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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/24/2024

Ohtani reaches 40/40; Judge and Jansen head for history

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

 

Ohtani Reaches 40/40 with Walk-off Grand Slam

With the score tied at 3-3, Will Smith led off the ninth for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The inning had to go perfectly for Shohei Ohtani to get one more chance at reaching 40 home runs on the same day that he reached 40 stolen bases. Ohtani swiped second without a throw in the bottom of the fourth with Los Angeles trailing the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0. Kiké Hernández leveled the score with a three-run home run in the fifth. Ohtani followed with a groundout, then grounded out again in the 7th. The ninth had to work out perfectly for him to get another shot. Smith reached on a HBP. Tommy Edman singled, and Miguel Rojas moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt. Gavin Lux lashed a would-be game-winner that Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe snagged to temporarily save the game. Max Muncy drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Ohtani swung at the first pitch and lifted a fly ball into center field. Jose Siri drifted to the track and leapt at the wall, but he watched it clear the fence, bounce off a fan’s glove, and fall back onto the field. Ohtani’s first MLB walk-off homer made him the first Dodger with a 40/40 season. 2023 gave us Ohtani striking out Trout to win the World Baseball Classic as an iconic Ohtani pitching moment. Now, 2024 has given us the 40/40 grand slam for an iconic Ohtani hitting moment.

Ohtani reached 40/40 in 126 games, beating Alfonso Soriano’s record of 147 games for the 2006 Washington Nationals. Jose Canseco (1988), Barry Bonds (1996), Alex Rodriguez (1998), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2023) all took 150+ games. Dodgers have 33 games remaining, giving Ohtani the opportunity to reach 45/45 or even 50/50 while helping the Dodgers fend off challengers in the NL West.

 

Judge Hits 49th in Yankees Win

Aaron Judge started the season with an abysmal first month, but here we are, watching what could be his second 60-homer season. Judge hit his 49th home run of 2024 on Friday night in a 3-0 New York Yankees win over the Colorado Rockies. Judge needs 13 homers in 33 games to match his AL-record 62 from 2022. The win gives the Yankees a 1.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East.

 

Cora Confirms Jansen Will Make History

Baseball will never run out of firsts. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Danny Jansen will catch the opening game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, making him the first MLB player to play for both teams in the same game. The Boston-Toronto contest on June 26 was suspended due to weather with Jansen at the plate for Toronto, and the first thing the Blue Jays need to do in the make-up on Monday is pinch-hitting for their former catcher. They traded Jansen to Boston for three prospects on July 27, and the baseball world took note of the continuation date on the calendar. Cora attributed this decision to substitute Jansen for Reese McGuire, who began catching the at-bat in June but is no longer on the roster, to making history.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

Slam-tander

Imagine doing this and having it be the second-coolest grand slam of the day. Anthony Santander obliterated a high fastball and put the Baltimore Orioles in front of the Houston Astros in the bottom of the eighth. Both playoff contenders need every win they can muster while jostling with the rest of the AL contenders. After starter Cade Povich gave up five runs, the bullpen held Houston scoreless and Santander provided the power to help Baltimore keep pace with New York in the East.

 

As the Crow Flies

Pete Crow-Armstrong did his best Lightning McQueen impression against the Miami Marlins.

It turns out that he might have been trying to beat Salvador Perez’s home-to-home time from Thursday’s backyard action.

 

Walk-offs!

Joey Loperfido led off the ninth with a game-tying homer, and Addison Barger followed suit with a game-winner.

Meanwhile, Atlanta was down to their last out, and Michael Harris II put the ball in play with a runner at third. That proved to be enough.

Dan Wilson’s first win as manager of the Seattle Mariners came in dramatic fashion. Seattle tied it with a four-run eighth, then ended it with a Leo Rivas single in the ninth.

 

Basepath Piracy

This looks like the Pittsburgh Pirates exploited a glitch in the defensive logic of video game AI.

 

Mus-groove

Here’s some good defense for you: Joe Musgrove with the range off the mound, then the slide-and-scoop for the out. Musgrove struck out nine in seven shutout innings, too.

 

Lil’ Dumper

I hope the grounds crew was prepared for this, especially for the second baseman’s sake.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ Outfielder Dylan Crews is expected to make his Major League debut on Monday. The Washington Nationals selected Crews with the No. 2 pick in 2023, and he is MLB Pipeline’s third-ranked prospect.

⚾ The Boston Red Sox are placing left-handed pitcher James Paxton on the 60-day IL.

⚾ The San Diego Padres reinstated right-handed starter Yu Darvish from the restricted list and returned him to the 15-day IL.

⚾ The Seattle Mariners made Hall of Fame designated hitter Edgar Martinez their hitting coach for the rest of the season.

⚾ Infielder DJ LeMahieu was scratched from the Yankees lineup after taking a ball to the face during warmups.

⚾ The Arizona Diamondbacks are moving left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen. Montgomery has a 6.44 ERA in 19 starts this season.

⚾ Atlanta signed first baseman/outfielder Harold Ramírez to a minor league deal.

⚾ The San Francisco Giants signed infielder Cavan Biggio to a minor league deal.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Joey Votto’s Career Is a Banger of a Story — Dan Szymborski, FanGraphs

A Pitcher List Conversation with Brenton Doyle — Renee Dechert, Pitcher List

 

Fantasy Baseball Coverage

 

Starting Pitcher Roundup

Hitter Performances

Reliever Ranks

Starting Pitcher Streamers

Scott Appleman

Scott Appleman is a utility infielder with a master's degree in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure, a JV MVP award and two career home runs. He writes Thrill Shot, a Substack newsletter about champions and contenders.

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