The Baseball Buffet for 3/13/2026

Canada (3-1 in Pool A)

Puerto Rico (3-1 in Pool A)

Italy (4-0 in Pool B)

USA (3-1 in Pool B)

Japan (4-0 in Pool C)

Korea (2-2 in Pool C)

Dominican Republic (4-0 in Pool D)

Venezuela (3-1 in Pool D)

ATL SP Grant Holmes no-hit the Pirates through five innings with 5 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

PIT SP prospect Bubba Chandler walked fewer batters than he had been earlier this spring, with 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 8 K, allowing only a solo HR by ATL DH Jair Camargo

HOU SS Carlos Correa went 2-3 with a HR, and HOU DH Yordan Alvarez went 3-3 with a double

HOU SP Mike Burrows pitched well with 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

CIN SP Nick Lodolo struggled against the Dodgers with 4 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

LAD LF Teoscar Hernández went 2-3 with a HR, a double, and 3 RBI, and LAD 3B Max Muncy hit his second HR of the spring

CHW pitcher Jonathan Cannon, who is competing for a rotation spot, struggled against the Giants with 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K

CLE SP Slade Cecconi did very well against the Brewers with 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

KCR SP Kris Bubic pitched well with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

SDP SP Germán Márquez struggled against the Royals with 1.2 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K

NYM 1B Jorge Polanco hit his second HR of the spring, but otherwise, STL SP Michael McGreevy did well with 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K.

NYM SP Sean Manaea had 4 K in 2.2 IP, but also allowed 6 H, 1 BB, and 3 ER, including a 2-run HR by STL RF Nelson Velázquez, his third of the spring

BOS SP Connelly Early continues to compete for a roster spot and had mixed results with 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Meanwhile, BOS SS Trevor Story went 3-4 with a triple and a double, and BOS RF Braiden Ward went 0-2, but had his 17th SB (!) of the spring.

PHI 1B Alec Bohm had his first HR of the spring, and PHI SS Trea Turner went 2-4 with two doubles

PHI SP Jesús Luzardo struggled some in his first game after signing his big contract extension, posting 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 3 K, while giving up a HR to TOR C Tyler Heineman who was 2-2 with a triple, a walk, and 3 runs

DET SP Justin Verlander had 5 K in 3.1 IP, but also gave up 4 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, including three solo HRs by NYY LF Jasson Domínguez, NYY C J.C. Escarra, and NYY LF Seth Brown

NYY SP Will Warren did well and stretched out to 6 IP, allowing 2 H and 2 ER, with 0 BB and 2 K, giving up a 2-run HR to DET RF Zach McKinstry, his first of the spring

SEA SP Emerson Hancock had 5 K in 4 IP, allowing 4 H and 2 ER

CHC SP Edward Cabrera did well with 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

TEX LF Wyatt Langford went 2-3 with a 3-run HR, his third homer of the spring

TEX SP Jack Leiter had 6 K in 5 IP, giving up 5 H and 2 ER, both off solo homers hit by ATH 3B Max Muncy, and ATH CF Henry Bolte

COL CF Brenton Doyle went 2-3 with a walk, a triple, and 3 runs, and COL 1B TJ Rumfield went 3-4 with 4 RBI

Unopened 1996 Starting Lineup Stadium Stars Javy Lopez figure

1994 Starting Lineup Fred McGriff figure

1972 Ralph Garr 7-Elevent cup

Braves ice-cream sized helmet

1980s Donruss Puzzles of Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn

(3) 1984 Fun Foods Buttons

(11) different oversized cards

(12) different 1980s team stickers

(16) different Fred McGriff cards

(10) different Chipper Jones cards

(21) different Greg Maddux cards

(30) different Dale Murphy cards

(40) different Tom Glavine cards

(39) different John Smoltz cards

… and a few other miscellaneous items!

