Making official what was expected, manager Ned Yost announced the Royals’ rotation for the World Series.
Game 1: James Shields
Game 2: Yordano Ventura
Game 3: Jeremy Guthrie
Game 4: Jason Vargas
That’s the same alignment the Royals used in the ALCS, when they swept the Orioles in four games.
Royals starters have a 3.80 ERA this postseason, but Shields has allowed 10 runs in three starts compared to the other three pitchers allowing a combined nine runs in five starts.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has reversed course and will continue to pay minor leaguers. Fisher tells Slusser, “I concluded I made a mistake.” He said he is also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees.
The A’s decided in late May to stop paying paying minor leaguers as of June 1, which was the earliest date on which any club could do so after an MLB-wide agreement to pay minor leaguers through May 31 expired. In the event, the A’s were the only team to stop paying the $400/week stipends to players before the end of June. Some teams, notable the Royals and Twins, promised to keep the payments up through August 31, which is when the minor league season would’ve ended. The Washington Nationals decided to lop off $100 of the stipends last week but, after a day’s worth of blowback from the media and fans, reversed course themselves.
An @sfchronicle exclusive: A's owner John Fisher reverses course, apologizes: team will pay minor-leaguers; "I concluded I made a mistake," he tells me. He's also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees: https://t.co/8HUBkFAaBx)
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 5, 2020