Alcantara (10-4) allowed just six hits while striking out three batters and walking one on the way to picking up his third complete game of the year.

Alcantara continues ‘historical’ season

That moved Alcantara ahead of Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez for the most complete games in the majors. In reality, Alcantara could have a fourth complete game: he once threw nine innings in a game that went to extra innings, meaning he didn’t get credit for finishing the contest.

Alcantara has now thrown an MLB-leading 158.1 innings while pitching to a 1.88 ERA, the lowest mark among qualified National League pitchers. FanDuel Sportsbook now lists Alcantara as a clear -210 favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award, ahead of other leading candidates like Corbin Burnes (+700) and Max Fried (+1200).

“Sandy has been kind of historical this year from what he’s been able to do,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters. “I think he’s getting seven days [rest] this next time. So he’s going to get a little breather here. We’ve been talking about it, we’ve got his schedule set up for the rest of the way. So just kind of watch it, let it go. Let the season pass, and it’ll be fun to watch.”

Alcantara faced adversity on Wednesday night. In the first inning, the Reds laded the bases with just one out. However, he got out of the inning without allowing a run, and even the 22 pitches he threw in the first weren’t enough to stop him from going the distance.

“I said this before: This is like an elevator,” Alcantara told reporters after the game. “You’re going to have up and down. Doesn’t matter what happens in any situation, just have to keep positive, and keep competing. I got a couple bad outings, and I don’t have to worry, because I’ve got time to improve and time to improve my pitches and time to go outside and compete.”

Complete games nearly extinct in MLB

Alcantara’s season has been especially impressive given the environment in which he is pitching. Starting pitchers are averaging just 5.2 innings per game this year, and there have been only 18 complete games across all of Major League Baseball. Alcantara doesn’t just lead the league in innings pitched, but he is nearly 20 innings ahead of Aaron Nola, who sits in second at 138.2.

The combination of volume and effectiveness should make Alcantara a shoe-in for NL Cy Young, provided he stays healthy. It could also raise questions over whether he should receive at least some MVP consideration – though his chances in that regard are far longer. FanDuel is offering +15000 odds on Alcantara to win the NL MVP, a sign that he’ll likely receive some down ballot votes, but little more.

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Judge Anna Sotnikova announced the sentence, which also included a fine of one million rubles ($16,700).

Griner sentence prelude to further negotiation

Legal observers expected Griner to receive a guilty verdict and jail time as a necessary step before any potential prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States. The verdict was relatively harsh by Russian legal standards: it came near the maximum punishment of ten years in prison, while most Russians spend up to five years in prison for possessing small quantities of illegal drugs.

Russian police said they found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in Griner’s luggage when she landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Feb. 17. Griner was traveling to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Yekaterinburg, where she competes in the WNBA’s offseason.

US President Joe Biden released a statement decrying the verdict.

“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in the statement. “I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”

US officials have offered a prisoner exchange with Russia. Many have speculated that the United States would send Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, who has remained in Russian custody since an arrest in December 2018 on espionage charges.

Russia looks for leverage in prisoner swap

The guilty verdict also opens up other avenues for Griner’s release. She could appeal the verdict, or appear to Russian President Vladimir Putin for an appeal. However, a prisoner swap remains the most likely outcome, something Griner tangentially acknowledged in court.

“I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling, that it doesn’t end my life here,” Griner said on Thursday. “I know that everybody keeps talking about ‘political pawn’ and ‘politics,’ but I hope that is far from this courtroom.”

Griner’s trial proceeded quickly for a politically charged case involving a foreigner, raising hopes that Russia may move for an exchange sooner rather than later. However, the severity of Griner’s sentence could also be a tactic to gain leverage against the United States.

“I think that the harsher the sentence, the more pressure there will be on the Biden administration to make a deal,” lawyer Tom Firestone told the Associated Press. “Obviously they like leveraging that pressure.”

Griner is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who has spent her entire professional career with the Phoenix Mercury. She has twice led the league in scoring, and is the all-time career leader in blocks per game, averaging 2.8 for her career.

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Scully operated with an air of gravitas, warmth, and authority. He had the perfect voice for the radio, and could easily paint a poetic word picture and fill the visual void for radio listeners. He also called games on television broadcasts and unlike modern-day announcers that cannot seem to shut up, Scully knew when to let the moment speak for itself, whether it was Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run in 1974, or Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series.

