Sports
2024 ALDS Predictions: Get Ready For Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees ALCS
Back in spring training, if someone had told you that three of the final four teams in the American League playoffs would all come from the same division, which division would you have guessed?
The AL East probably would have been the most popular choice. The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles were primed for great seasons; one team among the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays could have found a way to sneak into October.
Or maybe your mind would have traveled to the other side of the country and considered the AL West. After all, the Texas Rangers were the reigning World Series champions, the Houston Astros were strong, and the Seattle Mariners boasted a terrific starting rotation.
Would anyone have guessed the AL Central?
Sure, the Cleveland Guardians, that was feasible.
But the Kansas City Royals? The Detroit Tigers?
Leave it to the wild cards to create a wild postseason in the AL. The Royals and their emerging superstar, Bobby Witt Jr., will try to play spoiler against the heavily favored New York Yankees. In the other ALDS matchup, the Detroit Tigers will face a familiar foe in the division champion Guardians.
Which teams will advance to the ALCS? As the past month has proved, anything can happen.
Series No. 1: Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees
It’s safe to say that many casual baseball fans will be cheering for Kansas City, a heavy underdog whom few expected to make noise this season. It was just last year that the Royals went 56-106 and finished dead last in the division. Because of their unlikely success, the Royals have something working in their favor: zero pressure to win this series. Nobody thought they would be here. They can play loose and free.
That said, the Yankees are favored for a reason. They posted a 94-68 record and held off the Orioles for the division title, and they scored the third-most runs (815) of any team in baseball. By comparison, the Royals finished No. 13 in the big leagues with 735 runs.
A huge reason for the Yankees’ success on offense is Aaron Judge. The 9-foot-4, 576-pound (approximately) slugger hit .322 this season with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs and a mammoth .701 slugging percentage (these are real numbers this time, not approximate!). Teammate Juan Soto looked like an underachiever in comparison, even though he hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs.
Yes, the Royals have a little magic on their side. And Vinnie Pasquantino. But this is where their story ends, and there is no shame in falling short against the big hitters from the Big Apple.
Prediction: Yankees in 4
Series No. 2: Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
Do you remember those old parody videos that were meant to sarcastically promote Cleveland tourism? They always ended with the punchline, “We’re not Detroit!”
Those videos are still funny, by the way. Definitely worth going down a YouTube rabbit hole to find.
Anyway, the punchline does not land the same way that it might have in the past. That’s especially true when it comes to baseball, where the Tigers are a year ahead of schedule and might have more positive momentum than any team remaining in the playoffs.
On Sept. 6, the Tigers were 71-71, and the postseason seemed like more of a goal for 2025. But Detroit won 15 of the next 18 games to punch a ticket to the playoffs, and then A.J. “Clinch” took his team down to Houston and promptly knocked out the Astros on their home field in the wild-card round.
The Guardians are good, and it’s fair to point out that they won the AL Central by 6 1/2 games over Detroit and Kansas City. Jose Ramirez is a terrific hitter coming off a 39-homer campaign, Josh Naylor added 31 bombs, and Tanner Bibee and Ben Lively turned in solid seasons on the mound.
However, the Tigers’ recent surge is too strong to overlook.
Sorry, Cleveland, but you’re not Detroit.
Prediction: Tigers in 5
Sports
Jackson Koivun, 21, tops Scottie Scheffler at 3M Open for first title
Jul 25, 2026; Blaine, Minnesota, USA; With ball in hand Jackson Koivun acknowledges applause from the gallery for scoring eagle on hole 18, which made him leader in the clubhouse at -20 after the third round of the 3M Open golf tournament at TPC Twin Cities. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Rookie Jackson Koivun shot 5-under-par 66 to stave off hard-charging Scottie Scheffler and win on the PGA Tour for the first time at the 3M Open on Sunday at Blaine, Minn.
Koivun, 21, finished at 25-under 259 for a three-shot victory on Scheffler, who closed with a 63 at TPC Twin Cities.
Less than two months ago, Koivun was helping Auburn to its second NCAA championship in a three-year stretch. He demonstrated more poise while playing the final two rounds of his third tournament since turning pro without carding a bogey.
Denny McCarthy (66), Brian Harman (65), Chandler Phillips (67) and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (64) tied for third place at 20 under.
World No. 1 Scheffler birdied three consecutive holes to begin the back nine as part of his bogey-free round. He birdied Nos. 16 and 18, leaving him trailing by two strokes.
Koivun then birdied No. 16, extending the margin to three strokes with two holes to play.
Koivun, a three-time Player of the Year in the Southeastern Conference, surged into the lead across the final nine holes Saturday and then went right to work Sunday, with his approach shot on the first hole spinning back to within 2 feet of the cup for an easy birdie putt. A birdie on No. 4 pushed his lead to five strokes, with Scheffler among five golfers tied for second place at the time.
Jake Knapp shot an early 62 to rise quickly on the leaderboard and finish at 16 under, tying for 13th.
Defending champion Kurt Kitayama (68) finished tied for 24th at 13 under.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Drew Rasmussen, Rays one-hit Guardians to complete series sweep
Jul 26, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen (57) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Drew Rasmussen allowed one hit over seven shutout innings while Chandler Simpson manufactured the game’s lone run as the Tampa Bay Rays completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 1-0 win Sunday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Rasmussen (9-5) walked one and struck out nine. Garrett Cleavinger pitched a scoreless eighth inning before Bryan Baker worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his 28th save.
Simpson had two hits for Tampa Bay, which won for the sixth time in its last seven games and has the American League’s best record at 62-43.
Cleveland was held to one hit and lost its fifth straight game. The Guardians were shut out for the second consecutive game and eighth time this season.