1917: Casey Stengel perhaps saved Wilbert Robinson’s life. “After hearing that Gabby Street had caught a ball dropped off the Washington Monument in 1908, Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson brags that he could catch a ball dropped from an airplane at spring training, even though he is in his mid-50s and well above his playing weight. Robinson circles unsteadily under the descending spheroid. Instead, a grapefruit was secretly substituted and it explodes on impact with his glove. Once he feels the ooze, Robinson thinks it is blood, and screams that he is dying, until he tastes the juice. He later concedes that he probably would have been killed if a real baseball had been dropped from the plane. Aviatrix Ruth Law dropped the grapefruit as outfielder Casey Stengel assumed culpability for the switch.”

1953: It is announced the Braves will move from Boston to Milwaukee. “Braves owner Lou Perini announces he will seek permission from the National League to move his franchise from Boston to Milwaukee. The day will become known as "Black Friday" in Beantown.”

1954: An injury to Bobby Thomson creates opportunity for a young Hank Aaron. “Milwaukee Braves outfielder Bobby Thomson breaks his ankle while sliding into a base during a spring training game. The 1951 National League playoff hero is replaced by a promising prospect named Hank Aaron. Thomson will be out until July 14th.”

1960: The White Sox add names to the uniform numbers. “The Chicago White Sox unveil an important uniform innovation. The Sox's road uniforms feature players' names on the backs of the jerseys, marking the first time that players' names will appear on major league uniforms. The innovation will make it easier for fans watching games on television to identify the players on the field. The idea is yet another creation of colorful White Sox owner and innovator Bill Veeck.”

Hall of Famer

13-year major league career, spanning from 1908-1922, all with the Athletics and Yankees

Led the AL with 19 triples in 1909, then led the AL in HR in four consecutive seasons from 1911-1914 with modest totals of 11, 10, 12, and 9.

Also led the AL with 130 RBI in 1912 and 117 RBI in 1913, and had speed on the bases too with 20+ SB five times, and a high of 40 SB in 1912

Was a strong performer for the Athletics in four World Series in 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1914, with a .378 average, 7 doubles, 3 HR, and 18 RBI across 20 games

He became known as "Home Run" Baker after hitting two HR in the 1911 World Series, and it stuck as he did have relatively more power than most players during the Deadball Era

He was considered a good defensive 3B, often among the leaders in various fielding statistics

Overall had 96 HR, 103 triples, 235 SB, a .307/.363/.442 slash line, and a 135 OPS+

12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2000-2012, all with the Twins and Mets

Four-time All-Star

Won the AL Cy Young Award in 2004 after posting a 20-6 record and leading the league with a 2.61 ERA and 265 K

Led the AL with 238 K again in 2005, and then won the Cy Young Award again after winning the Pitching Triple Crown with a 19-6 record, a 2.77 ERA, and 245 K

Took home one more ERA title with the Mets in 2008 with a 2.53 mark

Overall had a 139-78 (.641) record, 1,988 K in 2025.2 IP, a 3.20 ERA, and a 136 ERA+

First-round draft pick (2nd overall) in 1985 by the Giants

15-year major league career, spanning from 1986-2000, mostly with the Giants and Rangers

Six-time All-Star, and won a Gold Glove Award at 1B in 1991

Had 20+ HR six times, including a high of 35 HR in 1987

Led the NL with 109 RBI in 1988, and then with 104 runs in 1989

Was a generally good performer in the postseason with a .333 average and 5 HR in 31 games, and was NLCS MVP for the Giants in 1989 after going 13-20 (.650) with 2 HR, a triple, 3 doubles, and 8 RBI in 5 games

Overall had 284 HR, 1,205 RBI, a .303/.384/.497 slash line, and a 137 OPS+

What's the trickiest — and easiest — outfield to play? Let's rate each ballpark, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 3/12/2026

Who had the best career? Ranking Classic's quarterfinal managers as players, by Jeff Gold at MLB, 3/12/2026

Top Five Starting Pitchers in Toronto Blue Jays History, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 3/13/2026

Happy Friday the 13th !! How Scary Number Impacts Game, by Dan Schlossberg at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/13/2026

If MLB Says Yes To Olympics, Could That Also Fix World Baseball Classic?, by Sean Millerick at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/13/2026