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CLEVELAND (AP) – Latest news from the All-Star Game (local time):
8:15
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs is honored in the all-star game by two team mourners – and all of them baseball.
Mike Trout and field player Tommy La Stella wear number 45 – Skaggs' jersey number – in Tuesday's match. Skaggs, 27, died suddenly on July 1st. He was found unresponsive in the team's hotel in Texas, a few hours before the scheduled date for the Angels to play Rangers.
"We have all been through hard times in the last two days," said Trout. "Being on the ground – at home – really helps."
A minute of silence was observed before the match and the players of both teams wore black plates with the Skaggs number blank.
His death sent shockwaves through baseball and deeply affected the Angels. He was one of the most popular players on the team, appreciated by everyone for his engaging personality.
"There is a saying that says," You do not realize what you have until you lose it. "Everyone needs to take a minute longer to embrace family members and let others know how important they are to you."
Trout starts for LA while La Stella is marginalized with a broken leg. He battled until the third goal line on crutches for pre-game introductions.
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5:25 p.m.
Commissioner Rob Manfred insisted that Major League Baseball had not reached an agreement with the Cleveland Indians to ban their controversial logo, Chief Wahoo.
The club agreed to remove the smiling and controversial caricature of its caps and jerseys from this season, a decision that was made after Cleveland was awarded the 2019 all-star game.
The timing was curious, but Manfred said that there was no connection between the two.
"The All-Star Game was awarded to Cleveland by Commissioner (Bud) Selig even before I had a conversation about Chief Wahoo," Manfred said. "You can write that as a fact."
Although Wahoo, which has been around since the 1940s, is no longer on the field, the mascot is as popular as ever, as fans continue to wear all kinds of products that carry their image.
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1:55 p.m.
Weather forecasts predict clear skies and temperatures in the upper 70s at Progressive Field. A perfect night for the All-Star Game – players and fans hope it's not perfect for gnats either.
Midges are tiny flying insects that live around Lake Erie and swarm when it's hot. They do not bite, but they are annoying. They made their mark on baseball at the 2007 AL Series when bugs hit the neck of Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the second game against Cleveland on a wet October night.
The gnats mocked Chamberlain, and the wild reliever launched two wild shots in the eighth inning to allow the Indians to score the equalizer. Cleveland won in 11 innings and won the four-part series.
Just in case we forget something, a small sticker serves as a reminder to the hotel windows where many Major League Baseball officials and members of the media are staying this week, just a few blocks from the lake.
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24:30
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said "there is no evidence from scientists that the ball is harder", but says "the baseball trail is less".
He says that sport is trying to find out why the trail is less important but the scientists did not answer.
"The pitchers have raised issues, particularly with respect to baseball grip and seams, and we think that could be a problem," said Manfred at the US Baseball Writers' Association.
Manfred said: "Baseball has done nothing, no directive has been made to change baseball."
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24:15
In the middle of a major baseball season that saw record-breaking home runs, Tony Clark, union president, said: "I think the ball has suddenly changed and I do not know why . "
The Batters scored 3,691 home runs in 1,345 games, but 6,669 in the season. This is 19% more than the 5,558 last year and 9% from the record of 6,105 recorded in 2017.
AL's star, Justin Verlander, was one of the most outspoken players to claim that the ball has changed. Clark told the American Association of Baseball Writers that the union had received data, but no explanation.
Clark and Verlander wondered if Major League Baseball had more influence in the ball since the purchase of Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., which manufactures the ball, last year by Seidler Equity Partners. Peter Seidler, General Partner of San Diego Padres, oversees all Seidler Equity Partners activities.
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11:45
The president of the baseball players' association detailed the union's collective bargaining objectives, mentioning the restoration of a "competitive environment" and a "significant free agency".
The baseball contracts are in effect until December 2021, but the parties committed last winter to preliminary discussions. Up until now, they have met once to discuss planning for future meetings.
Union President Tony Clark said his members wanted players to "get something closer to the value they produced," referring to the structure that allows players to approach them. from the minimum until they have almost three years of service in the major leagues, when they become eligible for wage arbitration.
He also says the union wants "the best players in the field at all times," referring to accusations that clubs are very promising in the minor leagues and delay their eligibility for wage arbitration and free competition. which requires six years of service.
Clark also said that rebuilding uncompetitive teams was hurting the industry.
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More MLB AP: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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