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To no one's surprise, Ichiro Suzuki is a Baseball Hall of Famer. to no one's surprise, he had the most on-brand reaction to this legacy-defining development.

On Thursday, the Seattle Mariners released a video of Ichiro receiving the phone call with the news … and the 10-time All-Star barely batted an eye. Maybe he was in shock, or maybe he was nervous. Maybe he was just feeling confident that he'd get the bid and didn't feel the need to over do it. But whatever the emotion, it all felt very Ichiro, which is the best reaction, anyway.

Plus, it's worth noting that he appear to visibly relax a bit once the call ends, slumping in his seat a bit and even cracking a smile.

Watch that below:

The one-time American League MVP, single-season hits record-holder and 10-time Golden Glove winner was tapped for the Hall of Fame earlier this month after 19 stunning seasons in the major leagues. He received 99.7% of the vote, meaning he was just shy of a unanimous bid.

We'll get another chance at a very Ichiro reaction at the 2025 induction ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.

The longer this goes on, the noisier it will get for Liverpool and their new signings and their recruitment strategy when viewed through a wider lens.

Five defeats from six in the Premier League have snuffed out any hopes of Arne Slot retaining his throne at the top of the division. Arsenal are eight points ahead at the summit, but it is the stark polarity in technical implementation and fluency that is a greater threat to Liverpool’s campaign.

That and the Reds’ startling defensive fragilities. Ibrahima Konate has been at the centre of Liverpool’s problems this term, and Virgil van Dijk is hardly at his best either. A variety of full-back pairings have yet to provide sustainable results, and Alisson Becker’s absence through injury hasn’t helped matters.

But Liverpool are all wrong, and it has at times felt as if Slot it trying to put square pegs into round holes. To solve this crisis of confidence and cohesion, sporting director Richard Hughes appears to be getting ready to add a high-level midfielder to the Anfield ranks.

Liverpool looking to sign a midfielder

Liverpool have got plenty of creativity in their ranks, even if Slot is not wielding his playmakers’ abilities to the max at this moment. But Liverpool need more in the way of build-up play.

Ryan Gravenberch is one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League, and he has excelled since Slot shifted his countryman into a deep-lying central berth.

But Liverpool are embroiled in a pressing conundrum this season, lacking the intensity and physicality and drive to recycle possession. This was painfully clear on Sunday against Manchester City, who outperformed Liverpool across almost every department.

The Merseysiders also look a bit lost, tactically. That’s a disquieting thing to say, and the dichotomy between Slot’s first and second terms at Liverpool are illustrated clearly through this point.

What Liverpool need is a genius midfielder to rival Gravenberch at number six and revive Liverpool’s energy and build-up and pressing. Gravenberch is great, but Fabinho’s presence is missed in the Liverpool midfield, that Brazilian anchor whose composure under pressure and crisp, intelligent distribution paid dividends under Jurgen Klopp.

It is perhaps for this reason that Hughes and FSG have centred their sights on Paris Saint-Germain’s Vitinha.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the Portugal international ahead of the turn of the year and are willing to offer a staggering €130m (about £114m) fee. Arsenal and Juventus are also understood to be keen on the 25-year-old.

This won’t be an easy one to pull off, of course. Vitinha is contracted to the Parc des Princes until 2029, and he is considered by PSG to be one of their most untouchable players.

What Vitinha would offer Liverpool

Vitinha is rather good at football. It seems obvious that he would raise the level of Liverpool’s midfield, having dominated under Luis Enrique’s wing, winning a historic quadruple last season and continuing to dazzle at the heart of the PSG super-team this term.

Described by Portugal manager Roberto Martinez as being “the best midfielder in the world”, Vitinha has been instrumental in Paris’ golden footballing age, playing 169 times across all competitions for the club since joining from Porto for £34m in 2022.

