WINNINGS UPDATE: Congrats to the 1,680 DraftKings Sportsbook users that took Jose Altuve, Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker, or Victor Caratini in King of the Diamond parlays. Your reward? $1,191 in bonus bets!
UPDATE: 1:00 a.m. ET
With no other team coming close in the night games, the Astros end the slate as the highest scoring team with 18 runs.
Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, Christian Walker and Victor Caratini all hit homers for Houston on the evening, making them your Kings of the Diamond for the July 4th slate!
Update: 11:51 p.m. ET
It looks like we’re gonna have a winner in Los Angeles. The Houston Astros are at 18 runs in the ninth inning, and appear beyond catching. On the strength of a 10 run sixth inning, Houston will be our highest scorers of the night barring a miracle.
The Astros got home runs from Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, and Victor Caratini. Those four will be the winners of our contest. Right now, the Athletics have six runs in the bottom of the sixth, and the Royals have nine in the top of the eighth. It’s looking like the Fourth of July crown will go to the Astros.
Update: 11:00 p.m. ET
And just like that, we have a new leader on the board. The Houston Astros are dominating the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Home runs by Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, and this bomb by Christian Walker got them in striking distance.
That all led up to the sixth inning, where Victor Caratini broke things wide open.
Houston managed to add four more runs after that, with another home run by Jose Altuve putting them up 17-1.
Goodbye, Dodgers. Sayonara, Red Sox. The Houston Astros are now the leaders on the board with their quartet of home run hitters. However, their lead isn’t entirely secure. The Kansas City Royals have dialed up eight runs in four innings, and the Athletics have six runs in three innings. Appropriately, it will be a night of fireworks.
Update: 9:45 p.m. ET
As the early evening slate wraps up, our Cubs and Red Sox bettors are that much closer to their free bets. The Milwaukee Brewers remain our highest scorers in the night slate, picking up a 6-5 victory over the Miami Marlins. The rest of our early night slate has been low-scoring. But there is some promise from the beginning of the night slate.
Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes homered early for the Astros against the Dodgers. Houston has six runs in the early going. And the Kansas City Royals got off to a hot start in the desert, courtesy of a three-run first-inning shot by Vinnie Pasquantino.
We have a long way to go before the Cubs and Red Sox’s 11 runs can be challenged. But this night slate bears watching.
Update: 8:29 p.m. ET
There are six games underway in our afternoon slate. So far, the Milwaukee Brewers are the leaders in this slate with five runs in five innings.
However, right now, it doesn’t look like enough. It’s a steep task to ask for five more runs. Looking elsewhere on the evening scoreboard, none of the other teams seem like competitors for double-digit runs. If anyone starts piling up the runs, we will update everyone.
Update: 6:25 p.m. ET
As the midday slate winds down, it seems none of these six teams will catch the Red Sox and Cubs. The Mets wrapped up a 6-5 victory over the Yankees, the Mariners won 6-0 against the Pirates, and the Rays are locked in a low-scoring contest with the Twins.
It looks like we’ll have to wait for our night slate to kick off to see who can threaten the King of the Diamond crown. For now, sit tight.
Update: 5:15 p.m. ET
The Cubs made our Fourth of July slate into a banger. Already sitting on six home runs, they decided to pile things up on the Cardinals.
Not only did Michael Busch smack his third home run, but Dansby Swanson got on the board with a two-run shot. These were crucial home runs for our contest. It tied the Cubs with the Red Sox at 11 runs. In addition to Trevor Story, the lone Boston home run hitter, it adds FIVE Cubs to the top of the board: Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, Michael Busch, and Carson Kelly.
It creates one heck of a crowded field at the top. We have three games currently underway, and nine more in the afternoon window. We’ll see if there are more fireworks in store to upset the Cubs and Red Sox.
