Category: Baseball

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from the weekend in Major League Baseball:

Pirates win fifth-straight

Are the Pirates good? It’s a little too early for that question, given it’s still the first week of April, but Pittsburgh has been good so far and that’s not nothing. The Pirates swept the visiting Orioles over the weekend, giving them five-straight victories and a 6-3 record on the season. 

Some of the newer Pirates did their part to show off, like free agent signing Ryan O’Hearn. O’Hearn has been mashing so far, batting .367/.459/.700 on the season, and drilled his third homer of the year on Sunday off of Orioles’ starter Chris Bassitt, a 402-foot shot on a 3-0 fastball that Bassitt left up in the zone.

Konnor Griffin might not be new to the organization, but he did make his big-league debut on Friday in the Pirates’ home opener. The top prospect in the game and 2024 first-round pick didn’t get much hitting done in his first three games, but the shortstop reminded the crowd that he’s not just around for his bat.

And then there is center fielder Oneil Cruz, who made some headlines on Opening Day for misplaying some balls, but he’s been making up for that with his bat since. Cruz crushed a 91-mph pitch inside off of reliever Cade Povich, 415 feet to straightaway center, to put Pittsburgh up 8-1 on Sunday.

The Orioles would score a second run and no more, with starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft going six innings with just one run allowed while striking out eight. The right-hander didn’t allow a walk and gave up just four hits, then the bullpen mostly shut Baltimore down the rest of the way for the W.

Are the Orioles bad? It’s too early to answer that question, too, but a 3-6 start is not going to make an already uphill battle in the AL East any easier.

White Sox sweep Blue Jays

Luckily for the Orioles, they weren’t the only team from their division to struggle this weekend. The Blue Jays have now lost four in a row thanks to the White Sox hitting them with the three-game sweep. Yes, the White Sox, losers of 102 games a year ago, getting out the brooms for the defending American League champions. It’s early, yes, but those wins and losses are in the bank.

Chicago won in extra innings on Friday in their home opener, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the 10th on a couple of singles and a throwing error to tie and walk it off. Then, on Saturday, the White Sox would win 6-3 following a three-run sixth inning that saw first baseman and NPB import Munetaka Murakami hit his fourth dinger of the season, which was followed by Colson Montgomery’s second long ball of the year. 

Chicago used an opener for an inning before giving the ball to Anthony Kay for 4.1 innings, and the group combined to hold the Jays to three runs.

The pitching was even better for the White Sox on Sunday, as they blanked Toronto, 3-0. Righty Davis Martin threw six scoreless with six strikeouts and two walks, limiting the Blue Jays to four hits, and the bullpen shut Toronto down the rest of the way.

Helping out the pitching staff was some quality defense, like this grab from Luisangel Acuna. 

The White Sox have won three in a row and four on the season, which doesn’t sound like all that much until you remember that Chicago won its fourth game last year on April 12, and in 2024 on April 26. At this rate the White Sox will win their fourth game of 2027 before they even play it.

Jo Adell, take a bow

You might have heard that Angels’ right fielder Jo Adell did something no one else has done since this info was tracked: on Saturday, he robbed three — three! — home runs in a single game. Even better, this ended up being a matchup that the Angels won 1-0 — Adell’s performance is the reason Los Angeles got the W at all.

The first robbery was just a great catch to keep Mariners’ backstop Cal Raleigh from going yard in a 0-0 game. 

The second, though, came in the top of the eighth inning with the Angels up 1-0. The bases were empty with first baseman Josh Naylor at the plate, but Sam Bachman gave up what looked like it was going to go over the right field wall… until Adell was there to haul that one in, too.

And then, in the ninth, with the Mariners trying to force extras or outright, reliever Jordan Romano came into the game to try to close the door on Seattle. He has been exceptionally homer-prone over the past two years, but apparently what he was missing was Adell out there to keep the ball from clearing the wall. Or, in the case of this catch, holding on to it even when it does clear the fence.

What a grab. And what a day for Adell! The Angels would win, 1-0, and then for good measure downed the Mariners in 11 innings, 8-7, on Sunday to take the series, too.

A Giancarlo Stanton… steal?

Giancarlo Stanton is known for one thing. Well, two things: enormous muscles, and hitting home runs with those muscles. His legs? Other than maybe also the muscle thing, not so much. Stanton did what no one expected on Sunday, though, stealing his first base since 2020, and against his former team, the Marlins.

That stolen base from 2020 was Stanton’s first since 2017, or, to put it another way, back when Stanton was still on the Marlins. It’s been awhile — given the rate he’s been working at, we might have seen the last steal of his career even if he ends up playing into his early 40s.

Marlins big inning bests Yankees

Unfortunately for the Yankees, you don’t get extra credit for the level of surprise a stolen base has. New York was up 4-2 on the Marlins through five innings, but then Miami narrowed that gap to a run in the sixth, before exploding for four more runs in the eighth.

The inning started with DH Agustin Ramirez striking out, but then center fielder Jakob Marsee and shortstop Otto Lopez drew back-to-back walks against different pitchers. Griffin Conine came in to pinch-hit, and was hit by a pitch out of the hand of Jake Bird, loading the bases for another pinch-hitter, Graham Pauley.