Here is a midfielder who has played in the Premier League before, featuring 19 times and starting five of those fixtures in 2020/21 while on loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This was a bit-part role for a young and raw player. Vitinha is now levels above that one-time player whose passing and skill have found a maturity befitting a team at the very top of the European pyramid.

It is such a player who could turn things around for Liverpool, perhaps even establishing himself as the Redmen’s finest midfielder since those days of Fabinho in Klopp’s system.

These players do not share that many stylistic similarities, but Fabinho was considered among the finest in the world when tackling his way through the Premier League, and Vitinha, as mentioned already, is believed by some to be the very creme of the world crop, finishing third in the men’s Ballon d’Or rankings this year.

This is a midfielder who can do it all. His passing is out of his world, and his is a scholarly footballing mind. As per data-led platform FBref, Vitinha ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe over the past 12 months for pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 9% for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for progressive carries per 90.

Moreover, Vitinha has won 60% of his ground duels in Ligue 1 this season, emphasising the underrated combativeness to his game.

Gravenberch is mobile and crisp on the ball and progressive when the right chance presents itself, but he is not as skilled on the ball as Vitinha, and while Klopp’s heavy-metal system demanded an enforcer like Fabinho, Slot’s more centralised build-up patterns demand a profile like Vitinha, especially now Trent Alexander-Arnold has up and left.

This is why Vitinha would be such a credit to the project, very much becoming Slot’s own version of Fabinho without matching the 32-year-old, who now plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, in regard to the deeper analytical dive of his playing style.

The ripple effect of such an acquisition would be astounding. Energy and movement and belonging would give rise to the likes of Konate and Van Dijk’s latent brilliance as a defensive partnership. Vitinha would direct play and orchestrate from the middle. Here you would find Wirtz unlocking his skills once again, and the web of passing patterns would strengthen across the central and attacking thirds.

Liverpool said their farewells to Fabinho a time ago, and success has been had in the years since his sale. But Liverpool miss him still, and while Vitinha is a wildly different profile, his technical skills and ability to navigate his way through intense pressure underscore the importance of getting this one over the line and reviving the Slot machine.

More than Wirtz: £36m Liverpool star is becoming a "serious issue" for Slot

Liverpool were condemned to a fifth defeat in six Premier League matches at the Etihad.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 10, 2025

Manchester City's star winger Jeremy Doku launched a scathing attack on his Belgium team-mates after the Red Devils threw away a chance to secure an automatic World Cup qualification during the weekend. The European giants failed to register a win against a 10-man Kazakhstan side as they came back from behind to play out a 1-1 draw in Astana on Saturday.

• Belgium held to a draw

  The Red Devils, who have now won just one out of their last three international games, were held to a 1-1 draw as they came back from behind against Kazakhstan. Rudi Garcia's side dealt with an early blow as Dastan Satpayev latched on to a loose ball at the back and handed the hosts the lead in the ninth. Belgium then staged a comeback early in the second half as Hans Vanaken equalised for his side from Timothy Castagne's assist. 

  Kazakhstan were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when striker Islam Chesnokov picked up a direct red card, but Belgium failed to take the man advantage and pile on the opposition's misery. 

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  Doku slammed Belgium team-mates

  After the game, a frustrated Doku ranted against his colleagues as he told reporters: "We've already dropped too many points because we weren't good enough in a large number of matches. Our campaign hasn't gone well, no. Everyone needs to do better. The coach, me, everyone. Kevin, Romelu. Thibaut, if we need them to win against Kazakhstan, then we can't do anything at the World Cup. We looked at this team and thought they would play long but then they played short and started playing football. It was a completely different match than last time. Maybe we didn't analyse our opponent enough."

  Defender Arthur Theate also expressed his frustration as he added: "If you feel like it, go ahead. It's not that I disagree. But if you concede a goal, that's the problem. If you don't score, it's the attack's fault. Of course, we shouldn't have conceded that goal but we haven't conceded many goals this campaign. Agreed, conceding three goals at home against Wales wouldn't have been right. 'But otherwise, we weren't put in much danger. But you can judge for yourself. I just think we're having a good campaign defensively."

