Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
+

MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 7/09/2025

California - land of inside-the-parkers

Pablo Figueroa
MLB Morning News 7/9/2025

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

Don’t forget to watch every game with the Pitcher List community on Playback!

The weather was again a major player on a Tuesday, with the Jays-White Sox being called after six innings, the Yankees and Mariners needing a half-hour delay before the scoring started, and the Cardinals and Nationals having to wait a couple of hours before starting. It was all a gloomy backdrop for what ended up becoming a banner day for baseball, with a day full of homers, homer robberies, impressive fan catches, and a couple of inside-the-park thrills that led off and walked off games in northern California.

However, it all kicked off with a fascinating matchup of baseball royalty and a young stud on the mound, with youth coming out on top this time.

 

Today’s Headlines

 

JaKob 

Following the toughest start of his young career, Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski had the unenviable task of facing the vaunted Dodgers lineup. After getting ahead of Shohei Ohtani 0-2, he hung a curveball that was promptly destroyed for a 431-foot blast, in what sure seemed like a bad omen for the phenom. The early setback instead became extra motivation for the young Misiorowski, as he would strike out the side in order from there, beginning a string of five straight Ks that asserted his dominance on the mound. Even as the Dodgers managed to get some people on base, the rookie looked poised and in command, turning an impressive final line of only four hits and a walk allowed over six innings, including 12 strikeouts to earn his fourth win of the season. With Misiorowski mowing down LA hitters, his offense was able to provide just enough run support off Clayton Kershaw, as the veteran took a tough-luck loss by allowing only two runs over six frames. Sal Frelick would add an insurance homer in the eighth to secure the 3-1 final score, as the Dodgers have now lost five straight.

WALK-OFF INSIDE-THE-PARKER

The Giants completed their league-leading 19th comeback of 2+ runs to walk off the Phillies, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win. The way in which they did it may become the signature moment of their season, though. It is even hard to fathom the word sequencing, but repeat after me: walk-off inside-the-park three-run homer from the catcher, hitting out of the 9-spot. The improbability of this moment was set up by another rough outing from Jordan Romano, who saw his ERA balloon to 7.44, after Casey Schmitt and Wilmer Flores set the table for Patrick Bailey, who has made it a habit to get clutch late RBI in his career. Trying to get ahead, Romano left a middle-middle meatball served to Bailey, who hit a towering fly ball that appeared certain to clear the fence. Instead, it hit at the highest point of the brick wall in triples alley, where center fielder Brandon Marsh misplayed the carom, allowing Bailey to run like he never had before, sprinting towards home plate as the crowd went crazy and his teammates mobbed him. The Giants have now won a league-leading 9 games via walk-off.

 

Power Couple

In a matchup of the two AL MVP frontrunners, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh continued their majestic power displays, though it did not seem as if it would happen for most of the night. With steady rain pouring out in the Bronx from the get-go, both starting pitchers took advantage of the conditions and shut out the opposition. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert went as far as retiring the first 11 batters faced, striking out four over the first four innings, while New York’s Will Warren also held Seattle at bay. In the top of the fifth, Seattle’s first threat, with two runners on, was promptly stopped by the increasing rain, as the umpires halted the action in what became a 35-minute delay. Warren and Gilbert returned, but their fates would completely diverge from there. While Warren retired JP Crawford to keep the game scoreless, Gilbert allowed a run in the fifth and then imploded in the sixth, as a Giancarlo Stanton three-run homer all but decided the contest. The Yankees would take even more advantage after Gilbert departed, including a homer for Austin Wells and Aaron Judge’s 34th long ball. With a 10-0 deficit, Cal Raleigh made the most of garbage time, hitting his 36th homer of the year to produce a 10-3 final score. With both sluggers still on pace to challenge the all-time AL homer record, this is bound to be a fun MVP race.

