Baseball

Body The American League (AL) Central Division title race is heating up as August ends – and Kansas City is in the thick of it.As of Friday afternoon, the Royals were in second place and trailing division leader Cleveland by 1.5 games.

Body Kansas City remains in the thick of the American League (AL) playoff race, despite going 4-6 in its last 10 games.The Royals were 66-55 and held the position of the final wild card spot entering this weekend’s three-game interleague road series with Cincinnati.

Body Kansas City shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and his fellow Royals are on the edge of playoff contention with roughly six weeks left in the Major League Baseball regular season.

Body  Bobby Witt Jr. continues to power Kansas City and keep the Royals in American League playoff contention with his bat.The young shortstop was leading the Royals with a .

Body Salvador Perez is headed back to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The veteran catcher will represent the Kansas City Royals in the annual ballgame, slated for July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It’ll be his ninth All-Star Game appearance.

Body Kansas City has an opportunity to gain ground on Cleveland in the American League Central Division race as the week concludes. The Royals began a four-game series with Cleveland Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium. The divisional series will conclude Sunday.

Body Two SEC schools will soon slug it out for the national title in NCAA Division I baseball. The University of Tennessee and Texas A & M University are slated to begin play in the best-of-three Men’s College World Series final Saturday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

Body Excelsior Springs nudged closer to its 10th win this season with its most recent home triangular.  After falling 10-6 to Smithville, the Tigers defeated Pleasant Hill 6-2, giving them win No. 9. Here are some images from both April 20 games, captured by sports editor Shawn Roney.