Pauley delivered on a double to right, scoring Marsee and Lopez to put Miami up 5-4. Ryan Yarbrough came on in relief of Bird, but things didn’t go any better for the lefty. 

He gave up a two-run single to the first batter he faced, second baseman Xavier Edwards, and then Edwards stole second. Yarbrough managed to get the next two batters, however, but the damage was done. New York would rally to put two more runs on the board in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Anthony Bender, but the Yankees needed three — Miami won the game to avoid the sweep, and stick in first place in the NL East in the process.

A slip and a catch

This probably would have been a routine catch if TJ Friedl didn’t slip, but the Reds’ left fielder failed to keep his footing. That ended up making it an impressive grab, though, since Friedl managed to control the rest of his body and stick with making the play despite the fact that he got all tripped up on the way to making it.

No credit for slipping, sure, but for making sure the end result was the same? Friedl earned that one.

It’s not spring everywhere

There have been some high spring temperatures across the country in March and early April, but they were nowhere to be found in Minnesota on Saturday. And not only was it cold, but it was cold enough for snow!

A beautiful bunt as is, but against the backdrop of snow? Baseball is something. The freezing cold weather didn’t impact the Rays at all, as they ended up winning 7-1. Hey, it’s not like the Twins are used to playing in the snow, either.

Padres come back against Red Sox

The Padres and Red Sox had a back-and-forth affair in the rubber game of their three-game set, with Boston going up early courtesy a four-run third inning, punctuated by this Masataka Yoshida RBI double.

The Padres would answer right back, however: San Diego scored three runs in both the fourth and the fifth to go up 6-4, with center fielder Jackson Merrill and first baseman Nick Castellanos both hitting RBI singles before third baseman Manny Machado hit a 3-run blast into the Green Monster seats to give the Padres the lead.

In the seventh, Yoshida had yet another big double, this time a two-run two-bagger to right, to tie the game up at 6-6.

The tie was short-lived, however, as Merrill hit it where the camera couldn’t follow to left, over the monster, and the Padres were once again up. 

Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. would add an insurance run via sac fly in the ninth, but it proved unnecessary, as closer Mason Miller was up to the task of sitting the Red Sox down. Miller not only struck out the side, but took them down in order, too.

Miller got shortstop Trevor Story on three consecutive pitches, all sliders, then fooled both left fielder Jarren Duran and Miller’s own backstop, Freddy Fermin, with a slider that followed a 101-mph fastball. Fermin got the throw to first for the second K, though, and then first baseman Willson Contreras went down swinging, too, with Miller going 100, 101 and then back to the slider for the swing-and-miss.

Dubon 1, Perdomo’s Glove 0

Mauricio Dubon broke Geraldo Perdomo’s glove with this shot to left field on Saturday, in a little bit of shortstop-vs.-shortstop action. Dubon hit it to short but elevated, and Perdomo dove, and had it go right through his glove to left. Not “through” as in Perdomo missed, but as in the ball straight-up went through the glove. Check that slow-motion replay.

The Diamondbacks ended up winning, but Perdomo is down a glove. Poor glove.

Rooker’s walk-off shot

What a game between the Astros and Athletics in Sacramento on Sunday. The A’s ended up winning 12-10, but that doesn’t tell the half of it. It took until the fifth inning for either team to score, when DH Yordan Alvarez launched his fourth homer of the season to give the Astros a 2-0 lead. Right fielder Cam Smith would follow with an RBI single before the inning ended, but the A’s would then answer with five runs in the bottom of the frame, with DH Brent Rooker scoring a sac fly to give the Athletics a 5-3 lead.

In the seventh, first baseman Christian Walker tied things back up 5-5 with a two-run shot off of reliever J.T. Ginn. Rooker would respond immediately, though, smashing the 100th home run of his career to put the A’s up 7-5.

The back-and-forth would continue, with the two teams tied 9-9 in the ninth following a four-run eighth by Houston. It could have ended right in the bottom of the ninth as the A’s rallied, but second baseman Jose Altuve made sure that didn’t happen with this incredible play, in which he caught second baseman Jeff McNeil running home after bringing in a grounder off the bat of catcher Shea Langeliers.

The Astros would then take the lead in the top of the 10th, on an RBI single by third baseman Carlos Correa, but Rooker would come to the rescue once more. With two on in the bottom of the 10th, Rooker smashed another dinger, this one a walk-off shot.

The A’s won the series, and while it hasn’t been a great start to the season for them, taking two of three from a division rival — and via an extra-innings walk-off — is a good way to change that course.

Ohtani goes deep

It took until Friday for Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani to hit his first home run of the season, but waiting for the second didn’t take nearly as long. Ohtani put the Dodgers on the board in the top of the third with a solo shot, in a game th

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Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the rest of the crew that gave us that epic 2025 World Series are back on the same diamond since that amazing Fall Classic. 

It’s an early-season reunion between the two-time World Series champion Dodgers and the stout Blue Jays squad they took down in seven games, starting with Monday’s matchup.

