The Baseball Buffet for 3/7/2026

Mexico 8, Great Britain 2 - WSN C Harry Ford went 2-3 with a HR for Great Britain, but Mexico got a 3-run HR from TBR 1B Jonathan Aranda, and a solo HR from ATL 3B Nacho Alvarez Jr.

Netherlands 2, Venezuela 6 - Venezuela got good performances from ATL RF Ronald Acuña Jr. who went 1-4 with a double, a walk, and 2 runs, SFG 2B Luiz Arraez was 1-3 with a walk and 2 RBI, and MIA CF Javier Sanoja was 2-4 with a HR.

Cuba 3, Panama 1 - LAA 3B Yoan Moncada went 1-3 with a walk and a 2-run HR, hit off of Panama starter Logan Allen (3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)

Puerto Rico 5, Colombia 0 - COL SP Jose Quintana did well early for Colombia with 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, but so did KCR SP Seth Lugo for Puerto Rico with 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Current and recent major leaguers drove in runs for PR, including Willi Castro, Heliot Ramos, Eddie Rosario, and Martín Maldonado.

Nicaragua 3, Dominican Republic 12 - PHI SP Cristopher Sánchez struck out 4 in 1.1 IP, but also allowed 6 hits, 1 BB, and 3 ER. That would be all the scoring Nicaragua would do, while DR tallied 14 hits and 12 runs, including homers by TBR DH Junior Caminero, SEA CF Julio Rodríguez, and pinch-hitter PIT Oneil Cruz. In addition, Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-3 with 2 walks and 3 runs, NYM LF Juan Soto was 2-4 with a walk, TOR 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 1-4 with a double and 3 RBI, and SDP 3B Manny Machado was 2-3 with 2 walks and a double.

United States 15, Brazil 5 - A highlight for Brazil included Lucas Ramirez, son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez, going 2-4 with 2 solo HR. Another was 17-year Joseph Contreras, son of former Major Leaguer Jose Contreras, who overall had 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, getting out of a bases loaded jam by forcing Aaron Judge to ground into a double play. Otherwise this game was all team USA, with SFG SP Logan Webb pitching well (4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), SDP RP Mason Miller closing it out (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and various hitters doing well including Aaron Judge (1-4, 2 walks, a HR, and 3 runs), PHI DH Kyle Schwarber (2-4, 2 walks, 2 runs), , BOS LF Roman Anthony (2-4, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 RBI), and MIL 2B Brice Turang (3-6, 2 doubles, 4 RBI).

Chinese Taipei 14, Czechia 0 - This one was called after seven innings, as four Chinese Taipei pitchers combined for a 4-hit short shutout, and their hitters had 11 hits and were walked 8 times, with CLE DH Stuart Fairchild going 2-2 with 2 walks, 4 runs, and a grand slam HR.

And as shared yesterday also… 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.

BOS SP Connelly Early did well with 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

DET SP Justin Verlander struck out 4 in 2 IP in his spring debut, but also allowed 2 H and 2 ER, including a HR by BOS CF Kristian Campbell. DET pitcher Drew Anderson, who is competing for a depth rotation or bullpen role, did well with 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.

WSN LF Daylen Lile, who finished the 2025 season hot but had been 0-12 so far this spring, went 1-3 with a HR, and WSN SP Cade Cavalli did very well with 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

HOU SP Mike Burrows pitched well with 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

BAL SP Chris Bassitt did well with 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, while BAL pitcher Albert Suárez struggled a lot with 2.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.

STL SP Michael McGreevy pitched well with 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, and both STL catchers hit with Iván Herrera going 2-3 and Yohel Pozo going 2-2 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.

PHI C Rafael Marchán went 2-3 with a walk, 2 doubles, and 4 RBI

PIT SP Braxton Ashcraft struck out 5 in 3 IP, but also allowed 3 hits and 2 ER, and PIT RF Ryan O’Hearn went 1-1 with a walk and 3-run HR. In a separate split-squad game, PIT SP Bubba Chandler did well with 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, and RF Dominic Fletcher went 2-3 with a HR and a double.