 

Double Digits, Eh

While the Marlins have won 12 straight road games, and the Tigers and Red Sox are now riding five-game streaks, there is no denying that the hottest team in baseball plays north of the border. After a rain-shortened 6-1 win over the lowly White Sox, the Blue Jays have reached ten straight wins, just one shy of their franchise record. Last night’s win was almost devoid of drama, with Chris Bassitt cruising through six innings despite having only one strikeout to earn his ninth win of 2025. The offense set the tone with a five-run third inning, started via a Davis Schneider homer and followed by RBI hits from Vladimir Guerrero, Addison Barger, and Alejandro Kirk. After the game was stopped due to heavy rain, a 90-minute delay was not enough for the weather to improve, as the umpires called it in the top of the seventh. The streak has pushed Toronto to have the fifth-best mark in baseball.

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

A Good Start

Atlanta started last night’s game in Sacramento with the tough news that Ronald Acuña, Jr. would be scratched from the lineup. Things got worse quickly as the game started, as Lawrence Butler hit the first pitch he saw for a lead-off inside-the-park homer, the first for the A’s franchise in more than 80 years. The A’s would be relentless after that, as Butler’s homer would be the first of five for the lineup, with Butler adding a more traditional dinger in the third, while Brent Rooker, Max Muncy, and Nick Kurtz also joined the party. This power surge resulted in a 10-0 lead by the third inning, ending in a 10-1 romp that just adds to Atlanta’s season of misery.

Heaven-Sent

After breaking an ugly 10-game losing streak on Monday, the Guardians had to face AL June Pitcher of the Month Hunter Brown as a follow-up, in what looked like a clear mismatch. Unbothered, Cleveland hitters handed Brown his worst start of 2025, tagging him for six runs over six innings, with José Ramírez getting things started with a two-run homer in the first. The offensive outburst opened a 6-1 lead that appeared safe, but the Astros slowly chipped away despite their injury-filled lineup, scoring thrice in the fifth and twice in the eighth to level the score at six. With extra innings looming, Josh Hader went into his second inning of work, where he faced light-hitting Angel Martínez (.635 OPS) with the bases loaded and two outs, almost certain to give his team a chance to win it in the bottom half. Instead, Martinez took full advantage of the short porch in left, barely scraping a grand slam that finally allowed Cleveland to relax. The 10-6 final score is not a true representation of how close this game was.

 

Look, Ma… No Glove!

Through five innings, Kyle Freeland vs Brayan Bello became an unlikely pitching duel, with both hurlers cruising through zero after zero. Bello held his end of the deal, but as it usually happens with the Rockies, things went south fast for Freeland, as the lefty would take his tenth loss of the season after allowing three runs in the sixth. Colorado’s bullpen would not stop the bleeding, ultimately allowing Boston to take a 10-0 lead that became a 10-2 final score as Bello pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts. In the middle of that, Trevor Story hit a majestic three-run blast against his former team, which led to this impressive bare-handed catch by a fan in the Monster seats. Given the current state of the Rockies, maybe they oughta sign him.

Injuries and Other Moves

⚾ The Yankees announced that reliever Mark Leiter Jr., Jr. has been placed on the 15-day IL with a stress fracture on his left leg. The injury occurred nearly two weeks ago as he covered first base against the Reds, but Leiter had been able to play despite the fracture, with obviously diminished results. There is no clear timetable for the righty’s return, creating a need for relief pitching around the trade deadline for the Yanks.

⚾ After becoming the fourth Orioles catcher on the IL, Gary Sánchez is now expected to miss at least eight weeks. The unpleasant news was delivered by manager Tony Mansolino, as Sanchez’s right knee sprain is worse than originally thought. With Adley Rutschman still a ways away from returning, the recently added Jacob Stallings will handle most of the catching in Baltimore. 

⚾ Luis Robert Jr., Jr. was reinstated by the White Sox, following a brief stint on the IL due to a left hamstring strain. Robert went 1-for-2 in his return, and his production from here until the deadline will probably dictate the kind of trade offer Chicago receives, as he is almost certain to be traded. 

Articles You Should Read

 

Meet the Old George Springer — Davy Andrews, Fangraphs

High School Teammates who Became MLB Stars  — Ben Weinrib, MLB.com

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Waiver Wire Picks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

 

Subscribe to the Pitcher List Newsletter

Your daily update on everything Pitcher List

Pablo Figueroa

Follow the author on Twitter

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.

Account / Login