderboard the rest of the morning – a birdie on the par-5 seventh, a couple of bogeys on the back nine, a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole.

Mickelson had gone 21 consecutive rounds in a major without breaking par until Thursday. Sure, he had the advantage of missing the rain for all but the last couple of holes. But it was good golf. It’s still there.

“I played really well, and I had an opportunity,” he said. “I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Not all of the 50-and-older gang had the best of times.

Padraig Harrington, coming off his win in the U.S. Senior Open, had the honor and thrill of hitting the opening tee shot. He made birdie on the first hole. That was the highlight on his card when he signed for a 74.

“I got a little emotional when I was clapped on, and then I calmed down, and I was kind of fine when I was hitting it,” Harrington said.

He three-putted two straight holes and had a lost ball on No. 10. It was an otherwise forgettable day, except for the unforgettable start of hitting the first shot.

“Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game,” he said. “Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the first tee box. Who knows? Certainly felt like I played better, could have played better, should have played better.”

On a day when many wondered if he would suffer any ill effects from his crash the day before, Pogačar showed none and put himself in prime position for his fourth Tour victory with a break on the stage-ending climb to Hautacam.

He finished more than two minutes ahead of main rival Jonas Vingegaard.

Hautacam is the resort overlooking Lourdes and Stage 12 must have felt like a pilgrimage for all the riders.

Ben Healy, who wore the yellow jersey for two stages, finished well behind on a brutal day for the Irish rider.

In 2022, Vingegaard dominated Pogačar at Hautacam on his way to his first Tour victory. But the Danish rider is now 3½ minutes behind his main rival in the general classification. Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel is third, 4:45 behind Pogačar.

As if in a rush to face the grueling challenges awaiting in the mountains, the riders sped through the first 31 miles in just under an hour with the peloton chasing a large 52-man breakaway group.

But their efforts on the narrow, twisting roads through spectacular landscapes and stone-house villages took their toll as exhausted riders dropped behind, one by one.

Birds of prey circled overhead as the riders suffered below.

Pogačar made his move with about 7 miles remaining with help from UAE teammate Jhonatan Narváez, who looked over his shoulder and allowed Pogačar to accelerate past. Vingegaard initially gave chase but couldn’t keep up with his rival, who overtook French rider Bruno Armirail for the lead with nearly 7 miles to go for his 20th stage victory – third in this race.

Pogačar finished 2:10 ahead of Vingegaard, with German rider Florian Lipowitz 2:23 off the pace in third.Armirail, who had been leading, followed 10:46 after Pogačar.

The R&A is expecting 278,000 spectators for the week at the British Open, which would be the second-largest crowd in the 165-year history of the championship.

Irish eyes will be on Rory McIlroy, the Masters champion and latest to win the career Grand Slam. He is embracing the expectation, unlike in 2019 when McIlroy was so emotional at the reception that he hit his first shot out of bounds and shot 79.

This is the final major of the year, and the most unusual of the four majors because of links golf, where funny bounces and pot bunkers and fickle weather can determine the winner.

Here’s what you need to know going into the British Open:

When is the British Open?

The first round begins Thursday and players in groups of three all start on the first hole. Daylight is not an issue at the British Open because it doesn’t get dark until about 10:30 p.m. The last group won’t even tee off until a little after 4 p.m.

How can I watch the British Open?

There is wall-to-wall coverage, along with an eight-hour time difference between Northern Ireland and the West Coast of the U.S. It will start at 10:30 p.m. PDT Wednesday on the Peacock streaming service, and then USA Network picks up coverage from 1 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

The Open concludes at noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, both on NBC.

Who are the betting favorites?

Scottie Scheffler has been the favorite at every major this year, and the British Open is no exception. BetMGM Sportsbook lists Scheffler at +550, slightly ahead of home favorite Rory McIlroy at +700. They are Nos. 1 and 2 in the world.

Jon Rahm is next at +1100, followed by defending champion Xander Schauffele (+2000) and Tommy Fleetwood of England (+2200). Bryson DeChambeau, who has a poor Open record, is listed at +2500.

The British Open is the only major where Scheffler has not had a serious chance at winning on the back nine on Sunday. But he hasn’t finished out of the top 10 since late March.

What are the tee times?

Padraig Harrington, a two-time British Open winner from Ireland, will hit the first tee shot at 6:35 a.m. local time Thursday (10:35 p.m. PDT Wednesday) .

