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Things are meant to be broken. That’s the truth. Records are meant to fall, streaks are meant to end. Nothing gold can stay. Baseball had its own reminders of that on Saturday. Max Scherzer climbed up the strikeout leaderboard, Gerrit Cole made history, and the Red Sox and Dodgers saw their respective runs stopped; One of their own doing, one not so much. Still, don’t let the inevitable be a drag. Stay golden, Ponyboy.
Today’s Headlines
Cole, Yankees Sidestep Sale
Between aces Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole are 16 All-Star appearances, three ERA titles, two Cy Young awards, and yesterday’s 5-4 Yankees win. Despite the score and the loss, the blame isn’t Sale’s. It’s like a student receiving a D- on a group project when few others did their job. No, Sale went six innings, allowed just three runs, five hits, two walks, and struck out eight. His only real hurdle was Yankees rookie outfielder Spencer Jones, who totaled two RBI against Sale and a self-enforced run-scoring balk. Otherwise, it was a solid B+ start.
Cole, on the other hand, brought his A game: Seven innings, two runs allowed, both in the fifth, and nine strikeouts. Cole wrapped Atlanta’s knuckles mostly with his four-seam fastball, striking out seven of nine with it. All four-seams hummed into the zone, regularly sitting 95-98, with Cole dialing it up to 97 in the seventh. Cole has a 2.10 ERA over his last four starts. He might very well be back.
A’s Snap Sox’s Streak
Down goes Frazier. The Athletics snapped the Boston Red Sox’s nine-game winning streak with a 7-3 win yesterday. Boston’s K.O. came courtesy of a series of jabs: one run in the fourth, two in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh. The A’s cutmen were primarily Donovan Walton and Jonah Heim. Heim hit a two-RBI single to put the A’s ahead while Walton’s two-run double made it 5-2. As for Boston’s offense, they couldn’t get off the mat following two early runs. For that, they have A’s starter Gage Jump to blame. The rookie punched out 11 over six innings of work. If it’s any consolation for the bruised Sox, they’re still 26-4 over their last 30.
D-Backs Help Dodgers Stop Skid
The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to lose their eighth-straight game on Saturday. Time and time again, they’d give their opponent, the Arizona Diamondbacks, a chance to drive home the death knell. And each time, they couldn’t. Wouldn’t. So, LA just took the game for themselves, winning 2-1 to snap its skid. More specifically, Shohei Ohtani grabbed the reins. The reigning MVP got the go-ahead single to put his squad ahead once and for all.
Yes, yes. Kudos to the Dodgers. Very awesome. But this is more an Arizona loss than a LA win. How, pray tell? Arizona had two on in the first and didn’t score. Two in the fifth? Nada. Two on with no outs in the sixth? Line out, fly out, fly out. Two on in the seventh? Nope. Bases loaded in the eighth? You get one guess. Arizona left 15 men on base and went 2-for-16 with runners-in-scoring position. Something something about stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.
Lukes Makes Philly A Loser
The birthplace of America. The team of Canada. Philadelphia Phillies. Toronto Blue Jays. Who wins? Well, The Great White North. Tied 5-5 in a 3-2 count with two outs in the top of the 11th, Phillies reliever Chase Shugart faced Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes. One strike and the bat goes back to Philly with the game knotted and the ghost-runner 127 feet away. But Lukes had other plans. He pounced on the sixth pitch he saw and pulverized it 395 feet for a go-ahead two-run dinger. From there, Philly went down like some defanged puddy tat. Two fly outs and a strikeout ended the battle of nations. The red and white take this one 7-5 over the red, white, and blue.
Mets Winning Ways Are Waylaid
The New York Mets only have pride left to play for. As of late, they’ve had plenty of it, tying a season-long four-game winning streak on Friday. On Saturday, that streak ended in Pittsburgh due to a 9-0 three-hit shutout by the Pirates. Truthfully, that run never stood a chance of sniffing five straight. New York starter Robert Stock got rocked by the Pirates. The 36-year-old allowed nine hits and five walks en route to eight earned runs in just three innings.
Things dovetailed especially in the fourth, with Pittsburgh plating four runs, one from an RBI double, another from a wild pitch, and a pair from a two-RBI double. Afterward, the Mets had nothing left to play for. By the fifth, Bo Bichette and Francisco Lindor were pulled. The white flag was raised.
