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AL Division Series storylines: Historic rivalries and new challengers
The American League Division Series is set, featuring storied franchises and surprising contenders vying for a spot in the ALCS. These matchups pit the Yankees' power against the Royals' grit while the surging Tigers challenge the steady Guardians.
With historic rivalries renewed and first-time playoff meetings, let's examine the key storylines for each series.
Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees
Reviving a classic rivalry
This series revives the rivalry from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Royals and Yankees met four times in the AL Championship Series, with the Yankees winning three ('76-'78) and the Royals breaking through in 1980.
ALDS matchup set!
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2024
The Royals and Yankees will meet in the #Postseason for the first time since 1980. pic.twitter.com/TZ8L9fLo0v
Bobby Witt Jr. versus Aaron Judge
A clash of generations unfolds as the Royals' Witt squares off against the Yankees' Judge. Both are likely to finish 1-2 in MVP voting, with Judge leading MLB in seven offensive categories and Witt emerging as one of the game's best all-around players.
Judge is under pressure to deliver for the Yankees, while Witt aims to maintain his .367 batting average against them this season.
Can the Royals find a power source?
The Royals' offense struggled mightily in September: 30th in slugging percentage, tied for 30th in home runs, 30th in OPS, and 30th in runs scored.
Kansas City must rely on more than just Witt to keep pace with the Yankees' lineup (4th in SLG in 2024).
Keep an eye on catcher Salvador Perez as a potential X-factor for the Royals.
How will the Yankees piece together their pitching?
The Yankees will lean on right-hander Gerrit Cole in Game 1, followed by left-hander Carlos Rodon making his playoff debut in pinstripes for Game 2.
Game 3 remains uncertain, with Luis Gil or Clarke Schmidt as potential starters. Both could also see relief action in the first two games.
The bullpen situation remains fluid, with Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle likely seeing high-leverage innings over the struggling Clay Holmes.
Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
The Tigers and Guardians are set to make MLB history on Saturday as the AL Central rivals face each other in the postseason for the first time.
Tarik Skubal versus Jose Ramirez
Left-hander Tarik Skubal's performance in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series (6 IP, 4 H, 73% strikes) sets a high bar for the Tigers' rotation.
He'll need to be at his best to counter Cleveland's third baseman Jose Ramirez, who fell shy of a 40/40 season and closed out the regular season on a tear.
How will the Guardians use their historically good bullpen?
Cleveland's bullpen strategy will be crucial, boasting the fourth-best ERA of any relief corps since 1995.
Rookie Cade Smith will likely handle the first high-leverage situation, with Hunter Gaddis owning the eighth inning. All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase will lock down the ninth.
Emmanuel Clase allowed a total of only 5 earned runs all season long. It's completely ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/bya7B0GdCh
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 2, 2024
With off-days between Games 1, 2, and 3, expect manager Steven Vogt to deploy his relievers aggressively.
What will give: the Tigers' magic or the Guardians' steady presence?
The contrast in styles is stark. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch embraces "pitching chaos" with the youngest roster in MLB.
Detroit enters as baseball's hottest team, riding a 17-8 August record to a 39-26 second-half surge that secured their wild-card berth. After sweeping the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series, they'll look to maintain this momentum.
Cleveland, meanwhile, relies on the steady culture built by Terry Francona and maintained by Vogt.
The Guardians have been one of baseball's best teams all season, narrowly missing the AL's top seed by just two games. Their consistent excellence sets up an intriguing clash with Detroit's late-season heroics.
