Deadspin | MLB roundup: Leody Taveras’ 12th-inning slam sends O’s past Royals 
Apr 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras (30) celebrates with team mates after hitting a grand slam in the twelfth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Leody Taveras’ grand slam highlighted a five-run 12th inning, after Samuel Basallo forced extras with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, and the Baltimore Orioles handed the host Kansas City Royals an eighth straight loss, 7-5 on Monday.
In the 12th, Basallo broke a 2-2 tie with his second RBI single of the night. Then with the bags full, Taveras sent a pitch from Alex Lange (0-2) over the center field wall for his first grand slam, which helped the Orioles win for just the second time in seven contests.
Anthony Nunez (1-0) allowed an unearned run over two innings for the victory.
Jac Caglianone hit a solo homer for the Royals, who got seven shutout innings of one-hit ball from Seth Lugo. Nick Loftin produced a three-run double in the 12th, and Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez each had three hits.
Red Sox 8, Tigers 6
Ceddanne Rafaela’s pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh inning lifted host Boston over Detroit in its annual Patriots’ Day game.
The Red Sox exploded for six runs across their final three at-bats and finished with 12 hits, including two apiece by Masataka Yoshida, Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narvaez. Red Sox starter Sonny Gray (right hamstring tightness) exited after 2 2/3 innings, forcing seven relievers into work.
Hao-Yu Lee, Kevin McGonigle and Riley Greene had multi-hit games for the Tigers. Greene had a two-run double to key the Tigers’ three-run ninth.
Cubs 5, Phillies 1
Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer, Colin Rea threw 6 2/3 quality innings and Chicago posted a victory over visiting Philadelphia.
Rea (3-0) continued an impressive start to the season, allowing just one run on six hits. Alex Bregman had two hits for the Cubs, who won their sixth in a row.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola (1-2) gave up five runs on six hits across 4 1/3 innings. Justin Crawford drove in a run for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth straight game.
Dodgers 12, Rockies 3
Max Muncy homered twice and finished with four hits, Dalton Rushing also went deep twice, and Los Angeles beat Colorado in Denver.
Miguel Rojas homered and singled twice to reach 1,000 career hits, and Shohei Ohtani had a hit and two walks to extend his on-base streak to 52 games, one behind Shawn Green for second on the club’s all-time list since the move to Los Angeles. Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski (3-0) allowed one run on eight hits in seven innings.
TJ Rumfield homered, Jordan Beck had three hits and Willi Castro and Brett Sullivan each singled twice for Colorado. The teams split the four-game series. The Rockies haven’t won a series against the Dodgers since June 2022.
Marlins 5, Cardinals 3
Otto Lopez stroked a go-ahead double in the sixth inning as host Miami ended St. Louis’ five-game win streak.
Pete Fairbanks pitched a one-run ninth to earn his fourth save. He was part of a Marlins bullpen that combined to pitch 3 2/3 innings, allowing just that one run. Miami starter Max Meyer got a no-decision, allowing three hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 15 games, two games short of the career-best streak he had as a rookie in 2023. Masyn Winn had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base.
Astros 9, Guardians 2
Isaac Paredes hit his first two home runs of the season to help Houston run away with a win over host Cleveland.
Christian Walker also homered, and he, Parades and Carlos Correa each finished with three hits and two RBIs for the Astros, who had lost four straight. Spencer Arrighetti (2-0) worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-3 with a double for the Guardians, who had won three of four. Slade Cecconi (0-3) lasted five innings but surrendered seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits.
Reds 6, Rays 1
Sal Stewart slugged a two-run homer as National League Central-leading Cincinnati won for the fourth straight time, topping Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Reds improved to 4-0 on a six-game road trip, logging their sixth win in seven games. Stewart added a double, scored twice, stole a base and made two fine defensive plays in the ninth. Cincinnati’s Rece Hinds doubled in two runs.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson was 2-for-5 with a run, but the Rays managed just six hits as they took their third loss in four games.
Braves 9, Nationals 4
Matt Olson hit a two-run home run, Bryce Elder pitched into the seventh inning and Atlanta beat host Washington for its sixth straight win.
Drake Baldwin had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for the Braves. Elder (3-1) pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits.
