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Welcome to Memorial Day, the first real marker in the MLB season. No more small sample sizes for team performances. A lot of team identities have been formed, while things will change as the season progresses. So what does that mean as far as the playoff picture looks? Again, there are nearly three-quarters of the season left, but if you are in first place, you are feeling pretty good. Just last year, five of the six division winners were in first place and four of the six wild cards were in second place. The Houston Astros were 3.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, but won the West by that same margin over the M’s. The last wild cards in each league were in fourth place in their respective divisions, with the Detroit Tigers 10 games back in the AL Central and the New York Mets 15 out in the NL East. Each of those divisions sent three teams to the playoffs. What does that mean this year? Here are my predictions:
American League: Division winners — New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners. Wild cards — Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals.
National League: Division winners — Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs. Wild cards — New York Mets, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants.
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Today’s Headlines
Skubal’s One-of-a-kind Maddux
It was a thing of beauty, like watching a great artist create a masterpiece painting. That is what it was like watching Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal stifle the Cleveland Guardians. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner turned in a Maddux, a 13-strikeout gem as the Tigers salvaged the finale of a key four-game AL Central clash with a 5-0 win over the Guardians. Skubal needed just 94 pitches and tied his career high with 13 strikeouts, the final pitch of the day coming at a searing 102.6 mph, the fastest by a Tiger in the Statcast era (since 2015). It was also the fastest strikeout pitch by any starting pitcher in any inning of this era and the fastest pitch (regardless of result) by a starter in the ninth inning. He retired the first 15 in order, including the first time through the lineup in just 25 pitches. The 13 strikeouts are the most by any pitcher notching a Maddux, which is a shutout in less than 100 pitches. This was also the first complete game (thus shutout, too) in Skubal’s career. The Guardians took the first three games of the series to pull within three games of the AL Central lead against the team that had MLB’s best record entering the weekend.
Tarik Skubal's 94th and final pitch was a 102.6 mph fastball for his 13th strikeout, the most K's ever by a pitcher in a Maddux (a shutout in less than 100 pitches)
— Jason Beck (@jasonbeck.bsky.social) 2025-05-25T17:48:34.448Z
MacIver Rescues: A’s (11 Ls), Phils (9 Ws) End Streaks
When you need something fixed, there is only one person to call: MacIver. No, not MacGyver, Willie MacIver, backup catcher for the Athletics. Making his MLB debut, MacIver delivered an opposite-field single to right field for his first MLB hit, which scored Lawrence Butler as the A’s edged the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4, putting an end to two long streaks. The A’s had lost 11 straight, while the Phillies had won nine in a row. Butler easily scored from third after tripling home the tying run. Trea Turner had given the Phillies a 4-3 lead with a homer in the top of the eighth. The Phillies still own the best record in MLB thanks to their nine-game run.
Suzuki, Cubs Surge Past Reds
No lead is safe when the Chicago Cubs are involved. The latest victim to find out: the Cincinnati Reds. Seiya Suzuki hit a tiebreaking three-run homer as the Cubs erased an 8-3 deficit for an 11-8 triumph to take the rubber game of the three-game series. It is the 12th time the Cubs have reached double digits this season. They are by far the leader in runs scored at 321, with no other team having reached 300. Even newcomers are getting into the act for the Cubs. Reese McGuire, called up due to the oblique injury to starting catcher Miguel Amaya, hit two homers in his first game with the club, his first career multihomer game. McGuire’s second homer came in the eighth inning to tie the game 8-8. That set the stage for Suzuki to provide the decisive blast, his 14th homer of the season and second three-run shot of the series.
Royals Avoid Three Of A Kind
Facing one of the hottest teams in MLB and coming off back-to-back walk-off losses, the Kansas City Royals found themselves in a familiar position: in a tight game in the late innings. Only this time, the result was different. Maikel Garcia singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th as the Royals salvaged the finale of a three-game series with a 2-1 victory over the Twins. Taylor Clarke overcame a one-out walk to earn his first save of the season. That came after closer Carlos Estévez recorded four outs to get the Royals to extras. While Garcia, Clarke, and Estevez provided late-game heroics, it was left-handed starter Kris Bubic who put the Royals in position for the much-needed win. In seven innings, Bubic allowed just two hits and a run while walking two and striking out nine, improving his ERA to 1.45. He has a 0.36 ERA in four May starts. The Twins, meanwhile, lost for just the second time in 18 games.
