Pujols to Participate in This Year’s All-Star Home Run Derby

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Albert Pujols is coming out swinging…

The 35-year-old Dominican professional baseball player has announced that he’ll take part in this year’s All-Star Home Run Derby.

Pujols, the Los Angeles Angels‘ first baseman, says he talked with Major League Baseball and confirmed he’ll be one of the hitters for the event Monday in Cincinnati.

The All-Star Game is the next night.

“I’m going to give it one last chance,” Pujols said Tuesday. “The good thing with Major League Baseball is they allow us to bring our kids onto the field on practice day so they’ll be able to enjoy that. They’ll have a great time and meet the players they get to watch every day.”

Pujols said he wanted to be a part of the competition after being picked for the AL All-Star team this week. He’ll start in place of Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, who went on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a strained calf.

Pujols declined to be in the Home Run Derby last year because he wasn’t playing in the All-Star Game.

“You want to be in the game,” he said. “That’s the most important thing because you want to be able to have a chance to help the American League have home field advantage.”

This will be Pujols’ fourth time competing in the Home Run Derby. He reached the semifinal in 2003, 2007 and 2009 but has never won the event.

He said he’s looking forward to the new format. Instead of being given a number of outs per round each player will have five minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. The clock will stop after home run balls land in the final minute.

Players can earn an extra minute if they hit two home runs that land 420 feet or more and 30 seconds for each blast that lands 475 feet or more. The maximum bonus time a player can get is 1:30.

“If anything it’ll be better because you don’t have to sit around so much like you did in the past,” he said. “If I hit in the first round we had to wait until everybody hit and sometimes you sat an hour and a half, two hours.”

Pujols entered Tuesday leading the American League with 25 home runs.

Aguilera to Perform Alongside the Rockettes at the NBA All-Star Game

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Christina Aguilera is Rocketting to the (all) stars…

The 34-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer will kick off this year’s NBA All-Star Game with a special performance alongside the Rockettes.

It’s all part of the Entertainment Series presented by JBL on Sunday, February 15.

Aguilera and popular dance troupe will team up for the opening, New York-inspired performance when the All-Star Game, which will air live at 8:00 pm ET on TNT, kicks off from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Rockettes are an iconic New York City entertainment staple; and Aguilera was born in Staten Island before becoming a Grammy-winning artist and coach on NBC’s The Voice.

Aguilera’s performance with the Rockettes will lead directly into the All-Star Game player introductions.

Aguilera is the second announced 2015 NBA All-Star performer, after Ariana Grande was revealed to be this year’s halftime performer last week.

Since the release of 2012’s Lotus, Aguilera has scored hits with collaborations, including “Feel This Moment” with Pitbull and “Say Something” with A Great Big World, while hinting at a new studio album.

Next month, Aguilera will return to The Voice for the show’s eighth season, after taking two seasons off from the reality singing competition.

Rivera Named All-Star Game MVP

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He’s considered the greatest closer of all time in Major League Baseball… And, now Mariano Rivera is also an All-Star MVP.

The 43-year-old Panamanian baseball star, who has played 19 seasons for the New York Yankees, was named the Most Valuable Player at the 84th All-Star Game on Tuesday night, as the American League blanked the National League 3-0.

When Rivera came out of the bullpen to pitch the eighth inning of the game, his AL teammates stayed next to the dugout, leaving Rivera – who will be retiring after this season – on the field alone to soak up the applause from the crowd.

“I was standing right there watching,” said Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia. “It was pretty cool. I had goosebumps the whole time. I’m sure a lot of people did.”

Rivera tipped his cap to all sides of Citi Field, then started his warmup throws.

He went on to pitch a perfect inning, throwing 16 cutters. Catcher Salvador Perez threw an arm across Rivera’s shoulders as they walked off the field.

The historic moment was part of a nearly flawless performance by 10 American League pitchers in their victory over the National League, which was was held to three hits and a walk.

Rivera won the Ted Williams Award as the game’s most valuable player, the first pitcher to be so honored since Pedro Martinez in 1999. He’s also is the oldest player to win.

“I wanted to come to the game and since this will be my last one, I wanted to enjoy and be able to pitch for the last time in the All-Star Game,” Rivera said. “The rest was indescribable.”

The AL snapped a three-game losing streak in the game. The NL leads the series, 43-39-2.

Anthony to Perform “God Bless America” at MLB All-Star Game

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Marc Anthony is preparing for an all-star performance…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer will perform “God Bless America” during the seventh inning of the upcoming MLB All-Star Game, which will take place on July 16 and be broadcast live on Fox.

Anthony, whose salsa song “Vivir Mi Vida” has been No. 1 for the eight consecutive weeks on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart, has gained acclaim for performing the national anthem, including a show-stopping performance of the “Star-Spangled Banner at the 2011 NBA Finals.

