If you picked the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers to be the first team to win 50 games this MLB season, you weren’t alone.

You were also wrong.

If you picked the Detroit Tigers, congratulations! We’re not sure we believe you, but we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.

The Tigers won their 50th game on Tuesday, a full day before the Dodgers, and they got there thanks to big contributions all season from ace Tarik Skubal, the red-hot Riley Greene and the resurgent Javier Baez, among many others.

But are they really as good as they’ve played so far? Are they even the American League’s best team? Could they defeat the Dodgers (or whichever team comes out of a stacked National League) in the World Series?

We asked MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Tim Keown, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield to tackle all things Tigers before they play host to the Minnesota Twins on “Sunday Night Baseball” (7 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2).

Who is the biggest threat to Detroit in the AL — and would you take the Tigers to beat them in an ALCS showdown?

Doolittle: The Yankees still have the AL’s best roster and remain the favorites in the circuit, even with the Rays and Astros closing in fast on both Detroit and New York. This feels like a season in which, by the time we get to October, there’s not going to be a clear-cut front-runner in the AL. But if we zero in on a possible Tigers-Yankees ALCS, I like the interchangeability of the Detroit staff, which we saw in action late last year. Max Fried and Skubal cancel each other out, so it really comes down to the number of favorable matchups A.J. Hinch can manipulate during a series of games between two postseason offenses likely predicated on timely multi-run homers.

Keown: It’s obviously the Yankees — unless it’s the Rays. Tampa’s lineup is deep and insistent, and the pitching staff is exactly what it always seems to be: consistent, stingy and comprised of guys only hardcore fans can identify. They’re really, really good — by far the best big league team playing in a minor league ballpark.

Passan: It’s still the New York Yankees. They’ve got Aaron Judge, they’ve got Fried and Carlos Rodon for four starts, they’ve got better lineup depth than Detroit. Who wins the theoretical matchup could depend on how aggressively each team pursues improvement at the trade deadline. Suffice to say, the Tigers will not be trading Jack Flaherty this year.

Schoenfield: I was going to say the Yankees as well, but as I’m writing this I just watched the Astros sweep the Phillies, holding them to one run in three games. As great as Skubal has been, Hunter Brown has been just as good — if not better. (A couple of Brown-Skubal matchups in the ALCS would be super fun.) Throw in Framber Valdez and you have two aces plus one of the best late-game bullpens in the biz. The offense? Nothing great. The difference-maker is clear: getting Yordan Alvarez healthy and hitting again.

Who is the biggest threat to Detroit in the NL — and would you take the Tigers to beat them in a World Series matchup?

Doolittle: The Dodgers are the team to beat, full stop. In many ways, their uneven start to the season, caused by so many pitching injuries, represents the lower tier of L.A.’s possible range of outcomes. And the Dodgers still are right there at the top of the majors. I can’t think of any good reason to pick against them in any 2025 competitive context. In a Tigers-Dodgers World Series — which would somehow be the first one ever — I just can’t see the Tigers scoring enough to beat L.A. four times.

Keown: The Dodgers. No need to get cute here. The Dodgers are the biggest threat to just about everything baseball-related. And while the matchup would be a hell of a lot of fun, filled with all those contradictory juxtapositions that makes a series riveting, let’s just say L.A. in seven.

Passan: It’s still the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re getting healthier, with Shohei Ohtani back on the mound and still hitting more home runs than anyone in the National League. Will Smith is having the quietest .300/.400/.500 season in memory. Freddie Freeman is doing Freddie Freeman things. Andy Pages is playing All-Star-caliber baseball. Even Max Muncy is hitting now. And, yes, the pitching has been a problem, but they’ve got enough depth — and enough minor league depth to use in trades — that they’re bound to find 13 more-than-viable arms to use in October.

Schoenfield: A Tigers-Dodgers showdown would be a classic Original 16 matchup and those always feel a little more special. Although who wouldn’t want to see a rematch of the 1945, 1935, 1908 or 1907 World Series between the Tigers and Cubs? Those were split 2-2, so we need a tiebreaker. But I digress. Yes, the Dodgers are still the team to beat in the NL — especially since we’ve seen the Phillies’ issues on offense, the Cubs’ lack of pitching depth and the Mets’ inconsistency. The Dodgers have injuries to deal with, but there is still time for Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow and everyone else to get back.

One game, season on the line, who would you want on the mound for your team: Tarik Skubal or any other ace in the sport?