“A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol,” Scully announcer. “It is a great moment for all of us.”

Scully began calling games for the Dodgers in 1950 with Hall of Fame announcer Red Barber, back when the Dodgers played games in Brooklyn and just three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He retired from calling games on the radio for the Dodgers in 2016, which he had done by himself.

Scully the GOAT

America and baseball has always had an odd parallel throughout history. Baseball has been around since the late 1800s, and it’s the only major American sport with roots and records dating back to the 19th Century. In the case of Scully, he began his journey as a broadcaster in 1950 with his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. When the Dodgers departed from Brooklyn and headed west to sunny Los Angeles in 1957, Scully followed the team.

The Bronx-born Scully moved to Brooklyn at the age of seven in 1934 after his father died. Scully played baseball for Fordham University in the Bronx, where he also picked up the microphone for the first time as a gifted natural. He began calling football and later baseball games for the Fordham’s radio station.

After a stint in the Navy, Scully entered the broadcasting world in Washington, DC with a CBS radio affiliate. He returned home to Brooklyn to call games with Barber and the Dodgers. At age 25, Scully became the youngest broadcaster to call a World Series game. It’s a record that still stands nearly 70 years later.

Scully called three perfect games including Don Larsen for the New York Yankees against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series, Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers in 1965, and Dennis Martinez for the Montreal Expos in 1991. He also called 20 no-hitters during his career including Clayton Kershaw’s no-no in 2014.

Scully: Voice of the Dodgers

Scully quickly established himself as the voice of the Dodgers and multiple generations in Southern California associated his dulcet tones with America’s past time, and SoCal’s new past time.

During his 67-year tenure with the Dodgers, Scully saw it all starting with post-war America, through the tumultuous 1960s and flower power in California, to the downtrodden 1970s, and yuppie greed in the 1980s. In a 30-year stretch, he went from calling games with Robinson to capturing the rise of Fernando Mania when a young Mexican pitcher — Fernando Valenzuela — took the majors by storm. Valenzuela introduced a new generation of Mexican-Americans to the game of baseball with Scully narrating his atmospheric rise as a rookie with the Dodgers in 1981.

“We have lost an icon,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. Loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time. Vin will be truly missed.”

Scully was behind the mic during one of the greatest sporting moments in the 20th century when a hobbled Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep to hit a walk-off, pinch-hit home run to lift the Dodgers to a comeback victory with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning over the Oakland A’s in the 1988 World Series.

◾️ Vin Scully on the call
◾️ Came in to pinch hit after having both legs injured earlier in the postseason
◾️ Hit the walk-off 💪

31 years ago today, Kirk Gibson hit his iconic World Series HR. pic.twitter.com/7RHZq5qZpS

— ESPN (@espn) October 15, 2019

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One deal in particular dominated the conversation today, but it was far from the only impactful move. Here’s a look at the five biggest deadline trades made on Tuesday.

No. 1: Padres acquire Soto in trade deadline blockbuster

There’s no doubt about it: the San Diego Padres’ acquisition of young superstar Juan Soto ranks not only the top of this year’s list, but also among the most significant trade deadline deals in MLB history. Not only that, but the Padres picked up Josh Bell in the deal, as well.

The move immediately turns San Diego into a top tier World Series contender both this year and for the next two seasons. Meanwhile, the Nationals took in a huge haul of prospects and young MLB players, which could ultimately satisfy Washington fans – though probably not for a few years.

No. 2: Padres add Drury to loaded lineup

San Diego wasn’t satisfied with only adding Soto and Bell to their lineup. They also picked up Cincinnati Reds third baseman Brandon Drury, sending back shortstop prospect Victor Acosta.

The Padres will likely find some way to fit Drury into an increasingly stacked lineup. Drury is hitting .274 with 20 homers and a .855 OPS, and is enjoying the best season of his career. Opposing pitchers are going to have to deal with a long, deep lineup when taking on San Diego for the rest of 2022.

No. 3: Merrifield moves to Toronto

The Toronto Blue Jays made a trade with the Kansas City Royals to acquire two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield on Tuesday. That might seem like a normal move for a contending team to make with a struggling, small market squad that’s building for the future. But Merrifield recently missed a series in Toronto because he never received a vaccination against COVID-19 – something that would make it effectively impossible for him to play for the Blue Jays, due to Canadian health laws.

