Daily Clips



Daily ClipsJune 22, 2017LOCALSal-vation! Late Perez slam puts KC over SoxJune 22, 2017 By Wilson Alexander and Ian Browne/ roar into hunt thanks to a Tiger?Salvy hits first career slam with Miggy's batJune 21, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ MLB, MLBPA donate $1M to NLB MuseumJune 21, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ Legacy of Negro Leagues forever profoundJoint gift by MLB, MLBPA assures important history will continue to be toldJune 21, 2017By Joe Posnanski/ Junis eyes rebound start vs. Blue JaysJune 21, 2017By Wilson Alexander/ Salvador Perez’s grand slam lifts the Royals in 6-4 victory over Red SoxJune 21, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star Vahe Gregorian: Power of imagination stokes surging RoyalsJune 21, 2017By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star Royals taking advantage of Whit Merrifield’s versatilityJune 21, 2017By Alec McChesney/KC Star MLB, finally, provides real support to the Negro Leagues museum. That’s great. Let’s see more.June 21, 2017By Sam Mellinger/KC Star, Bullpen Lead Travs to 1-0 WinShutout is the third of the season for ArkansasJune 21, 2017By Arkansas Travelers MLB TRANSACTIONSJune 22, 2017 ?.! Late Perez slam puts KC over SoxJune 22, 2017 By Wilson Alexander and Ian Browne/ Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his first career grand slam in the eighth inning and Kelvin Herrera recorded his 17th save as the Royals came back to beat the Red Sox, 6-4, on Wednesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.With the win, the Royals won their fourth straight series and have won eight of their last 10 games. After the Yankees beat the Angels, 8-4, Wednesday night, Boston slipped to second place, a half-game back of the Yanks in the American League East.With the bases loaded and nobody out, Perez sent a towering fly ball 412 feet, as projected by Statcast?, which landed over the Royals' bullpen in left field to clear the bases and give the Royals their first lead since the fourth inning. The home run was Perez's 15th of the season and came on a 3-2 pitch from Red Sox left-hander Robby Scott."The couple pitches before that one he kept throwing in the corner," said Perez, who fouled off three pitches in the at-bat. "When they made some pitches I had to hit it."Scott and right-hander Matt Barnes walked three straight batters to start the inning before Perez's home run. The bullpen meltdown came in relief of starter Drew Pomeranz, who pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five. The Red Sox had been 29-0 this season when leading after seven innings."It's certainly not a trend," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "That isn't something we have dealt with very often, if at all. Particularly three consecutive walks to load the bases. That's not who this pitching staff has shown to be. On a day when you've got just a little bit of a two-run breather, it ends up looming large."After Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy gave up four runs -- two unearned -- in 4 2/3 innings, Mike Minor and Joakim Soria, who got the win, pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings to set up Herrera for the save.MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDBack-to-back blasts: After being no-hit through three innings, Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi and shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit back-to-back home runs to tie the game at 2. It was the fourth time this season Boston has hit back-to-back home runs. Benintendi's shot came on a 1-2 fastball and traveled a projected 454 feet, according to Statcast?, into the waterfall in right-center. Bogaerts followed with his fifth home run of the year, which sailed a projected 404 feet, according to Statcast?, to left-center.Royals manager Ned Yost said Kennedy normally pitches effectively up in the strike zone, but didn't elevate either pitch enough."I'm just trying to hit it hard," said Benintendi. "I know he likes to elevate his fastball, so I was trying to look up in the zone and was fortunate enough to get that one."Setting up the slam: The Royals nearly came back in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs in the inning. Though Red Sox reliever Joe Kelly induced a lineout from Royals left fielder Whit Merrifield to prevent the Royals from scoring, the inning's length positioned the Royals with the heart of their order due up in the eighth.QUOTABLE"I was thinking about [having never hit a grand slam] two pitches before. Seriously, I swear to God. It's unbelievable. I don't know where it's coming from in my mind." -- PerezSOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDSThis was just the second time the Red Sox have lost this season in a game they hit two or more home runs. They are 13-2 on those occasions, and the only other defeat was against the Cubs on April 29.WHAT'S NEXTRed Sox: Following a day off on Thursday, the Red Sox open a homestand against the Angels on Friday night at Fenway Park. David Ortiz's Number 34 will be retired to the facade in right field prior to the game. Struggling right-hander Rick Porcello (3-9, 5.05 ERA) makes the start for Boston. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.Royals: Following an off-day on Thursday, right-hander Jake Junis (2-1, 5.56 ERA) heads to the mound in the series opener against Toronto on Friday at 7:15 p.m. CT. In his last outing, a loss to the Angels, Junis allowed five runs on eight hits, including two home runs, over 5 1/3 innings.Royals roar into hunt thanks to a Tiger?Salvy hits first career slam with Miggy's batJune 21, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ The bat that Royals catcher Salvador Perez used to hit his go-ahead grand slam in the Royals' 6-4 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday wasn't even his.The story starts when the Tigers were in town at the end of May. Royals backup catcher Drew Butera picked up Miguel Cabrera's bat after Cabrera hit a long foul ball and handed it back to him at the plate. But as Butera was handing the bat back, he kidded with Cabrera that he really liked the feel and the weight (32 ounces) of it."I like to use heavier bats in batting practice," Butera said. "The next day, he sent me over two of his bats, which was pretty nice."Fast forward to Wednesday. Perez had just ended a 10-game hitting streak on Tuesday when he decided to try something different and asked Butera if he could use one of Cabrera's bats.Out of the blue, Butera just happened to put one of the bats in Perez's locker before Wednesday's game."It was just in my locker," Perez said, smiling. "I like it. I think I'm going to use it Friday, too."The next thing you know, Perez went 3-for-3 with the first grand slam of his career Wednesday, which wiped out a 4-2 Boston lead.Afterward, Butera called the bat a "magic stick." Is Perez afraid he's going to break his new weapon?"Oh, no, I don't want to break that one," Perez said. "I need to call Miggy and say, 'Hey, you got to send me some more bats, please.'"Perez's slam came after the Red Sox bullpen had walked the bases loaded in the eighth with none out. The Royals' catcher came up against left-hander Robby Scott, who had just walked Eric Hosmer on four pitches."I was thinking I would take a pitch because he threw ball one to [Hosmer]," Perez said. "Or take a first strike."Perez, a notorious free-swinger, did take a pitch, a fastball, for ball one. Scott then threw four more fastballs outside of the strike zone -- but Perez swung at two of them, loading the count.Scott then threw his first fastball strike on pitch No. 6. Perez fouled it off. Pitch No. 7 was yet another fastball off the plate. Perez fouled it off.That's when Perez had a strange thought: He suddenly remembered he had never hit a grand slam in the Majors."Seriously, I swear to God," Perez said. "It's unbelievable. I don't know where it's coming from in my mind -- 'I've never hit a grand slam.' It's unbelievable, huh?"Pitch No. 8 was another fastball a foot off the plate. Perez fouled it off."If I see it close, I'm swinging," Perez said, smiling. "You guys know me, I like to swing."Pitch No. 9 was again a fastball, this time almost middle-middle. Perez didn't miss, launching it 412 feet over the left-field bullpen, his first grand slam since he was at Triple-A Omaha in 2011."I was excited, you know?" Perez said. "I don't know why he didn't throw me a slider in the whole at-bat. He just threw me fastballs. He's a great pitcher, too. ... Thank you for throwing me fastballs."MLB, MLBPA donate $1M to NLB MuseumJune 21, 2017By Jeffrey Flanagan/ Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred said he is fascinated with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, as well as the culture of hotels and restaurants that once flourished around Negro Leagues stadiums, such as those in the famous 18th and Vine District here.MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark referred to his trips to the NLBM as an "evolution of my education."And for years, MLB players from Derek Jeter to Adam Jones to Mookie Betts have visited the NLBM to soak in its great history and pay homage to the game's roots.And now the preservation of that history will be further secured with Wednesday's announcement that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to jointly donate $1 million to the NLBM."I'm really excited about the partnership between baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Negro League Museum," Manfred said. "I realized that whenever you try to rebuild something -- like rebuild African-American participation in our game -- you need a great foundation."That's always the starting point, and it occurred to me that the foundation of our effort with respect to African-American players had to be an effort to make young African-American players understand the Negro Leagues, understand the significance of the Negro Leagues to African-American history and to American history.""I would not have had the opportunities that I had as a player had it not been for those that came before me," said Clark. "I would not have had the opportunity to be in the position I'm in now if it had not been for those that came before me."As we talk about growing and developing the game and engaging the next generation of fans and kids -- the Negro League Museum being a