The Baseball Buffet for 3/28/2026

NYY 3, SFG 0 - Two games, two shutouts. And this one was a one-hitter, as NYY SP Cam Schlitter did great (5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K), and three Yankees’ relievers combined to blank the Giants, with Camilo Doval recording three strikeouts in the eighth, and David Bednar notched the save. The three New York runs came from a 2-run HR by Aaron Judge and a solo HR by Giancarlo Stanton.

COL 1, MIA 2 - MIA SP Sandy Alcantara pitched a strong seven innings (7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and the bottom of the Marlins lineup scored two early runs that held up. Rookie Owen Cassie, who came over from the Cubs in the Edward Cabrera trade, had a double, a run, and an RBI in his first official Marlins game. Javier Sanoja went 3-3 with an RBI, and Connor Norby went 2-3 with a double.

KCR 0, ATL 6 - ATL SP Chris Sale did well (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) and three Braves’ relievers combined for the shutout. KCR SP Cole Ragans struggled (4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), giving up homers in three different innings to Ozzie Albies, Drake Baldwin, and Michael Harris II. Matt Olson went 2-4 with a double and a run, and Austin Riley went 3-3 with a walk and a run.

ATH 2, TOR 3 - Shea Langeliers got off to a good start on the year, going 3-4 with two solo homers. But his would be the only hits the Athletics would get, as TOR SP Kevin Gausman was outstanding (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K), and three Blue Jays relievers held the rest of the A’s lineup in check. Meanwhile, the bottom of Toronto’s lineup did most of their damage, with Kazuma Okamoto going 2-3 with a walk and 2 runs in his debut, Ernie Clement going 2-4 with 2 doubles and a run, and Andrés Giménez going 2-3 with a walk, a triple, and 3 RBI, including a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

LAA 6, HOU 2 - LAA SP Yusei Kikuchi allowed a lot of baserunners (4.1 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 3 K), and also a solo HR to Yordan Alvarez. But so did HOU SP Mike Burrows (5.2 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), with Zach Neto going 2-5 with a HR and a double, Josh Lowe going 2-4 with a HR and a double, and Mike Trout going 3-4 with a walk and HR, his second dinger in the first two games of the season.

DET 5, SDP 2 - DET SP Framber Valdez pitched well (6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and three Tigers’ relievers threw scoreless innings, including Kenley Jansen striking out three in the ninth to record the save. SDP SP Michael King did well also (5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K), but the Tigers came from behind with four runs in the top of the eighth, with Riley Greene, Kevin McGonigle, and Dillon Dingler all hitting singles that drove in runs.

CLE 1, SEA 5 - CLE rookie Chase DeLauter hit a HR, already his third on the year. But CLE SP Gavin Williams had some control issues, walking six over five innings (5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 7 K). SEA SP George Kirby did well (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K), and the Mariners’ runs came from Cole Young’s 3-run HR and Luke Raley’s 2-run HR.

ARI 4, LAD 5 - Both teams scored four runs by the fourth inning, including homers by the Arizona’s Ketel Marte and the Dodgers’ Alex Freeland and Mookie Betts. The difference came from Los Angeles' two big free-agent acquisitions, as Kyle Tucker singled in the bottom of the eighth to drive in Freeland for the go-ahead run, and then Edwin Díaz struck out two in the ninth to record his first save for the Dodgers.

COL RF Mickey Moniak - 10-day IL (right ring finger sprain, retroactive to March 24)

SEA RP Carlos Vargas - 15-day IL (right lat strain, retroactive to March 24)

PHI RF Óscar Mercado

PHI SS Sergio Alcántara

HOU RP/SP Peter Lambert

CIN RP Andrew Chafin

TEX RP Ryan Brasier

According to an article by Jordan Bastian at MLB, the Cubs are in agreement with 2B Nico Hoerner on a 6-year, $141 million extension. He had been signed only through this season and could have become a free agent. There had also been some trade rumors during the offseason. But the Cubs apparently are settling in with their key players, as they just recently extended CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, and are now adding Hoerner to SS Dansby Swanson and 3B Alex Bregman as a solid core they’ll have for several years to come.