Daylen Lile homered for the Nationals, who were held to three hits and fell to 2-8 at home. Jake Irvin (1-3) allowed four runs (three earned) in five-plus innings.
Blue Jays 5, Angels 2
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs and Dylan Cease struck out 12 batters as Toronto defeated Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 11 games and Nathan Lukes drove in two runs as the Blue Jays won their second straight game. Cease (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. Jeff Hoffman struck out three in the ninth to pick up his third save.
Nolan Schanuel had a double, a run and an RBI for the Angels, who struck out 18 times while taking their third straight defeat. Reid Detmers (1-2) gave up four runs on five hits over six-plus innings.
Athletics 6, Mariners 4
Carlos Cortes, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers hit solo homers as the Athletics rallied from an early deficit by scoring six consecutive runs in a victory at Seattle.
A’s starter J.T. Ginn allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. Reliever Hogan Harris (2-0) pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings, and Joel Kuhnel worked a one-run ninth for his fourth save of the season.
Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone supplied solo shots for the Mariners, who had a two-game winning streak snapped in the opener of a three-game series. Emerson Hancock went five-plus innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #MLB #roundup #Leody #Taveras #12thinning #slam #sends #Royals
Apr 20, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras (30) celebrates with team mates after hitting a grand slam in the twelfth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Leody Taveras’ grand slam highlighted a five-run 12th inning, after Samuel Basallo forced extras with a two-out RBI single in the ninth, and the Baltimore Orioles handed the host Kansas City Royals an eighth straight loss, 7-5 on Monday.
In the 12th, Basallo broke a 2-2 tie with his second RBI single of the night. Then with the bags full, Taveras sent a pitch from Alex Lange (0-2) over the center field wall for his first grand slam, which helped the Orioles win for just the second time in seven contests.
Anthony Nunez (1-0) allowed an unearned run over two innings for the victory.
Jac Caglianone hit a solo homer for the Royals, who got seven shutout innings of one-hit ball from Seth Lugo. Nick Loftin produced a three-run double in the 12th, and Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez each had three hits.
Red Sox 8, Tigers 6
Ceddanne Rafaela’s pinch-hit, two-run single in the seventh inning lifted host Boston over Detroit in its annual Patriots’ Day game.
The Red Sox exploded for six runs across their final three at-bats and finished with 12 hits, including two apiece by Masataka Yoshida, Caleb Durbin and Carlos Narvaez. Red Sox starter Sonny Gray (right hamstring tightness) exited after 2 2/3 innings, forcing seven relievers into work.
Hao-Yu Lee, Kevin McGonigle and Riley Greene had multi-hit games for the Tigers. Greene had a two-run double to key the Tigers’ three-run ninth.
Cubs 5, Phillies 1
Dansby Swanson hit a three-run homer, Colin Rea threw 6 2/3 quality innings and Chicago posted a victory over visiting Philadelphia.
Rea (3-0) continued an impressive start to the season, allowing just one run on six hits. Alex Bregman had two hits for the Cubs, who won their sixth in a row.
Phillies starter Aaron Nola (1-2) gave up five runs on six hits across 4 1/3 innings. Justin Crawford drove in a run for Philadelphia, which dropped its sixth straight game.
Dodgers 12, Rockies 3
Max Muncy homered twice and finished with four hits, Dalton Rushing also went deep twice, and Los Angeles beat Colorado in Denver.
Miguel Rojas homered and singled twice to reach 1,000 career hits, and Shohei Ohtani had a hit and two walks to extend his on-base streak to 52 games, one behind Shawn Green for second on the club’s all-time list since the move to Los Angeles. Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski (3-0) allowed one run on eight hits in seven innings.
TJ Rumfield homered, Jordan Beck had three hits and Willi Castro and Brett Sullivan each singled twice for Colorado. The teams split the four-game series. The Rockies haven’t won a series against the Dodgers since June 2022.
Marlins 5, Cardinals 3
Otto Lopez stroked a go-ahead double in the sixth inning as host Miami ended St. Louis’ five-game win streak.