Scottie Scheffler goes out at 7:09 a.m. in the same group as Shane Lowry, the winner at Royal Portrush in 2019, and Rory McIlroy is among the later starters at 12:10 p.m.

Starting times are more important than at any other major because the British Open features 15 hours of golf in the opening rounds, and there’s never any telling what the weather will do.

Players look at their starting times. And then they check the weather. There have been times when someone gets the worst of the weather Thursday and Friday. Lowry got the best of the weather when he won six years ago.

What’s the forecast?

Mixed. That’s the term often used in these parts to indicate a little bit of everything, and sometimes that can be in one day.

Practice on Monday temporarily was suspended because of thunderstorms. There was some rain Tuesday, some sunshine Wednesday, but the forecast is showers and even more thunder Thursday. There will be wind, too. This is normal.

What’s at stake?

The winner gets a silver claret jug, the oldest trophy in golf. As part of a new tradition, Xander Schauffele had to return the jug to the R&A on Monday in a short ceremony. Then he has four days to win it back.

The winner also gets introduced as the “champion golfer of the year,” another tradition. He also will get a five-year exemption to the other three majors, an exemption into the British Open until age 55 (past winners could play until 60) and a five-year exemption on the PGA Tour.

Who are the players to watch?

Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 in the world and usually in contention no matter how he is playing. But this is the British Open, and this is Northern Ireland, so this week starts with Rory McIlroy. There is pressure to perform, but he also is relieved of the burden from having not won a major in 11 years. He took care of that by winning the Masters and bringing home that green jacket.

If Scheffler were to win, he would go to the U.S. Open next year for a chance at the Grand Slam.

Schauffele is trying to become the first repeat winner since Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008. But the Californian was slowed by a rib injury early in the year and still hasn’t won yet.

British hopes lies with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton, while Jon Rahm of Spain can also get within one leg of the Grand Slam with a British Open title.

Why is it the British Open when it’s being played on the island of Ireland?

Royal Portrush is in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. The official title is The Open Championship or simply The Open. The Associated Press, along with several U.S. newspapers, have referred it to as the British Open for more than 100 years to distinguish it from other national opens like the U.S. Open and Australian Open.

The R&A once referred to it as the “British Open” in official films in the 1950s.

Pogačar, the three-time champion, crashed with 2.4 miles remaining. His rivals for the general classification slowed down so he could get back on his bike and rejoin them. Pogačar, who was able to reattach the chain on his otherwise undamaged bike, thanked them for waiting.

“All good, all good,” Pogačar said over the UAE Team Emirates XRG radio. “Respect to the peloton, respect to everybody.”

Abrahamsen beat Swiss rider Mauro Schmid in a photo finish in a final sprint after Belgian-born Dutch rider Mathieu van der Poel made a late push to catch them.

It was the Norwegian rider’s first stage win at the Tour and the first in this race for his team, Uno-X Mobility.

Abrahamsen wasn’t sure he’d even be racing at the Tour when he broke his collarbone in a crash at the Tour of Belgium last month.

“I was crying in the hospital because I (thought) I was not riding Tour de France,” the 29-year-old Abrahamsen said. “But the day after I was on the home trainer and hope I can go to Tour de France and every day I did everything I could to come back and here I’m standing in Tour de France, to win a stage is amazing.”

Van der Poel dropped his head and slouched on his bike as he finished seven seconds behind in third, while the GC group including Pogačar and yellow jersey-holder Ben Healy finished 3:28 back.

Healy, only the fourth Irish rider ever to hold the yellow jersey, still leads by 29 seconds from Pogačar.

After the first rest day on Tuesday, Wednesday’s stage was a 97.4-mile loop from Toulouse back to the southern “Pink City” with views of the Pyrenees. It was expected to suit the sprinters, though there was a sting in the tail with a 20% incline on the Côte de Pech David before the finish.

Abrahamsen struck about a mile and a half into the race and was joined by Schmid and Davide Ballerini, prompting persistent attacks from the likes of Van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Victor Campenaerts. Ultimately all their efforts were in vain.

“It’s a crazy stage, guys,” the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team riders were told over their radios, “A crazy stage. Stay focused.”