Update: 3:30 p.m. ET
Things are heating up at Citi Field. Juan Soto smacks a two-run shot against his old team, evening the score at 2-2:
Elsewhere, the Reds lead Philadelphia by a score of 9-6 in the seventh. However, Cincinnati has yet to hit a home run. The top challenger to the Red Sox is still Chicago with seven early scores.
Update: 3:18 p.m. ET
You wanted July 4th fireworks? You got ’em. One batter into the Subway Series, and the Yankees have already scored. Jasson Dominguez got the party started with a solo homer to left-center:
Immediately after, none other than Aaron Judge launches one. It’s #99’s 32nd dinger of the season, and New York now leads 2-0:
It’s early, but this star-studded matchup is one to watch going forward.
Update: 3:10 p.m. ET
PCA hits another homer! Crow-Armstrong launches an absolute moonshot to right field, pushing Chicago’s lead to 5-0.
But wait, we’re not done! Michael Busch tallies his second bomb of the afternoon, this time a two-run blast. It’s now 7-0 Cubs!
It’s only the third inning, and Chicago is already closing in on Boston’s high score of 11 runs.
Update: 2:48 p.m. ET
The Cubs. Won’t. Stop. Mashing. Minutes after Busch’s deep fly, Carson Kelly notches his tenth home run of the season:
For those counting at home, that’s now:
- Four home runs in five batters
- Two different times going back-to-back
- Only four outs recorded by St. Louis
This could be a long day for Miles Mikolas and the Cardinals…
Update: 2:40 p.m. ET
We’re barely underway in Chicago, but balls are already flying out of Wrigley Field. Seiya Suzuki got the Cubs on the board with a solo shot off of Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas:
One batter later, it’s Pete Crow-Armstrong with a homer of his own. That’s the outfielder’s 22nd dinger of the season, and it gives the Cubs an early 2-0 advantage over their arch-rivals:
The power doesn’t stop there. Chicago tacked on another run in the bottom of the third, this time off the bat of Michael Busch. Make it three solo shots in less than two innings of play!
There’s still a long way to go in this one, but it’s a nice start for the Cubbies.
Update: 2:20 p.m. ET
The Reds have responded well to Philadelphia’s early outburst. Cincinnati put together a five-run third inning to take a 6-3 lead. That includes a two-run double off the bat of Spencer Steer:
However, Cincy isn’t the only team that’s raking. The Phillies answered with a run in the bottom of the third, making this a 6-4 ballgame. Can either of these clubs supplant the Red Sox as Friday’s highest-scoring team?
Update: 1:38 p.m. ET
At last, we finally have a Red Sox homer. Trevor Story hammered a two-run shot in the top of the eighth, putting Boston up 11-1 over the Nationals:
However, the shortstop isn’t the only one getting in on the action. In Philadelphia, Nick Castellanos slugged a two-run blast of his own in the bottom of the first. The Phillies lead 3-0 over the Reds, but it’s still early. Can the Fightins surpass Boston’s 11-run output?
Update: 12:45 p.m. ET
There haven’t been any homers yet in Washington, but that hasn’t stopped the Red Sox. Boston is pouring it on, having scored nine runs in just five innings. The biggest hit so far? A two-run double off the bat of Jaren Duran. The outfielder already has three RBIs today.
If Boston fails to record a homer but scores the most runs of any team, today’s KOTD contest will treat the second-highest-scoring team as the highest-scoring for the purposes of determining who splits the jackpot. If the second-highest-scoring-team faces the same issues as the first, then the third-highest-scoring team will be treated as the highest-scoring, and so on.
Will any Red Sox hitters go deep in D.C.? Stay tuned…
How to Play King of the Diamond on DraftKings Sportsbook
King of the Diamond requires bettors to use a token on a pre-game parlay that must include a player to hit a home run. Same Game Parlays (SGP), SGPx and parlays are the eligible bet types. Whichever parlay form a bettor chooses must have 2-5 legs. There is not an odds minimum. Unless using a boosted token, the bet minimum is $5.