Pete Fairbanks pitched a one-run ninth to earn his fourth save. He was part of a Marlins bullpen that combined to pitch 3 2/3 innings, allowing just that one run. Miami starter Max Meyer got a no-decision, allowing three hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker extended his hitting streak to 15 games, two games short of the career-best streak he had as a rookie in 2023. Masyn Winn had two hits, an RBI and a stolen base.
Astros 9, Guardians 2
Isaac Paredes hit his first two home runs of the season to help Houston run away with a win over host Cleveland.
Christian Walker also homered, and he, Parades and Carlos Correa each finished with three hits and two RBIs for the Astros, who had lost four straight. Spencer Arrighetti (2-0) worked five innings, allowing two runs on five hits.
Brayan Rocchio went 3-for-3 with a double for the Guardians, who had won three of four. Slade Cecconi (0-3) lasted five innings but surrendered seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits.
Reds 6, Rays 1
Sal Stewart slugged a two-run homer as National League Central-leading Cincinnati won for the fourth straight time, topping Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Reds improved to 4-0 on a six-game road trip, logging their sixth win in seven games. Stewart added a double, scored twice, stole a base and made two fine defensive plays in the ninth. Cincinnati’s Rece Hinds doubled in two runs.
Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson was 2-for-5 with a run, but the Rays managed just six hits as they took their third loss in four games.
Braves 9, Nationals 4
Matt Olson hit a two-run home run, Bryce Elder pitched into the seventh inning and Atlanta beat host Washington for its sixth straight win.
Drake Baldwin had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for the Braves. Elder (3-1) pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on three hits.
Daylen Lile homered for the Nationals, who were held to three hits and fell to 2-8 at home. Jake Irvin (1-3) allowed four runs (three earned) in five-plus innings.
Blue Jays 5, Angels 2
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs and Dylan Cease struck out 12 batters as Toronto defeated Los Angeles in Anaheim, Calif.
Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 11 games and Nathan Lukes drove in two runs as the Blue Jays won their second straight game. Cease (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. Jeff Hoffman struck out three in the ninth to pick up his third save.
Nolan Schanuel had a double, a run and an RBI for the Angels, who struck out 18 times while taking their third straight defeat. Reid Detmers (1-2) gave up four runs on five hits over six-plus innings.
Athletics 6, Mariners 4
Carlos Cortes, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers hit solo homers as the Athletics rallied from an early deficit by scoring six consecutive runs in a victory at Seattle.
A’s starter J.T. Ginn allowed three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. Reliever Hogan Harris (2-0) pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings, and Joel Kuhnel worked a one-run ninth for his fourth save of the season.
Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone supplied solo shots for the Mariners, who had a two-game winning streak snapped in the opener of a three-game series. Emerson Hancock went five-plus innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.
–Field Level Media
![Kevin Knight is here, he’s hungry, and ready to take over AEW Kevin Knight’s rise has been nothing short of stratospheric. A year that began with Knight having a promising run as one of All Elite Wrestling’s up-and-coming stars morphed over the course of 2026 into something much, much larger. Knight captured individual gold by winning the TNT Championship in April, and now he’s on the precipice of the biggest match of his career. Knight will stand across the ring from AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Redemption in Montreal, headlining a pay-per-view and looking to shatter expectations in the process.I talked with Knight this week in the lead up to his match against Omega to learn what makes him tick as a wrestler, understand the decision behind joining The Don Callis Family, and learn that in a world of heroes and villans, Knight is perfectly comfortable to exist in the grey area.A turning point for Knight came in May at Double or Nothing when he shocked the world by turning on Darby Allin and joining with Don Callis to close the show. It felt like a staggering rejection of his role as fan-favorite inside the company, but it was clinical for Knight. This wasn’t about trying to become hated, but trying to elevate himself.“The goal has stayed the same,” Knight says, “become Jet 2 Belts.” Not only does he want to hold onto his TNT title, but to win the AEW World Championship as well, asserting himself at the top. “I saw the opportunity to overtake this company after Double or Nothing and figured I need to invest in myself.