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber celebrates with the MVP trophy at the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, center, stands with his National League teammates during the national anthem before the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Teams pose before the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws during first inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during first inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte hits a two-run double in the first inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, left, and the Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuña Jr. celebrates after scoring on a double by Ketel Marte during first inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers pitcher Clayton, Kershaw works during second inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

San Diego Padres piitcher Jason Adam works during second inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dodgers pitcher Clayton, Kershaw greets Dodgers catcher Will Smith as he leaves the game after being replaced during the second inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodón throws during the second inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani grounds out for the National League to end the bottom of the second inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani smiles after grounding out during the second inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throw during third inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb throw during third inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman waves to the crowd after leaving the game during the third inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo throws during the third inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. reacts after striking out during the third inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New York Mets pitcher David Peterson throws during the fourth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The National League team watches from the dugout during the fourth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan throws during the fourth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge runs to first during the fourth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Fans participate in a stand-up to cancer event during the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Washington Nationals pitcher MacKenzie Gore throws during the fifth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso hits a three-run home run to give the National League a 5-0 lead during the sixth inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso watches his three-run home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., right, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan wait to celebrate after with New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso (not pictured) after he hit a three-run home run to give the National League a 5-0 lead during the sixth inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates his three-run home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

New York Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates his three-run home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso celebrates his three-run home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll watched his solo home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll celebrates his solo home run during sixth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Athletics’ Brent Rooker celebrates his home run during seventh inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts signals to the bullpen to make a pitching change for the National League during the seventh inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Seattle Mariners’ Randy Arozarena celebrates during seventh inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Billye Aaron, wife of baseball great Hank Aaron waves during at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Kansas City Royals pitcher Carlos Estévez celebrates after a out during seventh inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jacob Misiorowski throws to the plate for the National League during the eighth inning of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez gets hit by a pitch during the eighth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A ball-strike challenge by Miami’s Kyle Stowers is being reviewed during the eighth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Miami’s Kyle Stowers lets a pitch go by during the eighth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. He challenged a call during the at bat. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan steals second base during the ninth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Díaz calls for a challenge during the ninth inning at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber celebrates after hitting his third home run in as many swings to help the National League win a tiebreaker against the American League in the MLB All-Star game on Tuesday night in Atlanta. The game was tied, 6-6, after nine innings, leading to the first use of the home run tiebreaker that involved three players from each team. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber celebrates after winning the tiebreaker at the MLB All-Star Game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, right, celebrates after winning the tiebreaker at the MLB All-Star Game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Tampa Bay Ray’s Jonathan Aranda reacts after coming up short of a home run during a tiebreaker at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber celebrates with teammates after winning the tiebreaker at the MLB All-Star Game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, left, and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge greet each other in the outfield before the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Fans wait for players to arrive on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani arrives with his wife Mamiko Tanaka on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani arrives with his wife Mamiko Tanaka on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw arrives with family on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts arrives with his wife Tricia on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers catcher Will Smith arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrives on the red carpet for the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Ground crew members cover the field before the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Ground crew members cover the field before the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, center, arrives for batting practice before the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani arrives for batting practice before the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Fans catch a ball during batting practice before the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi watches during batting practice before the MLB baseball All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani arrives at the MLB baseball All-Star game between the American League and National League, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

ATLANTA — Kyle Schwarber was nervous.

He had played in Game 7 of the World Series, homered for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.

But he had never walked up to the plate in an All-Star Game swing-off.

No one had.

“That was like the baseball version of a shootout,” the Philadelphia Phillies slugger said after homering on all three of his swings, going down to his left knee on the final one, to overcome a two-homer deficit. That held up when Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda fell short on the American League’s final three swings, giving the National League a 4-3 swing-off win after a 6-6 tie Tuesday night in which it wasted a six-run, seventh-inning lead.

Schwarber earned the MVP award, going 0 for 2 with a walk as the NL won for the second time in its last 12 tries.

“It will be interesting to see where that goes,” said AL manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees. “There’s probably a world where you could see that in the future, where maybe it’s in some regular season mix. I wouldn’t be surprised if people start talking about it like that.”

Concerned about running out of pitchers in an era where no All-Star throws more than one inning, Major League Baseball and the players’ association made the change in 2022.

In baseball’s equivalent of soccer’s penalty-kicks shootout, the game was decided by having three batters from each league take three swings each off of coaches.

