Sports Today: Home Run Derby Takes Center Stage as World Cup Semifinals Loom
By Refocused Newsroom
Monday, July 13, 2026
Monday’s sports calendar may lack a Major League Baseball regular-season game or FIFA World Cup match, but the day is far from quiet.
MLB’s biggest power hitters will take over Philadelphia for the 2026 Home Run Derby, eight NBA Summer League games are scheduled in Las Vegas, and the WNBA will feature an evening doubleheader.
The morning’s biggest headlines also include Jannik Sinner defending his Wimbledon championship, the Boston Red Sox entering the All-Star break on a nine-game winning streak and the Golden State Warriors preparing to add a championship-winning coach to Steve Kerr’s staff.
Home Run Derby Takes Over Philadelphia
The biggest event on Monday’s schedule is the 2026 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
The competition begins at 7 p.m. Central and will stream exclusively on Netflix. Philadelphia stars Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber will compete in front of their home crowd against Junior Caminero, Jac Caglianone, Willson Contreras, Munetaka Murakami, Ben Rice and Jordan Walker.
Schwarber enters the event as the MLB home-run leader with 32, while Harper is seeking his second Derby championship after winning the event in Washington in 2018.
The format has also changed. Each hitter will receive 20 swings in the opening round instead of batting against a running clock. The four highest totals will advance to seeded semifinal matchups, where hitters will receive 15 swings. The final round will also consist of 15 swings.
The hometown story gives this Derby extra electricity. Harper and Schwarber have combined for more than 750 career home runs, and only three players have previously won the event in their home ballpark.
The Derby serves as the opening act for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game, which begins at 7 p.m. Central on FOX.
Baseball Reaches the All-Star Break
The Boston Red Sox entered the break carrying the league’s hottest streak after defeating the New York Mets 3-2 in 10 innings Sunday.
Anthony Siegler delivered the tiebreaking sacrifice fly as Boston earned its ninth consecutive victory, its longest winning streak since winning 10 straight games in July 2025. The Red Sox swept the Mets and entered the break with serious momentum in the American League postseason race.
The New York Yankees also closed strongly, sweeping the Washington Nationals after producing late-inning rallies in all three games. Ben Rice, who will compete in tonight’s Derby, hit a two-run triple in the eighth inning Sunday.
One of the weekend’s biggest surprises came in Los Angeles, where the Arizona Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers. Los Angeles still owns MLB’s best record at 61-34, but the club lost three consecutive games for the first time since May.
Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Pirates scored 10 runs in one inning during a 14-5 victory over Milwaukee, and Philadelphia pitcher Zack Wheeler struck out 10 as the Phillies shut out Detroit.
White Sox Select Roch Cholowsky No. 1
The Chicago White Sox used the first overall selection in the 2026 MLB Draft on shortstop Roch Cholowsky.
The draft’s first four rounds were held Saturday in Philadelphia, with 135 players selected during the opening day. The White Sox began the event by choosing Cholowsky, while the Philadelphia Phillies concluded the round-four portion by selecting pitcher Jaxon Jelkin with pick No. 135.
The draft provided another glimpse of baseball’s future during a weekend already built around the sport’s established stars.
NBA Summer League Continues in Las Vegas
NBA Summer League enters its fifth day Monday with eight games spread across the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion.
The early story of the tournament has been the performance of the 2026 rookie class. No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa scored 23 points with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks as Washington improved to 2-0. Keaton Wagler, the fifth overall selection, scored 23 points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 104-82 victory over Utah.
Monday’s most interesting matchup could be Atlanta against Boston. Both teams enter the game undefeated, and the contest will feature former St. John’s teammates Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell on opposite sides.
Monday’s NBA Summer League Schedule
All times are Central.
- Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks: 3 p.m., Prime Video
- Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers: 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
- Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics: 5 p.m., Prime Video
- Dallas Mavericks vs. Memphis Grizzlies: 6 p.m., ESPN
- Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: 7 p.m., Prime Video
- Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz: 8 p.m., ESPN
- Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks: 9 p.m., Prime Video
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Portland Trail Blazers: 10 p.m., ESPN2
For fans looking for one player to monitor, Memphis prospect Caleb Wilson deserves attention. Wilson scored 35 points in his Las Vegas debut, although the Grizzlies narrowly defeated Chicago 97-96.
Two WNBA Games Headline the Evening
The WNBA has two games scheduled Monday, beginning with the Los Angeles Sparks visiting the Atlanta Dream.
Los Angeles Sparks at Atlanta Dream
Tipoff: 6 p.m. Central
Location: Gateway Center Arena, College Park, Georgia
The Sparks begin a four-game road trip against an Atlanta team attempting to stabilize its season following a difficult stretch. Los Angeles enters the matchup at 10-11, while Atlanta is 13-10.