part of that story, baseball history being a bigger part of that story -- the level of engagement for the next generation was vital."The announcement was made inside the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on Wednesday morning with NLBM president Bob Kendrick emceeing the proceedings. Also on hand were Manfred, Clark, Royals owner David Glass, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, Judy Pace Flood (widow of Curt Flood), former Royals star Willie Wilson and Kansas City Mayor Sly James."On behalf of the board and the staff of the Negro League Baseball Museum," Kendrick said, "I want to thank Major League Baseball and the Players Association for their generosity."Later, the ceremonial check presentation occurred moments before the start of the Royals-Red Sox game a few miles away at Kauffman Stadium."I think it's a great way to honor our past and honor the great players who played the game before us," Royals catcher Drew Butera said. "I think it's everybody's duty between the front offices, Major League Baseball, us [players], to remember the great guys who set the tone before us. It's a great way to honor them, and a great way to remember the great things that they did."The donation will be allocated from the Youth Development Foundation, which is run jointly by the MLBPA and MLB. Funds will help support NLBM's operations, museum services, expansion and educational and community programming."Because of the sacrifices and triumphs of the men and women of the Negro Leagues," Manfred said, "the Museum is an inspirational experience for fans of any age. We appreciate the Museum's contributions to baseball and the role it can play in encouraging young people to become a part of our game."Some of the funds will help continue refurbishing the site at the Paseo YMCA, where the original Negro Leagues charter was signed in 1920. That site now has been renamed the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center."The history of our great sport would be incomplete and inaccurate if the Negro Leagues Museum wasn't around to tell the story," Clark said.The NLBM, founded in the early 1990s, is located in the famous 18th and Vine District and features multimedia computer stations, several film exhibits, hundreds of photographs, a replica field with 12 bronze sculptures and a growing collection of baseball artifacts."The history," Mayor James noted, "all comes through 18th and Vine."In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew "Rube" Foster -- a former player, manager, and owner with the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA, Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined to form the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in eastern and southern states.While Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier obviously was an historic event, it also prompted the decline of the Negro Leagues. Soon after Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, the best black players were recruited for the Major Leagues.The last Negro Leagues teams folded in the early 1960s. Their legacy lives on through the surviving players and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum."At some point, the last of the Negro Leagues players will pass on, unfortunately," Kendrick said. "But we cannot let the legacy die."Legacy of Negro Leagues forever profoundJoint gift by MLB, MLBPA assures important history will continue to be toldJune 21, 2017By Joe Posnanski/ The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was, at first, a small, unmarked room in the Lincoln Building in Kansas City. If visitors ever came by, which they never did, there were only a few scraps of memorabilia to see -- a handful of black and white photographs, an autographed baseball or two, a baseball bat that may or may not have had any connection to the Negro Leagues. Most of these were kept in a drawer."Where is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum?" a young volunteer named Bob Kendrick asked as he walked into the room."You're standing in it," the Museum's first executive director, Don Motley, said.The rent was $200 a month. The few dreamers who believed in the idea -- Horace Peterson, Buck O'Neil, Motley, Alfrred "Slick" Surratt, Connie Johnson and a handful of others -- used to take turns paying the rent.The key word there is "idea." That's all it was then -- an idea with a few hundred square feet of office space.In 1990, Peterson wanted to create something to commemorate the Negro Leagues. Peterson had dedicated his life to preserving African-American history and fighting for civil rights. Peterson marched in Selma. He went to jail for the cause in Arkansas. He went up to O'Neil, who had played and managed in the Negro Leagues, and said, "We should start a Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame.""No," Buck said. "It should be a museum. We already HAVE a Hall of Fame."I have always loved that part. He never wanted the Negro Leagues Museum to be separate from the rest of the game. From the very start, O'Neil understood that the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum should be a bridge and not a wall, that the Negro Leagues' story should be