Astros Walker-off Mariners
It might only be one hit — albeit a big hit — but for a struggling player, sometimes that is all that is needed to unlock something more. Christian Walker drilled a two-out, walk-off homer as the Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3. In a battle of AL West rivals, the Astros won three of four from the first-place Mariners at Daikin Park. Walker, the Astros’ key offseason signing, had Jose Altuve on first base when he lined an 0-2 pitch off right-handed reliever Casey Legumina for his sixth homer of the season. The Mariners had an early 3-0 lead before the Astros tied it up in the sixth inning.
Ohtani Throws First Live BP Session
Since undergoing a second Tommy John surgery 19 months ago, Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, for the first time, threw to live batters. It came hours before the Dodgers completed a three-game series at Citi Field, and it was just 22 pitches to three batters (five plate appearances). He threw all of his pitches, with his fastball sitting 94-97 mph. Ohtani, a three-time MVP who finished fourth in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award voting, has not pitched in a game since near the end of the 2023 season. He is not expected back as a pitcher until after this year’s All-Star break in July. Ohtani made more news once the game began, hitting a leadoff homer for his 18th of the season, tying New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the MLB lead.
Absurd movement on this pitch during Shohei Ohtani's live BP 🔥
Best Moments From Yesterday
Cruz’s 122.9 mph Bomb All Wet
Is Oneil Cruz the king of Statcast? He certainly is ruling the kingdom at the moment. The Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder broke the record for the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era (since 2015) when he demolished an offering from Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson 122.9 mph for a solo homer in the bottom of the third inning. Cruz, who now has 11 homers, held the previous mark of 122.4 mph, set when he singled off the PNC Park wall Aug. 4, 2022. This one, however, made it over the wall and took one hop before landing in the Allegheny River.
Oneil Cruz just hit this ball 122.9 mph.That is the hardest hit ball in the Statcast era.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@pirates.com) 2025-05-25T18:44:29.579Z
Long Walk Of Shame
It is just different in West Sacramento. We have seen a lot of videos of players taking the stroll through the outfield back to the clubhouse to take care of business. But now A’s manager Mark Kotsay was ejected by home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz in the bottom of the seventh inning following a questionable strike call against Miguel Andujar. The game had to be paused as Kotsay made his way from the third-base dugout to the clubhouse behind the left-field wall. Andujar was also tossed after striking out.
Mark Kotsay and Miguel Andújar get ejected in Sacramento, the whole sequence
Striking Out Cancer
Kids battling cancer in the Detroit area created art for their favorite baseball team, which was put on display for the players to see in the clubhouse.
First For Mayer
With how quickly things transpired Saturday, there was no way Marcelo Mayer’s family was going to be at Fenway Park for his MLB debut with the Boston Red Sox in the second game of a doubleheader. After all, they live in Chula Vista, Calif. But after hopping onto a flight that night, the family was there at Fenway as the third base prospect played in his second game and notched his first MLB hit, an opposite-field liner to left. He later added a double.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman left the game against the Red Sox in the top of the fifth inning after taking a foul ball off the mask. No diagnosis was made. Further information is likely to come today.
⚾ San Diego Padres right-handed starter Michael King went on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right shoulder. King was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday.
⚾ Kevin Pillar is the odd man out of the Texas Rangers outfield situation, with the team designating Pillar for assignment as prospect Alejandro Osuna was called up and DH Joc Pederson being placed on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right hand.
⚾ Toronto Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman went on the seven-day concussion list.
⚾ Infielder-outfielder Cooper Hummel signed with the Baltimore Orioles, who DFA’d second baseman Terrin Vavra. Hummel became a free agent after being DFA’d by the Yankees.
⚾ The Dodgers signed right-handed reliever Chris Stratton, who had been DFA’d and released by the Royals.
Articles You Should Read
Trade Skenes? A fascinating but unlikely scenario for now — Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic
“Reimagining team travel”: Why Dodgers use two team planes — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times
Tigers’ first base coach retraces players’ baseball origins — Tyler Kepner, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