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Breaking down the teams and how they’ve looked so far ahead of their three-game series.

1. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is expected to take the mound for the Blue Jays on Monday, while the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani set for Wednesday. How realistic will it be for Ohtani to win that award? 

Kavner: Ask Dave Roberts or any of Ohtani’s teammates, and it’s clear that winning a Cy Young is on the two-way player’s mind. “You can tell with the way he carries himself,” Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing said this spring. “He’s the greatest, and he wants to be the greatest.”

Now that Ohtani’s a back-to-back champ, he has pretty much done everything else imaginable on a baseball field. The only year he didn’t win an MVP trophy the last five seasons is the season he finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2022. He hit 34 home runs that year and had a 2.33 ERA in 166 innings. He would probably need to throw at least that many innings again if he wants a realistic shot at winning his first Cy Young in 2026, and he would need to be considerably better in the innings he pitches than the other contenders, who are almost certain to throw more innings than him. 

Ohtani is expected to go wire-to-wire on the mound this year after being slow-played in 2025, but the Dodgers will still be mindful of keeping him as fresh as possible by extending his rest between starts at times as the season moves forward. Over the last 30 years, only one starting pitcher — Corbin Burnes in 2021 — has thrown fewer than 170 innings and won a Cy Young. Perhaps Ohtani could make it a second. It has to be considered a longshot, given his two-way duties and the Dodgers’ desire to be as healthy as possible in October, but he tends to amaze and redefine the limits of what’s possible when he puts his mind to something. 
 

2. Despite the pitching injuries the Blue Jays have, do these two teams have the best set of arms in baseball?

Thosar: The Dodgers are in that conversation, but the Blue Jays’ pitching staff isn’t at the top of the heap, even though their arms are still very good. 

Toronto’s Dylan Cease has ace-level stuff while being frustratingly inconsistent. To demonstrate that point, Cease’s Blue Jays debut couldn’t have gone much better after the right-hander struck out 12 and held the Athletics to one run in 5 ⅓ innings. But he was less dominant in his second start as he struggled with control issues and gave up three runs over 4 ⅓ innings against the White Sox. Kevin Gausman has pitched like an ace so far this year, piling up 21 strikeouts in two starts, and he was impressive in the postseason last year, but he’s 35 now and projected to decline over the course of the season. Injured starters Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios make up for an assortment of talented arms, but even if they were all healthy, the Blue Jays are still on the periphery of being considered a top-5 rotation in baseball. 

But the Dodgers? They have legitimate Cy Young award contenders in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani leading the starting five. Roki Sasaki has Yamamoto’s durability last year (30 regular-season starts, followed by six postseason outings) was nothing short of incredible. Even though he’s an anomaly in the rotation, with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell being elite-tier arms but injury-prone starters, the Dodgers are able to slow-play pitcher recoveries and overcome lengthy absences thanks to their excellent depth. Pitchers like Emmett Sheehan, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, and Justin Wrobleski are considered depth on the Dodgers. Anywhere else, those arms would be rotation regulars. Los Angeles’ star power, consistency, and ridiculously large quantity of high-quality arms put it at the top of any rankings. 

3. Let’s talk hitters: Who has started hot? Who needs to shake off the offseason rust?

Kavner: On a team that features three former MVPs, it’s a player who went 4-for-51 last postseason who’s carrying the Dodgers’ offense. Andy Pages can be prone to volatility at the plate, but the Dodgers are riding the roller-coaster up right now. The 25-year-old outfielder entered Sunday leading all of MLB in hits (15), with nearly twice as many as the next closest hitter on the Dodgers. Pages started the season 15-for-30, also leading the team in home runs (3) and RBI (10). The Dodgers needed to find that production from somewhere, with their stars struggling through the first week of the season. 

Entering this weekend’s series in Washington, the batting averages of the top three hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup — Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts — were all in the .100 range. The Nos. 4 and 5 hitters, Freddie Freeman (.208) and Will Smith (.200), weren’t much better. This weekend was a reminder that it’s still not worth overreacting to any numbers we see, good or bad. Each of the top four hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup homered on Friday, and Ohtani, Tucker, Freeman and Smith each had multiple hits Saturday. Already, the best hitters in the lineup are getting their averages up to more respectable numbers. The only worry now is the health of Betts, who was placed on the injured list with an oblique strain. 

The Blue Jays have had their own surprises, as the typically light-hitting Andres Gimenez, who was coming off his worst-hitting season as a big-leaguer, has been the best hitter on the team. He has knocked in more runs than anyone on the team, and after hitting just seven home runs all of last year, he already has two. That total is tied with Kazuma Okamato, who has struck out in nearly half of his at-bats as a big-leaguer but has otherwise performed well, and George Springer for the most on the team. Springer, however, has been unable to reproduce last year’s resurgent year to this point, and Addison Barger has started 1-for-16 at the plate following last year’s breakout. 

