Stay updated on everything baseball with our morning MLB News & Moments articles. We’ve got you covered to keep you in the know.
If you are one of the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta, Milwaukee Brewers or Los Angeles Dodgers, congratulations. You have likely made the postseason. Why is that? As the terrific Sarah Langs pointed out on MLB.com, 125 of 156 division leaders on the morning of Sept. 1 went on to the playoffs. That is 80%. Not to say this is a guarantee, far from it. There are three races that figure to be the most interesting. The American League West (Mariners, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers), AL East (Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays) and National League Central (Brewers, Chicago Cubs). Enjoy September!
Today’s Headlines
Acuña Steals Show Again
Married life sure seems to suit Ronald Acuña Jr. After getting married before Thursday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Acuña hit his second homer since tying the knot, leading Atlanta to a 6-3 victory over the Dodgers in a battle of the top two teams in the National League. Left-hander Max Fried scattered three hits over seven shutout innings, walking two and striking out 10 as Atlanta moved six games ahead of the Dodgers for the top seed in the NL. Acuña, who hit a grand slam Thursday to become the first player in MLB history with 30 homers and 60 steals, hit a solo homer in the third inning, then stole his 63rd base in the fifth inning when he swiped third.
Make it 31 for @ronaldacunajr24!#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/gMuOnEIg2W
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 2, 2023
Yankees’ Dominguez Homers In First MLB AB
Sept. 1st also means the expansion of major-league rosters, which results in more than a handful of MLB debuts. We can’t highlight all of them here, but one player stood out because of what he did on the second pitch of his first at-bat. Highly touted New York Yankees prospect Jasson Domínguez laced an opposite-field two-run homer off Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander with two outs in the top of the first inning. Pretty fitting for a player with the nickname “The Martian” to hit his first homer in Space City. It came on an 0-1 pitch and while it only went 360 feet into the Crawford Boxes at Minute Maid Park, it will be the memory of a lifetime. At 20 years, 206 days old, he becomes the youngest Yankee to hit a home run.
Welcome to the Space Jam 🛸👽
Congratulations on your 1st big-league home run, @gonjass7! pic.twitter.com/oVTziNbSlP
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 2, 2023
No Changes To Pitch Clock For Postseason
While players made a plea to get more time between pitches for the most important games of the year, no changes will be made to the rules surrounding the pitch clock during this year’s postseason, according to multiple reports. The pitch clock, implemented at the MLB level this season, has essentially whittled about 30 minutes off the average game time, down to about 2 hours, 39 minutes, according to one survey. There are still games that last in the 3-hour range, such as Thursday’s epic Atlanta-Los Angeles Dodgers game in which 15 runs were scored and there were eight pitching changes. Umpires still have some discretion when it comes to the rule, so we will have to see how that plays out with a game on the line in a decisive Game 7.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Dodgers Honor Kobe
It was Lakers Night at Dodger Stadium and the Dodgers showed out for the late Kobe Bryant. Daughter Natalia threw out the ceremonial first pitch with the rest of the family in attendance. Another daughter, Bianka, uttered the traditional, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!” Dodgers players lined up along the third-base line pregame wearing Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 2, 2023
You heard the Bryant family, it’s time for @Dodgers baseball 💙 pic.twitter.com/5jYCpKzn7R
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 2, 2023
No Words Needed
The Milwaukee Brewers‘ Tyrone Taylor scored from first after Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm botched Owen Miller’s grounder in the bottom of the eighth inning. The arms of Taylor, the Brewers’ William Contreras and home plate umpire John Tumpane say everything.
"Everybody, show me what an airplane looks like." pic.twitter.com/mHBGye9XDl
— Cut4 (@Cut4) September 2, 2023
Injuries and Other Moves
Happy prospect promotion day! Many of Friday’s moves were previously known, but just in case, check out MLB’s transactions page for everything that went down or MLB Trade Rumors, which has an article listing all the call-ups.
The Cincinnati placed three pitchers — starters Hunter Greene and Ben Lively and reliever Fernando Cruz — on the COVID-19 injured list, which means they must miss a minimum of seven games.
Dodgers right-handed starter Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday at Triple-A. He is expected to make three rehab starts before rejoining the Dodgers.
Taylor Walls (strained oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list by the Tampa Bay Rays and will be the primary shortstop the rest of the season.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford (left forearm strain) was activated from the 10-day IL by the San Francisco Giants.
Right-handed reliever Ryan Helsley (right forearm strain) was activated from the 60-day IL.
Second baseman Kolten Wong was called up from Triple-A by the Dodgers. Wong signed a minor-league deal with L.A. after being designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners.
Utilityman Jurickson Profar, DFA’d by the Colorado Rockies, returned to the San Diego Padres, signing a minor-league deal.
Articles You Should Read
Brewers’ Counsell could be one of the top free agents this offseason — Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic
Why is Ohtani still hitting as Tommy John surgery looms? — More from Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic
Breaking down what has gone wrong for the Padres — Zach Krizer, Yahoo Sports
Mother of A’s prospect from India taught herself to pitch, then her son — Evan Desai, MLB.com
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