“Getting myself with the Don Callis Family and, seeing how he moves and how, how he’s brought so many championships to AEW, it was a no-brainer, and it’s been nothing but success ever since.”Knight speaks plainly in a business so influenced by emotion. Joining Callis wasn’t a conscious decision to make fans angry or to reject his longtime friend “Speedball” Mike Bailey, but came about organically, as with any difficult change an athlete needs to make. The NFL player demanding a trade, the NBA star making a decision — Knight is walking the same line.“He’s [Callis] been here from day one, and he’s seen people come and go. He’s seen all different types of performers, so he snatched me up. I was tagged with Speedball Mike Bailey, and he had a smile, and he was just naive to the politics of it all. [Don’s] smartened me up, giving me another angle, another perspective in attacking this game that we call wrestling.”If pro wrestling is a game, then Kenny Omega is its final boss. Not only is “The Best Bout Machine” the world champion, but he is also regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Knight might have faced a lot of challenges, but fighting Omega in Canada for a championship is on a different level. Still, Knight feels like he might have an edge — and he’s excited to“Always attack his weaknesses, attacking his weaknesses and, and knowing who he is as a person, and, and capitalizing on those weaknesses. Don Callis has known Kenny a long, long, long time, so he’s priming me up. He’s giving me some game on Kenny’s blind spots. We all love Kenny as a person, but he’s careless in some ways — so, whenever I see those openings, I’m definitely gonna definitely going to attack, take advantage.”It’s not lost on Knight that a majority of wrestling fans are writing him off on Sunday. The lingering perception is that Omega will win, move on to All In at Wembley Stadium, and have another epic match against Will Ospreay. That’s a narrative Knight isn’t willing to accept.“People are expecting this long-life anime fantasy between Omega and Osprey. Redemption is gonna be a change of course, and we’re gonna see a new era. We’re gonna see a new superstar rise to the top. I laugh at the people who look past this match. I use it as more fuel, because I love being a spoiler.”It’s big talk, but Kevin Knight has backed it up in recent months. He’s on a nine-match win streak, perfectly part of his “vision board,” which includes winning the AEW World Heavyweight Title, and then involves becoming the face of the company.“If all goes to plan, Jet Two Belts becomes a reality this upcoming Sunday, and I don’t see myself relinquishing it for anybody, that comes my way. I think I will let up and maybe relinquish the TNT title or, you know, let the other people have a little bit of fun. don’t wanna take up all the time at AEW, but AEW is gonna be set up in the next 6 months if The Jet is on top.”The groundwork for this run, this chance at the championship is built on the backs of people who lifted up Kevin Knight along the way. I asked him for his personal wrestling Mount Rushmore, the individuals who have meant the most to him during his career.“Katsuyori Shibata and Kushida, because they helped mold me. From a young lion to my first couple of tours in New Japan and being able to do Impact as well alongside Kushida. Those two guys definitely mean a lot to me. I gotta throw in there Speedball Mike Bailey because one of my first tours in Japan, one of my first matches in TNA/ Impact was against him, and then, of course, our whole run as Jet Speed and everything that we’ve been able to accomplish together. It means a lot to me, on a sentimental level. Fourth, I would like to give it up to Tony Khan just for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to go out there and show the world who and what I am, giving me the opportunity to try new things and just always encouraging me.”This is only the beginning for Kevin Knight, who will be a staple of the pro-wrestling landscape for a long, long time — win or lose.Kevin Knight will face Kenny Omega at AEW Redemption, which will air on Sunday, July 26 from CentreBell in Montreal, Canada, beginning at 6 p.m. ET #Kevin #Knight #hes #hungry #ready #AEW](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/knight.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C4.865499187579%2C100%2C90.269001624842&ssl=1 "Kevin Knight is here, he’s hungry, and ready to take over AEW Kevin Knight’s rise has been nothing short of stratospheric. A year that began with Knight having a promising run as one of All Elite Wrestling’s up-and-coming stars morphed over the course of 2026 into something much, much larger. Knight captured individual gold by winning the TNT Championship in April, and now he’s on the precipice of the biggest match of his career. Knight will stand across the ring from AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Redemption in Montreal, headlining a pay-per-view and looking to shatter expectations in the process.I talked with Knight this week in the lead up to his match against Omega to learn what makes him tick as a wrestler, understand the decision behind joining The Don Callis Family, and learn that in a world of heroes and villans, Knight is perfectly comfortable to exist in the grey area.A turning point for Knight came in May at Double or Nothing when he shocked the world by turning on Darby Allin and joining with Don Callis to close the show. It felt like a staggering rejection of his role as fan-favorite inside the company, but it was clinical for Knight. This wasn’t about trying to become hated, but trying to elevate himself.