4. Way-too-early take: Are these two teams the teams to beat in their respective leagues? 

Thosar: The Blue Jays aren’t the team to beat in the American League right now — that characterization belongs to the 8-1 Yankees after their red-hot start to the season — but Toronto is definitely in the mix to be a playoff threat. The Jays have a strong, balanced roster that’s hungry to finish what they started during last year’s captivating run to the World Series. As previously mentioned, their pitching is good but not dominant, and several injuries in the rotation are already cause for concern. The success of the offense, led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Springer, is dependent on big steps forward from potential breakout hitters like Barger and Okamoto. Still, the Jays should be right behind New York and neck and neck with the Mariners to finish as a top-two team in the A.L.

The Dodgers are the favorites to win the World Series and three-peat, making them the unequivocal team to beat in the National League. They addressed their two major weaknesses (the outfield and bullpen) in dramatic fashion this past offseason. They signed the consensus top free agent in outfielder Tucker and shocked everyone by acquiring the game’s top closer in Diaz. Los Angeles’ roster depth is unrivaled. The Dodgers’ phenomenal farm system will help them address any potential holes at the trade deadline. Finally, their postseason grit and back-to-back championship pedigree means they’ve proven they can get it done in October, and there’s no reason to doubt them now.
 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers placed shortstop Mookie Betts on the injured list Sunday with a right oblique strain and recalled Hyeseong Kim from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Betts left Saturday’s 10-5 victory over the Washington Nationals after walking and scoring in the first inning. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers believe Betts was initially injured on a check swing during the at-bat.

While Roberts said he was hesitant to put a timeline on Betts’ return, he hopes it would be quicker than a 4 to 6 week absence.

“He’s actually in better spirits,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously disappointed, but just the way he feels today, I think he’s had some dealings with that before and said it’s better than he recalls in past experience, so that was encouraging.”

Betts is hitting .179 in Los Angeles’ first eight games. The 33-year-old hit .258 with 20 homers and 82 RBIs in 150 games last season.

Kim hit .280 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 71 games as a rookie last season.

Roberts said Kim and Miguel Rojas will likely split time at shortstop while Betts is out. Rojas replaced Betts in Saturday’s game and is batting second on Sunday against the Nationals. Roberts said Kim is likely to start two of three games in the Dodgers’ series at Toronto against the Blue Jays that begins Monday.

The Dodgers’ lineup figures to have a different look as well. Betts hit in the No. 3 spot every game this season after spending much of last year batting second.

“He’s Mookie Betts, so it certainly changes,” Roberts said. “But that’s the great thing about having depth that a lot of teams don’t have. A platoon at short and you feel like you’ve got good matchups, it’s not all bad and it gives other guys opportunities. But it’s a blow, for sure.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Jo Adell made three home run-robbing catches, including a spectacular leaping grab while crashing into the seats in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels held off the Seattle Mariners 1-0 on Saturday night.

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Jack Kochanowicz (1-0) allowed four hits and struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings, and Zach Neto provided the only run, walloping Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock’s fourth pitch for a 443-foot homer in the first. Angels reliever Chase Silseth escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh.

J.P. Crawford led off the ninth with a drive toward the right-field corner, where Adell leaped to glove the ball, flipped over the wall and fell into the first row of seats before holding his glove up to present the catch, which was upheld after a replay review.

Adell leaped high above the yellow line on the wall to deny Cal Raleigh of a solo homer in the first and made a nearly identical catch to deny Josh Naylor of a solo homer in the eighth.

Jordan Romano, the Angels’ sixth pitcher, then retired Cole Young on an infield popup and struck out Leo Rivas for his third save.

Silseth replaced Joey Lucchesi with two on in the seventh and struck Rivas looking, Luke Raley swinging and got Raleigh to ground out to second.

Kochanowicz also escaped a first-and-third, two-out jam in the first by striking out Randy Arozarena looking at an 88-mph slider and a two-on, two-out jam in the third by getting Arozarena to ground out.

The Angels backed Kochanowicz with two other super plays, left fielder Josh Lowe diving to catch Dominic Canzone’s flare in the fourth and second baseman Ozwald Peraza diving to stop Raley’s fifth-inning grounder up the middle and throwing to first.

Hancock (1-1) allowed six hits over 6 2/3 innings and struck out five after throwing six no-hit innings in his March 29 against Cleveland.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Konnor Griffin debuted in style. The 19-year-old Pirates shortstop delivered an RBI double in his first big league at-bat as Pittsburgh held off the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 on Friday.

Griffin, called up on Thursday and the consensus top prospect in baseball, looked every bit the part during an electric afternoon at PNC Park.

He laced a double to center field off Kyle Bradish (0-2) in the bottom of the second, then showcased his speed while racing home on a single to shallow right field by Jared Triolo.

The teenager, the youngest player to make his major league debut at shortstop since Alex Rodriguez did it at 18 for Seattle in 1994, also drew a walk and handled all of his defensive chances without an issue as the Pirates won their third straight. Griffin became the first Pirate under 20 to reach base twice in his debut since Bobby Del Greco in 1952.

The sellout crowd at PNC Park, which opened 25 years ago, or a full half-decade before Griffin was born on April 24, 2006, roared when Griffin was introduced during the pre-game ceremony. The roars drew even louder when he took an 85 mph curveball from Bradish and sent it rocketing to the fence in center field.