heard by everyone who loves this great game.The bold audacity of early Negro Leaguers like Rube Foster, Oscar Charleston and Bullet Rogan created a league. The remarkable play of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell and so many others opened eyes and minds across America. Jackie Robinson played in the Negro Leagues and then burst through in Brooklyn. Willie Mays and Henry Aaron began in the Negro Leagues.This power and wonder of their story, Buck and those dreamers believed, still matters.Few believed that then. The Negro Leagues were forgotten, ignored, maligned. When Buck tried to raise money to build a real museum in those early years, he heard again and again how those Negro Leaguers couldn't really play, and how that shameful time when dark-skinned men could not play in the Major Leagues would be better left behind. He refused to believe it. The dreamers kept going until a museum was built on the corner of 18th and Vine in Kansas City. They kept the thing going through good years and rough ones.And then, Wednesday morning, there was MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark giving $1 million to the museum and talking about how this powerful story is still new and vibrant and can help change things."I realized," Manfred said, "that whenever you try to rebuild something, like rebuild African-American participation in our game, you need a great foundation. That's always the starting point. And it occurred to me that the foundation of our effort with respect to African-American players had to be an effort to make young African-American players understand the Negro Leagues."That young volunteer who first walked into the Negro Leagues Baseball room in 1993, Kendrick, is now president of the museum, and Wednesday was an emotional day for him. Then again, I can tell you that every day at the museum is an emotional one for Bob. We have been close friends for about 20 years now, and keeping this museum going has been his quest, his cross, his burden, his honor. It has not been easy.For one thing, museums are just a tough business. For another, the decision to put the museum on the corner of 18th and Vine in Kansas City -- just around the corner from the YMCA where the Negro Leagues were formed in 1920 -- was sentimental and right, but it hasn't made things easy for drawing visitors and raising money.And there are still those lingering voices of people who say the Negro Leagues didn't matter, it wasn't the Majors, the baseball was subpar and so many other things that entirely miss the point."The Negro League history," Clark said, "is indeed our game's history."Yes, that's the point. The money donated will certainly help the museum a great deal in the years to come. But as Kendrick said, the money is the least important thing that happened Wednesday. The most important thing is the connection between the Museum and MLB, this whole new chance to tell the Negro Leagues story for years and years to come.See, more than 100 years ago, when African-Americans and dark-skinned Latin Americans and others were denied the right to play in the Majors, they created their own league. They kept that league going, through sheer will and innovation and baseball brilliance, for decades, through Jim Crow, through a Great Depression, through a World War, all the way until Jackie Robinson and then beyond, for 15 more years, until every big league team had a black player."The amazing thing is that this story that began with alienation," Kendrick said, "ends up bringing us closer together. Their triumph inspires us even now. I know that Buck is looking down and seeing the Commissioner of Baseball at the Museum, talking about keeping this story alive. And he's just smiling."Junis eyes rebound start vs. Blue JaysJune 21, 2017By Wilson Alexander/ J.A. Happ will look to post a third straight quality start while Jake Junis hopes to keep the baseball in the yard when the Blue Jays and Royals play at Kauffman Stadium on Friday in the first game of a three-game series.Happ (2-4, 4.26 ERA) spent most of the month of May on the disabled list. The left-hander struggled in his first two starts when he returned, giving up seven runs and four home runs over 9 1/3 innings. But in his last two outings, Happ has given up three runs and no home runs in 12 2/3 innings while striking out 17 batters. Both outings were Blue Jays victories.In his last three starts, Junis (2-1, 5.56 ERA) has allowed a combined six home runs. The rookie right-hander was pounded by the Angels last time out, giving up five runs on eight hits in his first loss. He surrendered home runs to Cameron Maybin and Albert Pujols and now faces a Toronto team that relies heavily on the long ball.Things to know about this game? The Royals have had some success against Happ, as designated hitter Brandon Moss, left fielder Alex Gordon and center fielder Lorenzo Cain are all batting above .450 against him. On the other hand, shortstop Alcides Escobar is batting .067 (1-for-15) against Happ.? From his first two MLB starts to his past two, Junis raised his swinging-strike rate from 5.9 percent to 15.3 percent, according to Statcast. On the other hand, his average distance allowed on fly