• Will Belgium qualify for the World Cup?

  Belgium threw away an opportunity to secure a direct qualification to the World Cup next year but they still remain the favourites to book their berth in the flagship from Group J. With 15 points from seven points, Belgium stand at the top of their group, two points clear of North Macedonia.

  A win against rock bottom Liechtenstein on Tuesday will help them secure World Cup qualification. North Macedonia and Wales, on the other hand, will clash in their final group game to secure a play-offs spot. 

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  Doku's stellar run of form

  Individually, Doku has enjoyed a purple patch in the 2025-26 campaign with Manchester City. He has featured in 16 matches across all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side where he has scored three goals and provided four assists. 

  Former City star Paul Dickov recently hailed Doku as the best winger in the world, as he told : “I would say he's probably the best in Europe at the minute. Not just of his performance against Liverpool, which was top drawer, but I said before the game, that despite Erling Haaland’s goals, Doku has consistently been City’s best player and biggest threat. 

  "People were forgetting last season. They were questioning his end product a little bit. And maybe he was doing all these dribbles and was playing at a mile-a-minute. Maybe his crossing and finishing suffered, but he’s worked so hard at his game. He’s only 23 years old. He’s a young boy, and he’s just impossible to defend against when he gets you one on one."

The Colorado Rockies are 4-25 after suffering an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. It was the team's eighth straight loss and they are currently on a historically bad pace. If they continue at their current pace they'll only win 22 games, which would be the second-worst season in baseball history behind the 1899 Cleveland Spiders who went 20-134.

The Spiders were 7-22 through their first 29 games.

With a current winning percentage of .138 the Rockies are on pace to set a modern-era record for losses. The 2024 Chicago White Sox, who broke the 1960 New York Mets' record for most losses in a season with 121, started 6-23.

The good news is that there really are five full months remaining in the season and the Rockies have a chance to turn things around. Or maybe short of that, not compete for one of the worst records in professional baseball history.

They're already 15.5 games out of first and since they're in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers, it's seems likely that the Rockies will set a new record for most games out of first. The 2018 Orioles finished 61 games back. The1942 Phillies finished 62.5 games out of first. The 1909 Boston Doves finished 65.5 games back. The aforementioned 1899 Spiders finished an astonishing 84 games behind the Brooklyn Superbas.

The Dodgers, who lead the NL West, are currently on pace to win 108 games. Even if the Dodgers slow down and the Rockies speed up, there is going to be a 60-something game difference in the standings at the end of the season.

If there's any good news here it's that the Rockies are only three games behind this year's edition of the Chicago White Sox. Those two teams are scheduled to play a three-game series that starts on the 4th of July. Good seats will most likely still be available.

Everton are in the race to sign James Ward-Prowse from West Ham in January, with the midfielder “almost certain” to leave the London Stadium in the new year.

Ward-Prowse has enjoyed an impressive career, spending many years at Southampton and being renowned for being one of the best set-piece specialists in Premier League history.

Ward-Prowse has struggled to be a regular for West Ham this season however, and with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2027, the Hammers are set to listen to offers for him in January.

“There’s no way he’s getting back into the plans at West Ham. Nuno just doesn’t want him in the team; he is not open to the idea of this turning around,” reported Dean Jones earlier this month, claiming a move is “almost certain”.

“I don’t see any possibility that West Ham try to stop him from leaving. I think they will treat him with respect and allow him the chance to move.”

Everton are the team most strongly linked with the 11-cap England international, and now a new update has emerged regarding a possible move for the 31-year-old.

Everton ready to offer Ward-Prowse exit route

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown talked up Everton’s interest in Ward-Prowse due to his connection with David Moyes, confirming the Blues are “willing” to offer him a fresh start.

At 31, Ward-Prowse is now in the autumn of his career, so Everton wouldn’t be signing him as a long-term prospect with lots of sell-on value.

