NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro wanted to find out if Will Warren was committing a balk in the first inning when he was ejected by second base umpire Nestor Ceja in Saturday’s 13-4 loss to the New York Yankees.
“I actually wasn’t arguing,” Quatraro said. “I was just trying to get some clarification. We’ve been told that if the pitcher’s on the rubber, he’s about to start and then he goes to touch the PitchCom, it should be a balk because it’s essentially doing starting and stopping twice.
“That’s what I was trying to get some clarification on. So, I was not out there to get ejected, but that’s the way it ended up."
After Maikel Garcia was stranded at second base and nearly picked off, Quatraro raced out to start arguing with Ceja and Chris Guccione as the Royals took the field.
“They said it wasn’t a balk,” Quatraro said. “Their interpretation of it was that it was not a balk.”
The argument did not appear heated initially, but when Quatraro turned away he was tossed. Bench coach Paul Hoover took over as manager for Kansas City.
“It's just a difference in how different crews interpret it and how they call it,” Quatraro said.
It was Quatraro’s eighth career ejection since becoming Kansas City’s manager in 2023.
After Quatraro was tossed, the Royals lost their sixth straight and for the ninth time in 11 games.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro (33) argues with second base umpire Nestor Ceja during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley missed Toronto's 126-113 loss to Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series on Saturday because of a mild right hamstring strain.
Quickley suffered the injury during the Raptors’ regular-season finale against Brooklyn. Jamal Shead started in place of Quickley and scored 17 points, but coach Darko Rajakovic said Quickley's absence was felt.
“We missed Quickley big time with the way he gets us organized and his shooting helps our team out," Rajakovic said. "I like Jamal’s defense and what we need on the court. We wanted to have multiple ball handlers on the floor with Jamal.”
Toronto committed 18 turnovers that resulted in 22 points by Cleveland. The Raptors came into the game leading the league in fast-break points, averaging 18.9 points per game, but they had a season-low three on Saturday.
Quickley led the Raptors with 178 3-pointers during the regular season, but Shead picked up the slack from beyond the arc by making a career-high five.
“Our biggest problem was our 17 turnovers. We had a lot of situations where we were careless with the ball," Rajakovic said. "They won the possession battle. And in transition, I thought we did a very, very poor job.”
Quickley averaged 16.4 points, a career-high 5.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 70 regular-season games. The five-year veteran has scored at least 20 points in 20 games and recorded eight double-doubles.
Rajakovic said Quickley was making progress and didn't rule him out for Game 2 on Monday. Quickley also missed eight games from March 23 to April 5 because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson looks to pass while being guarded by Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead, front and forward Brandon Ingram (3) during the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Saturday, April 18, 2026, In Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic reacts on the sideline during the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Saturday, April 18, 2026, In Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Toronto Raptors' Immanuel Quickley (5) drives past Miami Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis (25) during the first period of an NHL game in Ottawa, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP)