Boone picked the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, Seattle’s Randy Arozarena and Aranda on Monday, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts picked Arizona’s Eugenio Suárez, Schwarber and the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso for the NL. Because Suárez was hit on the left hand by a fastball in the eighth inning, the NL turned to its alternate, Miami’s Kyle Stowers.

Players from both teams stood outside their dugouts, some already in street clothes, jumping and shouting after each long ball from their side. Yankees coach Travis Chapman threw to the AL batters and Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel to the NL hitters.

Rooker put the AL ahead by homering on his last two swings, and Stowers hit one. boosted the AL lead to 3-1.

Ebel had thrown BP to Schwarber two years ago at the WBC.

“He asked me right before, he was like, where do you want it?” Schwarber recalled “I’m like, just middle. And he’s like, I gotcha.”

He took two pitches then deposited the third just over the center-field fence. Schwarber took another, then hit a drive over the right-center bullpen. After letting two more go by, he dropped to a knee while pulling the third, craned his neck and held his bat it the air as the ball landed in the fourth row of the Chop House seats.

“I didn’t hit it, obviously, my best, but I was thinking I got enough of it,” Schwarber said. “I was just kind of down there, hoping, saying: go, go, go. And it went. And it was awesome.”

Aranda followed with a fly well short of the center field warning track, drove a pitch about a foot shy of the top of the right 0field wall and hit an opposite-field pop that dropped in medium left.

Alonso, a two-time Home Run Derby champion, didn’t have to bat and patted Schwarber on the head as fireworks went off at Truist Field.

“I felt like a closer, like a closer going into a game,” said Alonso, who began warming up in a batting cage when the AL tied the score in the ninth inning. “And then it’s like, wait, the guy in the field got a double play to end the inning. You’re not going in. I was ready for it, but I’m glad Schwarbs did it and we did it the easy way.”

So, what was the final score?

MLB, after consulting with the Elias Sports Bureau, said in 2022 that All-Star Games ending in a swing-off would be listed as tied, with a notation of the game being decided in a swing-off. MLB’s official postgame notes listed Tuesday’s outcome as a 7-6 NL victory.

Ketel Marte’s two-run double in the first had put the NL ahead, and Alonso’s three-run homer off Kris Bubic and Corbin Carroll’s solo shot against Casey Mize opened a 6-0 lead in the sixth.

The AL comeback began when Rooker hit a three-run pinch homer against Randy Rodríguez in a four-run seventh that included Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI groundout. Robert Suarez allowed consecutive doubles to Byron Buxton and Witt with one out in ninth, and Steven Kwan’s infield hit on a three-hopper to third off of Mets closer Edwin Díaz drove in the tying run.

Joe Torre, the 84-year-old former Yankees manager, went to the mound for a pitching change in the eighth to take the ball from Shane Smith and hand it to Andrés Muñoz. The Hall of Famer was picked as a coach by current New York skipper Aaron Boone, who managed the AL.

HEAT ON THE MOUND

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the first pitcher to start the All-Star Game each of his first two seasons, struck out Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene in a perfect first that included Aaron Judge’s inning-ending groundout. The 23-year-old right-hander from El Toro High reached 100 mph on four of 14 pitches.

Last year, in Texas, Skenes walked one batter in his scoreless inning, a blip he said “pissed me off” and pushed him to attack hitters for his encore.

“I was throwing every pitch as hard as I could,” Skenes said, “hoping that it landed in the strike zone.”

He admittedly reached back seeking to strike out the side, but Judge grounded out on another 100 mph pitch.

“That’s what the All-Star Game’s for,” Skenes said. “Every hitter’s trying to hit a home run. We’re trying to strike everybody out.”

Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski, a controversial inclusion after pitching in just five major league games, fired nine pitches of 100 mph or more in a one-hit eighth inning 34 days after his major league debut. The 23-year-old righty, added to the NL roster by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, reached 102.3 mph.

There were 21 pitches of 100 mph or more, down from a record 23 last year but up from 13 in 2023, 10 in 2022 and one in 2021.

KERSHAW’S MOMENT

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw relieved Skenes, 14 years his junior, in the second inning.

Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh, Monday’s Home Run Derby champion, welcomed him with a 101.9 mph line drive that Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Tucker snagged with a sliding catch.

