ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol believes in the “no shirt, no problem,” mantra.
His club was boosted to a win Friday night by a group of college ball players in the right-field seats who took off and waved their shirts as they sang, chanted and drew others into the fray.
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St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol looks up into the stands at fans as they cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fans cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fans cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Yohel Pozo (63) is congratulated by teammate Masyn Winn (0) after hitting a walk-off single to defeat the Kansas City Royals during the 11th inning of a baseball game Friday, May 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn flies out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals manger Oliver Marmol walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
Marmol loved it, so much so that he purchased tickets for shirtless revelers this weekend.
“Last night’s atmosphere was electric. Let’s run it back this weekend," Marmol said in a social media post. “I’ll buy tickets for fans who want to sit in the right field Loge and bring the energy.”
It all began when the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team called the Lumberjacks were in nearby Alton, Illinois, for the National Club Baseball Division II World Series. The Cardinals offered tickets to the team, and 17 players attended.
By the time Yohel Pozo drove in the game-winning run with a walk-off single in the 11th inning, the Lumberjacks had other fans — and even the mascot Fredbird — joining in on the ruckus.
“Whoever started that in right field, I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure they come every game,” Marmol said Friday night. “Because that was awesome. Not only them, but everybody that showed up today. That was a fun environment.”
The “tarps off” trend — celebrating by taking your shirt off and waving it — is not new to sports, but it was to Busch Stadium.
Who knows, Friday night's fans may have accidentally created a new tradition.
The fans sang soccer chants and shouted players’ names. The stadium organist, Dwayne Hilton, played accompanying music and got everyone involved in the spirit.
The party had grown to multiple sections by the 11th inning.
“It creates an environment where, it’s not only filling this place up, it’s making it a tough place for other teams to come in and play,” Marmol said Friday. “That was pretty damn cool. I’ll sign up for that, any day.”
The Cardinals said Marmol purchased right-field tickets for both games this weekend, and all of them were snapped up by Saturday afternoon.
Game 2 of the three-game series against the Kansas City Royals began Saturday after about a 45-minute rain delay, and the Lumberjacks were said to be coming back to Busch Stadium after a game of their own.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol looks up into the stands at fans as they cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fans cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fans cheer and wave their shirts above their heads during the fourth inning of a baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Yohel Pozo (63) is congratulated by teammate Masyn Winn (0) after hitting a walk-off single to defeat the Kansas City Royals during the 11th inning of a baseball game Friday, May 15, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals' Masyn Winn flies out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Saturday, May 16, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
St. Louis Cardinals manger Oliver Marmol walks to the dugout after making a pitching change during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Athletics, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Marshall)
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed the leader of Hamas’ military wing who was one of the last surviving architects of the attacks that triggered the war in late 2023, the Israeli military said Saturday. Hamas confirmed the death.
Izz al-Din al-Haddad was killed on Friday, Israel’s army said, describing him as one of the senior Hamas military commanders who directed the planning and execution of the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw more than 250 taken hostage.
A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, confirmed the killing on social media.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, and the top diplomat overseeing it says it has stalled because of the deadlock over disarming Hamas. Both sides have traded accusations of violations. Gaza has seen near-daily Israeli fire with more than 850 people killed in the Palestinian territory since the ceasefire went into effect in October, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community. The ministry overall says Israel’s retaliatory strikes in the war have devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed more than 72,700 people.
Israel said that al-Haddad had assumed the role of Hamas commander after his predecessor, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed. The army said that al-Haddad had surrounded himself with Israeli hostages during the war as a shield against an attack.
Al-Haddad’s family confirmed his death in Friday's strike to The Associated Press. Six other people, including his wife and daughter, were also killed. His two sons were killed earlier in the war.
His body was wrapped in Hamas and Palestinian flags as it was carried by mourners at Saturday's funeral in Gaza City.
Al-Haddad joined Hamas when it was established in the 1980s, and was a member of the Qassam Brigades' Majd section tasked to go after collaborators with Israel. He was also a member of Hamas’ Military Council, the highest group of commanders that played a key role in the attacks that sparked the war.
Israel's army chief of staff called his killing a significant operation, and said that Israel would continue pursuing its enemies to hold them accountable.
Violence flared Saturday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli troops shot and killed a 34-year-old Palestinian in the Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Health ministry.
Hassan Fayyad was fatally shot in a thigh, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Israel's military said that troops first fired warning shots at a person trying to infiltrate the camp and shot him when he didn't comply. They provided him with medical treatment as he was transferred to a hospital, it said.
Israeli troops on Thursday shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in Eastern Lubban town in Nablus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israel's military said that it identified three people hurling rocks toward Israeli vehicles and “endangering lives,” and troops fired at them, killing one.
On Friday, settlers set fire to a mosque and vehicles in the village of Jibiya, northwest of Ramallah, Palestinian religious authorities said. Security camera footage showed people pouring flammable material on the mosque and at least two vehicles, said Sabir Shalash, the head of Jibiya’s municipal council. Spray-painted Hebrew slogans were found on the mosque’s walls, he said.
The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs described the attack as “a cowardly terrorist act” and criticized the international community’s inaction over mounting Jewish settler attacks against Muslim and Christian sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military and police said that they were deployed to the area and didn't locate any suspects, but were investigating. The army said that it “strongly condemns” attacks on religious institutions.
Samy Magdy reported from Cairo.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Palestinians attend the funeral of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, and his daughter and wife in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. They were killed in an Israeli strike Friday evening. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians place their hands on the body of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas' Qassam Brigades, draped in a Hamas flag during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians carry the bodies of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas' Qassam Brigades, center, along with those of his daughter, right, and wife, who were killed in an Israeli strike, during their funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas' Qassam Brigades, during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians place their hands on the body of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas' Qassam Brigades, draped in a Hamas flag during his funeral in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians search inside a burning vehicle following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians gather around a vehicle struck by an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians carry the body of a person killed in Israeli airstrikes Friday targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, during a funeral outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians pray over the body of a person killed in Israeli airstrikes Friday targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, during a funeral outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians carry the body of a person killed in Israeli airstrikes Friday targeting Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, during a funeral outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