Triolo, who moved from short to third after Griffin’s promotion, had a pair of hits and his first RBI of the season. Ryan O’Hearn, Henry Davis and Oneil Cruz also drove in runs for the Pirates.

Mitch Keller (1-0) allowed two runs and six hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Gregory Soto gave up a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson with two outs in the ninth, but rebounded by striking out former New York Mets teammate Pete Alonso to pick up his first save with Pittsburgh.

Henderson finished with three hits for Baltimore. Dylan Beavers and Blaze Alexander had two hits apiece for the Orioles. Bradish was touched for four runs and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in four innings.

Up next

The series continues Saturday when Baltimore’s Shane Baz (0-0, 6.75 ERA) faces Pittsburgh’s Carmen Mlodzinski (0-0).

Reporting by The Associated Press. 

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Aaron Judge hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the first inning, and the New York Yankees beat the Miami Marlins in their home opener Friday, 8-2, for their second 6-1 start in three seasons.

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Perez (0-1).

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53 altogether. Three of Judge’s five hits this season have been home runs.

Ben Rice homered and hit a two-run double for the Yankees.

Will Warren (1-0) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Xavier Edwards in the first and Owen Caissie in the fifth.

Miami entered the game at 5-1, matching its franchise-best start, and had spent six days atop the NL East — double its total for 2021-25 combined. Miami pitchers had their most walks since April 2023; they had walked just nine in the team’s first six games.

Pérez (0-1) allowed four runs, two hits and a career-high six walks in four innings. He forced in runs on consecutive pitches in the second when he walked Grisham and hit Judge. Tyler Phillips threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jose Caballero each had two stolen bases and Judge one off catcher Liam Hicks, who has allowed 60 steals in 66 attempts since reaching the major leagues last year.

Up next, Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0), who was acquired from the Marlins in January, starts Saturday night against Miami RHP Max Meyer (0-0).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the third inning, and Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went deep, as well, as the Los Angeles Dodgers pummeled the Washington Nationals 13-6 on Friday.

Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, but it was the top of their order — which had been struggling — that really broke out. Ohtani hadn’t driven in a run all season before hitting a drive to right field that tied the game at 3-all. Betts’ two-run shot later that inning put Los Angeles ahead to stay.

It was 9-4 after Freeman’s two-run homer in the fifth. Tucker’s first home run as a member of the Dodgers was a solo shot that made it 12-4 in the seventh.

Miles Mikolas (0-2) allowed a career-high 11 runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Emmet Sheehan (1-0) gave up a three-run homer to CJ Abrams in the first, but the Nationals only scored once more in his 5 2/3 innings.

Washington lost its home opener for the fifth straight year. This was the most runs the Nationals have allowed in a home opener since moving to Washington in 2005.

Sheehan allowed four runs and seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 38 games dating back to last season. He was able to keep it going despite being just 3 for 18 entering Friday’s game. After his home run, Ohtani added a single the following inning and a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who hit an RBI double in the fifth, was taken out after striking out in the sixth. Hernandez and Tucker each had three hits.

Tyler Glasnow (0-0) starts for the Dodgers on Saturday against Washington’s Jake Irvin (1-0).

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The Guardians’ knight helmet, a purchase made by pitcher Tanner Bibee during a team bonding trip to Medieval Times, has turned into a celebratory prop in the dugout. It is worn by any Cleveland batter who hits a home run. 

Through the team’s first three games, however, only one player had the honor of getting the silver helmet ceremoniously placed atop his head — again and again and again and again. 

Last weekend, rookie Chase DeLauter joined Trevor Story as the only two players in Major League Baseball history to launch four home runs through their first three career regular-season games. 

By the sixth game of the Guardians’ season, DeLauter was still the only Cleveland player who had gone deep, so Austin Hedges and other veterans on the team began referring to their medieval headgear by a different moniker: “Chase’s homer helmet.” 

“It’s just such a cool feeling,” DeLauter told me at Dodgers Stadium earlier this week during the Guardians’ three-game series in Los Angeles. “Being one of the younger guys on the team and looking up to guys that have been here for a while and future Hall of Famers, it’s a cool feeling to just feel like you’re a part of that.” 

DeLauter, who was named AL Player of the Week, has been much more than a supporting member of the Guardians’ lineup through the season’s first days; he’s the starring attraction. The 24-year-old outfielder has produced a 1.122 OPS through his first six games and made believers of everyone in the clubhouse, including a team leader in Hedges who just celebrated his 10th year of MLB service time. 

“Twelve years ago, I think everyone saw José Ramírez walk into a room and was like, ‘That guy’s got something,’” Hedges told me. “Chase has something. He’s got something very special … and we’re not even scratching the surface of what this kid’s capable of.”

‘A Sense of Belonging’ 

Last year, the Guardians made a furious late-season comeback and won the AL Central for the second straight year despite an offense that ranked last in OPS in the American League. This winter, they added veteran slugger Rhys Hoskins on a minor-league deal but did nothing else to try to fix their offensive shortcomings. 