Kershaw, an 11-time All-Star, then struck out Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looking at an 87 mph slider on his sixth pitch, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to emerge from the NL dugout to take the ball from Kershaw and end what could have been the final All-Star Game appearance of his Hall of Fame career.

A legend pick for the game by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, Kershaw, who became the 20th pitcher to record 3,000 career strikeouts earlier this month, delivered a pregame speech in the NL clubhouse.

“We have the best All-Star Game of any sport,” Kershaw said. “We do have the best product. So to be here, to realize your responsibility in the sport is important. And we have Shohei here. We have Aaron Judge here. We have all these guys that represent the game really, really well so we get to showcase that and be part of that is important.

“I just said I was super honored to be a part of it. Thanks for letting me be here, really.”

ROBOT UMPIRE DEBUTS

Raleigh was just as successful with the first robot umpire All-Star challenge as he was in the Home Run Derby.

Seattle’s catcher signaled for an appeal to the Automated Ball-Strike System in the first inning, getting a strikeout for Detroit’s Tarik Subal on San Diego’s Manny Machado.

“You take ’em any way you can get ’em, boys,” Skubal said on the mound.

Four of five challenges of plate umpire Dan Iassogna’s calls were successful in the first All-Star use of the ABS system, which could make its regular-season debut next year.

Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson, a former Thousand Oaks High standout, won as the first batter to call for a challenge, reversing a 1-and-0 fastball from Washington’s MacKenzie Gore in the fifth inning that had been called a strike.

Stowers lost when ABS upheld a full-count Andrés Muñoz fastball at the bottom of the zone for an inning-ending strikeout in the eighth.

Mets closer Edwin Díaz earned a three-pitch strikeout against Arozarena to end the top of the ninth on a pitch Iassogna thought was outside.

Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk used ABS to get a first-pitch strike on a 100.1 mph Aroldis Chapman offering to Brendan Donovan with two outs in the bottom half.

“The fans enjoy it. I thought the players had fun with it,” said Roberts, who earned his first All-Star win as NL manager. “There’s a strategy to it, if it does get to us during the season. But I like it. I think it’s good for the game.”

Skubal had given up Ketel Marte’s two-run double and retired the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman on a groundout for his first out when he got ahead of Machado 0-and-2 in the count. Skubal threw a 89.5 mph changeup, and Iassogna yelled “Ball, down!”

Raleigh tapped his helmet just before Skubal tipped his cap, triggering a review by the computer umpire that was tested in spring training this year and could be adopted for regular-season use in 2026.

“Obviously, a strike like that it was, so I called for it and it helped us out,” Raleigh said.

An animation of the computer analysis was shown on the Truist Park scoreboard and the broadcast. Roberts laughed in the dugout after the challenge.

“I knew it was a strike,” Machado said.

Skubal doesn’t intend to use challenges during regular-season games if the ABS is put in place. He says he’ll rely on his catchers.

“I was joking around that I was going to burn two of them on the first balls just so that way we didn’t have them the rest of the game,” he said. “I’m just going to assume that it’s going to happen next year.”

Before the game, Manfred indicated the sport’s 11-man competition committee will consider the system for next season.

“I think the ability to correct a bad call in a high-leverage situation without interfering with the time of game because it’s so fast is something we ought to continue to pursue,” Manfred said.

ABS decisions may have an error of margin up to a half-inch.

“Our guys do have a concern with that half inch, what that might otherwise lead to particularly as it relates to the number of challenges you may have, whether you keep those challenges during the course of the game,” union head Tony Clark told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “Does there need to be some type of buffer zone consideration? Or do we want to find ourselves in a world where it’s the most egregious misses that we want focus in on?”

Manfred sounded less concerned.

“I don’t believe that technology supports the notion that you need a buffer zone,” he said. “To get into the idea that there’s something that is not a strike that you’re going to call a strike in a review system, I don’t know why I would want to do that.”

MLB sets the top of the automated strike zone at 53.5% of a batter’s height and the bottom at 27%, basing the decision on the midpoint of the plate, 8½ inches from the front and 8½ inches from the back. That contrasts with the rule book zone called by umpires, which says the zone is a cube.

“We haven’t even started talking about the strike zone itself, how that’s going to necessarily be measured, and whether or not there are tweaks that need to be made there, too,” Clark said. “So there’s a lot of discussion that still needs to be had, despite the fact that it seems more inevitable than not.”