According to an article by Jake Rill at MLB, the Orioles are in agreement with SP Shane Baz on a 5-year, $68 million extension. Due to injuries, the 26-year-old Baz has only pitched one full season in the majors: in 2025 he had mixed results for the Rays with a 4.87 ERA over 31 starts, with 176 K in 166.1 IP. He had good results in shorter stints in previous seasons, such as a 3.06 ERA over 14 starts in 2024, so the Orioles are obviously confident Baz is an important part of their future.

According to an article by Max Ralph at MLB, Jason Heyward has announced his retirement after a 16-year career in the major leagues. He was the first-round draft pick (14th overall) in 2007 by the Braves, and was an All-Star in his rookie season, finishing the season second in the NL Rookie of the Year vote after batting .277 with 18 HR, 11 SB, and a .393 OBP. His biggest strength was his elite defense in RF, winning five Gold Glove Awards during his time with the Braves, Cardinals, and Cubs. His power hitting topped out at 27 HR and 82 RBI in 2021, and he had 20+ SB three times. Overall, he retires with 186 HR, 125 SB, and a .255/.336/.408 slash line.

1947: Hall of Famer Johnny Evers dies at the age of 65. "Second baseman Johnny Evers dies in Albany, New York, at the age of 65. Known as "the Crab," Evers won the National League MVP Award in 1914 and stole 324 bases over an 18-year career. In 1946, Evers was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee."

1958: Hall of Famer Chuck Klein dies at the age of 53. "Slugger Chuck Klein dies in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the age of 53. Klein batted .320 with 300 home runs and 1,201 RBI over a 17-year career. His most productive season came in 1933, when he won the National League Triple Crown. Klein will be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1980."

1976: What might have been. "Media sources report a potential blockbuster trade between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers which involves two future Hall of Fame pitchers. According to the rumor, the deal will send Tom Seaver to the Dodgers in exchange for Don Sutton. Mets fans respond negatively to the proposed deal, perhaps influencing management to call off the trade. Seaver will remain with the Mets until 1977, when he is traded to the Cincinnati Reds, in a trade which will be universally rued by Mets fans."

2014: Record-setting contract for Miggy. "Two-time defending American League MVP Miguel Cabrera signs an eight-year contract extension with the Tigers. Including the two years remaining on his present contract, the deal is worth $292 million, making it the biggest in major league history. It surpasses the ten-year extension signed by Alex Rodriguez in 2006 for $275 million. In fact Rodriguez had held the record since signing as a free agent with the Texas Rangers for $252 million in 2001."

15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1930-1945, all with the Cubs and Cardinals

Five-time All-Star

Had 16+ wins eight times, including 20+ wins three times, such as in 1932 when he led the NL in wins with a 22-6 record, while also leading the league with a 2.37 ERA

Posted a 2.00 ERA in 1933 and led the league with 26 complete games

Overall had a 192-121 (.613) record, a 3.18 ERA, and a 119 ERA+

10-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1946-1955, mostly with the Yankees

Four-time All-Star

Went 19-8 in 1948, then won 21 games each year from 1949-1951, and led the AL with a modest 164 K in 1951

Was generally effective in the World Series, with a 2.24 ERA over 60.1 IP in 11 appearances (8 starts)

Overall had a 132-66 (.667) record, a 3.72 ERA, and a 105 ERA+

14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2009-2022, playing for nine different clubs

Four-time All-Star

Led the NL with 51 saves with the Pirates in 2015, and then again with 39 saves with the Padres in 2021.

He was particularly dominant from 2013-2016 when he posted 147 saves, a 1.80 ERA, and a 213 ERA+

Overall had 262 saves, a 2.94 ERA, and a 136 ERA+

Late first-round draft pick in 2016 by the Dodgers

So far has played seven years in the major leagues, all as a catcher for the Dodgers

Three-time All-Star

Has hit 15-25 HR six times

So far overall has 129 HR, a .264/.358/.477 slash line, and a 128 OPS+

So far has played 11 seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Diamondbacks, but then 2025 and now 2026 with the Astros

Has won three Gold Glove Awards at 1B

Has hit 25+ HR five times

Overall so far has 174 HR, a .248/.325/.456 slash line, and a 111 OPS+

10-year major league career, spanning from 1984-1993, all as a 1B with the Astros and Orioles

Two-time All-Star

Hit 20+ HR in six consecutive seasons including a high of 34 HR in 1989, with 31 HR in 1986 when he was runner-up to Mike Schmidt in the NL MVP vote.