balls and liners jumped from 282 feet to 325 feet as he allowed five home runs -- all of them on fastballs.? Both the Blue Jays and the Royals have struggled to get above a .500 record this season. The Royals haven't been at .500 since April 19, while the Blue Jays haven't reached the mark at all.Salvador Perez’s grand slam lifts the Royals in 6-4 victory over Red SoxJune 21, 2017By Rustin Dodd/KC Star On the final night of May, three weeks before the first grand slam of Salvador Perez’s career, before the Royals edged the Boston Red Sox 6-4 on Wednesday afternoon, reserve catcher Drew Butera picked up a baseball bat near home plate at Kauffman Stadium.It was May 31, and the Royals were concluding a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Butera was starting in place of Perez, the Royals’ perennial All-Star. The bat belonged to Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers’ future Hall of Famer, and Butera immediately loved the feel.It was too heavy for him, 32 ounces in all, but perfect to swing during batting practice. So Butera sent word to the Tigers, asking Cabrera if he had an extra bat he could spare. Cabrera sent over two, a parting gift as the Tigers left town, and three weeks later, one of those bats ended up in Perez’s locker on Wednesday morning.“As soon as he came in the clubhouse, he just put it in my locker,” Perez said of Butera. “Just like: ‘Use it today.’ ”In truth, Butera said, Perez had loved the feel, too. It was his size, and he could use it in games. Inscribed on the barrel was the name of Cabrera, his countryman and former teammate on Team Venezuela.“I’ve always said,” Butera said. “Some guys just have magic sticks.”So Perez used the bat, and that is the story behind the most momentous homer of this Royals season, a grand slam in the eighth inning against Red Sox reliever Robby Scott, a 412-foot shot that tore through the humid afternoon air and landed in the first row of the Hall of Fame seats, just beyond the Royals’ bullpen in left field.In 2,795 career at-bats, Perez had never hit a home run with the bases loaded. In moments, Perez turned a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 lead. The go-ahead grand slam was the first by a Royals hitter when trailing in the eighth inning or later since Frank White in 1986. The Red Sox were 29-0 this season when leading entering the eighth inning.One inning later, the Royals closed out their fourth straight series victory, winning for the ninth time in 11 games.“I can say: ‘I got one grand slam,’ ” Perez said.In the moments after contact, manager Ned Yost locked his eyes on the baseball and followed its flight. In the clubhouse, starting pitcher Ian Kennedy monitored the at-bat on a television.“He tried to go inside and Salvy kept his hands in there,” Kennedy said. “That was pretty awesome.”The swing, of course, had taken Kennedy off the hook. In the fourth, he allowed back-to-back homers to Boston’s Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr., which knotted the score at 2-2. In the fifth, Kennedy committed an awkward throwing error, which led to two more Red Sox runs.As he labored in the afternoon sun, Kennedy allowed a leadoff single to Christian Vazquez in the fifth. Moments later, Boston’s Deven Marrero dropped down a sacrifice bunt attempt. Kennedy sprang from the mound and fielded the ball, unleashing an awkward throw that sailed high over first base. The moment frustrated him.“I didn’t see anybody at first and I was already committed to throwing,” he said. “I was trying to time it. And it kind of just floated out of my hand. It almost cost us the game.”The error — combined with another error credited to first baseman Cheslor Cuthbert on an errant pickoff throw from Mike Minor later in the inning — helped gift the Red Sox two runs. As the Royals came to bat trailing 4-2 in the eighth, Yost just had one thought: “We need somebody to get on base.”The drama began to unfold as Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes issued walks to Jorge Bonifacio and Lorenzo Cain. Red Sox manager John Farrell inserted Scott, a left-hander, to face Eric Hosmer. Four pitches later, the bases were loaded for Perez.It was, in some respect, a classic Perez at-bat. Scott kept throwing fastballs out of the strike zone. Perez kept hacking away.As the day began Wednesday, only three players in baseball had swung at a higher percentage of pitches than Perez’s 56.9 percent. As Scott attacked Perez with nine straight fastballs, Perez offered at six of them, including three that were well off the plate.“If I see it close, I’m swinging,” Perez said. “You guys know me: I like to swing.”But finally, there was a breakthrough. The ninth and final pitch stayed up and out over the plate. Perez let loose. The ball left an imprint on the face of Cabrera’s bat. It also left Perez wondering why he didn’t see any off-speed pitches.“Thank you for throwing fastballs,” Perez said.In the moments after the win, Perez sauntered to a press conference room on the first floor of Kauffman Stadium and told the story of Cabrera’s bat; how it had ended up in his hands on Wednesday afternoon; how it collected three base hits and his 15th homer of the season.