Chiefs DE George Karlaftis to throw first pitch at Jac Caglianone's Kauffman Stadium debut
The Kansas City Chiefs will be well represented at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, June 10.
According to Matt Foster of KSHB 41 News, star defensive end George Karlaftis is set to throw out the first pitch at the Kansas City Royals' series opener against the New York Yankees.
Though the Royals and Yankees aren't typically considered rivals, Kansas City was defeated by New York in the American League Division Series of the 2024 MLB Postseason, so it wouldn't be a stretch to think that the teams may get chippy.
Tomorrow's game will be notable for Kansas City's fans because Royals rookie Jac Caglianone — one of MLB's most promising young sluggers — is set to make his home debut against New York in the evening matchup.
Karlaftis should be expected to bring a unique enthusiasm to the baseball diamond during his first pitch, and his raucous attitude is sure to be a benefit for Royals players when he cheers the team on from the grandstands.
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Washington Post
an hour ago
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Ichiro Suzuki zings Hall of Fame voter who kept him from unanimous election
Ichiro Suzuki's Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday was full of remarks about how grateful he was to those who helped him reach that point and to the fans who drove him to stay atop his craft through 19 MLB seasons. The longtime Seattle Mariners star also sprinkled in plenty of humor — including when he took a jab at the one Baseball Writers' Association of America voter who prevented him from unanimous election to Cooperstown. 'Three thousand hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers,' Suzuki said of two of his most notable accomplishments. 'Well, all but one of you. And by the way, the offer for that writer to have dinner at my home has now expired.' That was a reference to comments Suzuki made shortly after he was elected to the Hall of Fame in January. The results of that process showed the 10-time all-star was included on 393 of 394 ballots. That gave Suzuki a tie with Derek Jeter for the second-highest vote percentage in Hall of Fame history, but it still left Mariano Rivera, inducted in 2019, as the only unanimous selection since voting began nine decades ago. At a news conference in January, Suzuki said in remarks translated from the Japanese he spoke at the time: 'I was able to receive many votes from the writers, and I'm grateful for them. But there's one writer that I wasn't able to get a vote from. I would like to invite him over to my house, and we'll have a drink together and we'll have a good chat.' Apparently, that chat won't be happening. At least by remaining anonymous, though, the voter in question won't also be getting earfuls from Mariners fans and others frustrated by the resumption of the BBWAA's pre-Rivera habit of never voting in a player unanimously. That apparent tradition goes back to the Hall's first class, voted upon in 1936, when not even Babe Ruth — headlining a legendary quintet that also featured Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson — could muster 100 percent of the vote. In the decades that followed, all-time greats managing only to get above the 90 percent mark included titans such as Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Suzuki's celebrated former Mariners teammate, Ken Griffey Jr. The first Japan-born position player in MLB, Suzuki didn't arrive until he was 27 and had already collected 1,278 hits in Japan's top league. He proceeded to rack up 3,089 more hits in MLB, giving him a total of 4,367 as a professional. (By comparison, Pete Rose's 4,256 hits are the most in MLB history.) Playing in the majors until he was 45, primarily for the Mariners as well as in stints with the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins, Suzuki also set an MLB single-season record with 262 hits in 2004, and he earned two batting titles and 10 Gold Glove awards. In 2001, his first MLB season, he became just the second player to win rookie of the year and MVP honors in the same year; at 42 in 2016, he batted .291 over 365 plate appearances en route to a career average of .311. In 2017, according to a report from the BBWAA voted to make all its Hall of Fame ballots public, but Cooperstown officials rejected the plan. Writers are allowed to share their ballots on an individual basis. To get enshrined in the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA — players and other MLB figures can subsequently reach Cooperstown through smaller veterans committees — at least 75 percent of the vote is required. Also reaching that threshold this year were a pair of ex-pitchers in CC Sabathia (86.8 percent) and Billy Wagner (82.5 percent). During his speech, Suzuki thanked former members of the Yankees for being in attendance, then deadpanned, 'I know you guys are really here today for CC, but that's okay.' That was one of several one-liners Suzuki shared while delivering his speech in English. Early in his remarks, he told the crowd: 'I hope that I can hold the values of the Hall of Fame, but please — I am 51 years old now, so easy on the hazing. I don't need to wear a Hooters uniform again.' He ribbed the Marlins by claiming that when team officials phoned him to offer a contract in 2015, he had 'never heard' of the franchise. Suzuki also delivered an emphatic impression of longtime Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs. At another point, Suzuki told Cooperstown attendees: 'The truth is, without baseball you would say, 'This guy is such a dumba--.' I have bad teammates, right, Bob Costas?' He was referring to a years-ago interview with the veteran sportscaster, who was sent into peals of laughter after asking Suzuki for his favorite American expression. Suzuki, who tended to speak Japanese with an interpreter during media appearances, replied to Costas by lightheartedly blaming a 'bad teammate' for teaching him this string of English words: 'August in Kansas City, it's hotter than two rats in a f---ing wool sock.' (The expletive likely came after the word 'rats' in the original telling.) On Sunday, Suzuki saluted his wife, Yumiko, as 'the most consistent teammate I ever had.' He credited her with never showing any possible 'doubts' about his ability to play at the highest level in American baseball. 'Look at me — I'm 5-11 and 170 pounds,' Suzuki said. 