Phoenix Mercury at Minnesota Lynx
Tipoff: 8 p.m. Central
Streaming: Peacock and NBC Sports Network
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis
Minnesota enters the game at 17-6, while Phoenix comes in at 8-16. The Mercury are attempting to recover after suffering a 106-58 loss to the Las Vegas Aces over the weekend.
Minnesota owns one of the strongest records in the league and will be heavily favored at home, but Phoenix has an opportunity to reset after one of its most difficult performances of the season.
Sinner Defends His Wimbledon Championship
Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Wimbledon men’s singles title Sunday, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The victory gave the 24-year-old Italian his fifth Grand Slam championship and made him the 10th man in the professional era to win consecutive Wimbledon titles. Sinner also extended his winning streak against Zverev to 10 matches.
Zverev entered the final attempting to complete the rare French Open-Wimbledon double after winning his first major championship in Paris. He captured the opening set but lost momentum following a fall during the third set.
On the women’s side, Linda Noskova defeated fellow Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to capture her first Grand Slam championship. Noskova recovered after losing five consecutive games and failing to convert five championship points in the second set.
World Cup Takes a One-Day Pause
There are no FIFA World Cup matches Monday, but the tournament resumes Tuesday with two heavyweight semifinal matchups.
France will face Spain on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Central at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. France eliminated Morocco in the quarterfinals, while Spain advanced with a victory over Belgium.
England will meet Argentina on Wednesday at 2 p.m. Central at Atlanta Stadium. England reached the final four after defeating Norway, while Argentina advanced past Switzerland.
The potential final combinations are enormous: France against Argentina, Spain against England, a rematch involving France and Argentina, or another chapter in the growing rivalry between Spain and England.
Warriors Reportedly Adding Frank Vogel
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly hiring former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel as Steve Kerr’s associate head coach.
Vogel led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship and has a 480-422 career record as a head coach. He spent last season as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks after previously leading the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
The move gives Golden State another experienced defensive strategist following a 37-45 season that ended in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Games and Events to Watch Today
The Home Run Derby is Monday’s main attraction. The combination of Harper, Schwarber and a Philadelphia crowd should give the event a playoff atmosphere despite its exhibition format.
For basketball fans, Atlanta versus Boston offers an early look at two unbeaten Summer League teams, while Phoenix against Minnesota gives the Lynx an opportunity to strengthen their position near the top of the WNBA standings.
Monday may be the quiet day between the World Cup quarterfinals and semifinals, but the sports calendar still has plenty of thunder in its pockets.
Sources and Full Links
- MLB: Complete 2026 Home Run Derby Field
https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-complete-field-of-participants-set-for-2026-t-mobile-home-run-derby - MLB: Everything to Know About the 2026 Home Run Derby
https://www.mlb.com/news/when-is-mlb-home-run-derby-2026-bracket-channel-time-and-more - MLB: 2026 All-Star Week Schedule
https://www.mlb.com/all-star/schedule - Reuters: Red Sox Enter All-Star Break on Nine-Game Winning Streak
https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-red-sox-enter-all-star-break-9-game-winning-streak--flm-2026-07-13/ - MLB: 2026 Draft Day One Coverage
https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-mlb-draft-day-1-complete-coverage - NBA: Official 2026 Summer League Schedule
https://www.nba.com/2026-summer-league-vegas-schedule - ESPN: 2026 NBA Summer League Schedule
https://www.espn.com/nba-summer-league/schedule - NBA: Summer League Day Four Recap
https://www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-summer-league-live-blog - WNBA: Los Angeles Sparks at Atlanta Dream
https://www.wnba.com/game/las-vs-atl-1022600175 - Minnesota Lynx: How to Watch Mercury vs. Lynx
https://lynx.wnba.com/news/how-to-watch-minnesota-lynx-vs-phoenix-mercury-on-july-13-streaming-game-time-injury-report-jerseys - Reuters: Jannik Sinner Retains Wimbledon Championship
https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/sinner-beats-zverev-retain-wimbledon-title-after-marathon-battle-2026-07-12/ - Reuters: Linda Noskova Wins Wimbledon Championship
https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/im-taking-big-one-how-noskova-stared-down-heartbreak-win-wimbledon-2026-07-11/ - FIFA: France vs. Spain Semifinal Preview
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/france-v-spain-live-stream-team-news-tickets-and-more - FIFA: England vs. Argentina Semifinal Preview
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/england-v-argentina-live-stream-team-news-tickets-and-more - Reuters: Warriors Reportedly Hiring Frank Vogel
https://www.reuters.com/sports/warriors-hire-frank-vogel-associate-head-coach--flm-2026-07-13/