The Baseball Buffet for 4/17/2026

BAL 2, CLE 4 - José Ramírez hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the first inning to get the Guardians on the board. They later scored another two runs off BAL SP Shane Baz (6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). But the big story was rookie CLE SP Parker Messick who had a no-hitter going through eight innings, losing it in the ninth on a Leody Taveras single. The Orioles then scored a couple of runs, but it was still a great performance by Messick overall (8 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), who now has a 1.05 ERA over 25.2 IP and four starts this year.

WSH 8, PIT 7 (10) - Neither team scored until the fifth inning when suddenly both scored four runs. For the Pirates that included Marcell Ozuna, who has been struggling so far this year, hitting his first HR of the season—a 3-run shot. Oneil Cruz, who has been hitting great this year, also smashed a 119-mph double, the hardest hit ball of the year so far. The Nationals were up 7-6 when in the bottom of the ninth the Bucs loaded the bases and Brandon Lowe hit an infield single that drove in Jake Mangum to tie the game and force extras. The Pirates brought in Dennis Santana for the tenth, but he allowed a 2-out single to James Wood which drove in Jorbit Vivas who was still on second as the freebie Manfred Man. Nationals reliever Orlando Ribalta then held back the Bucs in the bottom of the frame and earned his MLB save.

KCR 9, DET 10 - The Tigers built up a 6-1 lead through five innings, including a 2-run HR by Dillon Dingler. The Royals rallied with one run in the sixth and then added six runs in the seventh to take an 8-6 lead. The score was 9-7 when Kansas City brought in their closer Lucas Erceg for the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Riley Greene hit a double to tie the game. Colt Keith then hit a walk-off single to right to drive in Greene for the win. The Royals had HRs from Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino, and Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-5 with 2 doubles and 3 runs. For the Tigers, Greene was 3-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, while Gleyber Torres and Spencer Torkelson both went 2-4 with a double.

TOR 1, MIL 2 - Both starting pitchers did well, including veteran TOR SP Patrick Corbin (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and rookie MIL SP Brandon Sproat (6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Brewers bunted three times to manufacture the go-ahead run. Trevor Megill then pitched a scoreless eighth, and Angel Zerpa did the same in the ninth to earn his second save.

SFG 3, CIN 0 - Both starters threw six shutout innings in this one: SFG SP Landen Roupp (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) and CIN SP Chase Burns (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). In the top of the seventh, a series of two-out hits by Matt Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, and Casey Schmitt drove in three for San Francisco. Three Giants relievers then hurled scoreless innings, including Erik Miller who struck out three in the ninth for his first MLB save.

LAA 11, NYY 4 - Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Ben Rice each hit HRs for New York. But NYY SP Max Fried struggled some in this one (5.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), and three Yankees relievers each allowed runs also. Mike Trout walked three times and hit his fifth HR of this four-game series. Jo Adell went 2-4 with a walk, 3 runs, and a grand slam, and Oswald Peraza went 2-4 with a HR and a double.

TBR 5, CWS 3 - The White Sox had HRs by Miguel Vargas and Everson Pereira, and were ahead 3-2 after eight innings. They brought in Seranthony Domínguez for the top of the ninth, and he allowed a solo HR to Junior Caminero which tied the game. The Rays loaded the bases and reliever Lucas Sims walked Hunter Feduccia which brought in Yandy Díaz for the lead. Tampa added another insurance run, and then Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save.

TEX 9, ATH 6 - This game was tied 3-3 when Josh Jung gave the Rangers a lead by hitting a 2-run HR in the seventh inning. The Athletics came back with three runs from a bases loaded double by Nick Kurtz in the bottom of the eighth. They brought in Justin Sterner for the top of the ninth, and he allowed a walk and a parade of singles, giving up four runs (three earned). Veteran Cal Quantrill then made his first appearance of the year, pitching a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close it out.

COL 3, HOU 2 - The Astros scored two runs in the first inning off Rockies' opener Juan Mejia, but then Chase Dollander did well as the long-man (5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). Three Colorado relievers pitched scoreless innings, including Victor Vodnik who notched his second save. Hunter Goodman was 2-3 with a walk, a HR, and a double, and Tyler Freeman went 3-5.

SEA 2, SDP 5 - The Padres scored four in the bottom of the second off SEA SP Luis Castillo (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K). SDP SP Walker Buehler struck out 7 over 5 IP (5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB), and four San Diego relievers kept the Mariners from scoring the rest of the way. This once again included Mason Miller dominating with three strikeouts in the ninth to earn his sixth save. He now has a 0.00 ERA over nine appearances, with 23 K in 9.1 IP, with his scoreless innings streak extended from last year now reaching 30.2 IP.