“I think I’m gonna use it on Friday, too,” Perez said. “What do you guys think?”Before he can do that, the Royals will enjoy a day off on Thursday. They will open a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. They will seek to maintain their current form. They are 25-16 since May 8, just 3 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland, which beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 on Wednesday night. And their quick-strike offense has become a force, rather than a liability.On Wednesday, Perez turned a loss into joy with one swing of the bat. And yes, the bat. It had traveled from Cabrera to Butera to Perez’s hands on early Wednesday. By late Wednesday afternoon, it had a permanent home in his possession.“I don’t want to break that one,” Perez said. “I’m gonna call Miggy and (say): ‘Hey, you gotta send me some more bats, please.’ ”Vahe Gregorian: Power of imagination stokes surging RoyalsJune 21, 2017By Vahe Gregorian/KC Star Along about the moment Sal Perez fouled off the seventh offering in a nine-pitch duel in the eighth inning on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, the scan button in his mind came to a pause.With the bases loaded and no outs and the Royals trailing Boston 4-2, for perhaps five seconds Perez considered the fact he had not hit a grand slam since making his major-league debut in 2011.Why it occurred to him just then is a matter of conjecture.Maybe the idea surfaced because he’d squandered the previous pitch against Red Sox reliever Robby Scott, a ripe fastball right down the middle. Maybe he figured he was due.However, whyever, whatever in the world, the power of suggestion evidently lingered two pitches later.Perez smacked a 412-foot home run to provide the exhilarating winning margin in a 6-4 victory as the Royals continued to rehabilitate their season.Welcome to the revitalized version of the 2017 Royals, who suddenly apparently need merely envision something to make it a reality in the wake of their grim 10-20 start.“Unbelievable, huh?” said Perez, who was talking about his grand slam but could just as well have been talking about the reversal of fortune.With their ninth victory in 11 games, the Royals are 25-16 since inducing widespread panic in the first month of the season … even as manager Ned Yost proclaimed the simple recipe that they could navigate their way back by winning one series at a time.Now, they’ve won five of their last six series, the exception being a 2-2 draw with the team with the best record in baseball, Houston, and their 13-6 record in June is the best in the American League.Perhaps most intriguing in the big picture is how they’ve fared against the best teams in the league.The Royals now own winning records against the leader in the AL East (2-1 against the Red Sox), AL Central (5-4 against Cleveland) and AL West (4-3 against Houston).Those records may or may not ultimately be as telling of their season as the 1-7 mark against Minnesota and 2-5 record against the White Sox, but they suggest they can play with anyone after it appeared they couldn’t hang with anyone.Appropriately enough, one signature of the revival has been the reintroduction of the comeback, in this case their 20th of the season.This victory came both a day after they had been clobbered 8-3 by the Red Sox and after an afternoon spent falling behind 4-2 as the Royals, owner of the fewest errors in baseball, improbably committed two in one inning.So it looked bleak heading into the eighth inning after the Royals left the bases loaded in the seventh and went up against a salty bullpen that had kept the Red Sox 29-0 after seven innings.Once again, though, the Royals tilted all logic.Never mind that they entered the game with the fewest walks in Major League Baseball.Their first three batters walked to set up Perez, whose last grand slam was with the Class AAA Omaha Stormchasers.“So (now) I can say I’ve got one grand slam,” he said.The home run was Perez’s 15th of the season, and it also spoke to another dimension of this team’s resurgence.Led by Mike Moustakas’ 20 home runs, the Royals have 86 this season and are on pace to break the club record (168 in 1987) even as Moustakas is on trajectory to break Steve Balboni’s cute little team record of 36 set in 1985.But to really understand what a radical development this is, consider that the 2014 World Series team hit 95 homers.All season.This team might have that amount by the All-Star Break.And it changes the complexion of what’s possible to know it still has the “keep the line moving” elements that allowed them to score their first two runs Wednesday on a ground-out and a sacrifice fly but can seize four runs in one swing of the bat, too.“It does feel good knowing that you’re never out of a game, you can get back in a game with one swing, you can win games a number of ways,” Yost said. “Speed is one way, and we’ve done that in the past.“And you know we don’t have as much speed as we used to have, but we have at least doubled our power production.”As he spoke, Yost reflected on the deficit of that in much of the recent past.