That said, he could be a shrewd signing in terms of his experience and enduring quality, not necessarily being a key starter but adding depth to the Blues’ squad at a relatively low cost given his contract situation.

Friedkin now plotting 2026 move to sign "sensational" boyhood Everton fan

He recently scored a hat-trick.

By
Tom Cunningham

Nov 21, 2025

The fact that Moyes knows him well can only be a positive – he wouldn’t want him if he didn’t value him as a player and a character – so the positives outweigh the negatives.

Only three players earn more than James Ward-Prowse at West Ham

Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to honour the late Diogo Jota after sending his family and his Portuguese team-mates a special gift to commemorate their 2025 Nations League triumph. The Liverpool forward and his brother, Andre Silva, died in a car crash in Spain in July, leaving the footballing community in mourning. And although Jota is gone, Ronaldo is helping to keep his memory very much alive.

• Footballing world rocked by Jota's death

  Liverpool forward Jota died at the age of 28 following the accident in the Spanish province of Zamora this summer, with the former Wolves man marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom they had three children together, just 11 days prior to the crash. Less than a month before, Jota had been part of the Portuguese side that pipped Spain to the 2025 Nations League trophy after beating the European champions on penalties. As the tributes poured in to toast the memory of the Portugal international, Ronaldo admitted this was all so unfair. 

  He wrote on X at the time: "It doesn’t make sense. We were only just in the national team together, you had only just got married. To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you’ll always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We’ll all miss you."

  Portugal, Liverpool, Wolves, and more have continued to pay tribute to Jota, who was a popular figure among his team-mates. Now, it appears the Al-Nassr striker has come up with a classy gesture of his own for Jota's family. 

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• Ronaldo honours Jota

  According to Portuguese outlet Sic Noticias, the 40-year-old has teamed up with luxury brand Jacob & Co to make personalised watches for his Portuguese team-mates, including Jota, to commemorate their Nations League triumph in Munich. The report adds that Ronaldo had these watches made and sent them to his compatriots before their World Cup qualifying game against Armenia. The ex-Real Madrid man also took the time to send one to Jota's family. 

  Journalist Nuno Luz said: "These are details that are done without advertising and that show the genuine way that Cristiano Ronaldo is. Often, people from outside have an image of him that does not correspond." 

  It is not known how much the watch costs but the report adds that it is likely to be worth several thousand euros each.

  On social media, Jacob & Co wrote of the design: "A skeleton dial, custom design and the Portuguese coat of arms — a watch as exceptional as the champions themselves."

• 'The world has been together'

  Jota's funeral took place at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Portugal just two days after his death. Following the service – which was attended by a host of Liverpool players and many close friends, family, and former team-mates – Portugal boss Roberto Martinez spoke to the media. The former Everton manager reflected on how this tragedy had brought the "world together".

  He said in an emotional speech: "I wanted to say it is a really, really sad day as you can imagine. But today was a day [that showed] we are a very, very large but close family. We are Portugal. We are together. The world has been together and their spirit will be with us forever. Thank you for all of your messages and support. Today we are one football family."

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  What comes next for Portugal?

  Months on from Jota's death, his Portugal side went on to top their World Cup qualifying group, ensuring their fairly serene passage to the 2026 World Cup in North America. Ronaldo's team will eagerly await what their World Cup warm-up fixtures will be and which sides they will face in their group as they seek to win this iconic competition for the first time. They may have extra motivation to come out on top following Jota's passing, in addition to the fact it is likely to be Ronaldo's last major tournament before his retirement.

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner was rung up on strikes by Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty during the fifth inning of Sunday's game, and after expressing his dissatisfaction with the call from home plate umpire Derek Thomas, he was promptly ejected from the game.

Shortly thereafter, Cubs manager Craig Counsell got face to face with Thomas and was dealt a similar fate to that of Hoerner: an early trip to the locker room.

