The Baseball Buffet for 3/6/2026

Chinese Taipei 0, Australia 3 - CLE prospect 2B Travis Bazzana, the #1 overall draft pick in 2024, went 2-4 with a HR, and SP Alex Wells, who pitched briefly for the Orioles, did well with 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.

Czechia 4, Korea 11 - SS Terrin Vavra, who is a free agent but has played for the Orioles including briefly last year, hit a 3-run HR for Czechia. But seven pitchers for Korea combined for 12 strikeouts, and their hitters clubbed four HR, including DET LF Jahmai Jones hitting one and HOU 3B/SS Shay Whitcomb hitting two.

Australia 5, Czechia 1 - CHW 3B Curtis Mead went 2-4 with a 3-run HR, and three other Australia batters had two hits each, while six Aussie pitchers combined to limit Czechia to four hits and one run.

Japan 13, Chinese Taipei 0 - LAD DH Shohei Ohtani led off and went 3-4 with a double and a grand slam, and BOS LF Masataka Yoshida went 2-3 with a walk, a double, and 2 runs. Meanwhile LAD SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto did well on the mound with 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K and four other pitchers combined with him on a one-hit shutout of Chinese Taipei.

The Mariners had four HR from 1B Patrick Wisdom, DH Rob Refsnyder, CF Jared Sundstrom, and 1B Carson Taylor. They scored six runs in all, but lost by a score of 27-6 as the Padres erupted for 12 runs in the second inning and then just kept piling on. SEA SP Luis Castillo struggled (1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), as did clearly a bunch of other Mariners’ hurlers. The Padres tallied 28 hits, including 9 doubles and 8 HR hit by 8 different guys: Jake Cronenworth, Freddy Fermin, Jackson Merrill, Miguel Andujar, Nick Schnell, Tirso Ornelas, Sung-Mun Song, and Bryce Johnson.

Boston has a crowded OF situation, but it seems 27-year OF Braiden Ward is trying to steal a spot. He went 2-2 with 2 SB, giving him 10 SB so far this spring and a .450 average (9-20). Last year over 97 combined AA/AAA games he had a .290 average and 57 SB—his fourth consecutive season in the minors with 40+ SB.

For the Athletics, C Austin Wynns, LF Tyler Soderstrom, and RF Brent Rooker each had their second homers of the spring.

LAA SP Alek Manoah, who is competing for a rotation spot, struggled with his command with 2.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K.

CIN RP Emilio Pagán really struggled, giving up 4 H, 4 ER, and 3 HR in just one inning of work. On the offensive side for the Reds SS Elly De La Cruz went 2-3 with HR, DH Nathaniel Lowe went 2-3 with a HR, and Matt McLain went 3-3 with a HR, his fourth of the spring so far.

LAD 3B Max Muncy went 1-3 with a walk and his first HR of the spring, while 1B Santiago Espinal had a big game going 2-2 with 2 HR and 6 RBI

COL SP Michael Lorenzen struggled with 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, while COL 3B Ryan Ritter went 3-3 with 2 doubles and is now 11-23 (.478) so far this spring

MIL CF Garret Mitchell went 2-3 with a walk, a HR, a double, and 4 RBI, and MIL DH Jake Bauers went 2-3 with his first HR of the spring

CHC SP Colin Rea did well with 6 K in 3.2 IP, allowing 4 H and 1 ER from a HR by AZ 1B Pavin Smith. Meanwhile CHC SS Dansby Swanson and CHC C Carson Kelly each hit their second spring homers

Five MIA pitchers combined to one-hit the Astros, including SP Sandy Alcantara (3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and Robby Snelling (3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) who is competing for a a rotation spot.

