Nelson retires first 16 Royals, Carroll returns in Diamondbacks' 7-1 victory

PHOENIX (AP) — Ryne Nelson retired the first 16 Kansas City batters and the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Royals 7-1 on Saturday to end a three-game losing streak.

Nelson (5-2), who moved into the rotation full-time when Corbin Burnes was sidelined for the season by elbow surgery, gave up four hits and one run over seven innings. The right-hander threw 86 pitches, walked none and struck out five.

Freddy Fermin’s sharp single to center with one out in the sixth ended Nelson’s perfect-game bid. Fermin scored on Bobby Witt Jr.'s two-out single.

Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez had RBI singles in the third off Michael Wacha (4-9), and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled in two runs in the fifth for Arizona. Gurriel also tripled in the seventh off Taylor Clarke and scored on James McCann’s double.

Wacha lasted four-plus innings, giving up four hits and four runs. He threw 97 pitches, walking four and striking out four.

Randal Grichuk hit an inside-the-park homer in the eighth. With a man on base, he hit a long fly to right-center that bounced away from outfielders Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel and into center field as Grichuk scored standing up for his fifth homer of the season.

Before the game, the Diamondbacks activated outfielder Corbin Carroll from the injured list. The 2023 National League Rookie of the Year, who has 20 homers and a major league-leading nine triples, was 0 for 5 in his return. He had been sidelined since June 18, when he sustained a chip fracture in his left wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Toronto.

Utilityman Tim Tawa was optioned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

Gurriel’s two-out, two-run double off reliever John Schreiber made it 4-0 in the fifth.

Nelson is 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA in his last five starts.

Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (4-8, 4.95) opposes Diamondbacks RHP Anthony DeSclafani (0-0, 4.82) on Sunday the series finale.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/ml

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha walks off the field after being replaced during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo scores a run against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suárez connects for a run-scoring single against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson throws against the Kansas City Royals during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson throws against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his family waved to a crowd of flag-waving New Year’s well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Friday.

Standing with his wife Masako and the rest of the royal family, he wished a happy new year to people lined up below the palace balcony, some shouting, “banzai" — Japanese for "long live.”

The annual New Year’s appearance by the emperor and his family draws huge crowds to the palace’s usually cloistered grounds in central Tokyo.

People stand in long lines, weathering the cold, for each of the five appearances during the day, as the imperial family remains relatively popular.

The emperor does not have political power but holds symbolic significance for Japan. He and his family are longtime advocates for peace, although World War II was fought in the name of Naruhito’s grandfather Hirohito.

In a statement released in advance, Naruhito noted that last year marked 80 years since the end of that war. He stressed the importance of the message of peace, given that war and strife continued in parts of the world.

“I deeply feel it’s important to continue with efforts among people for dialogue, trying to deepen mutual understanding, so we can build a world of peace,” he said in the statement.

In both the statement and comments Friday, he spoke about recent natural disasters such as earthquakes, heavy rainfall and snow, and forest fires.

In 2024, the annual appearance was canceled because of a New Year’s Day quake in the Noto Peninsula, a coastal area in central Japan, which killed hundreds of people. In 2021 and 2022, it got canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Princess Aiko, the imperial couple's only child, appeared with her parents at this year’s greeting, as did other relatives. She is at the center of a national debate about rules allowing only men to inherit to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

The presence of Naruhito’s nephew, Hisahito, also drew attention, as he now takes part in adult imperial events and is a possible heir to the throne. He is second in line after his father, the emperor’s brother.

Akihito, Naruhito’s father and emperor emeritus who abdicated in 2019, was also there with his wife Michiko, the emperor’s mother.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads https://www.threads.net/@yurikageyama

Japan's Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito, daughter and son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan's Emperor Naruhito greets well-wishers during a public appearance for New Year's celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)