The Baseball Buffet for 4/2/2026

ATH 1, ATL 5 - ATL SP Chris Sale once again pitched well (6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), giving up a HR to Shea Langeliers, his MLB-leading fifth of the season so far. Drake Baldwin went 2-3 with a walk, a double, and 4 RBI.

TEX 3, BAL 8 - BAL SP Trevor Rogers pitched a good game (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and Albert Suárez recorded a three-inning save, giving up a HR to Corey Seager. As noted in yesterday's issue, TEX SP Nathan Eovaldi again gave up a lot of hits to Orioles hitters (4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). Samuel Basallo went 2-5 with a HR, Dylan Beavers went 3-5 with a HR and 3 runs, Taylor Ward went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI, and Leody Taveras went 2-2 with 2 walks, a double, and 2 RBI.

PIT 8, CIN 3 - PIT SP Paul Skenes bounced back from his awful Opening Day start and pitched well yesterday (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). After his 2-HR game the day before, Oneil Cruz went 2-5 with a 3-run HR yesterday. Bryan Reynolds went 2-5 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI, and Nick Gonzalez went 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI. For the Reds, Eugenio Suárez was 1-2 with his second of the year.

WSH 5, PHI 6 (10) - Both starting pitchers did well in this one: WSH SP Cade Cavalli (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and PHI SP Cristopher Sánchez (5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K). For the Nats a key hit was a 3-run HR by CJ Abrams in the seventh. Down 5-1, the Phillies came back late, including solo homers by J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper. Then in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the bases loaded, Edmundo Sosa hit a 2-RBI single to tie the game 5-5 and force extras. Jhoan Duran held off the Nationals in the top of the tenth, and then in the bottom of the frame J.T. Realmuto advanced Brandon Marsh, the freebie Manfred Man, to third base, and then rookie Justin Crawford hit a walk-off single.

COL 2, TOR 1 (10) - Both starting pitchers did well: COL SP Kyle Freeland (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K) and TOR Kevin Gausman (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K). This one was tied 1-1 through nine, and then with no outs Tyler Freeman singled in Brenton Doyle, who was on second base as the freebie Manfred Man. The Rockies then brought in Jimmy Herget and he kept the Blue Jays from scoring and earned his first save of the year.

CWS 0, MIA 10 - MIA SP Sandy Alcantara became the first starter to throw a complete game in 2026, pitching a 3-hit shutout with 7 K (It was a “Maddux” in fact, as he only needed 93 pitches). Meanwhile, the Marlins' batters tallied 13 hits with Liam Hicks went 3-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 4 RBI, Otto Lopez went 2-4 with a walk, HR, a triple, and 3 runs, Graham Pauley was 2-4 with 2 doubles, and Javier Sanoja went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

TBR 2, MIL 8 - Both starting pitchers did pretty well: Drew Rasmussen (5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K) and Jacob Misiorowski (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). Both teams also had a 2-run HR in the third inning: Yandy Diaz for the Rays and Brice Turang for the Brewers. Christian Yelich went 2-4 with 2 RBI, and Garrett Mitchell was 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

BOS 4, HOU 6 - BOS SP Garrett Crochet had 7 K in 5 IP, but also allowed 6 H and 4 ER, while HOU SP Mike Burrows had 6 K in 5 IP, but allowed 5 H, 3 BB, and 2 ER. Both teams had two HR: Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony for Boston, and Carlos Correa and Christian Vázquez for Houston.

NYM 1, STL 2 (11) - Both starting pitchers did well: NYM SP Freddy Peralta (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) and STL SP Matthew Liberatore (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Juan Soto hit a HR in the top of the sixth, but the Cardinals tied the game in the bottom of the inning and it stayed 1-1 through nine. Neither team scored in the 10th, and St. Louis blanked New York in the top of the 11th also. In the bottom of the inning, with runners on first and second, Alec Burleson grounded into a double play. With two outs but now JJ Wetherholt on third, Masyn Winn hit a walk-off pop up single that dropped between three fielders in shallow right field.

LAA 2, CHC 6 - CHC SP Matthew Boyd did very well (5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) and three Cubs' relievers blanked the Angels the rest of the way. LAA SP Yusei Kikuchi allowed a lot of baserunners (5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K), including Nico Hoerner going 3-5 with 2 doubles and his fourth SB of the year.

DET 0, ARI 1 - Corbin Carroll hit a solo HR in the first inning, but then DET SP Tarik Skubal settled in and pitched well (7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). But ARI SP Zac Gallen did well too (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K), and three D-Backs' relievers combined for a shutout.

SFG 1, SDP 7 - SDP SP Nick Pivetta pitched five strong innings (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and ultimately Mason Miller recorded three strikeouts and his second save of the year. Ramon Laureano went 2-4 with a HR, 2 runs, and 2 RBI, Manny Machado was 2-4 with a double, and Gavin Sheets was 2-3 with a walk and two doubles.

