Greetings everyone, and welcome to a Fourth of July weekend edition of ATH! I hope you enjoyed a terrific holiday full of family, fun, fireworks, and cold beer! Hopefully you worked some baseball in there too, as we had a good slate of games on the card. It feels so right that we get spoiled with good games and historic moments on this day as it is baseball holiday. Without a further ado, let’s go around the horn.

First Base

Northside Fireworks Display: If you went to Wrigley Field Saturday, not were you treated to seeing the historic park dressed up in its 4th of July finest, you also got to witness history. The highlight of this 11-3 beat down of the rival Cardinals was a Cubs record eight homer display! Several of their big bats, including breakout star Pete Crow Armstrong got in on the act, to help Chicago improve to 53-35 on the year. That mark is good enough for a four game lead over the Brewers in the Central, and just a game behind the Dodgers for the NL’s best record.

Second Base

Crone Zone Walkoff: Staying in the National League, let’s talk Padres, who continue to battle to stay in the playoff hunt. The Friars are kicking off a big week at home heading into the All Star Break, one that may determine if they buy or sell at the deadline. They started a three game set with the scuffling Rangers on the 4th and found a way to win it late thanks for Jake Cronenworth. His walkoff single improved SD’s record to 47-40 on the year, keeping them tied with the Giants for the last NL playoff spot. So much has gone into this era of Padres baseball, yet they have come up short time and again, which means even more is riding on this home-stand ahead the deadline.

Third Base

Jays Flying High: There is hot and then there are the Blue Jays! Toronto has won six in a row, and are 8-2 in their last ten, a stretch that saw them pass the division rival Yankees for the AL East lead. The highlight of that stretch was a series sweep of the Yanks, where they looked like the hungrier, better ball club, and then they followed it up with a 7/4 Walkoff in the tenth over the Angels. They’re 50-38 overall and look like they are for real in this race!

Home Plate

Kershaw’s Krowning Moment: History was made Thursday night at Chavez Ravine, as Clayton Kershaw picked up 3,000th strikeout. While his career has been full of amazing moments, this one is extra special as he joins elite company with it. He will not be mentioned alongside Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver and many more legends. It’s been an amazing run and it’s not over yet for number 22!

Stay tuned for more MLB coverage in the days ahead, as well as the start of our college football preview podcast episodes! It’s a slow time in sports but busy a time at The Breakdown! On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.