By The Numbers
⚾ 3,516. Welcome to the top ten, Max Scherzer. The future Hall of Famer passed Walter Johnson for 10th place on the all-time strikeout leaderboard with his 3,516th strikeout. Up next? Gaylord Perry at 3,534.
⚾ 2,000. Y2K has come for Philadelphia. By that, we mean that Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola tallied his 2,000th career strikeout yesterday. He and Hall of Famer Steve Carlton are the only two players to accomplish the feat as Phillies.
⚾ 1,000. Gerrit Cole, New York loves you 1,000. The Yankees ace recorded his 1,000th strikeout in the pinstripes yesterday. Cole needed just 139 games and 837 2/3 innings, making him the fastest to reach the milestone as a Yankee.
⚾ 448. Kansas City Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone tore a ball asunder. No kidding. Try 448 feet at an exit velocity of 111.9 MPH. Oh, and if that weren’t impressive enough, Caglianone went deep again later that evening.
⚾ 19. For the first time in 19 days, Home Run Derby champ Jordan Walker went deep. It was the first time Walker hit a long ball since winning the derby.
⚾ 9. Let’s stick with pitchers. Texas Rangers hurler Jacob deGrom was vintage on Saturday: Five innings, one run and three hits allowed, and nine strikeouts.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Who Else But Bobby
What else is there to say other than hummina hummina?
An INCREDIBLE jump throw from Bobby Witt Jr. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/UwDxhlA73l
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2026
Yankees Old Timers Day
How about a little bit of sweetness with all that nostalgia?
Austin Wells is once again wearing his Thurman Munson inspired catcher's gear for Old Timer's Day
He also walked Diana Munson out onto the field during introductions pic.twitter.com/cbr7rmvJJM
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 8, 2026
Sandy Stands Alone
Speaking of milestones, Sandy Alcantara has officially pitched more innings in Marlins history than anyone. Alcantara gave a salute to the crowd to celebrate inning 1,226.
History for Sandy Alcantara!
He reaches 1,226 IP, the most by any Marlins pitcher in franchise history 👏 pic.twitter.com/u2LAV8U5ss
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2026
Jobe’s Back
For the first time since May 28, 2025, Jackson Jobe was on a Major League Mound.
welcome back my glorious king
💯 for Jackson Jobe's first K back! pic.twitter.com/7jYrhZgjVw
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) August 8, 2026
J-Hay Day
Josh Harrison celebrated the official ending of his career with the crowd that meant the most to him.
A warm welcome back to PNC Park for the newly retired Pirate! 🖤💛@jhay_da_man pic.twitter.com/KbfA232iJg
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 8, 2026
Kyle Schwarber, First Baseman
He hits, he fields, he runs! What else can the great Schwarbino do?
Kyle Schwarber got on his horse to make the tag 🤣 pic.twitter.com/HkY2KRQoGp
— MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2026
Genao Doubt
Some headlines write themselves.
Angel Genao hits his first Major League home run! pic.twitter.com/mtyEorMJ0D
— MLB (@MLB) August 9, 2026
Rizzs Retirement Gift
The Mariners celebrated 50 years of M’s baseball. They also celebrated Rick Rizzs by inducting him into their Hall of Fame.
Holy smokes 🎙️
Next season, legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs will become the 12th member of the Mariners Hall of Fame. #Mariners50 pic.twitter.com/dKN12ApPKA
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 9, 2026
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Clay Holmes is ready for Chicago. Sadly, the Cubs don’t think Braxton Garrett is. The team optioned Garrett to Triple-A. Holmes’ return will make his first appearance since May 15, when he fractured his fibula.
⚾ The Brewers are stirring up the pot. The club DFA’d veteran pitcher Bryse Wilson while selecting the contract of Lyon Richardson from Triple-A Nashville. Wilson posted a 2.63 ERA in six games for Milwaukee. Richardson has a 4.20 ERA in 13 games with Nashville.
⚾ The White Sox are changing pairs. Pitching prospects Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal are up. Southpaw Noah Schultz, reliever David Sandlin, and pitcher Wikelman González are down. Schultz and Sandlin will go to Triple-A Charlotte, while Gonzalez was DFA’d.
Articles You Should Read
Lefty batters are dominating in 2026. Here’s why — Anthony Castrovince, MLB.com
Which teams have the top potential postseason rotations? — Jared Greenspan, MLB.com
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