NYY 5, SEA 3 - SEA SP George Kirby had 6 K in 6 IP, but also uncharacteristically walked three batters and allowed 5 hits and 4 ER. Meanwhile, NYY SP Cam Schlitter had another strong start (6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and although he allowed a few hits David Bednar earned his third save of the year. Ben Rice went 2-3 with a HR and a double, and Paul Goldschmidt hit a 3-run HR.

MIN 9, KCR 13 - KCR SP Noah Cameron did well (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), while MIN SP struggled in this one (4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). Jonathan India hit a grand slam HR in the sixth, and after that inning ended the Royals had a 12-1 lead. Their bullpen proceeded to give up eight runs in the last three innings, but that wasn’t enough for the Twins to come back. Kyle Isbel went 4-4 with a HR, 3 runs, and 2 RBI, and Jac Caglianone went 3-4 with 3 runs. For Minnesota, Josh Bell was 1-3 with 2 BB, a HR, 3 runs, and 3 RBI, and Ryan Jeffers was 1-3 with 2 BB, a double, and 2 runs.

CLE 4, LAD 1 - CLE SP Gavin Williams was dominant (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K) against the tough Dodgers lineup, and both Gabriel Arias and José Ramírez hit homers. For LA, Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched fairly well (6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), Andy Pages went 3-3, and Freddie Freeman hit a 9th-inning solo HR to finally get the Dodgers on the board.

BAL SP Zach Eflin - 15-day IL (right elbow discomfort)

KCR RP Carlos Estévez - 15-day IL (left foot contusion)

5 - ATH Shea Langeliers

4 - CLE Chase DeLauter

3 - BOS Wilyer Abreu

3 - HOU Yordan Alvarez

3 - ATL Drake Baldwin

3 - PIT Oneil Cruz

3 - CHC Ian Happ

3 - MIA Liam Hicks

3 - PIT Brandon Lowe

3 - CHW Munetaka Murakami

3 - SEA Luke Raley

3 - TEX Corey Seager

1874: The batter's box is adopted. "At the fourth meeting of the National Association in Boston, the batter's box is officially adopted. It is also decided that expulsion will be the penalty for any player betting on his own team and any player betting on any other team will forfeit his pay."

1972: Gil Hodges dies at the age of 47. "Former Dodgers star and Mets manager Gil Hodges collapses just minutes after completing a round of golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, and dies of a heart attack. The popular Hodges dies just two days before his 48th birthday. Hodges had guided the Mets to their "miraculous" 1969 World Series championship."

1976: The A's trade Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman to the Orioles. "The Oakland Athletics trade two key members from their recent World Series championship teams, sending outfielder Reggie Jackson and pitcher Ken Holtzman along with minor leaguer Bill VanBommell to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder Don Baylor and pitchers Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell."

1996: Cecil Fielder steals a base. "Detroit Tigers first baseman Cecil Fielder steals the first base of his eleven-year major league career. His theft of second base comes in the 1,097th game that Fielder has played, establishing the longest duration a player had ever gone without a stolen base."

1997: One player paid more than an entire team. "For the first time in Major League Baseball history, the salary of one player is more than the payroll of an entire team. The Chicago White Sox will pay Albert Belle $10 million for the season which is $928,333 more than the entire Pittsburgh Pirates payroll."

1998: Ellis Burks homered everywhere. "1998 - By hitting a home run in Colorado's 6 - 4 victory over Arizona at Bank One Ballpark, Ellis Burks sets a major league record by having homered in 33 different stadiums."

2003: Todd Zeile homered for the most teams. "Todd Zeile hits a home run in his first at-bat for the New York Yankees, becoming the only major leaguer to hit a home run for ten different teams. In addition to homering with the Yankees, Zeile had also gone deep for the Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies, Orioles, Dodgers, Marlins, Rangers, Mets, and Rockies. He will add the Montreal Expos to the list before the end of the year."

Hall of Famer

23-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1966-1988, with 16 seasons for the Dodgers, and the rest spent with the Astros, Brewers, Angels, and Athletics

Four-time All-Star

Had 15+ wins 11 times, including a 19-9 record in both 1972 and 1974, and a 21-10 record in 1976

Led the NL with a 2.20 ERA in 1980

Had 200+ K five times, and 3,570 K over his career, which currently ranks 7th All-Time

Overall had a 324-256 (.559) record, a 3.26 ERA, and a 108 ERA+

Hall of Famer

20-year major league career, spanning from 1930-1950, all with the White Sox

Was a good defensive SS, frequently leading the AL in various fielding statistics

Seven-time All-Star

Led the AL in batting with a .388 average in 1936 and a .328 average in 1943, coming in second in the AL MVP vote both seasons

Had 15+ SB four times, with a high of 27 SB in 1943

Didn't have much power, with only 45 HR in 10,254 career plate appearances

Overall had 2,749 hits, 1,318 runs, 179 SB, a .310/.399/.398 slash line, and a 113 OPS+

Hall of Famer

18-year major league career, spanning from 1891-1918, mostly with Brooklyn, Louisville, and Philadelphia in the NL

Prime seasons came in 1894-1898, a span where he slashed .361/.449/.474, including a .401 average in 1896. He scored between 125-159 runs in each of those five seasons.

