Sports
Stars Bobby Witt Jr., Tarik Skubal collide as Royals clash with Tigers
Sep 17, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Kansas City Royals look to their “special” talent — Bobby Witt Jr. — as they hope to avoid a sweep by the visiting Detroit Tigers.
The Royals (82-70) are clinging to the second wild card in the American League. The Tigers (79-73) trail Kansas City by three games and the Minnesota Twins by 1 1/2 for the final wild-card spot.
During his strong season, Witt’s baserunning is sometimes overlooked. While he leads the majors with a .331 average and ranks among the leaders in home runs (32), extra-base hits (86), runs (123) and RBIs (108), he also ranks high in stolen bases (30).
“Just trying to get an extra 90 feet,” Witt said. “I want to get into better scoring position for the guys behind me. Just trying to get to the next base, trying to score, by whatever way.”
Witt stole his 30th base of the season in the first inning on Tuesday, becoming the first shortstop in major league history with two seasons of 30 homers and 30 steals. He hit 30 home runs and stole 49 bases last year.
“He’s the best player in baseball,” left-hander Cole Ragans said of Witt. “He’s incredible, a special talent, a special human being. It’s a joy to get to watch every single day.”
Following Tuesday’s 3-1 loss, a somber Witt acknowledged the milestone but was ready to move on.
“It’s pretty special anytime you get to be the first, but that’s over now,” he said. “On to tomorrow. Anytime you lose it’s frustrating. We didn’t come this far just to come this far.”
“Anytime you’re doing something in the history of the game for the first time ever, is remarkable,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I would guarantee he would trade that 30-30 for a win tonight and that’s another reason he’s so special.”
The Royals got some good news ahead of Tuesday’s 3-1 loss in 10 innings regarding right-handers James McArthur and Michael Lorenzen.
McArthur suffered a right elbow sprain in Monday’s 7-6 setback to Detroit, exiting in the middle of a seventh-inning at-bat.
“He’s got a grade one UCL sprain, which is probably the best news we could have hoped for,” Quatraro said. “We’re going to shut him down five to seven days, just depending on how he feels. We’re very hopeful that it’s not a season-ending injury.”
Lorenzen, who has been sidelined with a left hamstring strain, had a throwing session Tuesday.
“Assuming everything goes smoothly today with him playing catch, we have him scheduled for a live BP on Saturday,” Quatraro said.
Kansas City right-hander Alec Marsh (8-8, 4.52 ERA) will oppose Detroit lefty Tarik Skubal (16-4, 2.50) in Wednesday’s series finale.
Marsh won his only previous start against Detroit, allowing three runs on five hits in six innings on May 21.
AL Cy Young candidate Skubal is 2-9 with a 5.05 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) against Kansas City. His latest loss of the season came at the hands of the Royals on Aug. 2, allowing five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Detroit’s bullpen was stellar in the two series wins, shutting out Kansas City after the fifth inning on Monday and holding the Royals hitless after Tommy Pham’s one-out single in the fifth.
Pitching in his third straight game, Jason Foley recorded his 25th save Tuesday. He has converted 10 straight save opportunities.
“Everyone’s done a hell of a job lately, especially with how much (everyone is) having to throw,” Foley said. “They’ve relied on us a lot. We’ve done a great job.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
NBA Finals ticket prices continue to plunge ahead of Game 4
Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2026. Ticket prices for NBA Finals games continue to plummet with the get-in price ahead of Game 4 between the Knicks and San Antpnio Spurs dropping to $3,898 hours before the Wednesday night contest at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The get-in cost for the Knicks’ second home game of the series had skyrocketed to nearly $13,500 before New York’s loss in Game 3 on Monday. But the defeat means the Knicks can no longer sweep the series, which will extend to at least Game 5 in San Antonio.
That led to a drop in Game 4 get-in prices to $4,025 by Tuesday. The trend continued on Wednesday with the three-day average for the game now down 66% to $3,898, according to ticket tracking service TicketData.
And for the first time in the series, the three-day average for all remaining potential games have seen a decline — and now all are in double-digit decreases.
NBA FINALS GET-IN PRICES*
Game 4 — New York: $3,898 (down 66% past three days)
Game 5 — San Antonio: $1,414 (down 24%)
Game 6 — New York: $9,262 (down 19%)
Game 7 — San Antonio: $3,549 (down 18%)
*Source: TicketData
The soonest the Knicks could clinch their first NBA title in more than a half century is Game 5, which has the lowest get-in price among the remaining potential games. Should the series return to New York for Game 6, the get-in price has dropped below $10,000 for the first time since New York won Game 1 in San Antonio, but still remains by far the most expensive at $9,262.
For comparison, the past two Super Bowls had day-of-game get-in prices of $2,002 in 2025 and $3,251 this year. The average Super Bowl get-in price since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic has been $3,914, according to TicketData.
Outside of the World Cup and the Stanley Cup Final, the next-most expensive sporting event through the end of the year currently is UFC 329. The card featuring the return of Conor McGregor against Max Holloway currently has a get-in price of $1,369 and is set for July 11 in Las Vegas.
