Sports
Stephen Kolek hurls Royals to shutout win at Cardinals
May 17, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek (32) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images Stephen Kolek allowed four hits while pitching into the seventh inning, and Salvador Perez drove in both runs, highlighted by a solo homer, as the visiting Kansas City Royals snapped their six-game losing streak with Sunday’s 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Kolek (2-0) walked just one batter and struck out three over 6 1/3 strong innings to help the Royals end their extended slide and finish the 1-5 road trip on a needed positive note. Perez, meanwhile, had two of Kansas City’s nine hits and provided the only offense needed by the visitors.
Royals relievers Daniel Lynch IV and Lucas Erceg (11 saves) combined to allow one hit and a walk over 2 2/3 innings.
St. Louis’ Andre Pallante (4-4) was also solid while allowing eight hits, but only the two runs, one earned, and striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. The Cardinals, who entered on a three-game winning streak, were limited to five singles and did not bat with a runner in scoring position until the ninth.
Kansas City wasted no time opening the scoring. Maikel Garcia led off the game with a single up the middle, made it to third on Vinnie Pasquantino’s single coupled with right-fielder Victor Scott III’s throwing error and eventually came home via Perez’s fly out to left.
Perez put the Royals up by two in the fourth, when he led off the frame by sending Pallante’s knuckle-curve ball over the left-field fence.
Kansas City had an opportunity to add on when it loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the ninth. Then, Kyle Isbel, who recorded a pair of hits, struck out and Garcia bounced into a 5-3 double play to end the threat.
Erceg, though, stranded a runner on second when he got Nathan Church to end the contest on a ground out.
St. Louis shortstop Masyn Winn exited in the seventh inning with an apparent injury after beating out a potential double-play grounder.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers SS Corey Seager (back) to undergo MRI exam
May 13, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (5) throws out Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas (not pictured) to end the first inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Texas Rangers star shortstop Corey Seager was out of the lineup again on Sunday and was sent to get an MRI exam on his ailing back.
Seager’s back prevented him from playing in Saturday’s 4-1 loss against the host Houston Astros. He was held out of Friday’s game for rest and began having back pain Saturday morning.
Seager told reporters on Sunday that his back was still too locked up to play.
Earlier, he had lobbied Texas manager Skip Schumaker to put his name in the starting lineup.
“He was in here before I got here,” Schumaker said. “I got here early, and he was here before me trying to get in the lineup.”
Seager, 32, is batting just .179 this season and is hitless in a career-worst 27 consecutive at-bats. He has seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 42 games.
Seager is in his fifth season with Texas and was named World Series MVP in 2023 when the Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games. He was the runner-up for regular-season MVP honors behind Shohei Ohtani, then of the Los Angeles Angels.
Seager also was World Series MVP with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. He is a five-time All-Star.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ronda Rousey: ‘I respect you and I’m breaking your arm’
May 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Ronda Rousey (blue gloves) celebrates defeating Gina Carano (red gloves) after a women’s featherweight bout at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Ronda Rousey put a noteworthy capper on an incredible MMA career Saturday night when she forced Gina Carano into submission in 17 seconds.
On Sunday, Rousey, 39, revealed what she’d shared with Carano immediately prior to making short work of her in the ring.
“I told her, ‘I respect you and I’m breaking your arm,'” Rousey said. “No contradiction there. I was hoping to come out as unscathed as possible. I didn’t really want to hurt her. It was beautiful. It felt like the magic was back.”
Rousey, who announced her return to retirement following the win, took Carano down quickly, then evaded a Carano guillotine attempt before landing a few strikes from mount and locking in the inevitable submission.
Rousey-Carano capped off Netflix’s MMA debut, as Rousey, the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, and Carano, 44, each made their return to the sport following long retirements. Rousey won with her signature armbar in the featherweight fight at Inglewood, Calif., at Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA event.
It was the fourth victory in under 35 seconds for Rousey, who improved to 13-2-0 in MMA while securing her 10th submission win.
“There’s no way I could’ve ended it better than this,” Rousey added. “This is a storybook ending if this is the end of my book as a fighter. I never thought I would come back. It didn’t cross my mind at all. But getting back into it reminded me of the joy that it gave me from the very beginning.
“Gina brought me into this sport, and she brought me back to it. We both needed to reclaim our bodily identity and rewrite our own ending together. It lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I feel like I got the closure I needed.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
USMNT hopefuls Brenden Aaronson, Chris Richards have injury scares
Mar 31, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; United States forward Brenden Aaronson (11) controls the ball against Portugal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images United States attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson came away with left leg injury while playing for Leeds United on Sunday, although initial speculation is that the setback is not expected to jeopardize his World Cup status.
Prospective USMNT defender Chris Richards also went down with a injury Sunday when he rolled his left ankle while playing for Crystal Palace. The second-half substitute returned to the match after a minute on the sideline and played to its completion.
Aaronson, who is in excellent position to make the United States Men’s National Team for the second consecutive World Cup cycle, went to the ground in the 58th minute of Leeds’ Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 25-year-old Medford, N. J., native was clutching at his left leg as Leeds’ medical team came onto the pitch. He limped off the field and was replaced in an eventual 1-0 victory.
Richards, 26, is a native of Alabama who was in the FC Dallas development program before joining Bayern Munich’s academy in Germany in 2018. He played in Germany’s Bundesliga for two seasons before moving to Crystal Palace in 2022.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino will reveal his 26-player squad for this summer’s World Cup on May 26 at a public event in New York.
Aaronson tops Leeds with five assists and has added four goals, while playing a team-best 35 (of 37) matches this season.
Aaronson signed a five-year deal with Leeds in 2022. He was loaned to FC Union Berlin in the German Bundesliga in 2023-24 after Leeds was relegated, but returned to the West Yorkshire, England, club a year later.
Aaronson earned his first call-up to the USMNT in October 2019, made his debut with the team in 2020 and played in all three of the United States’ 2022 World Cup games.
Richards has 36 appearances with the USNMT since 2020, scoring three goals, but was not named to the United States’ 2022 World Cup roster. He has played in 33 Premier League games for Crystal Palace this season, scoring one goal.
–Field Level Media
Rangers SS Corey Seager (back) to undergo MRI exam
Ronda Rousey: ‘I respect you and I’m breaking your arm’