He played SS for much of his career before switching to 1B later on

Wasn't afraid to be hit by pitches, leading the NL five times and is the all-time HBP leader with 287

He was manager of the Tigers from 1907-1920, leading them to the AL pennant each year from 1907-1909, plus an impressive 100-54 second-place finish in 1915.

Overall had 359 SB, 992 runs, a .312/.391/.406 slash line, and a 117 OPS+

17-year major league career, spanning from 1966-1982, mostly as a CF/RF with the Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals

Seven-time All-Star, and won a Gold Glove Award in 1968

Hit 20+ HR eight times, and led the AL in doubles twice

Overall had 314 HR, 137 SB, 1,092 RBI, a .287/.366/.489 slash line, and a 137 OPS+

18-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1945-1964, mostly with the White Sox

Seven-time All-Star

Led the AL with 186 K in 1953, and with a 1.97 ERA in 1955

Had 15+ wins eight times, including a 20-9 record in 1956 and a 20-12 record in 1957

Overall had a 211-169 (.555) record, a 3.27 ERA, and a 119 ERA+

Late first-round draft pick in 2015 by the Braves

Now in his eighth season in the major leagues, all playing 3B for the Braves

Two-time All-Star

Hit 30+ HR each year from 2021-2023

Overall so far has 169 HR, a .271/.335/.492 slash line, and a 121 OPS+

7-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1962-1969, starting with five seasons with the Red Sox before spending time with four other clubs

Was a flame-throwing relief pitcher with his best seasons being his first three when he posted ERAs of 2.24, 1.97, and 2.29, racked up 76 saves, and was a strikeout machine with 487 K in 414 IP

According to Wikipedia, "Radatz believed his decline as a pitcher was the result of trying to develop a new pitch during spring training in 1965. He worked on adding a sinker to go along with his overpowering fast ball. In the process, he changed his pitching motion and lost velocity on his fastball, taking away what had been the pitch that made him extraordinary."

Overall he had 120 saves, a 3.13 ERA, and a 123 ERA+

11-year major league career, spanning from 1949-1959, mostly as a 2B with the Indians

Three-time All-Star, including in 1954 when he led the AL with a .341 average

Had 100+ runs twice and led the AL with 11 triples in 1952

Overall had a .281/.359/.388 slash line and 104 OPS+

10-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1874-1884, spending five years with Boston in the National League and the rest spread across six other clubs

Led the NL with a 2.11 ERA in 1877 and a 1.96 ERA in 1879

Had a 31-13 record in 1876 and then had three consecutive seasons with 40+ wins and 500+ IP

Overall had a 234-163 (.589) record, a 2.14 ERA, and a 115 ERA+

MIN Taj Bradley vs. KCR Cole Ragans

ATL Reynaldo López vs. ARI Ryne Nelson

NYM David Peterson vs. SFG Robbie Ray

ARI James McCann, 7-16, triple, double vs. ATL Reynaldo Lopez

MIN Ryan Jeffers, 0-12, 6 K vs. KCR Cole Ragans

ARI Carlos Santana, 3-20, 2 K vs. ATL Reynaldo Lopez

NYM Marcus Semien, 2-11, 4 K vs. SFG Robbie Ray

NYM Luis Robert, 1-10, 4 K, though the hit was a HR vs. SFG Robbie Ray

NYM Juan Soto, 1-10, though only 1 K vs. SFG Robbie Ray

MIN Taj Bradley, 55 AB, 0 HR, 13 K, 2 BB, .109/.140/.147 vs. KCR hitters

KCR Cole Ragans, 44 AB, 1 HR, 17 K, 4 BB, .182/.250/.330 vs. MIN hitters

SFG Robbie Ray, 80 AB, 2 HR, 21 K, 3 BB, .187/.224/.347 vs. NYM hitters

4,010 - Paul Konerko

3,949 - Frank Thomas

3,528 - Luke Appling

3,118 - Nellie Fox

2,844 - Harold Baines

Each team's biggest takeaway from the season's first week, by MLB writers, 4/1/2026

Pitchers who impressed in their 2026 debuts, by Brent Maguire at MLB, 4/1/2026

Ohtani looks to extend a ridiculous two-way streak, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 4/1/2026

Top Five Starting Pitchers in Florida Marlins History, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 4/1/2026