Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
A few teams were off, but we have an almost full slate of games to cover, full of action and highlights. Let’s get into it!
Today’s Headlines
Ohtani drives in a run, gets a W
Despite not having his best command and the bullpen threatening to blow the lead, Shohei Ohtani earned his first win of the season after tossing six innings of one-run ball in Seattle. Ohtani allowed four walks and seemed out of sorts at times, but he countered with eight strikeouts and an RBI single to help his cause. In what seems like a weird “only Ohtani” kind of milestone, he had pitch clock violations as both a pitcher and a hitter. His ERA now stands at 0.75, while his OBP is .400 – no need to use this useful tweet this time.
Heading home with the series win 👋#GoHalos | #SoCalMcD pic.twitter.com/AMfmqeB072
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 5, 2023
Gerrit Cole dominates Phillies
Philadelphia ended its brutal season-opening road trip losing 4-2 at Yankee Stadium. The pitching matchup between aces Aaron Nola and Gerrit Cole delivered, with the Yankees’ righty continuing his early-season dominance. With only three hits and a run allowed over 6.1 innings, Cole now has two wins, a cool 0.73 ERA, and has yet to allow a homer. The defending NL champs will be happy to return home and start climbing back from their opening 1-5 record.
Stone Cole'd 👊 pic.twitter.com/SefOew7hP9
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 5, 2023
Solid debut for Grayson Rodríguez, deGrom earns first win
In his major league debut, Grayson Rodríguez overcame some early jitters to show some of the tantalizing potential that scouts have raved about, settling for five innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts. He was bested by vintage Jacob deGrom and his 11 Ks, which should be a very encouraging sign for the Texas Rangers. Overall, deGrom allowed only four baserunners over six masterful innings, earning his first career win in the American League.
Jacob deGrom has a big outing in Texas! pic.twitter.com/5KNpuAx8Rb
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023
Brewers use walk-off homer to complete sweep of Mets
After outscoring the Mets 19-0 over the first two games of the series, the Brewers turned to a more dramatic approach to finish the three-game sweep over New York. Despite a shaky start from ace Corbin Burnes and the heroics of Pete Alonso (2 HR, 4 RBI), the game was tied in the bottom of the ninth when Garrett Mitchell stepped up to the plate. His walk-off gave him three homers over his past two games, as the Brewers have now scored 38 runs in their past 36 offensive innings.
GARRETT MITCHELL #WALKOFF. 😤 pic.twitter.com/mtFgl1zC1N
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023
Best Moments From Yesterday
Liam Hendriks is cancer-free
Via a heartfelt message on his personal Instagram account, Liam Hendriks announced he completed his last round of chemotherapy and is officially cancer-free. Five months after his diagnosis, the Australian-born pitcher was cleared by his doctors, and he was quick to thank everyone who supported him through this tough process. While his baseball status is still uncertain, the MLB world can look forward to the next chapter of Liam’s life.
After five months of treatment, Liam Hendriks has finished his final round of chemo! 💚
Via: Hendriks_31 on Instagram pic.twitter.com/qGKM1IOWzE
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023
Logan Webb strikes out a ghost
Despite allowing four earned runs in only five innings and taking his second loss of the season, Logan Webb can claim the easiest strikeout he will ever throw. With Tim Anderson trying to call timeout before the pitch clock expired, umpire D.J. Reyburn allowed for play to continue and Webb to pitch a perfect third strike.
Easiest backwards K of Logan Webb's career 😅 pic.twitter.com/3mtOzxZGBm
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 5, 2023
Jordan Walker hits his first career homer
After receiving a surprising call-up to the Cardinals since Opening Day, rookie Jordan Walker mashed his first career home run via a no-doubter to left field against Atlanta’s Michael Tonkin. Even as St. Louis is off to a rough start, Walker has been more than solid with a .333/.360/.542 slash line over his first five games.
A moment Jordan Walker will never forget. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ITkAeVQHil
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023
Injuries
The Chicago White Sox have placed outfielder Eloy Jiménez on the 10-day IL, retroactive to April 4th, due to what is being called a low-grade hamstring strain. This represents one more IL stint for Jiménez, who has been limited to only 199 games since the start of the 2020 season. To replace his spot on the big league roster, the Sox have called up the wonderfully named Jake Burger.
A day after placing two players on the IL, the bad luck continues for the Miami Marlins, as converted outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. had to be removed from Wednesday’s game in the first inning. Chisholm slid headfirst trying to steal second base and collided with Minnesota’s Kyle Farmer, injuring his right shoulder. While the Marlins will monitor the situation, it is a red flag for their new center fielder, who missed a chunk of 2022 with various injuries.
Josh Donaldson left the Yankees’ victory over Philadelphia in only the second inning with what the team called right hamstring tightness. Even as New York has several infield options if Donaldson misses time, it could become a significant absence for a team off to a strong start.
In more optimistic news, the Phillies reported that Bryce Harper was able to take on-field batting practice for the first time after his offseason Tommy John surgery. While his return date is still considered to be around the All-Star break, it is certainly a positive development for Harper and a Phillies team that has started 1-5.
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