The Riley Greene Milestone that Should Make Tigers Fans Smile
The Riley Greene Milestone that Should Make Tigers Fans Smile
The Detroit Tigers outfielder is up there with one of the greatest players in franchise history after accomplishing this feat.Matt Postins|
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Detroit TigersThe Detroit Tigers left New York on Wednesday with a series sweep of the Yankees, their first sweep in the Bronx since 2008.
At this point the Tigers need all the help they can get to climb back into a position where they can challenge for the playoffs for a third straight year — and avoid having to trade pitcher Tarik Skubal and alter the trajectory of the franchise.
Riley Greene went 0-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in the game, which went extra innings and saw the Tigers explode for four runs in the 11th inning. But on Tuesday he managed to do something that only two other Tigers — including a Hall of Famer — have done before the age of 26.
Riley Greene’s Big Feat
IS HAVING TWO HOME RUNS BY THE THIRD INNING A GOOD THING? pic.twitter.com/Xc4wKPQU6q
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 30, 2026
Greene hit a home run that was part of a first-inning barrage that buried Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, who has been excellent this season. He hit another home run in the third inning. It helped push his season totals to 11 home runs and 38 RBI. But it did something more.
Per Tigers PR on X (formerly Twitter), the team’s official account, Greene became the third player in franchise history to surpass 85 homers, 300 runs, and 300 RBI before turning 26 years old.
One is Travis Fryman. The other is franchise legend Al Kaline.
Fryman broke in with the Tigers in 1990 when he was 21 years old. He was a first-round pick in 1897 out of Tate High School in Cantonment, Fla. In his rookie season he finished sixth in AL rookie of the year voting and spent the first eight years of his 13-year career with the Tigers. The other five were in Cleveland. He was a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger and finished his career with 223 home runs and 1,022 RBI. In Detroit he hit 149 home runs and drove in 679 runs.
Kaline has his number retired by the Tigers and is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, widely regarded as one of baseball’s best outfielders. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native started his career in 1953 before the draft and because he was signed to a $15,000 bonus, he went straight from high school to the Majors and started his career when he was 18. He never left.
He played all 22 years with the Tigers, hitting 399 home runs and driving in 1,582 runs. While he was never an AL MVP, he was named an 18-time AL All-Star, a 10-time AL Gold Glove winner and won a batting title. He also won a World Series ring in 1968.
Greene, who was a first-round pick out of high school in 2019, has a long way to go to catch either player. He’s hit 87 home runs, scored 306 runs and drive in 301 runs, but the Tigers have him under team control for two more seasons.
Published 1 minute ago
MATT POSTINSMatthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins carries young fan off field after collapse during national anthem
Story byMinnesota Twins minor leaguer Walker Jenkins stepped up before Tuesday's St. Paul Saints game in a way that had nothing to do with his top prospect status.
Jenkins, the No. 14 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, went viral on Wednesday via a video that showed him taking care of a young fan who collapsed while standing with the players during the national anthem.
AdvertisementAdvertisementJenkins noticed the fan wobbling and was soon carrying him off the field, eventually giving him to a staff member at the dugout.
The Saints, the Twins' Triple-A affiliate, confirmed Wednesday morning that the boy, named Lincoln, is doing well and has received some team merchandise.
After helping Lincoln, Jenkins proceeded to go 3-for-5 with a double, triple and three runs scored in a 12-6 win over the Buffalo Bisons. He was a home run shy of the cycle.
The Twins selected Jenkins fifth overall out of South Brunswick High School in North Carolina in the 2023 MLB Draft. He quickly developed into one of the best prospects in the minors, showcasing five-tool talent while playing well above his age at each level.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThis season, Jenkins, 21, is slashing .273/.394/.436 in 30 games with the Saints.
Philadelphia 76ers among teams expressing interest in LeBron James: Source
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6 Potential Landing SpotsBest Place To Sign?Record 24th SeasonLA LegacyWarriors Make SensePhiladelphia 76ers among teams expressing interest in LeBron James: Source