Doolittle: I’d go with Skubal by a hair over Zack Wheeler, with Paul Skenes lurking in the three-hole. The way things are going, by the end of the year it might be Jacob Misiorowski, but I’m probably getting ahead of myself. Anyway, Skubal has carried last season’s consistent dominance over and he’s just in that rare zone that great starters reach where you’re surprised when someone actually scores against them. He and Wheeler are tied with the most game scores of 70 or better (18) since the start of last season. Their teams are both 17-1 in those games. It’s a coin flip, but give me Skubal.

Keown: Skubal. There are plenty of other candidates — Wheeler, Fried, Jacob deGrom, and how about some love for Logan Webb? — but I’m all but certain a poll of big league hitters would reveal Skubal as the one they’d least like to face with everything riding on the outcome.

Passan: Give me Skubal. Even if others have the experience and pedigree, I’m going to bet on stuff. And nobody’s stuff — not even Skenes’ — is at Skubal’s level right now. He doesn’t walk anyone. He strikes out everyone. He suppresses home runs. If you could build a pitcher in a lab, he would look a lot like Skubal.

Schoenfield: I’m going with Wheeler, just based on his postseason track record: He has a 2.18 ERA over 70⅓ career innings in October, allowing no runs or one run in five of his 11 career starts. Those are all since 2022, so it’s not like we’re looking at accomplishments from a decade ago. And Wheeler is arguably pitching better than ever, with a career-low OPS allowed and a career-high strikeout rate.

What is Detroit’s biggest weakness that could be exposed in October?

Doolittle: I think elite October-level pitching might expose an overachieving offense. It’s a solid lineup but the team’s leading run producers — Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Zach McKinstry, Baez, etc. — can pile up the whiffs in a hurry. If that happens, this is a team that doesn’t run at all, and that lack of versatility concerns me.

Keown: The Tigers are the odd team that doesn’t have a glaring weakness or an especially glaring strength. They have a lot of really good players but just one great one in Skubal. (We’re keeping a second spot warm for Riley Greene.) They’re managed by someone who knows how to navigate the postseason, and they’ve rolled the confidence they gained with last season’s remarkable playoff run into this season. So take your pick: Any aspect of the game could propel them to a title, and any aspect could be their demise. And no, that doesn’t answer the question.

Passan: The left side of Detroit’s infield is not what one might consider championship-caliber. With Trey Sweeney getting most of the at-bats at shortstop, the Tigers are running out a sub-replacement player on most days. Third base is even worse: Detroit’s third basemen are barely OPSing .600, and while they might have found their answer in McKinstry, relying on a 30-year-old who until this year had never hit is a risky proposition.

Schoenfield: I’m not completely sold on their late-game bullpen — or their bullpen in general. No doubt, Will Vest and changeup specialist Tommy Kahnle have done the job so far, but neither has a dominant strikeout rate for a 2025 closer and overall the Detroit bullpen ranks just 25th in the majors in strikeout rate. How will that play in the postseason against better lineups?

With one month left until the trade deadline, what is the one move the Tigers should make to put themselves over the top?

Doolittle: The big-ticket additions would be a No. 3 or better starting pitcher or a bona fide closer — the same stuff all the contenders would like to add. A lower-profile move that would really help would be to target a shortstop like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, whose bat actually improves what Detroit has gotten from the position just in terms of raw production. But he also adds contact ability, another stolen base threat and a plus glove. For the Tigers to maximize the title chances produced by their great start, they need to think in terms of multiple roster-filling moves, not one big splash.

Keown: Prevailing wisdom says to beef up the bullpen and improve the offense at third base, which would put names like Pete Fairbanks and Nolan Arenado at the top of the list. But the pitching and offense are both top-10 in nearly every meaningful statistic, and I contend there’s an equally good case to be made for the Tigers to go all in on a top-line starting pitcher. Providing Sandy Alcantara a fresh environment would deepen the rotation and lighten the psychic load on Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. (Every word of this becomes moot if the MLB return of 34-year-old KBO vet Dietrich Enns is actually the answer.)

Passan: Bring Eugenio Suarez home. The third baseman, who currently has 25 home runs and is slugging .569, signed with Detroit as an amateur in 2008 and spent five years in the minors before debuting in 2014. That winter, the Tigers traded him to Cincinnati for right-hander Alfredo Simon, who, in his only season in Detroit, posted a 5.05 ERA in 187 innings. Suarez’s power would fit perfectly in the Tigers’ lineup and is robust enough to get over the fence at Comerica Park, one of the largest stadiums in MLB.