However, Merrifield said he might change his vaccination status if he had the chance to play with or against Toronto in the postseason, and presumably the Blue Jays are satisfied that he will take a vaccine. Merrifield has struggled somewhat this season, hitting just .240 with six homers and 15 stolen bases, though his numbers improved in July.

No. 4: Phillies trade for Syndergaard, Robertson

I’m combining two separate deals but related deals here, as the Philadelphia Phillies significantly improved their pitching staff at the trade deadline. First, the Phillies picked up reliever David Robertson from the Cubs to solidify their bullpen. Philadelphia then grabbed right-handed starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard from the struggling Los Angeles Angels.

The Phillies were already in position to win one of the NL wild card spots. These additions, along with another move to add outfielder Brandon Marsh from the Angels, should help them separate from the pack and try to make a postseason run.

No. 5: Atlanta lands a closer in Iglesias

The Braves have had a solid bullpen over the last few years, but haven’t necessarily been among the strongest teams in the late innings. Atlanta looked to fill that hole by trading for Angels closer Raisel Iglesias.

While Iglesias has a 4.04 ERA this year, he has struck out 48 batters in 35.2 innings and recorded 16 saves. That means he can not only serve as a setup man for current Atlanta closer Kenley Jansen, but also gives the Braves a second great option to finish off games or get high-leverage outs down the stretch.

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The Padres will also acquire first baseman Josh Bell in the deal.

Nationals pick up prospect haul

In exchange, San Diego is sending lefthander MacKenzie Gore and first baseman Eric Hosmer to Washington. The Nationals will also pick up shortstop CJ Abrams, and three top Padres prospects: outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, along with right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana.

Last month, Soto turned down a potential 15-year, $440 million contract from the Nationals. While Washington had Soto under contract through the 2024 season, the failure to reach an extension turned Soto into an unusually valuable trade chip.

A Deadline Day shuffle!

The Padres are reportedly acquiring Juan Soto from the Nationals, per @jonmorosi. pic.twitter.com/f17rTxeA41

— MLB (@MLB) August 2, 2022

Every contender showed at least some interest in Soto, though the Padres and St. Louis Cardinals emerged as the leading candidates to land the 23-year-old.

FanDuel Sportsbook now lists the Padres as a +1000 pick to win the World Series in 2022. That places them fifth on the board, behind only the Yankees (+330), Dodgers (+350), Astros (+450), and the Mets (+650).

Soto, Bell join powerful San Diego lineup

Most pundits regard Soto as a generational talent. He has already established himself as one the best hitters in the majors, and even though he has not put up the best numbers of his career this year, he will make a massive impact on the Padres lineup.

Soto is hitting .246 this season, but has belted 21 home runs. He has also drawn a league-leading 91 walks, pushing his on-base percentage up to .408 and his OPS to a strong .894.

Bell rates as far more than a throw-in piece for San Diego. The 29-year-old is hitting .301 with 14 home runs on the year.

Meanwhile, the Nationals will pick up a mix of young talent that will help them build for the future. They also pick up a large contract in Hosmer, who is owed $13 million a year through 2025. (Update: Hosmer rejected a trade to the Nationals. The Padres instead sent him to the Boston Red Sox.)

When the Padres get back injured shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., they’ll be able to stack him with Soto, Manny Machado, and Bell to create a deep and powerful lineup that lines up well against any team in the majors.

Currently, the Padres hold a 58-46 record. They are 12 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West race, but hold one of the National League wild card positions. Washington is 35-69 – the worst record in the majors – and in last place in the NL East.

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All three new additions to the Yankees are right-handed pitchers.

To complete the trade for Montas and Trivino, the Yankees will send the A’s three pitchers and an infielder. The A’s get left-handed pitchers Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears, plus righty Luis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman.

The Yankees will send Hayden Wesneski — a minor league prospect and right-handed pitcher — to the Chicago Cubs to complete the Effross trade.

Last week, the Yankees acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals.

The Yankees are one of the betting co-favorites with the LA Dodgers to win the 2022 World Series at +360 odds, according to DraftKings. In AL pennant betting, the Yankees are the top of the board at +160 odds to represent the American League in the World Series.

Montas: Thrilled to Get Run Support

The Yankees won a bidding war for Montas against the St. Louis Cardinals. After the Seattle Mariners snagged Luis Castillo in a trade from the Cincinnati Reds, Montas was the best available starting pitcher on the trading bloc.