Parker Messick (8-6) was a hard-luck loser after giving up one run on six hits over 7 2/3 innings. He struck out six with zero walks.
The Guardians went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and have scored a total of four runs in their last four games.
Tampa Bay broke the scoreless tie with a run in the fifth inning. Simpson hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a wild pitch and then to third on Ben Williamson’s groundout before scoring on Cedric Mullins’ bunt single.
Rasmussen settled in quickly after yielding Steven Kwan’s double to begin the game. He struck out four of the next six batters and retired the last 12 batters he faced.
Cleavinger replaced Rasmussen to begin the eighth inning and recorded three outs with a strikeout on 11 pitches.
Messick retired the first seven batters he faced before Nick Fortes doubled with one out in the third inning. Fortes moved to third on Richie Palacios’ groundout, but he was stranded when Yandy Diaz lined out to first.
Tampa Bay put two runners on with one out in the seventh inning, but Messick struck out Mullins and Fortes to escape unscathed.
Baker completed the Rays’ eighth shutout of the season in the ninth by striking out Brayan Rocchio with a runner at first for his second save in as many days.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Baseball Hall of Fame worth the wait for three '26 inductees
Jul 26, 2026; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame Inductee Jeff Kent and Hall of Fame Inductee Andruw Jones and Hall of Fame Inductee Carlos Beltran pose for a photo with their Baseball Hall of Fame Plaques during the National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Few Baseball Hall of Famers have waited longer than Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent to feel like rookies one more time.
“This is the closest thing to my first at-bat in the big leagues,” Beltran said as he opened his speech Sunday afternoon. “Where I feel excited to be here, but at the same time, I feel very nervous.”
It’s finally time to relax for Beltran, Jones and Kent, whose collective patience was rewarded when they were officially enshrined in front of an estimated crowd of 12,000 on a sun-splashed day at the Clark Sports Center in this bucolic upstate town.
A record 60 living Hall of Famers attended the ceremony, with the 57 already inducted sitting on the stage behind the trio of new inductees, who increase the Hall’s membership to 354 people.
Beltran was elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America in his fourth year on the ballot while Jones earned enshrinement in his ninth year of eligibility.
“This is a day we’re not going to forget,” Jones said. “I feel like a rookie today.”
Kent, who never received more than 46.5% of the vote during his 10 years on the writers’ ballot from 2014 through 2023, was elected by the contemporary baseball era committee last December.
“Johnny Bench, he told it to me this morning before we got on the bus that ‘You belong, you belong,'” Kent said. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”
The trio delivered speeches touching on the international flavor of the day and the long paths they took to baseball immortality.
Kent, a 20th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays out of Cal in 1989, hit 351 of his 377 homers while playing second base, the most ever by someone at that position. He recalled growing up racing motorcycles as a teenager before his dad offered to buy him a pickup truck if he earned a college scholarship to play baseball.
“That truck is still with me. It sits in my garage as a simple reminder that some of the simplest things …” Kent said before pausing. “The simplest things can change the entire direction of your life.”
Kent hit .274 with 78 homers and a .777 OPS for the Blue Jays, New York Mets and Cleveland from 1992 through 1996 before emerging as a star with the San Francisco Giants. The infielder hit .297 with 175 homers and a .903 OPS and won the 2000 National League Most Valuable Player award during his six seasons in the Bay Area.
“San Francisco was home,” Kent said. “San Francisco was where every lesson I’ve learned finally came together.”
Jones, who signed with the Atlanta Braves out of Curacao for $46,000 as a 16-year-old in 1993, mentioned his 16 fellow Curacao natives who have reached the majors as the first player from Curacao to make the Hall of Fame.
Jones’ .254 average is the second-lowest of any Hall of Fame position player while his 1,933 hits are the fewest for a Hall of Famer who began his career after 1970. But the election of Jones — who averaged 33 homers and over 100 RBIs per season while winning 10 Gold Gloves over 12 seasons with the Braves from 1996-2007 — symbolizes the growing emphasis on rewarding a player’s peak instead of his longevity.
He is the eighth member of the Braves’ NL East dynasty to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining former teammates Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Greg Maddux, Fred McGriff and John Smoltz as well as executive John Schuerholz and manager Bobby Cox.
“Hitting home runs is great but I took a lot of pride in my defense, because that was winning games,” Jones said. “And the Braves won a lot of games because of pitching and defense.”
Beltran, a second-round pick of the Kansas City Royals in 1995, took the stage to chants of “Puerto Rico!” in honor of his native country. The 49-year-old pulled a Puerto Rican flag from his jacket pocket early in his speech.
Beltran ranks fourth amongst switch-hitters with 435 home runs, behind Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle. Eddie Murray and Chipper Jones. He is also one of just three centerfielders with at least 400 homers and 300 stolen bases along with Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Andre Dawson.
The four-year Hall of Fame wait was likely due to Beltran’s role as the lone active player named in the report on the sign-stealing 2017 Houston Astros, which cost him his job as the New York Mets manager before he skippered a game in 2020.
Beltran entered the Hall sporting a Mets hat on his plaque. He hit .280 with 149 homers, 559 RBIs, 100 stolen bases and three Gold Gloves in 6.5 seasons with the club, with whom he is a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns.
“Every organization shapes your career — New York shaped my life,” Beltran said. “The Mets cap, what it represents to me is growth and it represents the place where I became the best version of myself.”
The leading newcomer on next year’s ballot is Buster Posey, who hit .302 and won an MVP while helping the Giants to three championships during his 12-year career. Chase Utley, who received 59.1% of the vote in his third year on the ballot, is the top returnee.
Former Giants managers Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy are also strong candidates to be elected via the contemporary baseball era non-players committee, which is slated to meet in December.
–Jerry Beach, Field Level Media
