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Kansas City Royals Pitcher Proving Last Season Wasn’t a Fluke

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Kansas City Royals Pitcher Proving Last Season Wasn’t a Fluke


The Kansas City Royals were able to surprise some folks last season, going 86-76 en route to a postseason berth. While they’re not having the same success in the win column to begin the 2025 campaign, they’re still finding ways to surprise.

Former Stanford Cardinal left-hander Kris Bubic is off to a tremendous start, holding a 1.45 ERA through five outings, covering 31 innings of work. He’s 2-1 on the year with a 1.06 WHIP and has 33 strikeouts in his time on the bump.

Last season, after returning from Tommy John, he was used in relief and held a 2.67 ERA across 27 appearances (30.1 innings) while holding a 1.02 WHIP and striking out 39.

The ERA has gone down in roughly the same number of innings, his WHIP has stayed fairly consistent. His strikeouts per nine are down, but he’s also pitching as a starter this season as opposed to airing it out for one inning at a time out of the bullpen.

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At this point in the season, he’s looking very much like the guy that he showed us in 2024, which is a very different version of who he was before. The left-hander still holds a career 4.40 ERA, so what has changed?

While his velocity is down from last season, again, he’s not pitching out of the bullpen, so that is to be expected. Last year he was averaging 93 miles per hour on his four-seam, and this year it’s at 92.2 mph, which is a touch higher than it had been in ’23 or ’22 when it sat around 91.8.

But it’s not the velocity that is the biggest difference-maker for Bubic. It’s the movement on the pitch. According to Statcast, his four-seamer now has a lot more vertical movement. In simple terms, it went from ranked right around No. 185 all the way up to No. 28.

Before the injury, Bubic was a fastball/changeup guy, but since his return last season he has incorporated a sweeper as his second most-used offering, utilizing it 22.1% of the time this season. It also has a batting average against (BAA) of just .200, and has given him a fifth offering in his arsenal.

While his four-seamer, changeup, and slider still generate more whiffs, the sweeper produces the lowest average exit velocity at 83.4 mph. Adding a pitch that can produce weaker contact is always a winning idea.

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Last night in his outing against the Colorado Rockies–in Colorado where all bets are off–he went seven scoreless innings, gave up four hits, no walks, and struck out six. While pitching in Coors is tough for seemingly any pitcher, facing the 2025 Rockies lineup has to make the task a touch easier.

It’s not like all of Bubic’s outings have come against the Rockies, however. He’s also faced the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians, the two teams that battled in the American League Championship Series last season. His other two starts came against the Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles, two teams that won their divisions a year ago.

His next scheduled start should represent another good test, as he’s slated to go up against the Houston Astros on Sunday at home. If he gets through that one ok, then the real test this season will be as he heaps on innings after not crossing the 100-inning mark since 2022, having tossed 16, 30.1, and 31 innings (so far) the past three seasons.

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Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man

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Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a missing man.

Jacob Phillips, 30, was last talked to around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.

Phillips is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes, according to KCPD.

Police said his family is concerned for his well-being.

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If anyone sees Phillips, they are urged to call the KCPD Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5043 or 911.





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Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window

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Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window


A Kansas State University freshman died after he fell from a fraternity house window — just weeks away from the end of the semester.

Jack Fleischaker, 19, plunged from a second-floor window at the Sigma Chi house on the Manhattan, Kan., campus around 3:15 a.m. on April 25.

He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but died three days later, according to the Riley County Police Department.

Jack Fleischaker, 19, who died after falling from a fraternity house window at Kansas State University. KAKE News

Police are investigating exactly how the fatal fall unfolded, but said foul play is not suspected.

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“RCPD extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and the K-State community during this very tragic time,” the department said in a statement to People.

The fraternity said Fleischaker’s death appears to be accidental.

“This was a heartbreaking accident, and there is no indication that anyone is at fault,” Sigma Chi International Fraternity spokesperson Michael Church said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are actively supporting the chapter with mental health and wellness resources and are grateful for the assistance provided by Kansas State University’s administration as well.”

Fleischaker in the hospital surrounded by family and friends following the fall that later proved fatal. KAKE News

Fleischaker, from Overland Park, Kan., was studying accounting and finance and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, according to his LinkedIn and Instagram profiles.

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As police continue to investigate, Kansas State University said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The university has offered support to the family and has also offered assistance and student support resources to the fraternity members,” spokesperson Michelle Geering said in a statement to the Kansas City Star.

“We are reviewing available information to determine the next steps in accordance with our policies and procedures.”

The Sigma Chi fraternity house at Kansas State University where the tragic fall occurred. KAKE News

The horrifying incident comes four years after Sigma Chi’s University of Kansas chapter was shut down by its national organization in 2022 over hazing violations and lying about it.

There have been no recent hazing reports involving the Kansas State chapter, according to the Kansas City Star.

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Friends and family are reeling from the sudden loss.

“This is a tragic accident that nobody anticipated,” family pastor and friend Gar Demo told KMBC.

“Every trajectory in their life has changed in an instant,” he added.

Kansas State University is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Fleischaker’s death. jzehnder – stock.adobe.com

Demo said the family has faced devastating loss before. Fleischaker’s sister Natalie died 13 years ago from a brain tumor.

“[The family] went through the incredible pain of losing a child then, and I think they’re asking the question,” Demo said.

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“All of us who know them are asking, why did this happen? How could this happen to this family?”

“I think to walk with them again in a different kind of situation but still to lose another child is just not something I have a playbook for,” he said.

“But we walk with our faith and we walk there and we show our strength with them and surround them with the love that we can share.”

In the days after the fall, hundreds gathered at the hospital to say their goodbyes, according to KAKE News.

Fleischaker was an organ donor and is expected to help save lives.

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Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder

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Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder


WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man had his conviction in the 2021 killing of a Wichita teen upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday.

In a unanimous opinion, the court says that there was plenty of evidence to convict Tyler Kelly and that he had a fair trial.

Kelly was found guilty by a Sedgwick County jury in 2023 of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault in the July 17, 2021, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Florence. Court records show Kelly and a 16-year-old broke into Florence’s home to confront him over a girl.

He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder. He also got 43 months for aggravated burglary and 13 months for aggravated assault.

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The judge ordered that he serve the 25 years, plus the additional 56 months before he could be considered for parole.

Kelly appealed his conviction. He argued there was not enough evidence to prove he entered Florence’s home illegally or intended to commit a crime, and he made claims of multiple incidents of prosecutorial error. He also argued that the jury should have been given use-of-force instructions to support his self-defense claim.

In an opinion written by Justice Larkin Walsh, the court says there is more than sufficient evidence that Kelly entered the home illegally with intent to assault Florence. The justices determined that Kelly received a fair trial that was free from prosecutorial error.

“We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm these convictions,” the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “This ruling brings a final measure of justice to the victims and their families, and it validates the hard work of our prosecutors and local law enforcement in securing this conviction.”

Kelly is currently housed in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with an earliest possible release date of May 1, 2048, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

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