Manfred has tested ABS in the minor leagues since 2019, using it for all pitches and then switching to a challenge system. Each team gets two challenges and a successful challenge is retained. Only catchers, batters and pitchers can call for a challenge.

“Where we are on ABS has been fundamentally influenced by player input,” he maintained. “If you had two years ago said to me: What do the owners want to do? I think they would have called every pitch with ABS as soon as possible. That’s because there is a fundamental, very fundamental interest in getting it right, right? We owe it to our fans to try to get it right because the players as I talked to them over a couple of years really, expressed a very strong interest or preference for the challenge system that we decided to test.”

Skubal wondered is all contingencies had been planned for.

“If power goes out and we don’t have ABS – sometimes we don’t have Hawk-Eye data or Trackman data. So what’s going to happen then?” he said. “Are we going to expect umpires to call balls and strikes when it’s an ABS zone?”

FREEMAN GETS A HAND

Freeman was removed for Alonso with two outs in the third inning, giving the crowd of 41,702 a chance to cheer a player who spent 12 seasons with the Braves and helped Atlanta win the 2021 World Series title.

Freeman grounded out in the first inning in his lone at-bat.

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and catcher Will Smith also started for the NL, with Ohtani going 1 for 2 with a single and a run scored. Smith went 0 for 2 with a strikeout and a pop-up.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi were both named All-Stars, but neither pitched because they pitched for their teams over the weekend.

RECREATING AARON’S 715TH HOMER

MLB honored late Hall of Famer Hank Aaron by recreating his record-breaking 715th home run through the use of projection mapping and pyrotechnics.

The lights went down at Truist Park and fans stood holding their cell phone lights following the sixth inning. The scene from April 8, 1974 at old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was projected on the infield and also shown on the video board.

The high-tech images of Aaron and other players were seen on the Truist Park infield before a blaze of a fireball launched from home plate to signify the homer that pushed Aaron past Babe Ruth’s record of 714 homers.

Aaron’s widow, Billye Aaron, stood and waved as the cheers from the sellout crowd of 41,702 grew louder.

NL players warmed up for the game in batting practice jerseys with Aaron’s No. 44 on the back

One year ago, MLB celebrated the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s homer with announcements for a new statue at Baseball’s Hall of Fame and a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service.

Also, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred helped honor Aaron in Atlanta last year by joining the Braves in announcing the $100,000 endowment of a scholarship at Tuskegee University, a historically Black university in Aaron’s home state of Alabama.

Manfred noted the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, launched by the Braves following Aaron’s death in 2021, and the Chasing the Dream Foundation, created by Aaron and his wife were designed to clear paths for minorities in baseball and to encourage educational opportunities.

Aaron hit 755 home runs from 1954-76, a mark that stood until Barry Bonds reached 762 in 2007 during baseball’s steroid era.

Aaron was elected to the Hall in 1982. A 25-time All-Star, he set a record with 2,297 RBIs. He continues to hold the records of 1,477 extra-base hits and 6,856 total bases.

STYLING

Teams were back in their regular-season club jerseys – whites for the NL, mostly grays for the AL – after four years of special All-Star uniforms that were much criticized.

New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. arrived in a Valentino smoking jacket and Christian Louboutin shoes. Instead of having players line up on the foul lines as they were introduced, they walked to a four-level red podium stretching across the infield dirt with flashing lights, smoke a DJ and dancers.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Southern California leaders, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Orange County Rep. Lou Correa, responded quickly to the announcement from the Pentagon that 2,000 federalized California National Guard troops were being released from their federal assignments.

Newsom, for example, said Trump “has been exploiting” the National Guard for more than a month “as his political pawns.”

“Thousands of members are still federalized in Los Angeles for no reason and unable to carry out their critical duties across the state,” Newsom said. “End this theater and send everyone home.”

Trump’s action, Bass said, “happened because the people of Los Angeles stood united and stood strong. We organized peaceful protests, we came together at rallies, we took the Trump administration to court — all of this led to today’s retreat.

“My message today to Angelenos is clear,” she added. “I will never stop fighting for this city. We will not stop making our voices heard until this ends, not just here in L.A., but throughout our country.”

Bass was scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday evening to more fully respond to the Pentagon’s announcement.