'When I came to America, many people said I was too skinny to compete with bigger major leaguers. The first time I ran out on the field, I was in awe of the competition. 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Jake Burger will be back soon, too. The bullpen recently lost Chris Martin, but essentially replaced him when Jon Gray returned from the IL. Something tells me injury returns won't be the extent of the additions. My guess: a closer, a la Ryan Helsley, Jhoan Duran or a reunion with Pete Fairbanks. Advertisement • Mariners add bullpen help: Sometimes, you hear rumors through sources and reports. Other times, it comes straight from the horse's mouth. If Jerry Dipoto says the Mariners are going to be 'as aggressive as anyone' in adding back-end bullpen help, then I suspect they'll be making some calls. • Chicago Cubs acquire (at least) a starting pitcher: Initially, this section said Seth Lugo seemed like a good fit. But Sunday night, news broke that Lugo and the Royals had agreed on an extension. So now the Cubs will turn their attention to any number of other starters who should move this week. I'm not sure the Nats would trade MacKenzie Gore, but the Cubs would be psyched if that worked out. The short version: The Cubs will add a starter. No, really. • A.J. Preller does … something: He always does. And despite a cold stretch lately, the San Diego Padres still hold the No. 3 NL wild-card position. The trade deadline is prime Preller season, even if it's hard to guess what he'll do. • D-Backs trade Eugenio Suárez (and at least one starting pitcher): The Diamondbacks have the best bat on the market, giving them a chance to reshape their franchise. Throw in starters Merrill Kelly and/or Zac Gallen, and this deadline could be something they look back on for the next half decade or more. It's time to lean into the bidding war on Suárez, particularly given the number of contenders with third-base needs — hello, Mariners, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, Cubs … maybe even the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, given recent injuries? Heck, even the Toronto Blue Jays — who have Ernie Clement ensconced at the hot corner — could play Suárez at DH and move George Springer back to more regular outfield playing time. Speaking of third base … • Nolan Arenado headlines Cardinals sell-off: Yeah, yeah. Arenado has a no-trade clause — one that already scuttled an offseason deal to the Astros. When the Cardinals came out of the gate hot, that seemed like a blessing in disguise. But as St. Louis fades down the stretch, it might be time to revisit whether the eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover would accept a trade to a contender. As we've noted, there are a lot of potential fits. If not Arenado, there are still a load of veterans who could move this week. Advertisement • Nestor Cortes moved from the Milwaukee Brewers: As Ken Rosenthal reports here, the Brewers already have five starters — Freddy Peralta, Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, Jose Quintana and Jacob Misiorowski — having good years. 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Yes, they have a glut of relievers on the IL (who could have foreseen that, given their early-season workload?). And yes, May's performance seems to make him the odd man out. So sure, you could get fancy and trade May for a reliever. But given how fragile their starters have been, doesn't it make more sense to make May a bulk reliever? (They're already doing that with Bobby Miller.) I'm not saying it can't happen — May is a pending free agent, so if the contracts make sense, maybe another contender would give up a year or two of team control on a reliever to bring in May for the rest of the year. But barring that, it's probably best to keep him around for the next time a starter hits the IL. In the meantime, how about Joe Kelly or other (internal) options for bullpen help? Also, some manner of offensive upgrade seems likely. • Sandy Alcantara traded anywhere: He's one of the most-discussed names on the rumor mill this year. And his last start — Wednesday against the Padres — was seven innings with only one (unearned) run. But it's one start. He entered last night's action leading the league in earned runs (77). Given what his value would have been had he looked more like 2022 (when he won the NL Cy Young Award), I'm not sure the Miami Marlins should sell right now. He's under control through at least next year (and the Marlins have a team option for 2027), so unless Tuesday's start against the Cardinals is enough to convince some team to pay full price for the potential pony up, I can't see why Miami should sell low. • Boston Red Sox trade Jarren Duran: I could squint and see it two weeks ago. But after the injury to Marcelo Mayer, which will likely push Ceddanne Rafaela to the infield, Duran will be needed more in center field. Advertisement • Los Angeles Angels embrace roles as sellers: I mean, they should. There's absolutely no reason for them not to. But the Fightin' Arte Morenos have not shown much inclination to do this in the past, when it made equally as much sense. Stephen Nesbitt already wrote a very insightful article detailing the various directions the Pirates could go, so I don't need to get too in-depth here, other than to say: I think they're one of the more intriguing teams to watch over the next few days. One thing I do feel fairly confident about: Neither Paul Skenes nor Oneil Cruz will be traded, for similar-but-different reasons. For Skenes, I'm sure a package does hypothetically exist that could pry away the 23-year-old face of the franchise, but we're talking something along the lines of all six of the Detroit Tigers prospects on Keith Law's Top 100. That would be — if I may be blunt — very dumb. Skenes is a great pitcher, but he is only one pitcher, with only one arm that throws 100 mph, and no backup arm growing out of his back, should that one get injured. For Cruz, it's less about what he is, and more about what he isn't … yet. Yes, he's a Statcast monster. But there are still enough holes in his game — both at the plate and in the field — that I don't think he is a fully known 'asset' right now. The Pirates could give up on him, but with three years of team control remaining, it just doesn't make sense for them to do that now. Get back to me in 2027, though. (Top photo of Ryan McMahon: Al Bello / Getty Images)
