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Playoff basketball? Pfft. Playoff hockey? Get out of here. Let’s talk about baseball, y’know, America’s pastime. Not a game invented by someone from the Great White North, or one mastered by its inhabitants. Thankfully, baseball’s presented plenty to discuss. In New York, there’s something both good and brewing. A star shone for Detroit. Two teams mounted late comebacks to capture surprising wins. And a near-seven-hour war was waged in Pittsburgh. Now those are American-made headlines.
Today’s Headlines
Have Strikeouts, Will Follow
When a team wins 12-2, as the New York Yankees did over the Kansas City Royals, the headline is usually the offense. Not today. Instead, that honor goes to Yankees starter Will Warren. The 26-year-old was stupendous, striking out 11 over seven innings. Warren had a shutout going until the seventh, until Royals catcher Carter Jensen hit a two-run homer. Warren’s only other faults include five hits allowed. He did not walk a single batter. As for his success, Warren can thank his fastball and sinker, which accounted for nine of his total strikeouts. He was either blowing it by batters or ducking it beneath them. Those 11 strikeouts, by the by, tie Warren’s previous career high. His season ERA is down to 2.49.
The Yankees’ offense, meanwhile, was led by those expected and not. Outfielder Cody Bellinger went 3-4 with a pair of home runs and five RBI. Pretty good. No surprise there. Swiss army knife Amed Rosario went two-for-five with three RBI. Kudos. But the real shock is backup catcher J.C. Escarra. Escarra entered Saturday with a .067 average. He left it hitting .158 thanks to an RBI double and a two-run triple. The Yankees, Escarra, and Warren. They all had quite the day.
Make it 10
The New York Mets. There’s not much left to say, is there? So here’s the unavoidable. The Mets lost their 10th straight, this time dropping a 4-2 game to the Chicago Cubs. They took an early lead thanks to first baseman Mark Vientos and received a solid start from Freddy Peralta. Still, it wasn’t enough. Peralta, for what it’s worth, was one out away from giving up just one run in six innings. Two walks, though, took him out and put lefty Brooks Raley in. Raley faced pinch-hitting catcher Carson Kelly and served him an absolute meatball. Kelly did what he should’ve, hitting the ball 405 feet deep. It was the first home run Raley’s allowed in three seasons.
The Mets put up some resistance in the eighth, putting men on the corners with one out. Only one scored. The Mets are now 7-14. They are tied for the worst record in baseball. They’re losing games in a way they haven’t since 2004. It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.
Skubal Takes Boston to School
Don’t mind Tarik Skubal. He’s just doing his thing. The Detroit Tigers ace eviscerated the Boston Red Sox in a 4-1 win on Saturday. Skubal struck out 10 over six rather unproblematic innings. He rode his changeup en route to five punchouts, while balancing things with three courtesy of his fastball, and two from his sinker. Everything was working. For more evidence, consider his 18 swinging strikes. The only sign of humanity came in the fifth when Boston loaded the bases with no outs. Skubal evaded the worst, though, coaxing a double play from Boston catcher Connor Wong and a fly out from infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Only one run scored. Otherwise, Skubal did what he wanted, unimpeded and unbothered.
A Cincy Comeback
What was the secret to the Cincinnati Reds’ 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins? Chipping away. Down 4-2, star shortstop Elly De La Cruz notched an RBI single in the seventh. Outfielder Rece Hinds followed in the eighth with an RBI sacrifice fly to tie it up. Finally, with a runner on second and one out in the ninth, pinch-hitter Dane Myers putted an RBI single into the outfield. Closer Tony Santillan, who’s yet to allow a run this season, pitched a perfect ninth to seal Cincy’s comeback win. It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Reds are 13-8. They’re off to their best start in 20 years, and are 10-0 in one and two-run games, a first in MLB history.