LeBron James and Joel Embiid shake hands after a February game between the Lakers and Sixers. Adam Pantozzi / Getty Images
By Tony JonesJuly 1, 2026 8:39 pm EDT UpdatedThe Philadelphia 76ers have expressed interest in acquiring free agent forward LeBron James, a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations told The Athletic.
On the heels of Wednesday night’s blockbuster trade for Jaylen Brown — which sent Paul George and multiple draft picks to the Boston Celtics — the Sixers have thrown their hat into the proverbial ring for the star forward, who became an unrestricted free agent after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Philadelphia makes sense from a basketball perspective. The 76ers have enough scoring, depth and ballhandling at the top of the roster to allow James to ease into a role. And with James — or even without him — Philadelphia projects as a championship contender. The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are also considered among the frontrunners for James’ services.
James, 41, remains an All-Star-caliber player and one of the league’s most impactful talents. The 76ers were eliminated in the second round of last season’s playoffs by the New York Knicks, who went on to win the NBA championship.
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Tagged To: NBAPhiladelphia 76ersPacers' Ivica Zubac Trade Looks Even Better After Lakers Acquire Walker Kessler
Pacers' Ivica Zubac Trade Looks Even Better After Lakers Acquire Walker Kessler
Indiana was heavily linked to Walker Kessler before the trade deadline, but acquiring Ivica Zubac instead may have been one of the franchise's smartest decisions.Alex Golden|
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Indiana PacersLos Angeles LakersUtah JazzLos Angeles ClippersOn Wednesday, July 1, 2026, the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a lucrative four-year, $130M deal with Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler. Los Angeles and Utah have agreed to complete a sign-and-trade that will send Kessler to the Lakers for two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, and two first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030.
This is a massive haul that the Lakers are paying to solidify the now and future of their center position, going after the best five man on the open market. Indiana was once rumored to have interest in the Jazz's big man during the NBA Trade Deadline period, but Utah reportedly declined the Pacers offer. This was the exact same offer that Indiana ended up sending the Los Angeles Clippers for Ivica Zubac.

While there are reasons to believe that trading for Kessler would have been the better move for Indiana, there is no denying that Indiana in retrospect made the right move in February. While Kessler is a solid young player with plenty of room to grow, he is making an average annual value of $32.5M. Indiana's big man, Ivica Zubac is making $20.3M this season, and $21.7M the folliwing season according to SpoTrac.com.
Being able to acquire a center that is just as good, or slightly even better for $11M less this season is a steal in itself, and it allowed the Pacers more financial flexibility to sign another free agent in the offseason.

If the Pacers had acquired Kessler at the trade deadline and agreed to the same exact deal the Lakers agreed to, Indiana would have been a first-apron team, and would not have been able to inked Kelly Oubre Jr. to the two-year, $17M contract they signed him to -- unless they elected to move off of Jarace Walker's $8.4M contract.
Nobody knew exactly how much Kessler would demand on the open market, and maybe the Lakers had to overpay to keep the Jazz from matching the offer, but for a Pacers team that is trying to win a championship next season, adding Zubac and Oubre Jr. for almost $4M less than what the Lakers will be paying Kessler in his first season was a no-brainer decision.

At the end of the day, the Pacers feel the best way to build a roster is with depth. By focusing in on acquiring a player at the Trade Deadline who fits perfectly into their budget, fills a hole on their roster, and has the skillset to elevate this team's ceiling, Indiana was not only able to address their starting center need, but their backup wing depth.
The Pacers front office of Kevin Pritchard, Chad Buchanan, and Ted Wu have done a terrific job of targeting the right players with the right skillset to ensure that this team is strong enough to compete in the improved Eastern Conference. There would have been other holes to fill had Indiana tied itself to an overpay for Walker Kessler, especially when it can get similar -- if not better-- production from Ivica Zubac for $11M less per season.
You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.
Published 22 minutes ago
ALEX GOLDENI was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and I am the host and creator of Setting The Pace: A Pacers Podcast. I have been covering the team since 2015, and talking about them on the podcast since 2018. I have been a credentialed media member since 2023.
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