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MLB News & Moments: Shohei Ohtani Calls Game

George Springer joins the 300 Club

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 2 Hours Ago

Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

One-Nil

With the World Cup at full force, the Dodgers and Rays paid tribute to the most traditional soccer score, with a 1-0 nailbiter that was probably the best game of the day. Pitching was stellar from both teams, as Drew Rasmussen continued his recent hot streak by stiffling the Dodgers, while Justin Wrobelski was just as dominant, holding Tampa Bay scoreless through six. And on a day where Lio Messi delivered a hat trick and Kylian Mbappé scored twice, baseball’s international superstar also made his mark. Shohei Ohtani called game with a solo homer in the seventh, giving Wrobleski the win while reaching 15 dingers for the season. With LA now in sole possession of the best record in MLB, they will go for the sweep with Shohei on the mound.

25 or 6 to 40

On a day in which the Cardinals and Phillies became the sixth and seventh teams to reach 40 wins in 2026, it is important to highlight how the Phils have not slowed down in their in-season turnaround. After switching managers, Don Mattingly has now led Philadelphia to a 31-14 record since taking over, and he must have celebrated this dominant win that keeps them in command of a wild card spot. With Jesús Luzardo on the mound, the Phillies jumped to a quick 7-0 lead behind homers from Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm, while Bryson Stott added a two-run triple for good measure. The icing on the cake came via a Kyle Schwarber solo homer in the fourth, as the slugger became the first hitter to reach 25 long balls this season. In the end, the Phils cruised to an 8-2 win despite being outhit 7-6 by the Marlins, as they made the most out of their early outburst of runs.

A+ for AA

In a battle of overachieving clubs with modest budgets, the Milwaukee Brewers barely edged the Cleveland Guardians, holding on for a 2-1 win. Starter Robert Gasser managed to hold Cleveland scoreless through 5.2 innings, and he was in line for the win thanks to a Brice Turang solo homer, but that is where one of baseball’s statistical quirks came into play. Reliever extraordinaire Aaron Ashby came in to hold the lead in the seventh, but promptly allowed the tying run to score. After he completed the inning, Garrett Mitchell hit a solo homer of his own to retake the lead, making Ashby the pitcher of record as the bullpen held on for the win. With this dubious W, Ashby became the first 10-game winner of 2026, giving him a 10-0 record in 31 appearances out of the pen. Even with pitcher wins no longer a relevant measure of a hurler’s success, it is still impressive to see how he always seems to be in the perfect spot.

Great Scots!

A few days after rabid Scotland soccer fans invaded Fenway Park, they got the chance to visit Yankee Stadium, having a nice detour before their pivotal game against Morocco. In this trip to the Bronx, they were treated to a fireworks show by the Yankees, as they can now go back home and tell everyone why they are called the Bronx Bombers. As the White Sox’s Davis Martin entered the game with a chance to reach 10 wins, he had the worst outing of his season, allowing eight hits and three walks in only 3.1 innings, as Spencer Jones, Ben Rice, and Paul Goldschmidt tagged him for long homers. While Martin’s season ERA rose nearly a full run, New York’s Gerrit Cole made the most of the massive run support, cruising through six innings of two-run ball to earn his second win of the season. José Caballero added a late homer for good measure, giving the Yankees a nice 12-2 victory.

Completing the Raleigh

Having been out since May 13, it could be argued that the Mariners never really missed the presence of Cal Raleigh, especially as the team went 16-13 during that stretch to claim first place in the AL West. At the same time, having Raleigh back in the lineup is certainly a boost, despite his slow start and subsequent IL trip. The power-hitting catcher was quick to make his mark, delivering the game-winning hit in Seattle’s 3-1 win over the Orioles. After going hitless in his first two trips and then working a walk in the third, Raleigh came up with the bases loaded in the seventh, delivering a clutch single that gave the M’s their winning margin. The hit was also welcome news for Logan Gilbert, who earned a well-deserved win after striking out ten over seven innings.