TOR RF Nathan Lukes went 1-2 with a walk and a grand slam

LAA SP Reid Detmers struck out 5 in 4 IP, but also allowed 2 H, 2 BB, and 2 ER. Meanwhile two veterans competing for roster spots, LAA 3B Adam Frazier and LAA 1B Jeimer Candelario, each went 2-4 with a double.

CLE SP Gavin Williams struck out 5 in 3.2 IP, giving up 4 H and 1 ER.

CIN SP Andrew Abbot struck out 5 in 2.2 IP, but also allowed 5 H and 4 ER, including a 2-run HR by SFG 3B Matt Chapman. Meanwhile SFG SP Tyler Mahle allowed 3 BB, but also had 4 K in 2 IP with 0 H and 0 ER.

Four Rockies hitters had homers against the Athletics, including SS Chad Stevens, C Brett Sullivan, 3B Kyle Karros, and 1B TJ Rumfield.

TEX CF Evan Carter went 1-3 with his first HR of the spring, while TEX SP Jack Leiter had 4 K in 3.2 IP, but also allowed 5 H and 2 ER.

SEA SP Kade Anderson did well with 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, SEA pitcher Emerson Hancock did also with 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, and SEA 2B Cole Young went 2-4 with a 2 HR and 3 RBI.

CHW SP Anthony Kay did well with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, and CHW RF Jarred Kelenic went 1-3 with a 3-run HR.

MIL SP Chad Patrick had 5 K in 3 IP, but also allowed 5 H and 2 ER

MIN SP Bailey Ober did well in his spring debut with 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Two ATL starting pitchers did well with Reynaldo López pitching 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K and Martín Pérez with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

NYY SP Cam Schlittler did well in his spring debut with 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, and four Yankees relievers combined with him for an 18-K , 3-hit shutout of the Rays.

NYM SP Sean Manaea made his spring debut with 3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, allowing a HR to MIA 3B Connor Norby. NYM RP Craig Kimbrel did well with 2 K in 1 IP, while MIA SP Max Meyer had 4 K in 3 IP with 2 H and 0 ER.

LAD 3B Miguel Rojas went 3-3 with a run, LAD 1B Freddie Freeman went 2-3 with 3 RBI, and LAD LF Teoscar Hernández was 3-3 a double and 2 RBI.

SDP SP Germán Márquez did well with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, then SDP SP Marco Gonzalez, who is competing for a depth rotation or bullpen role, had 5 K in 3 IP with 3 H and 1 BB allowed.

1902: Pud Galvin dies at 45 years old of stomach ailment. “Future Hall of Famer James (Pud) Galvin dies at the age of 45. Galvin won 361 games over a 14-year career, placing him in a tie for sixth on the all-time list for most wins. In 1883 and 1884, Galvin won a combined 92 games.”

1979: Hack Wilson and Warren Giles are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Slugging outfielder Hack Wilson and longtime executive Warren Giles are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. Wilson, who had a relatively short career, won four National League home run titles while with the Chicago Cubs. His most productive season came in 1930, when he set an all-time major league record with 191 RBI, hit 56 home runs (a NL record for 68 years) and batted .356. For his career, Wilson hit .307 with 244 home runs and 1,063 RBI. Giles served as president of the Cincinnati Reds from 1937 to 1951, before becoming National League President for 18 seasons.”

1991: Cool Papa Bell dies at 87. “Cool Papa Bell dies in St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of 87. An outfielder with blazing speed, Bell played in the Negro Leagues from 1922 to 1946. Bell entered the Hall of Fame in 1974, joining fellow Negro Leagues stars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard and Monte Irvin.”