Improvements would have to come from within. At some point this year, 2024 top overall draft pick Travis Bazzana is expected to make his debut. As the first Australian-born player to get selected in the first round, Bazzana created buzz in Triple-A last season after having an .858 OPS in 26 games while also belting a home run for his country at the World Baseball Classic in March. 

– Who is Travis Bazzana? Australian Prospect Talks Sydney and Sushi

Already, though, another top prospect and former first-round selection is making his presence felt. Coming off three injury-shortened minor-league campaigns and a playoff cameo, DeLauter is seizing his opportunity after breaking camp with the big-league club. 

“Even talking to him about his phone blowing up and all these people contacting him, I just love how he’s going about it,” outfielder Steven Kwan told me. “He sets his boundaries, he knows his circle, he knows his people who are important to him. He’s not going out doing all these interviews and podcasts and clout-chasing stuff. He’s here to play baseball.” 

The first week of DeLauter’s regular-season MLB career began with two homers on Opening Day — including a first-inning blast off Mariners ace Logan Gilbert in his first career regular-season plate appearance — and ended with the Guardians rookie leading all of MLB in home runs. 

It’s important to specify “regular season,” because Opening Day was not DeLauter’s first time roaming the Guardians outfield. 

DeLauter made his first big-league start last October in Game 2 of the Guardians’ wild-card series against Detroit, when he became just the sixth player ever to debut in a postseason game. The decision was even more surprising considering he hadn’t played in a professional game in nearly three months after undergoing surgery to repair a hamate fracture and had only played in 138 games over three minor-league seasons following a litany of injuries. 

But Cleveland’s front office believed in his ability to handle the enormity of the moment and, more importantly, the upside of his talent. 

“I think through the obstacles and challenges and lost time, I think he learned a ton about himself and developed those routines that are now allowing him to do what he’s doing,” assistant general manager Matt Forman told me. “He’s always made great swing decisions, he’s always made good contact. When he hits the ball, he hits it really hard. He adds value in the other parts of his game, defensively and on the bases. Could he have been contributing at this level in the past? I’m not sure, but he’s put himself in position to do it now.” 

“He’s confident; he’s not arrogant,” added Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “He’s not cocky. He’s very confident in his abilities, and he was ready to be a big leaguer. We were just waiting for him to get healthy. Once he got healthy, we’re sitting there in a win-or-go-home game, it was like, yeah, he can handle this.” 

DeLauter’s first inning as a big-leaguer, however, began ominously. 

On a sunny day in Cleveland last October against the Tigers, DeLauter dropped the first ball ever hit to him in center field. 

“That was kind of my moment of like, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m going to have to really baby him and take care of him,” said Kwan, who was playing left field that day. 

But the way DeLauter responded to the mistake, and the quiet confidence he exuded in the midst of an elimination game, let Kwan know that wouldn’t be necessary. 

“Just seeing his energy, it immediately told me, ‘Oh, this kid’s going to be just fine,’” Kwan continued. “I don’t know how I would react if I dropped my first fly ball ever in the big leagues in a playoff game, but he handled it so well, with grace.” 

DeLauter followed the error by drawing an eight-pitch walk in his first career plate appearance. In the fourth, he made up for his defensive miscue by delivering a 92.3 mph strike from center field to cut down Zach McKinstry at third base and stifle a Detroit rally with a throw that flipped the momentum in an eventual Cleveland win. DeLauter’s next two at-bats ended in hard-hit outs, including a 110.8 mph lineout to center that represented the hardest-hit ball of the day for the Guardians. 

“For me, it was kind of a sense of belonging, feeling like they believe I can help the team win,” DeLauter said. “I think for any player that’s coming up, that’s a huge thing. Confidence is everything, and to have these guys have my back in that situation — especially after having an unfortunate first inning, I would say — it’s everything. That confidence does wonders.”

‘No Moment Too Big for Him’ 

Intrigue and injury have defined every stop of DeLauter’s career to this point. 

He excelled in the Cape Cod League in 2021, hitting nine homers with more walks than strikeouts in 34 games, and hit over .400 in three seasons at James Madison. But he only played in 66 college games. In his final year of college, he jumped out to a 1.404 OPS in 24 games before breaking his left foot. Shortly after getting selected 16th overall by Cleveland in 2022, another foot injury required surgery that delayed his minor-league debut until the following summer. 

In 2024, he fractured his left foot again and also dealt with toe and hamstring injuries. Last year, he suffered a core muscle injury in the spring and needed hernia surgery. He returned in May and started feeling like himself again in the summer only to then fracture the hamate bone in his right wrist in July. 

“It’s tough, man,” DeLauter told me. “I think it helps, though, going forward. The failures, the successes, the day-to-day process during the season, it’s kind of the same deal. You’re not rehabbing or dealing with body situations, but you go 0-for-4 with four punchies, and you could hit three homers the next day.”

Last Saturday in Seattle, DeLauter’s home run streak seemed destined to end after striking out three times and then grounding out in the seventh. When a final opportunity presented itself in extra innings, DeLauter fell down in the count against All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz before muscling a 97 mph fastball up and out of the zone the other way for a two-run homer to break the game open. 