HOU SP Tatsuya Imai did well in his second spring appearance (2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and HOU SP Spencer Arrighetti also got in some work (3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K)

The Twins beat the Yankees 15-0, with the game called after six innings. MIN SP Taj Bradley did well with 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, while MIN LF Luke Keaschall went 3-4 with a HR, and MIN CF James Outman was 2-3 with a HR

ATL SP Chris Sale (3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) and ATL SP Spencer Strider (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, , 1 BB, 4 K) both got in some work, while SS Mauricio Dubón went 3-3 with a walk and a double

PHI SP Jesús Luzardo did well in his spring debut with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

BAL SP Zach Eflin did well in his spring debut with 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

TBR SP Ryan Pepiot had some control issues, but otherwise did well with 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K

PIT SP Mitch Keller got in some work with 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, giving up a HR to STL 3B Nolan Gorman

STL SP Dustin May did well in his spring debut with 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, while STL SP Quinn Mathews struck out 7 in just 2.2 IP, while giving up 2 hits including a HR to PIT SS Alika Williams

NYM RF Brett Baty went 1-3 with his first HR of the spring, hit off WSN SP Miles Mikolas (3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K)

CLE SP Tanner Bibee did really well with 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, and 1B CJ Kayfus and SS Milan Tolentino each had a HR

Two White Sox starting pitchers got in some work, with Sean Burke struggling some (3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) and Erick Fedde doing well (3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)

KCR SP Cole Ragans struggled in his second appearance of the spring, with 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, giving up HR to TEX 1B Jake Burger and TEX CF Wyatt Langford. In that same game, TEX SP MacKenzie Gore also struggled and couldn’t get out of the second inning (1.2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 3 BB, 2 K).

Ernie Banks

Stan Musial

Rod Carew

Harmon Killebrew

Dick Allen

Robin Yount

Alex Rodríguez

Joe Torre

Joe Mauer

Pete Rose

1906: The Cubs acquire 3B Harry Steinfeldt to complete their infield. “New owner Charles W. Murphy puts the last pieces of a Chicago Cubs dynasty in place, trading rookie infielder Hans Lobert and pitcher Jake Weimer to the Cincinnati Reds for third baseman Harry Steinfeldt. Not a heavy hitter, Steinfeldt completes the Frank Chance-Johnny Evers-Joe Tinker infield with more than adequate defense.”

1923: The Cardinals adopt uniform numbers. “The St. Louis Cardinals announce that their players will wear numerals on their uniforms. The digits will be assigned according to the batting order.”

1973: Larry Hisle becomes the first official DH (in a spring training game). “Larry Hisle of the Minnesota Twins becomes the first designated hitter in major league history during an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hisle makes the new American League rule look good by collecting two home runs and seven runs batted in.”

1985: Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Slaughter, known for his hustling style of play, gained fame for his celebrated "Mad Dash" home during the 1946 World Series. Vaughan batted .318 over a 14-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers.”

1987: The Cubs sign OF Andre Dawson. “Prized free agent Andre Dawson signs a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $650,000, well below his market value. A former Montreal Expos star, Dawson had previously offered to sign a "blank check" contract with Chicago, because collusion prevents him from signing a contract at the market rate for his services. He desperately wanted out of Montreal because of the toll the rock-hard artificial turf at Stade Olympique was exerting on his knees.”

2001: Bill Mazeroski and Hilton Smith are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star second baseman Bill Mazeroski and Negro Leagues pitching great Hilton Smith are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Mazeroski, an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, hit one of the most memorable home runs ever - a 9th-inning blast in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.”

2006: Kirby Puckett dies at the age of 45. “Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett dies in Scottsdale, Arizona, at age 45, a day after suffering a massive stroke. Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to World Series titles in 1987 and 1991, hit .318 with 207 home runs and 1,085 RBI over 12 seasons. A ten-time All-Star and six-time Gold Glove winner, Puckett ended his career abruptly due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye caused by glaucoma.”

2014: Dr. Frank Jobe dies at the age of 88. “Dr. Frank Jobe, the pioneer surgeon who performed the first ligament replacement surgery on pitcher Tommy John in 1974 and then popularized the technique that has saved hundred of pitchers' careers, dies in Santa Monica, CA at age 88. He had been a medical adviser to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 50 years, continuing even after his retirement from regular practice in 2008.”

