With the FIFA World Cup down to its final four teams and Major League Baseball heading into its All-Star break, sports fans have a full week ahead featuring championship soccer, baseball’s midsummer showcase and golf’s final major of the season.
The World Cup semifinals begin Tuesday with France taking on Spain, followed by England facing Argentina on Wednesday. The winners will meet Sunday for the championship after a month-long tournament that has captivated fans around the globe.
On the tennis courts, Italy’s Jannik Sinner claimed the Wimbledon men’s singles championship Sunday, defeating Germany’s Alexander Zverev. The victory came a day after Linda Nosková completed an all-Czech women’s final by defeating Karolína Muchová for her first Wimbledon title.
Major League Baseball also wrapped up the first half of its season Sunday before shifting its attention to Philadelphia, where tonight’s Home Run Derby will be followed by Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies enter the break with plenty of momentum after a 5-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, leaving them just two games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East. Philadelphia has erased much of the daunting 10½-game deficit it once faced, putting itself squarely back into the division race entering the second half.
Elsewhere, the Baltimore Orioles continued their strong finish to the first half by defeating the Kansas City Royals 8-2 for their fourth consecutive victory. The Orioles, winners of seven of their last ten games, sit in fourth place in the AL East, a game and a half behind the resurgent Red Sox, who won their ninth straight game on Sunday,
The Pittsburgh Pirates also head into the second half on a high note after pounding the Milwaukee Brewers 14-5. Fueled by a red-hot offense, the Pirates collected their third straight win going into the break. Like Baltimore, the Bucs are in fourth place, a game behind the third-place St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.
The Washington Nationals closed out the first half with a 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees. The Nats have lost three straight.
Around the major leagues Sunday, the Chicago Cubs defeated Cincinnati 8-4, Boston edged the New York Mets 3-2, Seattle beat Tampa Bay 8-2, Cleveland topped Miami 5-2, Texas slipped past Houston 6-5, San Diego edged Toronto 5-4, Arizona defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-3, San Francisco beat Colorado 3-1, Atlanta nipped St. Louis 4-3, Minnesota defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 and the Chicago White Sox routed the Athletics 9-1.
Following the All-Star festivities, players will quickly turn their attention back to the pennant races as teams begin the season’s stretch run.
Baseball won’t have the sports spotlight to itself for long. The British Open, golf’s oldest major championship, tees off Thursday and runs through Sunday, overlapping with the World Cup final and making for another busy weekend on the international sports calendar.
Source: The Athletic, MLB