 

By The Numbers

 

212 Kyle Schwarber reached 212 homers since joining the Phillies in 2022. He is fourth on the all-time list on most homers in a player’s first five seasons with a team, and is a virtual lock to surpass Ralph Kiner (215) and Mark McGwire (220) before the season is over, with an outside chance to catch Babe Ruth (235).

20 With a first-inning RBI single, Zack Gelof extended his hitting streak to 20 games. He is only the second player to reach a 20+ game hitting streak in 2026, joining Ildemaro Vargas.

16 As George Springer hit career homer 300, he became the 16th active player to reach that mark. He is still pretty far from Giancarlo Stanton, who is atop this list with 456.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Springer Dinger

With Dylan Cease on the mound, the Blue Jays cruised to an easy win over the Red Sox, with Cease striking out seven over five scoreless innings, while homers from Davis Schneider and Andrés Giménez provided more than enough run support for Toronto. With a 4-1 lead in the ninth, the Jays received an exclamation point from George Springer, who went well above the Green Monster for career homer #300, giving a final score of 6-1. After starting his career with Houston and amassing 174 homers there, Springer is up t0 126 in Toronto.

Sluggin’ In the Rain

Following a lengthy IL stint, it is clear that Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin was eager to get back in action. Despite soggy and rainy conditions, Baldwin’s massive power was at full display as he took advantage of a 3-1 count to get Atlanta on the board. The ball traveled an estimated 473 feet to dead center, becoming the longest homer of 2026 in MLB so far. Baldwin would not get the chance for an encore, though, as the game was suspended in the second inning, with the Giants leading 3-2. Action will resume later today, weather permitting.

Nightswimming

With the bases loaded to start the game, the A’s ran into some good luck after a Zack Gelof single somehow scored three runs. A Spencer Horwitz error was part of it, but it doesn’t discount the acrobatic efforts of Jacob Wilson to avoid a tag at home plate. Wilson was beat by the throw by several steps, and yet he managed to score using all of his Jedi mental power and Olympic-style acrobatics to do so. Alas, all that effort would be wasted, even as the A’s jumped to a 4-o lead, the Pirates slowly and systematically mounted a comeback, highlighted by a two-homer effort from Bryan Reynolds and a game-winning dinger from Brandon Lowe to earn a tight 6-5 win. In a cruel twist of fate, Wilson would make the last out of the game, stranding two runners in the process.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The Mariners have placed outfielder Randy Arozarena on the 10-day IL due to left hamstring tightness. The move is retroactive to June 13, but it is expected to be a short IL stint as the hamstring issue is minor. While the late nature of the roster move delayed Connor Joe’s return to the big-league team, he is expected to be Arozarena’s primary replacement.

⚾ The Cubs placed closer Daniel Palencia on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Palencia had pitched a scoreless inning on Monday and even earned a win, but the pain flared up the next morning, prompting the second IL stint for him in 2026. In his absence, Chicago is likely to use a closer-by-committee approach, with Jacob Webb and Caleb Thielbar becoming the most likely relievers to receive save opportunities. 

⚾ Cleveland placed outfielder Angel Martínez on the 15-day IL with a broken left foot. Martinez suffered the injury last weekend when he fouled a ball off his foot, and now joins offensive stalwart José Ramírez on the injured list. To take his roster spot, the Guardians recalled Petey Halpin.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

It’s Hard to Bunt a Curveball— Davy Andrews, Fangraphs

Wetherholt Reunites With 5th Grade Teacher — Brent Maguire, MLB.com

 

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Pablo Figueroa

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Pablo Figueroa is a Baseball Writer here at Pitcher List, with experience as a writer since 2013. He lives in Aguascalientes, Mexico - proud home of Los Rieleros. When he´s not thinking about baseball , he's a husband, owns two dogs, watches random episodes of The Sopranos , plays padel, and works on his day job to pay the bills.

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