After the game, Hoerner spoke to reporters and addressed his frustration over the call and his ejection, laying out to the media exactly what he told Thomas after the called third strike.

"I don't think it's really that often you can verbatim say to the press afterwards what got you thrown out. I said, 'You're having a really bad day,'" Hoerner told reporters, via Marquee Sports Network.

The 28-year-old suggested he didn't make any obscene comments or anything of that nature after being called out on strikes. Hoerner claims to have given Thomas an honest assessment of his performance behind the plate, and in turn was tossed from the game.

Update: This video shows Hoerner was telling the truth about what he said:

Hoerner went 0-for-2 with a fly out and a strikeout prior to his ejection. He was replaced at second base by Vidal Brujan, and Chicago would go on to lose, 4–0.

Chelsea have built a squad full of brilliant players over the last few years, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella all being genuinely world-class.

However, it would also be fair to say that, so far, their summer signings have not exactly hit the ground running.

In particular, Jamie Gittens has failed to live up to the expectations people had of him after his impressive campaign with Borussia Dortmund last year, during which he recorded 17 goal involvements.

So, it’s not a surprise to see reports linking Chelsea with an exceptionally exciting winger who could end up being a significant upgrade on the Englishman.

Chelsea target Gittens upgrade

With the transfer window less than a month away from reopening, Chelsea have once again been linked with a plethora of brilliant players.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

For example, while there has been plenty of talk about Emmanuel Emegha, the Blues have also been linked with his free-scoring teammate, Joaquín Panichelli.

On top of that, the West Londoners have also been one of several sides linked with Nottingham Forest’s imposing Murillo.

However, while both players would improve Maresca’s squad, because of where they play, neither could be described as an upgrade on Gittens, unlike Yan Diamonde.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Chelsea are one of a handful of top teams interested in signing the Ivorian winger.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Blues’ board are convinced about the 19-year-old wonderkid and see him fitting into the team perfectly.

However, on top of having to get ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the Pensionsers would also have to stump up a lot of money to secure the player.

According to the report, RB Leipzig would want up to €100m to sell their star asset, which is about £87m, but even so, Diomande looks like a player Chelsea should go all out for, especially as he’d be a significant Gittens upgrade.

How Diomande compares Gittens

Now, while Diomande is someone who can play on both flanks and has actually spent a little more time on the right recently, he is seen as a left-sided player.

Therefore, were he to join Chelsea next month, one of his main rivals for game time would be Gittens, but who is the better player?

Well, when it comes to raw output, which is fundamentally the most crucial metric of all, it’s not even close.

For example, in 15 first-team appearances this season, totalling just 951 minutes, the Ivorian star has scored seven goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 86.45 minutes, which is a rate of return that lends credence to journalist Bence Bocsák’s claim that he is a “generational talent.”

In stark contrast, the Englishman has scored a single goal and provided five assists in 18 appearances this season, totalling 830 minutes.

That comes out to a pretty underwhelming average of a goal involvement every three games, or every 138.33 minutes.

Moreover, a caveat about the Reading-born ace’s age cannot be made, as the Leipzig star is just 19 and already running games in attack.

On top of having the better output, the Abidjan-born superstar in the making also has some brilliant underlying numbers to his name.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 10% for shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, while the competition is less fierce, it is impressive that the Ivorian monster has already won four senior caps for his country, compared to none for the Englishman.

Ultimately, Gittens may well come good, but at the same time, Diomande is massively outperforming him and looks like someone Chelsea should break the bank on.

Fewer touches than Sanchez & 70% duels lost: Chelsea flop must be dropped

It was another night to forget for Chelsea, especially for one starter who Enzo Maresca must now drop.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

5 days ago

Arsene Wenger revealed his World Cup favourites and shared his verdict on England's chances of breaking their major tournament curse in 2026. In Wenger’s eyes, England stand on the cusp of something special, but does not deem them as outright favourites. For all the painful near misses of recent years, he believes a breakthrough is within touching distance.