The A’s Great Escape
The hero amidst the A’s 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox? Max Muncy. No, not that Max Muncy. The other one. The one who played for the A’s? No. The one who plays for the A’s. Regardless, with a runner on third in the 10th, Muncy had his moment. The 23-year-old lifted a fly ball to left just deep enough. Teammate Jacob Wilson tagged up and raced home to steal the walk-off win.
And yes, steal is the right word. The A’s trailed early 5-0. Their offense brought them within one, just for Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami to mash a solo shot to reassert dominance. The A’s own first baseman, Nick Kurtz, rebutted Murakami with a game-tying two-run bomb in the sixth. Further thievery came half an inning before Muncy’s moment. Chicago loaded the bases with no outs. A’s reliever Jack Perkins didn’t flinch, striking out two straight and then prying a pop-out to end the threat. Pitching and offense. They’re beautiful things in concert with one another
Sale Stumps Philly
Atlanta starting pitcher Chris Sale blinked once during Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He wouldn’t again. Sale worked seven innings, allowed just one run, one walk, and five hits. All while striking out seven. With those seven strikeouts, Sale passed former Atlanta star Tom Glavine on the all-time strikeout list. He is now 29th all-time. So suffice to say, Sale was magnificent on Saturday. His offense? Less so. They scored three runs, all in the third. But with Sale strutting his stuff, that was good enough. Atlanta’s now won four straight, is 14-7, and has clear eyes.
The Six-Hour Game
The game that wouldn’t end finally did. Sadly, for Pittsburgh Pirates fans, it came at their expense, losing 8-7. They sat through an early lead, a multi-hour rain delay, losing that lead immediately after, tying it up not once but twice, and then a 13th-inning defeat. The back-breaker was a 403-foot moonshot from Rays outfielder Cedric Mullins. If it’s any comfort to yinzers everywhere, the Pirates didn’t deserve this one. They were out-hit and made two errors. This is a bury-the-ball-game ahead of today’s series finale.
St. Louis Stomps Houston
The St. Louis Cardinals entered the season projected as basement-dwellers while the Houston Astros were seen as contenders. But on Saturday, the shoe was on the other foot, with St. Louis trouncing Houston 7-2. It wasn’t even close. The Cards clubbed three home runs to do most of their damage offensively. Pitching-wise, Andre Pallante, Gordon Graceffo, and Matt Svanson held down the fort for the easy win.
Score and day aside, Houston has real questions ahead of them. They’re 8-14, injured as all get out, and the pitching they thought had improved hasn’t. They’ve allowed the most earned runs in baseball and have the highest ERA in the game. And they’re particularly plagued by walks, which isn’t helping anything. Though a cliche, it needs saying: Houston, we have a problem.
By The Numbers
⚾ 50. Down to the final out, it was now or never for Shohei Ohtani and his then 49-game on-base streak. He chose the former, whacking a ball to right field to reach the half-century mark. Ohtani is now tied with Willie Keeler for the third-longest on-base streak in Dodgers history.
⚾ 31 ⅔. Speaking of streaks, Mason Miller’s scoreless streak is now up to 31.2 innings after another clean sheet yesterday. He hasn’t allowed a run since Aug. 5. He is now two innings shy of eclipsing Cla Meredith’s 2006 franchise record.
⚾ 63. After 63 at-bats, Mets utility man Brett Baty finally walked. He was the last qualified hitter yet to do so this season.
⚾ 11. Cleveland Guardian starter Gavin Williams waylaid the Baltimore Orioles with 11 strikeouts. His 40 punchouts now lead the MLB, while his season ERA is down to 212.
⚾ 5 for 18. How many home runs does Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing have? Five. How many at-bats did he have when he hit his fifth? 18. That’s a homer every 2.7 at-bats.
⚾ 150. Kyle Tucker, welcome to the 150-homer club. The All-Star officially reached the milestone on Saturday with a 435-foot bomb.
Best Moments From Yesterday
CC’s GS Means GG
Corbin Caroll now has four career grand slams. He is only 25.
