{"id":759078,"date":"2026-07-23T05:09:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/759078\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T05:09:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T05:09:38","slug":"baseball-h-fs-mikey-watson-stars-in-double-duty-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/759078\/","title":{"rendered":"Baseball: H-F’s Mikey Watson stars in Double Duty Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homewood-Flossmoor shortstop Mikey Watson<\/a> received the first shot at glory.<\/p>\n

Playing under the bright lights on the biggest stage at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, Watson definitely wasn\u2019t going to pass up the opportunity to create his own brand of magic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take pride in my game being the spark plug for the team,\u201d said Watson, a rising senior for the Vikings who is an Illinois-Chicago recruit. \u201cI want to help the team out as much as I could.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting the dugout fired up and the momentum started in our favor was really huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homewood-Flossmoor'sHomewood-Flossmoor’s Mikey Watson (9) connects on a triple for the East All-Stars against the West during the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson \/ Daily Southtown)<\/p>\n

Watson came up huge Wednesday night with a leadoff triple and scored the first run, leading the East All-Stars to a 9-2 win over the West All-Stars in the prestigious Double Duty Classic.<\/p>\n

Watson and Marian Catholic\u2019s Jazarris Mackmore<\/a>, who\u2019s also a rising senior, shared the Minnie Minoso Award as the game\u2019s co-MVPs. Mackmore had three hits, including a two-run double.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing together for at least four years now and we\u2019ve known each other since kindergarten,\u201d Mackmore said of Watson.\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s just a goofy guy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s somebody who likes to run, really hits the ball hard and does everything out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homewood-Flossmoor'sHomewood-Flossmoor’s Mikey Watson (9) rounds second baes on a triple for the East All-Stars against the West during the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson \/ Daily Southtown)<\/p>\n

West Aurora\u2019s Oscar Alexander Jr.<\/a> drove Watson home with a double in the first inning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just met him this week but it was great to hit behind him,\u201d Alexander said of Watson. \u201cHe brought a lot of energy to the team. He\u2019s a very good player, quick, fast and very smooth in the infield.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watson finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases. His opposite-field blast set a dominant tone for the East.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was definitely fired up and excited about batting leadoff, especially this being my first time on a big-league field,\u201d Watson said. \u201cIt also brought nerves, but we had the chance to hit and field before the game.<\/p>\n

\"Homewood-Flossmoor'sHomewood-Flossmoor’s Mikey Watson (9) celebrates an inning-ending double play for the East All-Stars during the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson \/ Daily Southtown)<\/p>\n

\u201cI was feeling good and wanted to make sure I was doing all the right things.\u201d<\/p>\n

The smooth-fielding Watson also initiated three double plays.\u00a0He demonstrated ease and command in the infield, always under control and anticipating the flow of the game.<\/p>\n

The moment underscored his versatility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to take pride in my defense,\u201d Watson said. \u201cI want people to realize that I\u2019m also a defender. I like to use my speed to save or win games and help us any way.\u201d<\/p>\n

After playing baseball and basketball his first two years at Brother Rice, Watson transferred to Homewood-Flossmoor at the start of his junior year.<\/p>\n

Change is never easy or simple, but he seized the opportunity, and helped the Vikings (20-15) post a winning record this spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was two different environments, two different cultures,\u201d he said. \u201cMaking the move to H-F, making it my team, allowing me to be the leader, I think it really helped me find my voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like it helped me determine whether we won games or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Homewood-Flossmoor'sHomewood-Flossmoor’s Mikey Watson (9) reacts after hitting a triple for the East All-Stars against the West during the Double Duty Classic at Rate Field in Chicago on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (Vincent D. Johnson \/ Daily Southtown)<\/p>\n

Watson\u2019s game is predicated on speed, movement and rhythm. His defensive prowess is one part. As H-F\u2019s leadoff hitter, he looked to optimize every chance up to make something happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to put pressure on defenses and force them to make plays,\u201d Watson said. \u201cI just want to be that leader and make spectacular plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

The game has been a central part of Watson\u2019s life since he was 4 years old playing T-ball in South Holland. He\u2019s the oldest of three boys. His natural impulse is to be out front and take charge.<\/p>\n

The charged atmosphere at Rate Field only deepened the pleasure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of these guys and sharing the field with them meant so much to me,\u201d Watson said. \u201dThey\u2019re like my family and I love playing with them.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Wednesday night) was like a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Homewood-Flossmoor shortstop Mikey Watson received the first shot at glory. Playing under the bright lights on the biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":759079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2379],"tags":[5,138,49,2561,9604,30645,3263,1358,4,396,2562],"class_list":["post-759078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-white-sox","tag-baseball","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-chicagowhitesox","tag-daily-southtown","tag-daily-southtown-sports","tag-high-school-sports","tag-local-news","tag-mlb","tag-white-sox","tag-whitesox"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116967569147473050","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/759078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=759078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/759078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/759079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=759078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=759078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=759078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}