The Yankees needed a hedge against Luis Severino experiencing any more health issues. At the same time, Domingo German looked awful in his two starts. German is 0-1 with an 8.22 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in only 7.2 innings since his return.

Montas is 4-9 with the A’s this season with a 1.14 WHIP and 3.18 ERA He whiffed 109 batters in 104.2 innings. In 19 starts, Montas has 10 quality starts but unfortunately he did not get enough run support from the A’s. The A’s scored zero runs in three of his starts, and scored a single run in seven of them. He had 11 total starts where he got two or fewer runs of support. In the month of May, Montas was 0-6 and the A’s scored a total of six runs for him.

Now that Montas joined the Bronx Bombers, he does not have to worry about losing any more frustrating 2-1 games with the stacked Yankees lineup led by Aaron Judge, who is on pace to slug 66 home runs.

Bullpen Help: Trivino and Effross

With the Yankees losing set-up man Michael King to a season-ending elbow injury, Trivino has a chance to pitch in high leverage situations for the Yankees. The Yankees are also not thrilled with Aroldis Chapman and his 5.01 ERA. The former closer lost his job after pitching awful this season, and Clay Holmes (1.77 ERA, 0.92 WHIP) took over as the closer.

Trivino saw action in 39 games with the A’s this season, but he’s 1-6 with 10 saves and two blown saves. He has a 6.47 ERA and 1.188 WHIP, yet struck out 45 batters in 32 total innings. Last season, Trivino appeared in 71 games with the A’s and recorded 22 saves and four blown saves. He went 7-8 overall with a 3.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.

Efross is a rookie, but had a strong showing in his first full season in the “show” with the Cubs. Effross is a side-arm pitcher who appeared in 47 games this season. He has a 1-4 record with one save, and a 3.66 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 44 innings. He has a juicy 5.7 strikeout/walk ratio and credited with 16 holds.

The Yankees need as many fresh arms as they can get because manager Aaron Boone tends to overuse his bullpen, so both Trivino and Effross will be welcomed additions to the bullpen.

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Rodriguez hurt his wrist when a pitch hit him in the eighth inning of the Saturday game.

Seattle planning cautious approach to Rodriguez injury

The Mariners say Rodriguez won’t be able to swing a bat for at least five days due to swelling and weakness in the wrist.

Seattle has no intentions of rushing back its young star. The 21-year-old Rodriguez is hitting .271 with 17 homers and 21 stolen bases in his rookie season. Rodriguez established himself as the +100 favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year in mid-June at FanDuel Sportsbook, and had maintained that position through July. Most major books have taken down their AL Rookie of the Year odds following the Rodriguez injury.

“We will do everything the right way to make sure that he and our medical staff have a clear idea of what it is,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters.

The Mariners are currently 55-48, and are in control of an American League wild-card position, despite sitting 12 games behind the Astros in the AL West. FanDuel lists Seattle as a +3000 pick to win the World Series this year.

Mike Trout bullish on return

Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout downplayed reports of the severity of his back issues, saying he may start swinging a bat again as early as this week.

Angels trainer Mike Frostad raised concerns over Trout’s future after sharing that the three-time MVP was dealing with a rare spinal condition that he may have to deal with for the rest of his career. Some interpreted that as though Trout’s career was in jeopardy. The outfielder says that’s not the case.

“It went from my career is over to now hopefully I’m going to play here soon,” Trout told reporters. “I think that’s what Frosty was initially getting at – keeping a routine so that it doesn’t come back. Once you let it settle down, get the inflammation out of there and build the muscles up around, it’ll be good.”

Trout was enjoying another outstanding season for yet another disappointing Angels team prior to the injury. He’s hitting .270 with 24 homers and a .967 OPS over 79 games in 2022. Trout has largely fallen out of the AL MVP race due to the injury, with FanDuel listing him as a +25000 long shot.

deGrom set to make first start on Tuesday

Jacob deGrom will make his first start of the 2022 season for the New York Mets on Tuesday when they take on the Washington Nationals. deGrom last took the mound on July 7, 2021. After missing the rest of the season due to various arm issues, the Mets shut him down in spring training this year with a stress reaction in his right scapula.

“I’m definitely excited,” deGrom told reporters. “This has been a pretty slow process of coming back, so excited to be out there. Nerves haven’t really set in yet, but I’m sure Tuesday I’ll be pretty nervous.”