CORBIN CARROLL GRAND SLAM!@DBACKS LEAD IN THE 8TH! pic.twitter.com/ob9mVU4q2V
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026
Marsh, Marsh, He’s Our Man
First pitch, first out.
LEADOFF HOME RUN …
ROBBERY! 😤 pic.twitter.com/birugOa61E— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026
Felix’s First
It’s hard enough to homer against Chris Sale. Now imagine homering against him in your first MLB at-bat. Felix Reyes doesn’t have to.
Felix Reyes homers in his first Major League at-bat! pic.twitter.com/XQGdXbslr7
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026
Jackson’s Jump
Something’s going on in that outfield. Someone better find out what.
Jackson Merrill comes up with ANOTHER home run robbery! pic.twitter.com/SCUSTrPLE4
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026
Baseball First, Wedding Later
It’s good to know some folks still have their priorities straight.
Congratulations Steve and Anna!
We'll do our best to have them at the wedding on time 😅 pic.twitter.com/isESPm4GdP
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 18, 2026
Hot Dog!
Only in Triple-A do little miracles like this exist.
Only in @milb do you have someone in the front office with a perfect Mickey Mouse impression to announce our Mickey Mouse Night starting lineup 🐭 pic.twitter.com/iZAbqh22tB
— Reno Aces (@Aces) April 18, 2026
Hot Dog?
And only in Chicago could someone convince 100 people to do this.
We've entered the hot dog multiverse in Chicago 🌭 pic.twitter.com/9npQMqTDrV
— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2026
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Fans at Citizen Bank Park won’t be seeing Phillies closer Jhoan Duran come out of the bullpen anytime soon. The All-Star is going on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain. Far from the end of the Phillies’ moves, the club optioned utilityman Otto Kemp and released outfielder Pedro León. Right-hander Seth Johnson and utilityman Felix Reyes will join the roster to fill the holes.
⚾ If it’s not one thing, it’s another for the Philadelphia Phillies. Yesterday, catcher J.T. Realmuto exited early with lower back tightness. The Phils aren’t convinced Realmuto will need an IL stint, but he’ll likely need some time off.
⚾ It’s a day that ends in y, so something bad happened to the New York Mets. The latest? Sending infielder Jorge Polanco to the 10-day IL due to a right wrist contusion. This is in addition to Achilles tendinitis that’s plagued Polanco thus far. Catcher Hayden Senger joins New York’s active roster in the meantime.
⚾ It’s one pitcher in, one pitcher out for the Chicago Cubs. Starter Cade Horton is officially headed to the 60-day IL following season-ending Tommy John surgery. With a free 40-man spot, Chicago turns to righty Corbin Martin.
⚾ The Los Angeles Angels are making their own one-for-one swap. Righty Walbert Ureña is up from Triple-A and replaces lefty Sam Aldegheri.
⚾ Help is on the way in Miami. The Marlins are expected to activate outfielder Kyle Stowers from the IL. Not just another bat, Stowers was instrumental in Miami’s surprise 2025 season. The 2025 All-Star hit .288/.368/.544 with 25 home runs and 73 RBIs. Stowers’ return spells the end for infielder Deyvison De Los Santos, who’s headed to Triple-A.
⚾ The struggling Kansas City Royals are officially adding veteran catcher Elias Díaz to their team. How he’ll fit and what the deal is with franchise catcher Salvador Perez is anyone’s guess.
⚾ France has fallen. The Astros DFA’d J.P. France on Saturday. This comes after an 8.10 ERA through three appearances. France’s exit, though, has more to do with Houston claiming outfielder Dustin Harris from the White Sox and adding him to their 40-man.
⚾ The Washington Nationals demoted pitcher Paxton Schultz. Schultz pitched to a 4.50 ERA in five games.
⚾ The Los Angeles Dodgers elevated first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward to their active roster. Through four Triple-A seasons, Ward is hitting .264/.347/.511 with 94 home runs.
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