In early June, President Donald Trump deployed about 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 active duty Marines to respond to a series of protests against immigration raids in and around Los Angeles. Trump ordered that 2,000 California National Guard troops be brought under federal control and deployed to Los Angeles to protect federal facilities and personnel in light of protests that erupted mainly in the downtown area. Another 2,000 troops were later added to that deployment, along with 700 U.S. Marines.

Immigration enforcement activities in early June across Los Angeles and Orange counties sparked protests and heightened fear among many immigrant families. On June 7, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles and marched through the area to denounce the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles.

“The days of chaos ruling the streets are over,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said that day. “Either obey the law, or go to jail, there’s no third option.”

By July 7, federal officers on horseback cruised a mostly empty MacArthur Park near downtown. Defense officials had said about 90 California National Guard members would be there in addition to more than a dozen military vehicles to help protect immigration officers during their raid at the park.

City officials said they didn’t believe there were any arrests at the park. The Department of Homeland Security wouldn’t say whether anyone had been arrested or what the operation was about.

Correa, for his part, welcomed the news Tuesday but said he also hopes to see troops be taken out of Santa Ana.

Given all the ICE activity in the area, the Santa Ana Democrat said, the area “is as boring as it comes.”

The presence of the National Guard is negatively impacting the community, citizens and non-citizens alike, Correa said.

“It’s an occupational force,” he said. “It’s not only people without documents. It’s also U.S.-born citizens who have gotten apprehended by ICE.

“This is unacceptable,” Correa added. “We’re not a communist regime; we’re not a dictatorial nation where you control us. We have freedoms.”

The National Guard’s deployment to L.A., Newsom said, had pulled troops away from their families and civilian work “to serve as political pawns for the President in Los Angeles.”

“While nearly 2,000 of them are starting to demobilize,” the governor added, “the remaining guardsmembers continue without a mission, without direction and without any hopes of returning to help their communities.”

Trump, though, has contended that “there has been an invasion” of migrants entering the country without legal permission.

But that wasn’t the assessment of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine.

“I don’t see any foreign, state-sponsored folks invading,” he said to lawmakers at the time, “but I’ll be mindful of the fact that there have been some border issues.”

Local officials contested the deployment in multiple ways, including in court.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, in fact, found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over opposition from Newsom. But an appeals court allowed the president to retain control of National Guard troops he sent to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids.

In a unanimous, 38-page ruling, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that conditions in the L.A. area were sufficient for the president to deploy the troops.

“Affording appropriate deference to the President’s determination,” read the unsigned opinion, “we conclude that he likely acted within his authority in federalizing the National Guard.”

The three-judge panel included two Trump appointees and one of former President Joe Biden.

Reporters Kaitlyn Schallhorn and Teresa Liu provided content for this story.

Chelsea players celebrate with the trophy after beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Chelsea’s Reece James (24) lifts the trophy as President Donald Trump looks on following the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma can’t make the save on the opening goal scored by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez (8) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha vie for the ball during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saves the ball during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola pulls Chelsea’s Reece James during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Chelsea’s Andrey Santos reacts during the second half of the Club World Cup final soccer match against Paris Saint-Germain in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Paris Saint-Germain’s Joao Neves (87) leaves after receiving a red card during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Referee Alireza Faghani shows the yellow card to Chelsea’s Levi Colwill during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Referee Alireza Faghani prepares to show a yellow card to Chelsea’s Levi Colwill during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Chelsea players celebrate after winning the Club World Cup final soccer match against Paris Saint-Germain in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea players scuffle after the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (1) scuffles with Chelsea players following the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella, center and right, and Chelsea’s Levi Colwill celebrate after winning the Club World Cup final soccer match against PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

President Donald Trump presents a medal to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (10) as FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on at left during the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N,J. — Cole Palmer scored twice and fed João Pedro for a goal as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain in the first half and beat the European champions 3-0 on Sunday in the final of the first expanded Club World Cup.

Palmer had almost identical left-footed goals from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes, then sent a through pass that enabled João Pedro to chip goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd for his third goal in two starts with the Blues.

A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.

PSG finished a man short after João Neves was given a red card in the 84th minute for pulling down Marc Cucurella by his hair. After a testy final few minutes in a game with six yellow cards, the teams needed to be separated as PSG coach Luis Enrique and Donnarumma pushed João Pedro near the center circle.

A heavy favorite who had outscored opponents 16-1, PSG had been looking to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and its first Champions League title.