The 34-year-old deGrom has won two NL Cy Young Awards. He will bolster a Mets rotation that already features Max Scherzer, essentially giving the team two top-tier aces. New York leads the NL East by three games over the Atlanta Braves with a 64-37 record, and are a +700 choice to win the World Series this year.

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There’s no shortage of other classic vintage games out there like anything from the Madden Football family, Ken Griffey Baseball, NBA Jam aka “he’s heating up!”, EA Sports FIFA, ad Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Yet, even with the advanced graphics of the current generation of video games cannot compete with some of the classics on Nintendo.

Even if you cannot get your hands on an old NES console, or you tried to hook up your old Nintendo to no avail — even by blowing on the cartridges — you can still take a walk down memory lane via YouTube. There’s no shortage of gameplay or playthrough videos featuring the favorite games from your childhood, including some of best sports titles in gaming history.

Tecmo Bowl

I cannot count how many late nights I played the original Tecmo Bowl with my brother. It was a simple game released in 1989 with four basic plays to select on offense/defense. Every team had two running and passing plays, except San Francisco and Miami who had three passing plays.

On defense, you had a 25% chance to predict what play the offense would call. However, if you frequently played the same opponent — like my brother and myself — you knew their favorite plays and patterns, which made Tecmo Bowl more of a mind game.

Like many of you, we had the “Bo Jackson Rule” where no one could use his team because he was a real-life cheat code and impossible to tackle and ridiculously fast. When picking teams, you could not select the Los Angeles franchise as part of the Bo Jackson Rule. Nintendo did not have an actual license from the NFL, so they had a work around using city names and team colors, but fans knew who was who.

Tecmo Bowl had a version of the New York Giants, which was my usual pick. On defense you made sure you controlled #56 aka Lawrence Taylor because he was the fastest defender and could get into the backfield in a flash to record a sack and drop a running back for a loss.

Kicking was always the pain in the butt, but poor kick coverage was also tilting. If you didn’t tackle at the precise angle, you were most likely giving up a kick return for a touchdown.

NHLPA 93

Did EA Sports achieve hockey prefect with NHLPA 93? This was the days before the Nanny State took over and tried to reduce violence in video games and removed fighting in the NHL 94 sequel. The NHL has been trying to escape their rough and tumble days of “old time hockey” with superfluous violence and fighting.

However, the NHLPA 93 video game from the early 1990s captured the last era of pugilism on the ice. Yes, you could actually get into a fight in NHLPA 93, and you could knock out opposing players with cheap hits. If you get lucky, you can even make them bleed on the ice. Scoring a knockout of your opponent in a one-on-one fight after you drop the gloves was more exhilarating than scoring a goal.

NHLPA 93 debuted when I was in college and it was the most popular game in my fraternity house. We held season-long contests and tournaments. Even classmates that didn’t like hockey were addicted to the game, which we played 24/7. It got so bad that the guy who owned the original game (shoutout to Greg M.!) had to lock his doors at night, and hide the game when he went to class because he’d come back and find eight people in his room ripping bong hits and playing NHLPA 93. The problem was solved when a couple of other fraternity brothers purchased additional copies, so there was at least one version of the game on every floor of the fraternity house.

NHLPA 93 was so popular that it even made an appearance in the indie film “Swingers” when the guys would gather at someone’s apartment in Hollywood to play NHL 94 at the pre-party.

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out

There were two versions of Punch-Out one involving the Mike Tyson branding and the other one that did not. This was one of the few popular arcade games that was also a console game that debuted in 1984.

Like in real life boxing, you had to work your way up the ranks to get a title shot. Every boxer was different and had their own specialty knockout punch. Opponents gradually increased in skill the father you went, but your game would end if you got knocked out. It could take months before you got good enough to finally face Mike Tyson in the ring. And then it could take a few more months to figure out how to beat him. Do not forget this was an era before the internet, and if you did not have a subscription to video game magazines, you had to figure out a strategy by yourself, or consult with your friends on how to survive a barrage of combination punches and finally knock out Tyson.

The boxer names were just as iconic as the original Punch-Out game: Glass Joe, Bald Bull, Mr. Sandman, Soda Popinski, and Super Macho Man. In the Mike Tyson version released in 1987, Punch-Out included Von Kaiser, Piston Honda, Don Flamenco, King Hippo, and Mike Tysoon (aka Mr. Dream in alt versions).

It was fun trying to remember the perfect combinations to defeat each boxer. It’s stil hilarious that King Hippo’s pants would fall down when you punched him in the stomach multiple times in a row.