“Power develops,” he remembered saying a few years ago, specifically citing Perez, Moustakas and Eric Hosmer.So that seems to have come to pass … much like Perez’s seeming premonition on Wednesday, a semi-phenomenon that reminds of the power of imagination when it comes to this team that won’t let you put it any box.Royals taking advantage of Whit Merrifield’s versatilityJune 21, 2017By Alec McChesney/KC Star When Whit Merrifield stepped onto campus as a freshman at South Carolina, he was set to play center field for the Gamecocks. But by the time his junior year came around, Merrifield had added right field, third base and second base to his arsenal.Merrifield, who was drafted as an outfielder by the Kansas City Royals in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft, continues to use versatility to his advantage.At Class AAA Omaha in 2015, Merrifield logged playing time at all three outfield spots and all four positions on the infield. He has parlayed his versatility and improved hitting into an everyday role for the 2017 Royals.On Wednesday, in the series finale against the Boston Red Sox, Merrifield started in the outfield for the sixth time this season, giving Alex Gordon an afternoon off against left-hander Drew Pomeranz.Merrifield’s ability to play around the diamond allows manager Ned Yost to give at-bats to rookie Ramon Torres, who hit .327 with five home runs, 34 RBI and eight stolen bases in AAA Omaha before being called up June 7.“It’s good to get everybody at-bats and try to keep everybody fresh out there,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s hard for a young guy to maintain consistent production when you’re unable to get at-bats.”In the ninth inning, after the Royals took a 6-4 lead on a Salvador Perez grand slam, Merrifield shifted from left to right field.“There’s not a position on the infield or the outfield that I would be afraid to play (Whit) at,” Yost said. “We played him at every position at spring training from left, to right, to second and even some third base here in the big leagues.”Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who played with Merrifield at South Carolina, said on Tuesday that Merrifield could do it all.“His ability to adapt to any given situation was great because he could be whatever you needed him to be,” Bradley said. “He was the leadoff hitter, he could bat second, he could hit for power if he wanted to, he could drive in runs and he could steal you bases.”MLB, finally, provides real support to the Negro Leagues museum. That’s great. Let’s see more.June 21, 2017By Sam Mellinger/KC Star The happiest day in the history of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum should not have happened on a sunny and beautiful June afternoon in 2017. This should have happened long ago. Ten years ago, at least. Twenty, if we want to be closer to the truth.This is written partly as a criticism of the past, but more as a challenge for the future.Because what the two most powerful institutions in baseball did for the sport this week deserves to be seen in a better-late-than-never way, and celebrated for finally happening.But most importantly, it should be seen as just the beginning.Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s commissioner, and Tony Clark, the head of the players’ union, came to Kansas City to make official a joint donation of $1 million to the museum. This ties the museum’s largest gift ever, matching the total given by the Kauffman Foundation after Buck O’Neil’s death in 2006.“That’s a lot of zeros,” museum president Bob Kendrick said when presented an oversized symbolic check.This moment is important beyond the dollar amount. For far too long, the museum has done its vital work in the dark, and alone. Baseball revenues have skyrocketed toward $10 billion, and the museum has been at best an afterthought.There have been smaller donations from time to time — $25,000 here, or $10,000 there — but the treatment has bordered on condescension.Baseball has generally viewed the museum too much like a charity asking for a handout, and not what it is — an inspiring place keeping alive a critical part of baseball and American history.The blame can be spread for this. Star players skipped the museum’s annual awards show with such frequency that the whole thing was scrapped. Bud Selig was commissioner for all but two of the museum’s first 25 years of existence, and didn’t visit until his 20th year in office — when he was already in town for the 2012 All-Star Game.The Royals have done well in honoring O’Neil but too often have ignored opportunities to help the actual museum — even twice deciding to save a few dollars by not wearing Negro Leagues uniforms for Negro Leagues Day.There are a million examples like this, the museum being treated like an unsolicited magazine salesman.“Yes,” Clark said when asked if this gift should’ve been made long before. “And I’ll throw myself under the bus here. I know as a player I didn’t do enough in terms of providing support to the museum and its history. But I think more should’ve been along the way.”Clark has been the union chief for less than four years, and is humble to say even that much. Manfred has been commissioner for two years and worked in the commissioner’s office full-time for 19. He essentially brushed off the question of whether something should’ve been done earlier.