Before a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium that included U.S. President Donald Trump, Chelsea showed the energy of a fourth day of rest after its semifinal, one more than PSG. Trump was booed when he walked on the field for the postgame awards, then posed with Chelsea players after he and FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed the trophy to captain Reece James.

Chelsea had finished fourth in the Premier League and won the third-tier UEFA Conference League. The Blues took the world title for the second time after 2021, when it was a seven-team event. The Blues earned $128,435,000 to $153,815,000 in prize money, the amount depending on a participation fee FIFA has not disclosed.

PSG had not lost by three goals since a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.

Key moments

Chelsea went ahead in the 22nd after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez kicked the ball downfield and Nuno Mendes mis-hit his header 15 yards past the midfield stripe toward his own goal. Malo Gusto’s shot was blocked by Lucas Beraldo and rebounded to Palmer, who ended PSG’s streak of 436 minutes without conceding.

Palmer doubled the lead in the 30th when he ran onto a long ball from Levi Colwill, cut inside before shooting.

Takeaways

Chelsea heads into the 2025-26 season, which starts in less than five weeks, believing it can challenge Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.

They said it

“It’s a great feeling. Even better because obviously everyone doubted us before the game. … The gaffer put a great gameplan out and obviously, he knew where the space was going to be.” — Palmer

“They had a lot of energy. … I believe they were actually better than we were.” — Enrique through a translator.

LONDON — Either Amanda Anisimova or Iga Swiatek will leave the All England Club’s grass courts as Wimbledon’s eighth consecutive first-time women’s champion.

Why has there been such a revolving door? Chris Evert has some thoughts about various elements that, as she put it ahead of Saturday’s final (8 a.m. PT, ESPN), “make it difficult to feel completely secure and confident on this elusive surface.”

For one, there’s the amount of talent in the game – “deeper now than ever,” said Evert, a Hall of Famer who won three of her 18 Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in the 1970s and 1980s and was the runner-up six times during an era when Martina Navratilova won a record nine singles championships there.

Plus, Evert noted, there’s a short turnaround after the red clay of the French Open, leaving only two to three weeks to practice and prepare for what she called a “polar opposite” surface. Another contributing factor are the uneven bounces and other adjustments required on grass.

And with no completely dominant figure since Serena Williams retired after the 2022 U.S. Open, there is more room for new faces such as the 13th-seeded Anisimova, a 23-year-old American who will be participating in her first major final against Swiatek, a former No. 1 who won four trophies at Roland-Garros and one at the U.S. Open but hadn’t been past the quarterfinals at Wimbledon until now.

“I never even dreamt that it’s going to be possible for me to play in the final,” said Swiatek, a 24-year-old from Poland who hadn’t been in a title match as a professional at any grass-court tournament until three weeks ago, when she was the runner-up at Bad Homburg, Germany. “I thought I experienced everything on the court,” Swiatek said. “But I didn’t experience playing well on grass.”

Sure did Thursday during her 6-2, 6-0 win against Belinda Bencic in the semifinals.

“Maybe I would have had to play my absolutely best tennis of my life and risk every shot to beat her today, the way she played,” Bencic said.

Like Swiatek, Anisimova also was a recent runner-up on the surface, reaching the final at Queen’s Club last month.

Her powerful, flat strokes are a natural fit for the turf, and she showed just how good she can be on the stuff during a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday.

“I have to say,” Sabalenka said, “that she was more brave.”

A sign of Anisimova’s skill on grass came three years ago, when she reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. But she hadn’t played at the event again until now, because she sat out the tournament during a mental health break to deal with burnout in 2023, then was ranked too low to get in automatically a year ago and lost during the qualifying rounds.

“A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game. That was a little hard to digest, because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day,” Anisimova said, adding that she is pleased to be “able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself.”

Since Williams won her seventh and last Wimbledon championship in 2016 – a repeat performance from a year prior – every woman to hold the trophy was doing so for the first time.

There was Garbiñe Muguruza in 2017, Angelique Kerber in 2018, Simona Halep in 2019 and Ash Barty in 2021 – all of whom are now retired – followed by Elena Rybakina in 2022, Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19).

Contrast that sort of variety to the much smaller circle of men to win Wimbledon lately: Since 2003, just five have done it – Roger Federer with eight, Novak Djokovic with seven, and Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz with a pair apiece.