“He’s just shown there’s no moment too big for him,” Vogt said. “He’s showing maturity beyond his experience, and we’ve seen that in him for years now.”

In between all the injuries, DeLauter has always produced. 

He slashed .302/.384/.504 with 20 home runs and nearly as many walks (70) as strikeouts (80) in his minor-league career, showcasing a rare combination of plate discipline and power that made him the top prospect in Cleveland’s system. Those preternatural skills  are now making him one of the most promising rookies in the sport. He’s already the No. 2 hitter in Cleveland’s lineup, sandwiched between a two-time All-Star in Kwan and a seven-time All-Star in Ramírez. 

“To have a guy like that, a real home run presence in our lineup, I think it opens up so many opportunities,” Kwan said. “And I think it makes my job a little easier. Just get on first base, and I’m in scoring position. And again, just professional at-bats. We’re going to see a ton of pitches when he’s at the plate. That helps Jose, [he] gets on base, and it just keeps rolling. It’s a contagious thing.”

Last year, Cleveland right fielders ranked last in MLB in both wins above replacement (-1.6) and OPS (.605). In a short sample this year, they rank in the top five in both categories thanks mostly to DeLauter, who said his only personal goal this year is being available for 162 games. 

That hope, however, has already been quashed. 

The entire city of Cleveland held its collective breath in the first inning Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium when DeLauter fouled a 97.6 mph fastball from Shohei Ohtani off his surgically-repaired left foot. DeLauter grounded out on the next pitch and immediately hobbled out of the game. 

Finally, though, DeLauter appears to have caught a break, not suffered one. X-rays came back negative, and he could be back in the lineup Friday for his team’s home opener against the Cubs. 

This time, his teammates should have a better idea of what to expect when he’s roaming the outfield in Cleveland. 

“He’s super hungry,” Hoskins said. “Great start, but he knows that he’s out for more.”

In “Touching Base,” we check on the top players and topics making headlines around baseball and what comes next.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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Konnor Griffin endured plenty of emotions when the 19-year-old shortstop learned the Pittsburgh Pirates were calling him up to the majors just a week into the season.

Shock was not one of them.

“I’m ready for this,” Griffin said Friday, just hours before making his major-league debut against the Baltimore Orioles at PNC Park.

The Pirates are betting big on it, making Griffin the first position player to arrive in the majors before his 20th birthday since Juan Soto did it with the Washington Nationals in 2018.

Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 first-year player draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles.

On the surface, it seems fast. The reality is that Griffin checked every box — and checked every box quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates’ system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly felt like Griffin was “pressing” near the end of spring training, when Griffin smashed three homers but also hit just .171. The club made Griffin one of the last cuts before the opening day roster was set. Yet rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A, made a couple of adjustments, and saw immediate results.

“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”

That doesn’t make Griffin unlike the millions of kids who pick up a bat when they’re in elementary school. It’s everything that has come after it, however, that has set Griffin apart. He raced through the lower levels of the minors last year, hitting 21 homers, driving in 94 runs, and stealing 65 bases while showcasing the range to play one of the game’s most demanding defensive positions.

Yet it’s not just the tangible on-field things that won the organization over. Griffin has long carried himself with the maturity of someone far older. He married his high school sweetheart, Dendy, over the winter. And she was the first one he told after Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room in Columbus early Thursday to tell him he was heading to The Show.

The next 24 hours were a blur. From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for the Mississippi native’s family to make it to the ballpark that’s tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday’s first pitch.

Finally, just after noon, Griffin was able to relax. He trotted out to shortstop and took grounders, his frame and arm making him look very much the part of the role he’s been preparing for since he was 5.

Griffin’s skill set has drawn comparisons to the likes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., heady territory for someone less than two years removed from his high school graduation. Still, he’s not getting ahead of himself.

“Today is the first day of carving out a legacy that I want to build,” he said. “And I’m ready to do that and try to be right up there with those top guys.”

Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.

The future that’s been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it’s telling how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”

Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.

Griffin demurred when asked about it on Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.

“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. “This is a special place, and I’m thankful to be here.”

Perhaps most importantly because it means he can shed the “top prospect” label and stop focusing so much on his individual development and instead turn his attention to helping the Pirates make a playoff push for the first time since the mid-2010s.

“Now it’s time to take all the skills that I’ve learned,” he said, “all the adjustments I’ve made. It’s time to go put them on the field and go win some games.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to follow themselves.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help you by figuring out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:

Thanks to early season scheduling weirdness, there were just four games on Thursday. Except one of those was then rained out, meaning, we had just three games. Luckily, all three delivered in very different ways, so there is plenty to pull from them for your next-day entertainment.

The Braves offense went off

The Braves struck early against the Diamondbacks, as Atlanta was up 2-1 after three innings. In the fifth, though, the Braves made it a whole lot more difficult for Arizona to keep up — they plated eight runs in that one inning, and then scored another seven before running out of innings to cause damage in. Atlanta would win, 17-2, accomplishing two things besides a plain, old W: that’s the most runs anyone has scored in a game yet in 2026, and it’s the first time since 2001 that every member of the Braves’ starting lineup managed to drive in at least one run, per MLB.