The Knicks opened the series as significant underdogs, but flipped to -140 favorites at BetMGM following their Game 1 victory. Now ahead 2-1 with up to two more games at home, New York is still the -185 favorite compared to San Antonio at +155.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Drew Rasmussen dominates as Rays finish sweep of Red Sox
Jun 10, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Taylor Walls (6) throws to first base against Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin (5) during the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Drew Rasmussen struck out a career-high 13 batters over seven scoreless innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays held on for a 7-5, series-sweeping win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon.
Rasmussen (6-2) allowed just two hits in the dominant outing. He struck out the side in order twice and did so again while working around a walk in his final frame. It marked the second straight outing in which Rasmussen threw seven shutout innings.
Nick Fortes went 4-for-4 with three runs scored to lead the Rays, including back-to-back doubles in his first two at-bats. Yandy Diaz added a 3-for-5 showing with one run scored and two RBIs.
After Ceddanne Rafaela’s three-run home run brought Boston within 5-4 in the top of the eighth, Cedric Mullins provided insurance for the Rays with a two-run shot out to right-center field.
Caleb Durbin accounted for half of Boston’s hits, going 3-for-4 with solo homers in the eighth and ninth innings.
Rasmussen mowed down the Red Sox in the early going, striking out the side in order twice while facing the minimum through the first four innings.
After Boston counterpart Jake Bennett (1-2) fanned three of his first six batters, the Rays manufactured the opening run after Fortes hit a leadoff double just off the top of the left-center field wall in the third. Fortes advanced to third on Mullins’ sacrifice bunt and scored on a Taylor Walls sacrifice fly.
The Rays knocked around Bennett for four hits in five batters to begin the fifth, upping their lead to 4-0. Fortes sparked the inning with a second opening double before back-to-back singles by Taylor Walls and Yandy Diaz plated another run.
Austin Slater’s RBI double made it 3-0, as his line drive up the middle deflected off Bennett and into a vacated hole between shortstop and third base. Two batters later, Ryan Vilade added a sacrifice fly.
Bennett was charged with four runs on seven hits through the first five innings.
In the sixth, Diaz’s second run-scoring single in as many innings brought home the fifth Tampa Bay run. Fortes started the frame with a one-out single before Wells’ single moved him up to third.
Durbin greeted Tampa Bay reliever Cole Sulser rudely to begin the eighth, depositing a leadoff solo homer down the line in left. After Isiah Kiner-Falefa walked and Jarren Duran singled off Steven Matz, Rafaela crushed a three-run homer out to left-center two batters later.
The Mullins homer proved to be key, as Durbin knocked out a two-out solo shot to deep left in Boston’s ninth, but Garrett Cleavinger finalized the save with the final two outs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yanks' Carlos Rodon continues success vs. Guardians in sweep
Jun 10, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (12) scores around the tag of Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) during the sixth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Jazz Chisholm Jr. had a two-run triple and three RBIs and Trent Grisham scored three times as the visiting New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians with a 8-4 victory on Wednesday afternoon.
The Yankees are 10-4 since May 24 and have the second-best record in the American League, a few percentage points behind the Tampa Bay Rays.
Grisham tripled and provided the go-ahead run on Jose Caballero’s sacrifice fly in the sixth inning, when the Yankees scored three times to go up 6-3. Anthony Volpe and Paul Goldschmidt added RBI hits in chasing Guardians starter Parker Messick (6-3).
New York blew the game open in the seventh, making it 8-3 on Caballero’s single that scored Grisham and Chisholm’s RBI fielder’s choice.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodon (2-2) improved his strong career numbers against Cleveland, striking out seven over six innings. The left-hander allowed three runs on four hits with three walks, improving to 11-5 with a 2.62 ERA in 25 appearances (23 starts).
Messick gave up a career-high five runs (four earned) on five hits over 5 2/3 innings. The lefty struck out four and walked three in losing consecutive starts for the first time in his two-year career.
New York outscored the Guardians 18-11 during the series, posting its first sweep of Cleveland since April 22-24, 2022.
Leadoff hitter Angel Martinez homered on Rodon’s second pitch in the first, but New York answered with three runs in the second. Grisham and Caballero each singled and scored on Chisholm’s triple off the wall.
Chisholm scored one batter later when Travis Bazzana fumbled Volpe’s grounder into the outfield. Messick also committed a throwing error in the inning.
Cleveland scored twice in the fourth to tie it at 3-all, taking advantage of back-to-back walks to Bazzana and Stuart Fairchild. Austin Hedges doubled in Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio’s sacrifice fly brought home Fairchild.
Hedges had a second RBI double in the ninth off Ryan Yarbrough, resulting in the Yankees getting closer David Bednar warmed up. Yarbrough retired the next two hitters to end the game.
The Yankees resume their six-game road trip Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, while the Guardians continue their six-game homestand with the Detroit Tigers in town Friday.
–Field Level Media