The King (or kings) of the Diamond is decided based on the highest scoring team of the slated night. For example, suppose the Los Angeles Dodgers are the highest scoring team, and Shohei Ohtani hits a home run. In that case, all bettors who entered Ohtani to hit a home run in their eligible parlay and opted in to the contest will share in a $1 million prize pool.
The player only needs to hit one home run to qualify for a share of the prize pool. For example, if another Dodger hit two home runs and the Dodgers are the high scorers of the night, Ohtani still qualifies as the King of the Diamond. If two or more teams tie for the highest scoring team, all batters on those teams who hit home runs would qualify. For more on tiebreaker scenarios and eligible bets, refer to this article.
King of the Diamond Slate Preview
Happy Fourth of July! To kick off the holiday weekend, DraftKings Sportsbook’s ‘King of the Diamond’ promotion is offering a whopping two million dollar prize pool! Learn how the contest works, how to get in on it, and track leaders right up until we crown our winner(s). Here are some of our favorite home run picks ahead of Friday’s 15-game MLB slate.
Teams to Watch on July 4th
Milwaukee Brewers
Few teams in baseball have been hotter than Milwaukee. The Brewers have a sparkling 8-4 record since June 20th. During that time, they’ve scored a league-leading 82 runs. Five different regulars are hitting above .300 in that stretch: Isaac Collins (.333), Sal Frelick (.340), Christian Yelich (.370), Brice Turang (.391), and Caleb Durbin (.400).
One of the names not mentioned, Joey Ortiz, has crushed four homers during his last seven games played. The infielder has +900 odds of going deep on Friday against Sandy Alcantara. Despite his reputation, the former Cy Young winner has been terrible for most of 2025. Through 16 starts, the right-hander owns a 6.98 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Toronto Blue Jays
Backing Canada’s team might not be the most patriotic choice, but it makes plenty of sense. The Blue Jays have surged to first place in the AL East following this week’s four-game sweep of the Yankees. Toronto has opted for more of a contact-oriented approach on offense this season. However, this group has clobbered 11 homers over their last five outings. That includes four dingers from George Springer, currently +285 to go yard tonight.
Toronto will hope to keep the good times rolling against an Angels team coughing up 4.85 runs per game, the seventh-highest mark in baseball. Los Angeles hasn’t announced an official starter, but it will likely be veteran Kyle Hendricks. The 35-year-old has been mediocre this season, notching a 4.66 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. In addition, he’s posted a career-worst 1.6 HR/9 ratio. Add it all up, and the Jays look poised for another high-scoring performance on Friday.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Without even mentioning their opponent, the Dodgers are a team to target for King of the Diamond. Los Angeles is pacing baseball with 5.61 runs per game, led by a lineup stocked with stars. During LA’s previous ten games, Shohei Ohtani has gone deep five different times. The three-time MVP is +170 to hit another homer tonight at Dodger Stadium. Another name to watch is Will Smith, who has slugged three dingers of his own during that time. Currently, the catcher has +390 odds at launching another on Friday.
Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. will be tasked with stopping Los Angeles. In this much-anticipated battle between World Series contenders, Houston is hoping the veteran gets back on track. So far, the righty has accounted for a 6.61 ERA and 1.66 WHIP. During McCullers Jr.’s last outing against the Cubs, he coughed up eight runs over 3.1 innings of work. Playing at home, don’t be shocked if the Dodgers end tonight’s Fourth of July slate with some fireworks.
Stay Tuned Here!
The King of the Diamond slate begins suuuuuper early with the Red Sox vs. Nationals game at 11:05 a.m ET. Check back here for updates throughout the July 4 slate!
Last King of the Diamond
Four Orioles players came out on top during last Friday’s King of the Diamond competition. Coby Mayo, Gunnar Henderson, Gary Sanchez and Jackson Holliday each went deep during Baltimore’s 22-run outburst vs. the Rays. That gave 2,245 players each a $446 bonus bet!
We’ll post updates here throughout this holiday Friday as the King of the Diamond race heats up!