Mets traded RP Richard Lovelady to the Nationals for cash

Orioles traded RP Chayce McDermott to the Dodgers for minor league pitcher Axel Perez

33 - MIL Jacob Misiorowski

32 - TOR Dylan Cease

31 - TOR Kevin Gausman

31 - CHC Shota Imanaga

31 - LAA José Soriano

31 - PHI Christopher Sánchez

30 - TEX MacKenzie Gore

30 - PHI Jesús Luzardo

30 - NYY Cam Schlitter

29 - MIN Taj Bradley

29 - CLE Gavin Williams

12 - ARI Ildemaro Vargas

11 - STL Jordan Walker

11 - MIL William Contreras

9 - ATL Matt Olson

8 - MIA Connor Norby

8 - SDP Luis Campusano

7 - MIN Brooks Lee

7 - WSH CJ Abrams

7 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

7 - TOR Daulton Varsho

7 - TOR Lenyn Sosa

1820: Alexander Cartwright is born. " Alexander Cartwright, considered by many to be the father of the national pastime, is born in New York City. This pioneer banker, who is given credit for establishing three strikes for an out and three outs for each half inning, will be elected into the Hall of Fame in 1938 after a review of his journals reveals his many contributions in developing and promoting the sport of baseball."

1869: First pro game. "The first professional baseball game ever played sees the Cincinnati Red Stockings defeat the rival Cincinnati Amateurs, 24 - 15."

1929: Babe Ruth gets married. "New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth marries actress and model Claire Merritt Hodgson. The ceremony is held at five o'clock in the morning on Opening Day to avoid crowds."

1945: One-armed outfielder Pete Gray makes his major league debut. "Pete Gray, a one-armed outfielder, plays his major league debut game with the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park. Gray hits a single off Les Mueller in four at-bats, and handles no chances in the outfield. St. Louis beats the Detroit Tigers, 7 - 1, for their ninth straight Opening Day win, setting a major league record that the 1975-1983 New York Mets will tie. Gray, one of many players recruited to perform during World War II, will hit .218 (51 for 254) in his only major league season."

1953: Mickey Mantle hits a long HR. "New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle clears the bleachers at Griffith Stadium with a 565-foot home run off Chuck Stobbs. The shot comes in the 5th inning of a 7 - 3 Yankees victory over the Washington Senators. It is believed to be the longest home run in Griffith Stadium history."

1955: Roberto Clemente makes his debut. "At Forbes Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates' 20-year-old rookie Roberto Clemente makes his major league debut, playing both ends of a doubleheader, ironically but perhaps fittingly, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that first signed him but left him unprotected in the 1954 Rule V draft. In his first at-bat, the future Hall of Famer rifles one back through the originator, Johnny Podres, and off the glove of shortstop Pee Wee Reese, for the first of his 3,000 career hits."

1960: Colavito is traded for Kuenn. "Cleveland Indians general manager Frank Lane, notorious for his multiple transactions, sends American League home run king, Rocky Colavito, to the Detroit Tigers for the league's defending batting champion, Harvey Kuenn. The trade is especially unpopular with Indians fans, who regard Colavito as their most popular player and best hitter."

1969: Bill Stoneman throws a no-hitter. "At Connie Mack Stadium, Bill Stoneman of the Montreal Expos pitches a 7 - 0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in only the ninth game of the Expos' existence. Rusty Staub hits a home run with three doubles and three RBI to pace Stoneman's gem."

1976: Young slugger Mike Schmidt hits 4 HR in one game. "At Wrigley Field, Mike Schmidt leads a Philadelphia Phillies assault with a single, four home runs in consecutive at-bats, and eight RBI to overcome a 12 - 1 deficit after three innings and beat the Chicago Cubs in 10 innings, 18 - 16. Chicago ties the game in the 9th after the Phillies have taken a 15 - 13 lead. Hitting .167 going into the game, Schmidt connects for two homers off Rick Reuschel, one off Mike Garman, and the last, a two-run shot off Reuschel's brother Paul in the 10th inning. Schmidt also becomes the first National League player in modern times to hit four home runs in a row."

2010: Ubaldo Jimenez throws a no-hitter. "Ubaldo Jimenez pitches the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history. He disposes of the Atlanta Braves, 4 - 0, at Turner Field to improve to 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA for the year. Jimenez is helped by a spectacular diving catch of a Troy Glaus line drive by Dexter Fowler in the 7th inning."

Hall of Famer

27-year major league career, spanning from 1871-1897, starting out in the National Association, but spending 22 years with Chicago in the National League

Won four batting titles, including a .399 average in 1881

Led the NL in RBI eight times, with a career-high of 147 RBI in 1886

Was primarily a 1B, but also spent some time at 3B, C, and in the OF

Overall had 3,435 hits, 1,999 runs, 2,075 RBI, a .334/.394/.447 slash line, and a 142 OPS+

Was also a player/manager for much of his career, winning five NL pennants in the 1880s

According to Wikipedia, Anson innovated managerial tactics such as signals between players and the rotation of pitchers. Wikipedia also provides evidence for another side of Anson's legacy, which it summarizes "Although the decision to ban black players from the National League and (minor) International League was made behind the scenes by team owners, Anson was the most outspoken player and vociferously insisted on segregation even before the ban was official. As a star player and team manager, his influence was substantial."

