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Thursday, August 4

• Although there was little movement among the top teams in the latest Power Rankings, a wild Trade Deadline could change the landscape down the stretch — and into October.

• The Padres’ Trade Deadline additions wasted no time making an impression. Juan Soto and Josh Bell walked in the first inning to load the bases, and Brandon Drury earned entry to Slam Diego.

• Miguel Vargas, the No. 5 prospect in the Dodgers’ organization, has one of the best hit tools in the system. He flashed that skill in a hurry, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs in his MLB debut.

• Feeding off his new teammates, Luis Castillo impressed in his Mariners debut, shutting down the Yankees and drawing comparisons to a former King of Seattle.

• One area the Mets focused on at the Trade Deadline was their designated hitter. They addressed it with two acquisitions — one of whom gave them a grand booston Wednesday.

• Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara looked uncharacteristically out of sorts when he loaded the bases during the first inning. Yet eight innings later, he finished the shutout and lowered his ERA to 1.88.

• With trades made and reinforcements on the way to Philadelphia, Nick Castellanos’ go-ahead home runprovided a spark in Atlanta.

•  A tough week just got tougher for Devin Williams and the Brewers when he gave up his first home run of the season — a walk-off dinger by the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds.

More top news >

Meet the designer behind the blinged-out HR Derby chain

It’s become a major part of Home Run Derby pride: The Derby Champ Chain. Introduced just three years ago, this summer saw the first player not named Pete Alonso win it, leading to instant virality as Bad Bunny placed the amazing, cartoonish crowned baseball around Juan Soto’s neck.

That it exists at all — and has become such a highly sought after trophy — is thanks to the man behind it: jewelry designer Kenny Hwang. Hwang spends most of his time making statement pieces for clients like Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, where they’re usually seen on the runway instead of the ballfield. But when MLB came to him with an idea to make something new and different for the 2019 Home Run Derby in Cleveland, well, Hwang jumped at the opportunity.

It nearly didn’t happen, though. Hwang was brought on board extremely late in the process and had to go into a crazed frenzy to get the piece finished.

Soto, Bell introduced: ‘Good luck to the other pitchers’

Introduced alongside Josh Bell in San Diego before Wednesday’s game, Juan Soto offered something of a warning for what the Padres’ new lineup might look like: “It’s going to be really tough to go through,” he said.

San Francisco honors a Dodgers legend

Allegiances were cast aside before Wednesday’s game, when the Giants paid tribute to the legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Gallo excited for ‘fresh start’ with Dodgers

Joey Gallo knew his time with the Yankees was nearing an end. What he didn’t know is that he’d be traded to the team he watched growing up in Las Vegas.

The bullpen version of deGrom is making K history

Imagine having Jacob deGrom in your rotation and in your bullpen. That’s basically what the Mets have right now with Edwin Díaz.

Today’s Trivia Question

Edwin Díaz’s 18.1 strikeouts per 9 innings this season would set a record for a pitcher with at least 20 saves. Who holds the current record?

Answer »

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