• The Southgate years and the search for a final step

  Gareth Southgate's England failed to claim silverware at Euro 2024, as Spain outclassed them in a final that brutally exposed the difference between nearly champions and definitive ones. That defeat prompted the FA to embrace a change of direction, bringing in Thomas Tuchel. And while the qualifying campaign did not always sparkle, the end product was historic. England not only topped their group but did so perfectly, winning all eight matches and, incredibly, doing so without conceding a single goal. Even the grinding, laboured outings against ultra-defensive sides such as Andorra could not overshadow the seismic statement of a 5-0 dismantling of Serbia, which showed that they are capable of something far more imposing than their doubters expected.

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  Wenger weighs on the World Cup favourites

  Wenger said: "England are one of the favourites of the World Cup. They are always nearly there. And they have to make the step. They have the quality to win."

  Despite praising England’s evolution, Wenger stopped short of placing them at the very summit of the contenders. That honour, he insisted, sits squarely with France. He highlighted an unrivalled depth of elite forwards as the primary reason Les Bleus are a little ahead of Tuchel's troops. 

  "By trying to be as objective as possible, I think France are the super favourites. Just for one reason," he argued. "They have more world-class strikers than any other country. To have such a bench and such quality will make the difference."

  His reasoning is hard to refute. With Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe leading a cohort that also includes Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Randal Kolo Muani, Desire Doue and Hugo Ekitike, France possess an attacking armoury unmatched anywhere in international football. Both nations enter the draw as top seeds, meaning they cannot cross paths until the final. 

• Alexi Lalas does not want an England victory

  American football icon Alexi Lalas, with 96 caps to his name, offered a typically candid view, balancing admiration with patriotic unease. Lalas conceded that England are "really good" and arguably more finely tuned than at any previous World Cup in the modern era. But with the tournament falling on the symbolic 250th anniversary of America’s independence, he joked that the sight of the Three Lions celebrating a triumph on U.S. soil would be a scenario that needs to be avoided. 

  He said: "As an American here, it pains me to say this publicly but England are really good. And they are coming over here next summer to the World Cup, on our 250th birthday. If it is coming home next summer on our shores, we cannot have that. We can absolutely not have that but they are very, very good."

  Within the England camp, optimism has grown visibly during Tuchel's early months in charge. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham described Tuchel’s arrival as a jolt of energy that has swiftly permeated the squad.

  He said: "Thomas has come in and really hit the ground running brilliantly. You can feel the brilliant energy in the camp and see that the players are really responding well to him. So we’re looking forward to the tournament. We know for European teams it’s obviously going to be hard in the heat, but we’ll do everything we can and we’re looking forward to it."

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  A chance to rewrite history

  Many criticised the decision to appoint Tuchel as the manager of The Three Lions, since he holds a German passport. However, given the results in the qualifiers, the FA stands vindicated. And as anticipation builds ahead of Friday’s draw, a familiar question hangs over England’s campaign: whether this is finally the moment the country sheds its decades-long burden and wins a major trophy again. A kind group stage draw will be the first step in that direction. 

Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki was called out on an unfortunately timed pitch clock violation during the first inning of Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals.

On Suzuki's first plate appearance, he fouled a pitch off himself, hitting his upper leg region in multiple spots while facing a full count. Suzuki then briefly walked away from the plate, as he appeared to be experiencing some discomfort. He was then ruled out for a pitch clock violation, the Cubs' third out of the game to end the first inning.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell did not seem happy with this decision, and came up onto the field to plead his case to the umpire. Suzuki was seemingly hurt after hitting himself with the foul, and likely should have been given that moment to re-gather himself instead of getting called out.

Fortunately, that missed opportunity doesn't appear to have cost the Cubs too much. Through three innings, the Cubs lead the Royals 4-1 thanks to a three-run home run from Matt Shaw and a solo home run from Carson Kelly.