Schoenfield: This is the beauty of the Tigers: They can go in any direction. As good as the offense has been, it feels like several of these guys are ripe for regression in the second half: Baez, McKinstry, maybe Torkelson and Gleyber Torres. That group is all way over their 2024 level of production. If those guys fade, an impact bat might be the answer. But is one available? Arenado certainly isn’t an impact bat anymore and might not be traded anyway. Maybe Eugenio Suarez if the Diamondbacks fade. But the likeliest and easiest answer: bullpen help.

A cabinet minister has criticised chants at Glastonbury calling for “death to the IDF” – but has also told the Israeli embassy to “get your own house in order”.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the chants against the Israel Defence Forces – calling them “appalling” – but notably also criticised the embassy over the conduct of some Israeli citizens in the occupied West Bank.

Glastonbury Festival has said it is “appalled” by the statements made by Bobby Vylan, of punk duo Bob Vylan, during their set on Saturday – saying they “crossed a line”.

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Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Streeting said he believed the BBC and Glastonbury had “questions to answer” over what he called a “shameless publicity stunt” during the set of Bob Vylan.

“I thought it was appalling, to be honest and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,” he said.

“But I also think it’s a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don’t really want to give too much indulgence to for that reason.”

He said the focus should instead be on “Israeli settler terrorists” attacking a Christian village just weeks after setting it on fire.

He added: “I’d also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank.

“So, you know, I think there’s a serious point there by the Israeli embassy, I take seriously. I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.

“We all condemned and continue to condemn what happened on 7 October. We all want to see the return of the hostages. And there’s no justification for inciting violence against Israelis.

“But you know, the way in which Israel’s conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel’s allies around the world to stand by and justify. In fact, we’ve got to do the opposite as an international community, which is to challenge and urge a change.”

The Israeli embassy said it was “deeply disturbed” by the anti-IDF chants, which are being investigated by the police.

Video shows one of the members of Bob Vylan shouting the slogan into the mic and some of the crowd joining in.

The duo were performing ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish act the prime minister believed should have been banned from the world-famous festival.

“The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival,” a statement said.

It said slogans like Saturday’s chant “advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel”.

The Conservatives also criticised the incident, with Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, saying she was “shocked” by the footage.

“I was shocked to see some of the footage of that chanting of the crowd,” she told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

“And the music artist was ramping it up.

“I mean to me, also, one of the horrible things about it is, obviously it’s over a year and a half ago that innocent, festivalgoers at a festival in Israel were raped and murdered by Hamas – and then we have a music festival here in the UK where you have a chant saying death to the Israeli Armed Forces who are, you know, taking action to protect people from what Hamas did in Israel.

“I just think it’s disgusting.”

She added: “Yes, I believe in free speech, but that was incitement to violence. It was incitement to kill. That is not something that we support in this country.”

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An Instagram post published by the festival on Sunday morning read: “As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. We will always believe in – and actively campaign for – hope, unity, peace and love.

“With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs.

“However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.

“Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

The inside of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily almost a year ago has been seen for the first time after it was resurfaced.

British billionaire Mike Lynch, 59, his daughter Hannah, 18, and five others died after the 56-metre (184ft) Bayesian sank off Porticello on 19 August 2024.

Images reveal what the inside of the British-flagged vessel looks like now – after it was resurfaced and placed in a manufactured steel cradle in Termini Imerese.

In one picture, a lounge area can be seen, complete with sofas and other furniture, while another shows the hatch down to the lower deck.

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Now the boat is back on land, a balloon-like instrument will be used to lift its 72m (236ft) mast after it was cut off with a remote-controlled tool to rest on the seabed.

While salvage workers continue a “full sweep” of the ocean floor nearby, a full examination of the yacht will look at what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will then publish a report into its investigation.

The family of the Bayesian chef Recaldo Thomas, who was among those who died, says “lessons need to be learned”.

In a statement through the Thomas family lawyers Keystone Law, they said they want the investigation to “establish the truth of what happened” and “bring those responsible to justice”.

Simon Graves, an MAIB investigator, said of the investigation previously: “When the wreck is brought ashore, we’ll be completing a full examination of the wreck and we’ll be finding out all of the elements that might have contributed to the safety of the vessel.”

Things like the vessel’s “escape routes” will be included in the final report, Mr Graves added.

“Once we get access to the vessel we’ll be able to tell a fuller picture of activities on board and the sequence of events.”

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A UK inquest will look at the deaths of Mr Lynch, Miss Lynch, Morgan Stanley banker Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife Judy, 71, who were all British nationals.

US lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda also died.

Fifteen people, including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares, were rescued.