1995: Richie Ashburn, Vic Willis, William Hulbert, and Leon Day are all elected to the Hall of Fame. “The Special Veterans Committee elects former major leaguers Richie Ashburn and Vic Willis, former National League president William Hulbert, and former Negro League player Leon Day to the Hall of Fame. Day will die of a heart attack six days from now.”

Hall of Famer

17-year major league career, spanning from 1992-2008, mostly as a 2B with the Giants, Mets, Dodgers, and Astros

Five-time All-Star

Had 20+ HR 12 times, with a high of 37 HR in 2002

Won the NL MVP Award in 2000 after hitting .334 with a .424 OBP, 33 HR, 125 RBI, and 114 runs

Overall had 377 HR, 1,518 RBI, 1,320 runs, a .290/.356/.500 slash line, and a 123 OPS+

First-round draft pick (2nd overall) in 1981 by the Cubs

16-year major league career, spanning from 1983-1998, mostly as an OF with the Indians and Blue Jays

Hit 20+ HR in 12 consecutive seasons and had 100+ RBI ten times, including leading the AL with 121 RBI in 1986

Also had 20+ SB six times, with a 30/30 season in 1987 when he had 32 HR and 31 SB

Hit one of the most iconic postseason HR of all time for the Blue Jays on October 23, 1993. In the bottom of the ninth of Game 6, with the Jays up three games to two over the Phillies… with one out and two runners on base… he hit a 3-run, walk-off HR to win the World Series.

Overall had 396 HR, 1,445 RBI, 231 SB, a .259/.306/.464 slash line, and a 105 OPS+

First-round draft pick (2nd overall) in 1969 by the Astros

10-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1971-1980, all with the Astros

Had a 20-15 record in 1976, and then won 18 games each year from 1977-1979.

Led the NL with a 2.71 ERA in 1979, and led the NL with 303 K in 1978 and 313 K in 1979.

Was also very wild, leading the NL in walks three times, including a career-high 151 BB in 1976. Also led the NL in wild pitches three times (and he threw fastballs and sliders, not a knuckleball!)

Was finally and All-Star in 1980 and had a 10-4 record and 1.90 ERA over 17 starts that year.

As noted at Wikipedia, "On July 30, 1980, Richard suffered a stroke and collapsed while warming up before an Astros game. The cause was found to be a blood clot in his neck. He would never appear in another major league game. In 1981, Richard attempted a comeback with the Astros, however this failed because the stroke had slowed down his reaction time and weakened his depth perception. He spent the next few seasons in the minor leagues before being released by the Astros in 1984, ending his career."

Overall he had a 107-71 (.601) record, a 3.15 ERA, a 108 ERA+, and 1,493 K in 1,606 IP

Overall first-round draft pick in 1969 by the Senators

16-year major league career, spanning from 1970-1985, mostly as a RF and LF for the Senators/Rangers, Braves, and Athletics

Had 20+ HR five times, including a high of 41 HR in 1977

Two-time All-Star, including in 1974 when he won the AL MVP Award with the Rangers after batting .301 with 25 HR and an AL-leading 118 RBI

Overall had 240 HR, 882 RBI, a .261/.355/.439 slash line, and a 121 OPS+

6 - Randy Johnson

6 - Nolan Ryan

3 - Sandy Koufax

3 - Curt Schilling

2 - Pedro Martinez

2 - Sam McDowell

9 projected roster holes that could actually be strengths, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 3/6/2026

Amazing facts, figures from Classic's thrilling first full day, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 3/7/2026

He's just 17 years old, but he got Aaron Judge out with the bases loaded, by Alyson Footer at MLB, 3/6/2026

Lucas being Lucas? Manny's son crushes 2 HRs for Brazil, by Theo DeRosa at MLB, 3/6/2026

The Coming Defeat of Manager Ejections?, by Jeff Kallman at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/7/2026

Andruw’s Glove Made Him a Hall of Famer, by Dan Schlossberg at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 3/7/2026