15-year major league career, spanning from 1910-1924, mostly as a 1B with Brooklyn and Cincinnati in the NL

Led the NL with a .350 average in 1913, and then again with a .329 average in 1914

Had 20+ SB six times, and had 15+ triples four times, including a career-high of 22 in 1922

Overall had 165 triples, 1,117 runs, 251 SB, a .303/.360/.401 slash line, and a 117 OPS+

17-year major league career, spanning from 1989-2005, beginning with six seasons for the Expos and spending time with five other clubs

Two-time All-Star, and winner of four Gold Glove Awards as a CF

Had 25+ SB six times, including leading the NL with 76 SB in 1991 and then 78 SB in 1992

Also had some power, with 20+ HR five times

Overall had 1,187 runs, 227 HR, 429 SB, and a .272/.318/.415 slash line

NYM Kodai Senga vs. CHC Edward Cabrera - the Mets will try to end their eight-game losing streak, but it won't be easy as Senga is inconsistent and Cabrera has a 1.62 ERA in his first three starts with the Cubs

TBR Nick Martinez vs. PIT Bubba Chandler - game one of a series between two teams that have started the season surprisingly well

KCR Michael Wacha vs. NYY Cam Schlittler - Wacha has gotten off to a great start with a 0.43 ERA over his first three starts, and Schlittler continues to impress early in his career

SDP Matt Waldron vs. LAA José Soriano - knuckleballer Waldron is making his 2026 debut, while Soriano has been outstanding so far with a 0.33 ERA over 27 IP in four starts

TEX Jacob deGrom vs. SEA Logan Gilbert - game one of an important AL West series features two aces

BAL Gunnar Henderson, 4-9, HR, 2 doubles vs. CLE Tanner Bibee

ATL Michael Harris II, 4-9, 2 HR, double vs. PHI Taijuan Walker

PHI Trea Turner, 5-14, HR, 2 doubles vs. ATL Martín Perez

PHI Alec Bohm, 8-17, HR vs. ATL Martín Perez

PIT Marcell Ozuna, 4-10, 2 HR, double vs. TBR Nick Martinez

ARI Ketel Marte, 7-19, 2 HR, double vs. TOR Eric Lauer

ARI Nolan Arenado, 7-24, 3 HR, double vs. TOR Eric Lauer

CWS Andrew Benintendi, 5-13, 2 HR vs. ATH Aaron Civale

SEA Julio Rodríguez, 5-11, HR vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

TOR Andrés Giménez, 3-8, 2 HR vs. ARI Michael Soroka

PHI Bryce Harper, 2-16, 4 K vs. ATL Martín Perez

PIT Joey Bart, 2-13, 6 K vs. TBR Nick Martinez

NYY Amed Rosario, 2-16, 2 K vs. KCR Michael Wacha

NYY Aaron Judge, 3-21, 11 K vs. KCR Michael Wacha

SEA Randy Arozarena, 0-9, 2 K vs. TEX Jacob deGrom

TEX Ezequiel Duran, 1-11, 5 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

TEX Josh Jung, 0-14, 3 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

TEX Evan Carter, 1-12, 7 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

KCR Michael Wacha, 116 AB, 3 HR, 38 K, 11 BB, .164/.241/.281 vs. NYY hitters

SEA Logan Gilbert, 124 AB, 3 HR, 37 K, 10 BB, .185/.256/.344 vs. TEX hitters

DET Casey Mize, 44 AB, 2 HR, 8 K, 2 BB, .341/.363/.586 vs. BOS hitters

TBR Nick Martinez, 64 AB, 4 HR, 19 K, 5 BB, .312/.362/.595 vs. PIT hitters

PHI Taijuan Walker, 89 AB, 3 HR, 18 K, 14 BB, .303/.414/.468 vs. ATL hitters

478 - Otis Nixon

463 - Rickey Henderson

433 - Kenny Lofton

393 - Delino DeShields

381 - Marquis Grissom

343 - Barry Bonds

335 - Chuck Knoblauch

319 - Craig Biggio

311 - Roberto Alomar

297 - Lance Johnson

Examining the expected (and unexpected) early-season stat leaders, by Brian Murphy, Manny Randhawa, and Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru at MLB, 4/16/2026

Stats of the Week: Trout, Judge highlight league-wide power display, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 4/16/2026

Wiemer ties record by starting new season with 10 straight times on base, by Andrew Sharp at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 4/17/2026

Before the Boom & the Babe – Gavy Cravath and Power in the Dead Ball Era, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 4/17/2026