More must-reads:
- Takeaways from Orioles-Royals Game 2: K.C.'s bullpen shines in series-clinching win
- Yankees vs. Royals odds for Division Series in MLB playoffs
- The 'Highest slugging percentage in a season' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Mets' playoff chances in jeopardy after latest tough loss
The New York Mets have been in a slump for a couple of weeks now, and it is putting their playoff chances in some serious jeopardy. After Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Mets have lost 13 of their past 15 games and have seen a once-comfortable lead in the wild-card race nearly completely disappear. Following Thursday's results, the Mets have the slimmest of leads over the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League, sitting just 0.5 games ahead of them. It is a stunning reversal from where things were just a little more than two weeks ago. On July 27, the Mets completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants to win their seventh game in a row and improve to 62-44 on the season. They were not only six games ahead of the Reds in the playoff race, but they were on top of the National League East (holding a 1.5-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies) and were just a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the National League. Now all of that is gone. As of Thursday night, the Mets trail the Phillies by five games in the NL East, they are 12.5 games back of the Brewers for the top spot in the NL overall and now only have half a game of cushion over the Reds. They also have the St. Louis Cardinals (3.5 back) right behind them and gaining ground. Manager Carlos Mendoza tried to remain optimistic while also acknowledging they are not playing well. The Mets' bats have been a big source of frustration during this slump, but it's not the only issue. The bullpen has also been a major problem, and key trade-deadline addition Ryan Helsley contributed to that on Thursday by giving up two runs in the top of the eighth inning to turn a 3-2 Mets lead into a 4-3 deficit. Whether it is the bats, the arms or the defense causing the problem, the common result remains the same — more losses. Now the Mets find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race, fighting for a spot. It was not that long ago that they seemed to be a playoff lock.
Tennessee's groundbreaking Adidas deal a game-changer for college sports in NIL era
Big Brawl Ignited By Unexpected Steelers Player As Things Got Heated With Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday ahead of the two team's second preseason game on Saturday. The game this weekend won't feature a ton of starters from either side, so the scrimmage was the best opportunity to see what the matchup looked like with both team's starters on the field. Unfortunately, local media was not allowed to report much from the practice session, but it did come out that Pittsburgh struggled on defense, and a little brawl broke out between the two sides at one point. Practices ahead of the season always get heated, and while the Steelers were in Latrobe, the team had its fair share of inter-squad brawls. However, things especially get chippy during joint practices. This has been seen around the NFL going on every week, and most of them have some fireworks. That was the case on Thursday for Pittsburgh, as punter Cam Johnston picked a fight with Tampa Bay during a special teams period. A lot of the special teamers for Pittsburgh got in on the action during practice, as Johnston, Christian Kuntz, and Corliss Waitman all got involved in the brawl. It has been said that Johnston was not happy with how close a defender was to hitting his plant leg on a punt, which is not something you want to see, let alone during a practice period. It is definitely understandable why Johnston would have the reaction that he did during practice on Thursday. It is the same exact scenario that ended his 2024 season during the first game of the year. A blocker was rushed back into him while he was punting, and he suffered major damage to his knee that he has spent the last year rehabbing. He does not want an instance like that happening again, especially not during practice. Johnston finds himself in the middle of a position battle with Waitman, who happens to be the player that was able to pull him out of the fight during practice. Both punters will likely have starting jobs somewhere during the 2025 season, with Johnston being the favorite to stay in Pittsburgh. Waitman filled in nicely in 2024, and he has made a name for himself within punting circles in the league. The organization might look to trade one of the punters, which would probably end up being Waitman due to his lower salary. Steelers Seemed To Struggle In Joint Practice With Buccaneers As mentioned, reporting during practice was not allowed on Thursday, but it seems like Pittsburgh struggled when going up against Tampa Bay, especially in the two-minute drill. The defense had issues dealing with the talented wide receiver room of the Buccaneers, and the offense struggled to get anything going outside of a dominant seven shots period. Things are going to need to improve mightily before the regular season begins at the start of September, because after just one joint practice, this team seems like it might be more of the same of what has been seen in years past. Pittsburgh went all-in on winning during the 2025 offseason as it made significant upgrades on both sides of the football. Those upgrades don't seem to be paying off quite yet, but there is still a ton of time for that to change as the organization prepares for its second preseason game of 2025.