The fifth inning was a disaster for Arizona. Second baseman Ozzie Albies challenged a strike call and had it overturned to a ball, giving him a leadoff walk. Center fielder Michael Harris II would then line out, but that was the only good news for the Diamondbacks for a while. DH Dominic Smith would also walk, then shortstop Mauricio Dubon reached on a fielder’s choice that didn’t earn an out, but instead loaded the bases thanks to an error by third baseman Nolan Arenado.

Right fielder Ronald Acuna would then draw another walk, bringing in a run, and then another scored on a ground out by catcher Drake Baldwin. First baseman Matt Olson would follow with an RBI double, bringing about a pitching change for Arizona, but Kevin Ginkel didn’t have any more luck than Ryne Nelson did. Third baseman Austin Riley doubled in two runs to make it 7-1 Braves, then left fielder Mike Yastzremski walked. Albies, up for the second time in the inning, singled in a run, then Harris made up for his first out with a 2-run double.

It was 10-1 Braves at this point, and Smith would make the third, merciful out of the inning to put a stop to the scoring. At least temporarily: two more runs were scored in the sixth, then the Braves plated another five off of Diamondbacks’ catcher James McCann, who was only on the mound because it was already 12-1 at that point and Arizona had just three outs left to score another 11.

Hey, it wasn’t all Braves, all the time. Diamondbacks’ left fielder Jordan Lawlar hit his first MLB home run in the third inning to cut the lead to 2-1 — this is Lawlar’s third season with time in the majors, but this is the first time he’s been playing like someone who can stick.

Baldwin makes Braves’ history

While Drake Baldwin might have gone just 1-for-5 on the night, he was actually on base multiple times — his ground out in the fifth forced someone else to go back to the dugout, not him, and he grounded into a force out in the sixth, as well. He scored each time he got on.

He just needed the first of those to match a bit of Braves’ history, however, as it gave him a run scored in each of Atlanta’s first seven games of the season. The last time that happened? In 1957, when a guy named Henry Aaron pulled it off. 

To put it another way, they weren’t even the Atlanta Braves back then, but still playing in Milwaukee. That’s some pretty good company for Baldwin to keep. Baldwin, by the way, is batting .286/.375/.643 with an NL-leading three homers and 18 total bases to start the year, even with the 1-for-5 showing on Thursday. A pretty great start for following up on an impressive rookie campaign, that.

Ouch

Baseball isn’t meant to be a contact sport, but sometimes it still plays out that way. Ask Kody Clemens, Twins first baseman, about that one. On a slide into second on a stolen base attempt in the fifth, Clemens’ face smashed right into the ground before shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. could apply the tag, and he ended up cutting his nose. 

It’s difficult to see at full speed — it actually looks from the original angle like it maybe happened when Witt tagged him out — but the slowed down view from another angle shows Clemens taking “head-first slide” a bit too literally, knocking his helmet off and cutting himself up because of it.

He stayed in the game, though, so he was fine besides some blood. Well, besides some blood and getting called out on a challenge by the Royals, anyway. Hey, in the end, the Twins won. So even though this play didn’t work out for Clemens or his face, he still came out ahead. 

That’s some wind

Also in Kansas City on Thursday? Wind. Just so much wind. The below clip is not of a camera operator forgetting how to do their job, but of them desperately trying to keep a camera caught in high-velocity winds steady.

Not only was there the wind to contend with, but the fountains out in center field at Kauffman Stadium had their waters blown all over the place, including all over the camera lens.

It got to the point that Minnesota’s broadcast of the game switched to the cameras behind home plate to continue to show what was going on during at-bats — the lenses out in center were getting soaked and had to be wiped, so it’s not like the traditional view was, at that moment, better than the behind-the-plate one.

At least Minnesota and Kansas City got to play at all, though — the White Sox had to delay their home opener against the Blue Jays to Friday, which is why there were just the three games last night.

A big game for Susac

Giants’ catcher Daniel Susac made his first-ever start on Thursday, spelling starting catcher Patrick Bailey behind the plate in the series opener against the Mets. The 24-year-old rookie — and nearly 25 — had appeared in one game already this season, but didn’t come to the plate. Here, he made the most of this first opportunity: Susac went 3-for-3 with a walk. Even better, his family was in the stands to see the whole thing.

What’s a little funny is that Susac didn’t drive in a run or get driven in at all — well, okay, that sort of thing probably feels pretty standard to Giants’ fans, the whole stranding runners thing, but on Thursday, at least, it didn’t hurt them. Susac succeeded at the plate again and again, and even though it happened seemingly adjacent to the rest of San Francisco’s performance instead of as part of it, the Giants still ended up winning 7-2, as six other players recorded an RBI and five scored runs.

One of those? Devers

Giants designated hitter Rafael Devers was one of those other players, as he went deep in the bottom of the sixth to put the Giants up 7-2 in the first place. It was Devers’ first dinger of the year, in what has been a solid but not outstanding start.

But hey, better than last year’s slow start, right? 

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