Overall had 190 HR, a .259/.332/.467 slash line, and a 123 OPS+

ATH Jeffrey Springs vs. TOR Dylan Cease - the first regular season start for Cease with the Blue Jays after signing the big free agent contract

TEX Jacob deGrom vs. PHI Aaron Nola - will deGrom stay healthy and pitch well like he did last year? And can Nola bounce back from his worst season last year?

NYY Will Warren vs. Tyler Mahle - will the Giants finally score a run?

CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong, 7-9, 5 HR vs. WSH Miles Mikolas

CHC Michael Busch, 6-15, 3 HR vs. WSH Miles Mikolas

CHC Nico Hoerner, 14-39 (.359), HR, only 2 K vs. WSH Miles Mikolas

BAL Gunnar Henderson, 8-20, HR, triple, double vs. MIN Taj Bradley

BAL Colton Cowser, 4-10, HR vs. MIN Taj Bradley

CIN Elly De La Cruz, 5-11, HR, 2 triples, 2 doubles vs. BOS Sonny Gray

CIN Spencer Steer, 4-9, 2 HR vs. BOS Sonny Gray

CIN Eugenio Suárez, 7-13, 2 HR vs. BOS Sonny Gray

NYM Juan Soto, 5-12, HR, double vs. PIT Mitch Keller

NYY Paul Goldschmidt, 11-29, 3 HR vs. SFG Tyler Mahle

SDP Fernando Tatis, 4-9, HR, 2 doubles vs. DET Jack Flaherty

LAD Teoscar Hernandez, 10-26, 3 HR, 3 doubles, triple vs. ARI Eduardo Rodriguez

LAD Freddie Freeman, 8-15, HR, 3 doubles vs. ARI Eduardo Rodriguez

PHI J.T. Realmuto, 6-37 (.162), 12 K vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

PHI Kyle Schwarber, 1-17, 8 K vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

NYM Francisco Lindor, 2-16, 8 K vs. PIT Mitch Keller

LAA Mike Trout, 0-14, 10 K vs. HOU Cristian Javier

NYY Cody Bellinger, 1-10, 3 K vs. SFG Tyler Mahle

LAD Santiago Espinal, 1-12, 2 K vs. ARI Eduardo Rodriguez

LAD Kyle Tucker, 2-15, 4 K though one HR vs. ARI Eduardo Rodriguez

HOU Cristian Javier, 71 AB, 1 HR, 24 K, 6 BB, .155/.231/.235 vs. LAA hitters

NYM David Peterson, 63 AB, 3 HR, 22 K, 12 BB, .206/.333/.393 vs. PIT hitters

PIT Mitch Keller, 77 AB, 2 HR, 24 K, 12 BB, .208/.322/.330 vs. NYM hitters

TEX Jacob deGrom, 175 AB, 4 HR, 69 K, 13 BB, .211/.267/.347 vs. PHI hitters

MIN Taj Bradley, 66 AB, 5 HR, 19 K, 5 BB, .348/.394/.676 vs. BAL hitters

WSH Miles Mikolas, 179 AB, 11 HR, 31 K, 3 BB, .318/.342/.583 vs. CHC hitters

ARI Eduardo Rodriguez, 126 AB, 6 HR, 32 K, 16 BB, .310/.376/.527 vs. LAD hitters

51 - Mark Melancon (2015)

46 - Mike Williams (2002)

43 - Jose Mesa (2004)

40 - Joel Hanrahan (2011)

39 - David Bednar (2023)

37 - Felipe Vazquez (2018)

Judge and Stanton join ranks of Ruth/Gehrig, McCovey/Mays as all-time homer-hitting duo, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 3/27/2026

1 lineup & 1 pitching staff that could surprise this season, by Brent Maguire at MLB, 3/27/2026

Comparing Two Titans: Hornsby vs. Judge, by Paul Semendinger at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/28/2026

We Could Have Finished Last Without You, by Dan Schlossberg at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/28/2026