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McIngvale is a businessman from Houston who is known in the community as “Mattress Mack” for owning multiple furniture stores. Over the last few years, Mattress Mack runs a special promotion at his stores where you can win back the cost of your furniture if you spend at least $3,000 and the Astros win the World Series.

These seven-figure bets on the Astros are nothing more than a hedge and publicity stunt for McIngvale, but a lot of people get excited when they hear the words “Mattress Mack” uttered. Real sports bettors loathe his antics because it’s nothing more than a business promotion, but Astros fans love his enthusiasm.

Who knew that the furniture racket was so lucrative. I’m clearly in the wrong business. Oh, and in case you’re curious, we love to fade Mattress Mack. Whenever he bets a team, we always bet the other way. I’m holding an MLB futures ticket on the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. Betting chalk might not be sexy, but we love fading Mattress Mack.

Mattress Mack Bets $2 Million on the Astros… Twice

Sports betting and online gambling is illegal in Texas among other things, so McIngvale flies a private jet to states with legal sports betting.

During the All-Star Break, there was a “Mattress Mack Alert” at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. McIngvale walked into the Bellagio and plopped down $2 million in wagers on the Houston Astros to win the World Series at +500 odds. BetMGM operates the Bellagio sports book, and Mattress Mack posted four single bets consisting of $500,000 each on the Astros to win. At 5/1 odds, Mattress Mack will bank $10 million from those wagers.

McIngvale was not done when he fired away another Mattress Mack wager in Iowa. Yes, Iowa. He flew to the middle of the country so he could access his Fan Duel account. He wagered another $2 million on the Astros to win the World Series at +500 odds. Once again, if the Astros win, he’ll add $10 million to his account.

In less than 48 hours in two different states, Mattress Mack wagered $4 million on his beloved Astros to win the World Series, which would pay out $20 million.

But wait, there’s more!

Mattress Mack made $3 million in wagers earlier in the season. In May, the Astros were anywhere from 10/1 or 12/1 odds to win the World Series. He got down $1 million on the Astros at +1200 odds, and then fired an additional $3 million wager on the Astros at +1000. If the Astros win, Mattress Mack will bank $42 million from his May wagers. If you include the most-recent bets in Louisiana, Las Vegas and Iowa, Mattress Mack has $72 million at stake with $10 million invested.

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With a pair of home runs on Friday night in the Bronx, Judge set a new team record with nine multi-home run games this season. Yes, when Judge gets hot, he hits home runs in bunches.

“Just takes the magic wand and does his thing,” said Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Judge was previously tied the record with eight multi-home run games in a season with teammate Gleyber Torres, Alex Rodríguez , Mickey Mantle, and Babe Ruth.

Any time you can get your name on the same list as Hall of Famers Ruth and Mantle, then you’re archiving something truly special.

Judge is the betting favorite at -200 odds to win the 2022 AL MVP. Shohei Ohtani — the superstar two-way phenom from Japan — of the LA Angels is +175 odds, but there’s rampant speculation he could get traded before next week’s deadline. The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves are among the favorites to land Ohtanti in a trade.

41 Home Runs.

It isn't even August. pic.twitter.com/LDiWaCc7Ho

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 30, 2022

Judge: First to Hit 40 HRs

If Judge can remain healthy and maintain his current home run pace, he could finish the season with 66 home runs. That would more than secure the team record. To avoid any asterisk controversy, Judge could pass Babe Ruth and his initial record of 60 home runs before the 154th game of the season. Maris eclipsed the Babe with 61 home runs in the final game of the 162-game season in 161.

Judge connected on his 40th home run of the season in the third inning. He demolished #41 in the inning to put the Yankees ahead 11-5. With the win, the Yankees improved their MLB-leading best record at 68-33.

“Just like any other time,” said Judge.

“He’s amazing,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “He’s just doing some really special things.”

On Thursday evening against the Royals, Judge hit home run #39 to break a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning. That marked a third walk-off home run of the season for Judge, who entered this year without ever achieving that feat.

Judge also put his defensive skills on display. In the first inning, he robbed MJ Melendez of a short-porch home run in right field. Judge used every inch of his 6-foot-8 frame to reach over the outfield wall and record an out.

“Hitting a homer is still above robbing one for me right now, but it’s still fun,” added Judge.

Flight 99 cleared for takeoff. pic.twitter.com/th8w1susCg

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 29, 2022

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