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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 4/15/2024

Today we all wear #42.

Nicole Cahill
MLB Morning News 4/15/2024

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

 

A pair of milestones and some big comebacks highlighted Sunday afternoon’s games. We’re two and a half weeks in and, like we all expected, the Braves and Dodgers lead their divisions. Two pleasant surprises? The Pirates and Royals have been impressive early on.

Today, teams across baseball will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. 77 years after Robinson broke MLB’s self-imposed color barrier, all players will wear #42. On Saturday, the Jackie Robinson Museum hosted participants and their families from the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) programs where they learned about Robinson’s legacy.

Additionally, MLB and USA Baseball hosted the 2024 Trailblazer Series at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida this past weekend. The tournament provides “playing, development, and educational opportunities to girls who play baseball.”

 

 

Today’s Headlines

 

McCutchen gets his 300th home run!

When Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending Achilles injury last season, the former MVP sat at 299 career home runs. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d get another shot to hit his 300th in Pittsburgh’s black and gold, so I’m happy to report that McCutchen hit his 300th career home run on Sunday afternoon! Phillies’ pitcher Ricardo Pinto hung a slider over the middle of the plate and Cutch swatted it 378 ft. out to left field.

 

Mr. Irrelevant pushes Padres past Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball.

Jurickson Profar had the last laugh! In case you missed it, benches cleared Saturday night in Los Angeles when Profar took exception to a pitch inside from Gavin Stone. He voiced his displeasure before having words with Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith. Benches and bullpens emptied, but cooler heads prevailed. Smith said after the game, “I don’t know why we would have thrown at him. He’s kind of irrelevant.”

So, fast-forward to Sunday. Top of the seventh inning, Profar comes up to the plate with the bases loaded and the game tied. He drove a high fastball into deep centerfield, clearing the bases and giving the Padres a 6-3 lead. It would be enough to hold off the Dodgers, helping the Padres secure a series win.

 

Michael Busch powers the Cubs past Mariners.

Michael Busch is on fire. He’s homered in four straight games, including a two-run blast against Luis Castillo on Sunday. The ball left his bat at 108.4 mph and traveled 437 ft. Busch went 6-for-12 with one double and three homers against Seattle, helping the Cubs secure the series victory. If he homers again tomorrow, Busch will tie the Cubs’ franchise record for consecutive games with a home run.

 

Guardians stun Yankees in 10 innings.

Aaron Judge put the Yankees on the board early with a 450 ft., three-run homer in the third inning. José Ramírez answered back with a two-run shot of his own in the bottom half of the inning. Jose Trevino and Gabriel Arias traded solo shots in the middle innings before a Josh Naylor single tied the game in the 5th. Estevan Florial gave the Guardians the lead in the bottom of the 8th, but Anthony Volpe tied it up in the 9th.

Anthony Rizzo drove in two in the top of the 10th, but it wouldn’t be enough. Josh Naylor and Will Brennan each drove in a run before Andrés Giménez’s sacrifice fly walked it off for Cleveland. The Guardians got their 10th win and handed the Yankees their fourth loss of the season.

 

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

#1 for MLB’s top prospect!

I can’t imagine the pressure on Jackson Holliday’s shoulders over the past few days. He drove in his first run on his MLB debut last week but entered Sunday 0-for-11. He probably slept a little easier last night knowing his first big league hit is out of the way. Down by a run and facing Abner Uribe in the 7th inning, Holliday took a slider for a ball before turning on a 99.3 mph sinker and driving it through the right side of the infield. Even better? Holliday’s first hit was a key part of the Orioles’ come-from-behind win.

 

Cutch makes a fan for life.

It’s always awesome to see players that are so good at interacting with kids, and Andrew McCutchen is one of them. A Pirates fan caught his 300th home run and Cutch made the kid’s day. He signed a bat for him and told him he’d remember his name forever.

 

Nasty Nestor pushes the envelope.

Is this legal?! Because I feel like pump fakes from the pitcher shouldn’t be legal! Nestor Cortes is no stranger to twisting and shimmying mid-windup in an attempt to mess with a hitter’s timing, but he really pushed the envelope with this one. The Guardians’ announcers weren’t amused, flatly saying “that didn’t work” after Andrés Giménez fouled it off.

 

A hidden ball trick wins the game!

It’s not a big league game but this was so impressive I just have to shout it out. A South Jersey high school baseball game ended with pitcher George Starr executing a hidden ball trick to perfection. With two outs and runners on first and second, the pitcher faked the pickoff throw to second. The second baseman dove and the shortstop “chased” the ball into centerfield. The runner, thinking the ball was in the outfield, broke for third. The pitcher chased him down, applied the tag, and won the game. Kudos to these kids for the bold move and perfect execution.

 

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ C Salvador Perez exited Sunday with a left groin/hip strain. 

⚾ SP Bobby Miller has right shoulder inflammation but his IL stint should be brief, with both he and manager Dave Roberts hoping he can resume throwing in a week. 

⚾ SP Emmet Sheehan, who began the season on the injured list with shoulder soreness, “has been shut down from throwing again.”

⚾ 3B Jake Burger left Sunday’s game early with left oblique discomfort. He will be placed on the IL.

⚾ OF Dominic Canzone crashed into the wall after making a great catch Sunday afternoon, spraining his AC joint.

⚾ OF Tommy Pham is nearing a deal with the White Sox, per Ken Rosenthal.

 

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Jackie Robinson’s legacy is still visible despite the low number of Black American players in MLB — Shakeia Taylor, Chicago Tribune

Black Baseball’s Conundrums With Race, Ethnicity, & Nationality — Patrick Ellington Jr., The Red Black Green Baseball Blog

Year after year, Trailblazer Series has lasting impact — Paige Leckie, MLB.com

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Nicole Cahill

Nicole Cahill is a freelance writer who focuses on mental health and sports. She recently founded a nonprofit that helps youth athletes living with mental health challenges. When she's not fighting stigma or exploring Baseball Savant visuals, you can find Nicole enjoying a cup of coffee and a good book. Portfolio: NicoleCahill.com.

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