“I try to get where I think we need to be today,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of time to think about whether we, I, or somebody should’ve done something 10 or 15 years ago.”That’s weak, but fine, let’s move on. Again, the point is not to criticize past mistakes — it’s to challenge future actions.Because if this is another go-away donation — even at a much higher amount — then nothing has really changed.But if this is truly a sign of the powers within baseball better realizing the importance of the Negro Leagues’ story, particularly as the game scrambles to attract more African-American athletes, then this can be a nice first step toward some real change.Clark deserves most of the credit for this. He made the first call to Manfred, led on where the money would come from and what it could be used for, and made the call to Kendrick. Manfred didn’t need his arm twisted, but he did need to be leaned on a bit.Both men talked of being proud to give to the museum, and of the importance in using the past to inspire the next generation. Each indicated a desire to support the museum into the future.The donation comes without restrictions, but Kendrick said the money will increase traveling exhibitions, upgrade the museum space, boost operational support and help the Buck O’Neil Education and Research Center.It’s ultimately up to Kendrick to maximize the gift, but he’s spent most of the last two decades doing that to help the museum survive and expand.Assuming he continues to do his part, here’s hoping baseball and the union are serious about this being the beginning of them doing their part.The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown would not be able to function without support from Major League Baseball. The Negro Leagues Museum has, for decades, essentially run itself without major and official contributions from Major League Baseball.Hopefully, this is the beginning of change.MINORSCaughel, Bullpen Lead Travs to 1-0 WinShutout is the third of the season for ArkansasJune 21, 2017By Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers pitched their third shutout of the season ending a six game skid in a 1-0 victory over Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday night in front of 6,008 at Dickey-Stephens Park. The win even the Travs record for the second half at 1-1.Three Trav pitchers combined on the nine hit shutout as the Naturals had plenty of base runners on the night but only three at-bats with a runner in scoring position. Lindsey Caughel tossed the first six frames allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three. Kyle Hunter was the first man out of the bullpen, recorded four outs around two hits while notching two strikeouts. Zac Curtis would get the final five outs, including a strikeout of fellow TL All-Star Samir Duenez on a called third strike with two runners in scoring position to end the eighth inning. Curtis earned his eighth save of the year while Caughel improved to 4-7 with the win.The lone run of the game came in the second inning when Ryan Casteel led off the frame with a double and then two hitters later, scored on a single from Seth Mejias-Brean. That hit from Mejias-Brean would turn out to be the last runner of the night for the Travs. Naturals' pitchers Jake Kalish and Zach Lovvorn combined to retire the final 20 Traveler hitters of the night. Kalish getting his final 14 and Lovvorn putting down all six he faced. Kalish (0-1) was tagged with the loss despite his outstanding outing.Arkansas now hits the road for a four game series in Springfield preceding next week's All-Star Break. The opener against the Cardinals is Thursday night at 7:10 with right-hander Justin DeFratus (2-2, 5.90) going for the Travs against righty Dakota Hudson (5-3, 2.95). The game will be broadcast on the Sports Animal 920, the First Pitch App, TuneIn radio and .MLB TRANSACTIONSJune 22, 2017 ?., JUNE 21, 2017TEAMPLAYERTRANSACTIONChicago White SoxGrant GreenSigned to a Minor League ContractLos Angeles DodgersBrandon MorrowCalled Up from MinorsLos Angeles DodgersBrock StewartSent to MinorsMilwaukee BrewersWily PeraltaPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Right calf strain)Milwaukee BrewersBrent SuterCalled Up from MinorsMinnesota TwinsPhil HughesSent to Minors, For RehabilitationMinnesota TwinsHéctor SantiagoSent to Minors, For RehabilitationNew York MetsMatt ReynoldsSent to MinorsNew York MetsErik GoeddelCalled Up from MinorsNew York MetsTyler PillCalled Up from MinorsNew York MetsZack WheelerPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Right biceps tendinitis)Oakland AthleticsRyan LaMarreReleasedSeattle MarinersTyler CloydDesignated for AssignmentSeattle MarinersTyler SmithSent to MinorsSeattle MarinersJean SeguraRemoved From 10-Day DL, (High right ankle sprain)Seattle MarinersJean SeguraRecalled From Minors, Rehab AssignmentSeattle MarinersAndrew MoorePurchased From MinorsSeattle MarinersChristian BergmanSent to MinorsToronto Blue JaysCesar ValdezCalled Up from MinorsToronto Blue JaysLeonel CamposPlaced on 10-Day DL, (Groin strain) ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download