Round Trippers, Cup Winners, and Map Makers 🗺️
Last night, baseball gave us history… tonight, basketball gives us a trophy… and right now, we need your help to find the W’s five new cities.
Buckle up, Smallballers, your 3 things are about to start!
Oh… and a quick shoutout to all of you who said lefties absolutely CAN play at Wimbledon. In fact, left-hander Martina Navratilova is a nine-time Wimbledon champion (the most ever), including six in a row in the 1980s!
1️⃣ Inside-the-Park Magic ⚾️
Last night in Boston, the Red Sox beat the Cincinnati Reds, 13–6. But the real story wasn't just the score… it was Boston’s right fielder, Wilyer Abreu, and his wild rides around the bases.
In the fifth inning, Abreu launched a towering fly ball deep into right-center. It bounced off the bullpen wall and took a wild hop, rolling far from the Reds’ outfielders.
As they scrambled, Abreu sprinted all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. (That's when the ball doesn’t go over the fence, but the runner circles the bases before the other team can tag him out).
But he wasn't done yet. Later in the game, Abreu crushed his first-ever home run with the bases loaded… a grand slam… to seal the win for Boston.
That made Abreu just the sixth player in MLB history to hit an inside-the-park homer and a grand slam in the same game. The last player to do it? Yankee Roger Maris in 1958. He’s super famous because he broke Babe Ruth’s home run record by hitting 61 homers in one season in 1961!
🎥 Want to see the highlights from Abreu’s incredible night?
One amazing night of baseball down. Next up? A basketball battle for the trophy.
2️⃣ Who wins the Cup? 🏆
Tonight is the W Commissioner’s Cup Final… a one-game, winner-take-all showdown between the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever.
One team will leave with a trophy and regular-season bragging rights. The other? Just a reminder of what could’ve been.
They haven’t played yet this season… so here are the five questions experts think will determine the winner:
Will both teams be at full strength?
Which team has the experience and home-court edge?
Who wins the battle of the arc?
Who sets the pace?
Which Fever defense shows up?
(Courtesy ESPN’s Michael Voepel)
Let’s take ‘em one by one…
1. Will both teams be at full strength?
This one starts with health: Napheesa Collier is back and rolling… she’s the WNBA’s leading scorer and last year’s Commissioner’s Cup MVP.
Caitlin Clark? TBD. She’s been out with a groin injury, but says she’s doing everything she can to play tonight. If she does suit up, expect logo threes, lightning-fast passes, and a whole lot of noise.
By the way… Phee and Caitlin were just named captains by the fans for the W’s All-Star Game… coming in mid-July!
2. Which team has the experience and home-court edge?
This game’s in Minnesota… and that means a fired-up Target Center full of Lynx fans.
The Lynx won this thing last year. They’ve been in big games before. The Fever? This is their first trip to the Cup Final.
Crowds don’t score points… but they can swing momentum.
3. Who wins the battle of the arc?
Both teams love shooting threes, and both defend them well.
The Lynx make them at the highest rate in the league. The Fever hold opponents to the lowest. Something’s gotta give…
4. Who sets the pace?
Caitlin Clark makes the Fever go fast. Really fast. But they haven’t always turned that speed into points.
The Lynx aren’t slow… they just pick their moments. And if you make a mistake? They’re off to the races, leading the league in points off turnovers.
5. Which Fever defense shows up?
Minnesota’s defense is elite. Locked in. Consistent.
Indiana’s is… a mystery. Stopping three-pointers? Brick wall. Everything else? A bit more leaky.
🎤 Time to make your pick!
3️⃣ The W Is Expanding… and You’ve Got the Map! 🗺️
Big news: the WNBA just announced it’s growing from 13 teams this season to 18 by 2030.
Here are the five new cities joining the party:
🏀 Toronto and Portland — coming next season
🏀 Cleveland — 2028
🏀 Detroit — 2029
🏀 Philadelphia — 2030
That’s five new squads, five new sets of jerseys, and five new mascots ready to dance, dunk, and dazzle.
So here’s your mission…
✏️ Can you find the future W cities? 🕵️♂️🗺️
Ask your grown-up to help you print this worksheet.
(Grown-ups: Right click, then select “Open image in new tab.” That should do the trick, but if it doesn’t… well, you get what you pay for.)
Home run heroics, a cup up for grabs, and maps ready to explore.
You crushed it today, Smallballers! Rest up, and we’ll do it again tomorrow!
Loved the Red Sox story - as an ex-boston-ite it was great to see those amazing winning hits!
I wish Denver was getting a WNBA team!