Hall of Famer

17-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1925-1941, all with the Athletics and Red Sox

Led the AL in strikeouts in each of his first seven seasons

Led the AL in ERA an impressive nine times

Also led the AL in wins four times, with career highs of a 28-5 record in 1930, and a 31-4 mark in 1931, his two seasons in which he won the AL Pitching Triple Crown.

Six-time All-Star (though the annual All-Star game began about half-way through his career)

Performed well in the World Series from 1929-1931, with a 1.75 ERA over 51.1 IP

Overall had a 300-141 (.680) record, a 3.06 ERA, and a 148 ERA+

Hall of Famer

21-year major league career, spanning from 1962-1982, all as a LF and 1B with the Pirates

Seven-time All-Star

Had 25+ HR in ten seasons, including leading the NL with 48 HR in 1971 and 44 HR in 1973, coming in second in the NL MVP vote both years

Had 100+ RBI five times, and 100+ runs twice

In 1979 he became the only player in MLB history to win the league MVP, League Championship Series MVP (NLCS in his case), and World Series MVP in the same season. He shared the 1979 NL MVP award with batting champion Keith Hernandez.

Overall had 475 HR, 1,540 RBI, a .282/.360/.529 slash line, and a 147 OPS+

12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2010-2021, mostly with the Orioles, Cubs, and Phillies

In 2015 he did well in the first half with 10-5 record and 2.66 ERA, but then was incredible in the second half going 12-1 with a 0.75 ERA over his last 15 starts, winning the NL Cy Young Award that year with a combined 22-6 record, 1.77 ERA, and 236 K

Was an All-Star in 2016, finishing with a 18-8 record, a 3.10 ERA, and 190 K

Overall had a 115-93 (.553) record, a 3.98 ERA, and a 104 ERA+

16-year major league career, spanning from 1962-1977, mostly as a 2B for the Phillies and Royals

Five-time All-Star, he led his league in 2B fielding percentage three times

A modest hitter, he slashed .263/.306/.337 with only 54 HR in 6,871 career plate appearances, with a career-high of 18 SB in 1973

14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1955-1972, playing for seven different clubs

Began as a mixed starter and reliever, but had more success as a dedicated reliever, including leading the NL in 1965 with the Cubs with 31 saves and 84 appearances, to go with a 2.57 ERA

Again led the NL with the Reds in 1967 with 28 saves and 70 appearances, to go with an impressive 1.27 ERA

Continued to pitch well into his late-30s, including 23 saves with a 2.56 ERA in 1971, and then a 1.70 ERA over 58.1 IP in his age-39 final season in 1972

Overall had 149 saves, a 3.46 ERA, and a 107 ERA+

Ernie Banks - 1B 1,259, SS 1,125

Stan Musial - OF 1,895 (mostly LF and RF), 1B 1,016

Rod Carew - 1B 1,184, 2B 1,130

Harmon Killebrew - 1B 970, 3B 791, OF 471

Dick Allen - 1B 808, 3B 652, OF 256

Robin Yount - SS 1,478, OF 1,218 (mostly CF)

Alex Rodriguez - SS 1,272, 3B 1,194

Joe Torre - C 898, 1B 793, 3B 515

Joe Mauer - C 920, 1B 603

Pete Rose - OF 1,328 (mostly LF and RF), 1B 939, 3B 634, 2B 628

No. 1 on Day 1? Top-ranked prospect Griffin could join exclusive club, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 3/5/2026

There's a new No. 1 in farm system rankings, by Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, and Sam Dykstra at MLB, 3/5/2026

Preliminary Spring Breakout rosters announced, by Michael Avallone and Brendan Samson at MLB, 3/5/2026

6 sneaky-fun teams to watch this season, by Will Leitch at MLB, 3/5/2026

No-hitters lost to posterity, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 3/6/2026