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MLB News & Moments You Should Know: 8/3/2024

A No-Hitter for Snell and No. 40 for Judge

Scott Appleman
MLB Morning News 8/3/2024

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

 

The Best Blake Show Ever

 

Blake Snell is one of the most fascinating pitchers of this era. In 2023, he walked more batters than any other pitcher and won the NL Cy Young. He has more Cy Youngs (2) than All-Star appearances (1). He got pulled after pitching like Sandy Koufax for 5.1 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020 World Series. And he threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in his first career CGSO on Friday night.

This wasn’t just Snell’s first complete game. It was the first time he completed the eighth inning. He’s reached 7.0 IP 20 times, 7.1 IP three times, and 7.2 IP once. The 3-0 win makes Snell’s record in his first season with the San Francisco Giants 1-3. He started with three blowout losses, gave up 25 runs in six starts, failed to reach 5.0 IP, and went on the IL on June 3 with a groin strain. Since returning on July 9, he’s given up 2 earned runs in 33 innings. He set a career-high with 15 strikeouts over six innings in his start on July 27, then followed that with Friday’s masterpiece. Too bad his teammates didn’t quite know how to execute the cooler celebration.

 

Judge Rises to Legends’ Level

 

Snell’s no-hitter was an outlier, but Aaron Judge had another [insert Judge superlative here] game. This time, he became the first player to reach 40 homers and 100 RBIs this season. Oh, and he added his name to a short list of Bronx legends. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and now Judge are the only Yankees to hit 40 home runs in a season three times.

Judge is the outlier in baseball for 2024 (see Davy Andrews’ article), but, despite his display of power, the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5, ending a five-game winning streak for New York.

 

KKKKKKKKikuchi

 

The Houston Astros got an immediate return on their trade deadline investment in Yusei Kikuchi. The former Blue Jays starter struck out eight in a row and 11 total in a 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

That’s a lot of Lisa Loeb soundbites in Kikuchi’s Astros debut. The last pitcher to do that was another trade deadline arrival who stuck around and did pretty well for himself in Houston: Justin Verlander.

 

D-backs Start Fast, Finish Strong

 

The Arizona Diamondbacks started their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates about as perfectly as possible. First, lead-off hitter Corbin Carroll got to show off his wheels, challenge Oneil Cruz’s arm, and race home standing up.

Then they turned on the power with back-to-back-t0-back homers from Ketel Marte, Joc Pederson, and Josh Bell.

The onslaught from the first four batters gave Arizona +33.8 Win Probability Added, but the Pirates fought back and eventually took the lead in the sixth on a close play at the plate that was overturned via replay.

A second homer for Bell, an RBI double for Geraldo Perdomo, and another dinger for Marte gave the Snakes a 9-7 lead. Before the game, manager Torey Lovullo said he was giving Paul Sewald a break from the closer role. Ryan Thompson gave up a run but closed out the ninth.

 

A Final of Their Own

 

The United States and Japan’s women’s baseball teams will meet in the finals of the Women’s Baseball World Cup today. The US ended a 39-game winning streak for Japan with a victory in round-robin play. The rematch for the championship will be streamed for free on MLB platforms. The previous contest between these squads was a one-run thriller, and they’re 8-8 against each other since 2004.

 

Best Moments From Yesterday

 

O’s Add Mayo

 

The Baltimore Orioles called up yet another top prospect for his MLB debut. Coby Mayo started at third base and drew two walks. After the game, an 8-4 loss to the AL-leading Cleveland Guardians, Mayo provided perspective on what it’s like to make the jump to the big leagues.

 

O’s No

 

Cleveland took what Baltimore gave them.

 

Justin Time

 

Justin Turner (Mariners version).

 

Rock Climber

 

We’ve seen power. We’ve seen speed. How about a little defense, courtesy of Brenton Doyle?

 

Nine Up, Nine On

 

The Kansas City Royals had nine hits in nine straight at-bats for 10 total bases and six runs.

 

Schwell Game

 

Atlanta rookie starter Spencer Schwellenbach hit double-digit Ks in back-to-back starts. He struck out 11 on July 27 and 10 yesterday. And he’s walked one batter since the end of June.

 

Injuries and Other Moves

 

⚾ The New York Mets optioned right-handed pitcher Tylor Megill and activated newly acquired right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn. Blackburn pitched six innings, giving up a run and striking out six in his Mets debut.

⚾ The Diamondbacks placed right-handed pitcher Bryce Jarvis on the 15-day IL with a sprained elbow. They do not expect him to pitch again this season. Jarvis appeared in 44 games and pitched 59.1 innings this year.

⚾ The Texas Rangers placed right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer on the 15-day IL with right shoulder fatigue.

⚾ Giovanny Gallegos went unclaimed on waivers and chose free agency after the St. Louis Cardinals designated him for assignment. He pitched for St. Louis since 2019. 

⚾ The Miami Marlins claimed outfielder Cristian Pache from the Orioles and right-handed pitcher John McMillon from the Royals.

⚾ Former Major League pitcher Doug Creek passed away at age 55.

 

Articles You Should Read

 

Aaron Judge Is Harrison Bergeron — Davy Andrews, FanGraphs

Teen Naomi Ryan finds powerful ally in quest for MLB: Billy Wagner — Julius Kreuz, MLB.com

Team USA Faces Japan in World Cup Gold Medal Game — USAbaseball.com

 

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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