Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
Believe it or not, there are only just more than two weeks left in the MLB regular season. Most of the divisions have a clear winner, with only the AL East the only division where the lead is less than four games. The three AL wild-card teams also seem fairly set, while the final NL wild-card spot figures to come down to the Sept. 24-26 series between the New York Mets and Atlanta. The Mets have a killer finish to the season, with seven games against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies and three vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, the first-place team in the NL Central. The other three come against the Washington Nationals.
Today’s Headlines
Chourio Youngest To Reach 20-20
When Jackson Chourio’s batting average dropped to .207 on June 1, you had to wonder how long the Milwaukee Brewers would keep running the rookie outfielder out there. But manager Pat Murphy’s philosophy is clear: stick with the player. Chourio would soon start to find his groove. Since then, he has been one of the best hitters in MLB. Chourio hit an opposite field home run in the eighth inning of the Brewers’ 3-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants, becoming the youngest player in MLB history with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases. Since June 1, Chourio has 15 homers and 13 stolen bases, with his slash line at .272/.325/.466. Chourio is 20 years, 185 days old, and joins Vada Pinson of the Cincinnati Reds (1959) and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels as the only players with 20-20 seasons in their age-20 season. Both had reached 21 years old when they entered the 20-20 club, with Trout hitting his 20th homer on his 21st birthday. Chourio’s performance helped the Brewers reduce their magic number for clinching the NL Central to seven.
What were you doing at 20 years old? @Bryanchourio11 is busy making history https://t.co/1xZKn5lhTl pic.twitter.com/Us7ogyCHSm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 13, 2024
Jackson Chourio wants YOU 🫵 to know he just made Major League history 💪 pic.twitter.com/QtjwsVLrQ6
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2024
Soto Notches First Walk-off With Yankees
You knew that Juan Soto’s first walk-off as a member of the New York Yankees was going to be memorable. That it came against the rival Boston Red Sox during a pennant race made it just that much more special. Soto lined a single past a diving Trevor Story at shortstop scored the speedy Jon Berti from second base in the bottom of the ninth to give the Yankees a 2-1 victory. Soto’s heroics boosted the Yankees’ AL East lead over the idle Baltimore Orioles to two games with 15 to play. It was the second straight day with a walk-off win for the Yankees, who beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. single.
Juan of a kind. pic.twitter.com/J8bEOa5mBj
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 13, 2024
Rocker Rocks Debut With Rangers
Three pitches into his MLB debut, Texas Rangers rookie right-handed starter Kumar Rocker had given up two hits to the Seattle Mariners and runners were on the corners. A Julio Rodríguez steal increased the first-inning pressure. But that is when Rocker dug down and dealt with the latest adversity in his baseball life. Rocker struck out Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena before Luke Raley drove the first pitch he saw deep to right field, where it was snagged by a backpedaling Travis Jankowski on the warning track. From there, his vaunted slider did most of the work as Rocker finished with seven strikeouts over four innings, allowing one run, as the Rangers beat the Mariners 5-4. Rocker made history, becoming the first player of Indian descent to make it to the majors. Rocker famously was drafted by the New York Mets 10th overall in 2021, but the team backed out of a deal after reviewing his medical information. He was taken by the Rangers with the third overall pick in 2022 and had Tommy John surgery in 2023.
7 K debut day for @KumarRocker. 🤘 pic.twitter.com/HrXnhC7g0V
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 13, 2024
Astros Snap Three-Game Skid
Pennant races are defined by who comes through in the clutch. With the Houston Astros loaded with experience, it usually isn’t a surprise when a big hit is produced. Jon Singleton, known more for his power, singled home the tiebreaking run as part of a four-run eighth inning that propelled the Astros to a 6-3 triumph over the Oakland A’s. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Astros. Singleton’s single to right plated Yainer Diaz, then Jake Meyers doubled home Singleton. Following an intentional walk to Jason Heyward, Mauricio Dubón doubled home two more runs, giving the Astros a 6-2 cushion. Combined with the Mariners’ loss to the Rangers, the Astros lead Seattle by 4½ games in the AL West.
BIG JON GIVES US THE LEAD!#Relentless pic.twitter.com/V77JArfH26
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 12, 2024
Twins Release Prospect For Giving Away Pitches
It was a funny moment in the movie “Bull Durham” when the aging catcher Crash Davis told the hitter a fastball was coming in order to prove a point to his young pitcher, Nuke LaLoosh. What Derek Bender did was not funny. The 21-year-old catcher for the low Class A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels intentionally gave pitches to the opposing Lakeland Flying Tigers in a game that led his team to be eliminated from playoff contention. Bender reportedly wanted the season to be over. Fort Myers had led the West Division by six games three weeks before the game in question. Bender was a sixth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina this year.
MLB Reiterates: A’s In Sacramento For 2025
Following an appearance by super-agent Scott Boras on Sacramento, Calif., radio station KFBK in which he said the Oakland A’s were not locked in to playing in the state’s capital city next year, MLB issued a statement saying that the team is indeed Sacramento-bound. The San Francisco Chronicle did a series of articles last week regarding the move that included similar comments from Boras. At the crux of the issue is the conditions at the Triple-A home of the Sacramento River Cats, a San Francisco Giants affiliate. The MLB Players Association, which can’t halt the move, has concerns and is still negotiating playing conditions. The A’s are in their final days playing at the Oakland Coliseum as their lease is up following the season. The are playing in Sacramento until their new stadium in Las Vegas is ready, which is estimated to be for the 2028 season. Yet hurdles remain there, too. Groundbreaking for construction is not planned until April at the site of the Tropicana casino, which is scheduled to be demolished in October.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Glove Optional
Yankees left-handed reliever Tim Hill needed his glove to deflect the liner from the Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela, but not to make the throw.
Lost his glove, but stuck with the play 🤯 pic.twitter.com/fVcHYktADT
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2024
Blast From The Past
The social-media team for the Mariners put in work scouring Facebook pages for these gems.
Admins did some sleuthing 🔍🕵️♂️ pic.twitter.com/tqLVG3ZacE
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 12, 2024
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, the reigning World Series MVP, will have season-ending surgery Friday to repair a sports hernia.
⚾ Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (right hip inflammation) was activated off the 10-day injured list.
⚾ Cleveland Guardians right-handed starter Alex Cobb (blisters) went on the 15-day IL. Right-handed reliever Andrew Walters was called up to make his MLB debut.
⚾ Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (fractured right hand) was placed on the 10-day IL. Also, second baseman Jose Altuve was not in the starting lineup a day after being pulled from the game with tightness in his right side.
⚾ Rangers right-hander Chase Anderson was designated for assignment to make room for Rocker on the 40-man roster.
Articles You Should Read
What is it like being a White Sox fan in 2024? — Zack Meisel, The Athletic
How Jays’ Francis saved his season and is on perpetual no-hit watch — R.J. Anderson, CBS Sports
I’ve been thinking about zone contact wrong — Ben Zeidman, Baseball Prospectus
Fantasy Baseball Coverage