Jonathan Kuminga Is Ready to Pull a Ben Simmons
History often repeats in the NBA. Teams usually keep young, talented players on a short leash. That builds frustration, trust fades, and before long, both sides are looking to part ways. Sometimes, the divorce comes naturally, but other times, it turns ugly. Jonathan Kuminga is facing a similar situation to what Ben Simmons had with the Philadelphia 76ers. He wants out, but the team doesn’t let him, and he doesn’t really have a lot of leverage. Let’s take a look at the similarities between the two situations. Jonathan Kuminga Is Ready to Pull a Ben Simmons The latest reports on the Jonathan Kuminga situation is that the Warriors have only one offer for a trade with the Sacramento Kings, but they don’t like it. While the Warriors expected more teams to make bids for their young forward, in the end, only the Kings are serious enough. But their offer of Malik Monk and a protected 2030 first-round pick does not work for the Warriors. That leaves Kuminga with several options. The first is to accept the qualifying offer, sign it sooner, and hope for a better trade at the deadline. He would have to play at a high level to up his value, and it is in the Warriors’ interest to keep his value high. If nothing materializes at the deadline, he can be a free agent next summer. The second option is to sign a two-year deal with the Warriors, which is essentially a one year deal, and he becomes a free agent next summer as well. How Similar are the Simmons and Kuminga Situations? There are similarities in the way that both players felt disrespected and unsupported by their team’s management and coaching. Simmons felt that the Sixers didn’t support him after the playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. His agent told Philadelphia that he doesn’t plan to return to the team. Unlike Kuminga, Simmons was under a long-term contract with Philly and didn’t have leverage. What he did was refuse to play for the team until he got traded. Eventually, the Sixers traded him at the deadline for James Harden. Kuminga finds himself in a similar situation. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has previously said he doesn’t believe playing Jonathan will result in wins. That is a huge sign the team doesn’t view him as part of their future. During his four year stint with the Warriors, Kuminga has been in and out of the starting lineup, received a DNP-coach’s decision, and has had flashes of great play. But that marriage has run its course, and it is definitely time for both sides to part ways. The problem for Kuminga is that he is a restricted free agent. As such, he can only sign with teams with cap space, and there are not many of those around. Differences Between Simmons and Kuminga Both Simmons and Kuminga have played four seasons for their team (Simmons didn’t play in his first season due to injury). The difference is that Simmons won the Rookie of the Year award and was a three-time All-Star at the time he requested a trade. Kuminga is far from being an All-Star. Another difference is that Simmons had a long-term contract when he requested a trade. Jonathan has only one year left on his deal. What Happens Next? While there are similarities with the Simmons situation, the question now is what happens next with Kuminga? Will his career take off or not? Simmons never sniffed All-Star status after being traded, and he faced injuries that prevented him from playing at a high level. Kuminga believes he is a star player in this league and wants a chance to prove it. Whether he gets traded this summer, at the deadline, or signs with a new team next offseason, he will get his chance.
Max Johnson reacts to Bill Belichick going to transfer portal for new QB
North Carolina's Bill Belichick has found himself in a very interesting situation as he gears up for his first season as a college football head coach. On one hand, he has what every new coach covets: An experienced quarterback with an NFL pedigree. That would be Max Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson missed a majority of the 2024 season after suffering a broken femur in the season opener, but he's healthy heading into this 2025 season and has 22 starts under his belt between stops at LSU and Texas A M. One would think Johnson would be UNC's clear starter, but he is coming off a catastrophic injury and only just recently got back to full-strength. On the other hand, one of Belichick's first moves at UNC was going into the transfer portal to bring in redshirt sophomore Gio Lopez from South Alabama to compete for the starting job. That's a move that could have easily rattled Johnson, but in an in-depth look at his recovery from that terrible femur injury by Andrea Adelson of ESPN, the sixth-year quarterback explained that he understood why Belichick did what he did. "I get it. You have to go in the portal," Johnson says. "I didn't know if I was going to be ready. They didn't know. They asked me those questions. I'm telling them I'm going to be ready, because I know myself. But it's tough from their point of view because it's like, 'OK, we've got to make a business decision.'" Belichick made a business decision and it's worth noting that while Johnson is saying the right things about the introduction of Lopez into the equation, he's also walking the walk. "I transfer in, we're both competing for the spot, and people paint this narrative like they must not like each other. Me and Max are actually great friends," Lopez explained. A starter has not yet been named by Belichick, but one gets the sense that if Johnson gets the call, he'll be ready to pick right back off where he left off with no reservations. And as Lopez tells it, if he ends up winning the starting gig, UNC can expect to have a more than supportive backup in Johnson. "He's been super helpful with the offense. There's no second agenda with him, where he's trying to throw me off. He's been great," Lopez said.
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