“The goal has stayed the same,” Knight says, “become Jet 2 Belts.” Not only does he want to hold onto his TNT title, but to win the AEW World Championship as well, asserting himself at the top. “I saw the opportunity to overtake this company after Double or Nothing and figured I need to invest in myself.“Getting myself with the Don Callis Family and, seeing how he moves and how, how he’s brought so many championships to AEW, it was a no-brainer, and it’s been nothing but success ever since.”Knight speaks plainly in a business so influenced by emotion. Joining Callis wasn’t a conscious decision to make fans angry or to reject his longtime friend “Speedball” Mike Bailey, but came about organically, as with any difficult change an athlete needs to make. The NFL player demanding a trade, the NBA star making a decision — Knight is walking the same line.“He’s [Callis] been here from day one, and he’s seen people come and go. He’s seen all different types of performers, so he snatched me up. I was tagged with Speedball Mike Bailey, and he had a smile, and he was just naive to the politics of it all. [Don’s] smartened me up, giving me another angle, another perspective in attacking this game that we call wrestling.”If pro wrestling is a game, then Kenny Omega is its final boss. Not only is “The Best Bout Machine” the world champion, but he is also regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Knight might have faced a lot of challenges, but fighting Omega in Canada for a championship is on a different level. Still, Knight feels like he might have an edge — and he’s excited to“Always attack his weaknesses, attacking his weaknesses and, and knowing who he is as a person, and, and capitalizing on those weaknesses. Don Callis has known Kenny a long, long, long time, so he’s priming me up. He’s giving me some game on Kenny’s blind spots. We all love Kenny as a person, but he’s careless in some ways — so, whenever I see those openings, I’m definitely gonna definitely going to attack, take advantage.”It’s not lost on Knight that a majority of wrestling fans are writing him off on Sunday. The lingering perception is that Omega will win, move on to All In at Wembley Stadium, and have another epic match against Will Ospreay. That’s a narrative Knight isn’t willing to accept.“People are expecting this long-life anime fantasy between Omega and Osprey. Redemption is gonna be a change of course, and we’re gonna see a new era. We’re gonna see a new superstar rise to the top. I laugh at the people who look past this match. I use it as more fuel, because I love being a spoiler.”It’s big talk, but Kevin Knight has backed it up in recent months. He’s on a nine-match win streak, perfectly part of his “vision board,” which includes winning the AEW World Heavyweight Title, and then involves becoming the face of the company.“If all goes to plan, Jet Two Belts becomes a reality this upcoming Sunday, and I don’t see myself relinquishing it for anybody, that comes my way. I think I will let up and maybe relinquish the TNT title or, you know, let the other people have a little bit of fun. don’t wanna take up all the time at AEW, but AEW is gonna be set up in the next 6 months if The Jet is on top.”The groundwork for this run, this chance at the championship is built on the backs of people who lifted up Kevin Knight along the way. I asked him for his personal wrestling Mount Rushmore, the individuals who have meant the most to him during his career.“Katsuyori Shibata and Kushida, because they helped mold me. From a young lion to my first couple of tours in New Japan and being able to do Impact as well alongside Kushida. Those two guys definitely mean a lot to me. I gotta throw in there Speedball Mike Bailey because one of my first tours in Japan, one of my first matches in TNA/ Impact was against him, and then, of course, our whole run as Jet Speed and everything that we’ve been able to accomplish together. It means a lot to me, on a sentimental level. Fourth, I would like to give it up to Tony Khan just for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to go out there and show the world who and what I am, giving me the opportunity to try new things and just always encouraging me.”This is only the beginning for Kevin Knight, who will be a staple of the pro-wrestling landscape for a long, long time — win or lose.Kevin Knight will face Kenny Omega at AEW Redemption, which will air on Sunday, July 26 from CentreBell in Montreal, Canada, beginning at 6 p.m. ET #Kevin #Knight #hes #hungry #ready #AEW")
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