Meanwhile, Anthony’s “Rain Over Me” co-collaborator Pitbull will also make at appearance at the big game.

The 32-year-old Cuban American rap superstar will warm up the crowd at the Home Run Derby, taking place July 15 and airing on ESPN.

Mr. Worldwide will perform his hits “Don’t Stop the Party” and “Feel This Moment.”

American Idol winner Candace Glover will sing the national anthem before the start of the all-star game.

Rios Ties an AL Record with Six Hits Against the Detroit Tigers

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios has batted his way into the annals of Major League Baseball history…

The 32-year-old Puerto Rican baseball pro tied an American League record by going 6-for-6 on Tuesday to help the White Sox defeat Detroit Tigers 11-4.

The last-place White Sox, who had lost four straight, finished with season high in hits (23) and runs.

Rios became the 32nd AL player to have six hits in a nine-inning game and the first in franchise history since Lance Johnson pulled off the feat in 1995 at Minnesota.

Rios singled in the first, tripled in the third and also singled twice in the eighth inning. He also singled in the fifth and ninth innings.

“He’s as good as anybody in this league,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “Tonight is indicative of that. He’s hitting and running the bases great.”

“It’s been the most fun we’ve had in a quite a while,” Rios said. “We’ve had some tough times, but it shows we haven’t quit.”

Cuban player Dayan Viciedo‘s second homer of the game helped the White Sox score seven runs in the eighth inning, and they scored three more runs in the ninth to surpass a season high for scoring.

Meanwhile, Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera hit his 29th homer during the game, an impressive blast to left-center, in the eighth inning to give him a major league high 92 RBIs and .363 batting average.

He broke the franchise record for homers before the All-Star Game, surpassing the total Cecil Fielder had at the break in 1990 during his 51-homer season.

Sandoval Makes History with Three Homers in World Series Game 1

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Pablo Sandoval is the Kung (Fu Panda) of the diamond at the World Series…

The 26-year-old baseball star hit three home runs in his first three at-bats to lead the San Francisco Giants to an 8-3 victory on Wednesday night over the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series.

Sandoval is only the fourth player in Major League Baseball history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, after Albert Pujols last year, Reggie Jackson in 1977 and Babe Ruth, who did it in 1926 and 1928.

Of the players, Sandoval is the only one to homer in his first three at-bats of the game.

In addition, Sandoval added a single in the seventh inning to improve to 4-for-4 on the night.

Sandoval homered off Justin Verlander in the first and third innings, then got to reliever Al Alburquerque in the fifth.

In the first inning, Sandoval connected on a high 95 mph pitch with an 0-2 count and sent the ball just over the wall in right-center. Then, on the next pitch after a mound visit by Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones in the third, Sandoval hit a two-run, opposite-field drive into the seats in left for a 4-0 lead. Verlander simply said, “Wow!”

In July, Sandoval hit the first bases-loaded triple in All-Star Game history off Verlander, the reigning American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner.

Sandoval’s third homer was a solo shot to center field with one out and nobody on in the fifth.

Sandoval is the 10th player in major league history to hit two or more home runs in the first game of the World Series. He has an RBI in six straight postseason games, breaking the team record for longest streak that he previously shared with Barry Bonds.

Winning by home run is unusual for the Giants, whose 103 home runs were last in the major leagues. The only other three-homer game at the ballpark was by the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Kevin Elster in the very first opener, in 2001. The last three-homer game by a Giant was Aubrey Huff at St. Louis in June 2011.

Cabrera Named the MLB All-Star Game MVP

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Melky Cabrera has plenty of reason to celebrate…

The 27-year-old Dominican baseball player was named the MVP of the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday night after powering the National League to an 8-0 win over the American League in Kansas City.

The San Francisco Giants slugger hit a single in the first inning and scored the game’s first run. Cabrera then hit a two-run homer against Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Harrison in a three-run fourth.

Cabrera, who is currently with his fourth team in four years, received the most valuable player award in the same ballpark where he played last season. The former Kansas City Royals outfielder drew loud cheers as he picked up the trophy, with his mother at his side.

“I didn’t come to win an MVP. That’s just a surprise,” said Cabrera. “The same opportunity that Kansas City gave me last year is the same opportunity that San Francisco is giving me every day to showcase my talent. Again, I’m just very thankful for the fans that voted for me to come here.”

Giants fans, who made a late voting push to elect Pablo Sandoval and Cabrera to starting spots, might really appreciate the victory come October.

The Giants are a half-game behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West.

With Tuesday’s victory, the National League once again claimed home-field advantage in the World Series.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

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