The Baseball Buffet for 6/23/2025

Issue #314

What follows is a new feature for 2025 at Now Taking the Field. The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day! Let me know what you think of each issue… I can be reached at [email protected].

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 88th day of the season had a full slate of Sunday games:

• BAL 2, NYY 4 - Dean Kremer pitched well (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), but so did Will Warren (6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K). Down 2-1, the Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th and that was decisive as Devin Williams pitched a scoreless ninth for his 10th save. Ben Rice went 3-4 with a double, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 2-4 with two doubles.

• DET 9, TBR 3 - Junior Caminero hit a HR, but otherwise Casey Mize pitched well (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K). Zack Littell did too (5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), and the Tigers were only up 3-1 until the top of the ninth when they added six more runs including a 3-run HR by Parker Meadows.

• CHW 4, TOR 2 - Chris Bassitt pitched well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K), and Bo Bichette went 2-5 and drove both of the Jays’ runs. The White Sox were down 2-1, but in the top of the eighth they scored three including a 2-run double by Miguel Vargas.

• TEX 3, PIT 8 - The Pirates tallied 15 hits, with 5 doubles and 10 singles. Leading the way were Bryan Reynolds going 3-4 with a double and a walk, Spencer Horwitz was 3-4 with two doubles and three runs scored, and Tommy Pham was 3-3 with two doubles and three RBI.

• ATL 3, MIA 5 - Sandy Alcantara pitched well enough to get the win (6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K), and three Marlins relievers held the Braves scoreless the rest of the way, with Ronny Henriquez pitching the ninth for his second save of the year. Although it was in a losing effort, Ronald Acuña Jr. went 2-4 with a double and two runs scored, raising his average to .396 in 96 at-bats.

• MIL 9, MIN 8 - This was a wild one with 35 total hits: 17 for the Brewers and 18 for the Twins. Milwaukee scored all of their runs early, including HR from Rhys Hoskins and Brice Turang, giving them a 9-3 lead through five innings. The Twins battled back, scoring runs in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, with four HR on the day including two by Byron Buxton, and one each from Ryan Jeffers and Ty France. Brooks Lee and Carlos Correa went 4-5 with four singles each, but in the end Trevor Megill came in and shut Minnesota down in the ninth for his 17th save.

• CIN 4, STL 1 - Matt McLain got things going with a HR in the first inning, and Nick Lodolo was excellent through seven (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K). Three Reds relievers held the Cards scoreless for the last two innings, with Emilio Pagán recording his 18th save.

• SEA 14, CHC 6 - The Cubs had four HR, including two from Seiya Suzuki, and one each by Reese McGuire and Kyle Tucker. But that wasn’t nearly enough as the Mariners scored seven runs off Chicago starter Colin Rea (5.1 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K), and then seven more runs off their two relievers. These days, if you see that the Mariners had 18 hits and 14 runs, you’d assume Cal Raleigh hit a HR—and sure enough, he went 2-3 with two walks, and his MLB-leading 31st HR of the season. Donovan Solano went 3-5 with 2 HR and 5 RBI, and Dominic Canzone similarly was 3-5 with two solo HR.

• AZ 2, COL 4 - Arizona was up 2-0, but in the fifth inning the Rockies scored four runs, including a 3-run HR by Mickey Moniak. Colorado relievers held the D-Backs scoreless the rest of the way, including Seth Halvorsen pitching the ninth for his 6th save.

• CLE 3, ATH 0 - The Athletics out hit the Guardians 9-8, but they couldn’t get any runs across as they left 10 runners on base. Slade Cecconi pitched well (7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) and three Cleveland relievers combined for the shutout, including Emmanuel Clase who allowed some baserunners but still recorded his 18th save of the season.

• BOS 5, SFG 9 - The Red Sox had 12 hits, including three HR from Rob Refsnyder, Romy Gonzalez, and Ceddanne Rafaela. But it wasn’t enough as the Giants had three HR of their own from Casey Schmidt, Mike Yastrzemski, and Willy Adames. Schmidt also had a double and was 4-4 on the day, and Heliot Ramos went 2-4 with a double and 4 RBI.

• HOU 8, LAA 7 - Nolan Schanuel went 3-4 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI. Logan O’Hoppe hit his 17th HR of the season, and Zach Neto hit a pinch-hit HR in the bottom of the ninth. But that wasn’t enough as the Astros had scored four runs each in the fifth and sixth innings, including two HR from Mauricio Dubón, and a solo HR by Jeremy Peña.

• WAS 7, LAD 13 - Each team had 11 hits, but the Nationals left 10 runners on base while the Dodgers only stranded 2. Shohei Ohtani pitched a clean first inning, striking out two and not allowing any hits or runs. He then had a big day at the plate, going 2-4 with a walk, a HR, a triple, and 5 RBI. Max Muncy had an even bigger day, going 2-4 with a 3-run HR and a grand slam. Of note, Until he ran into trouble in the sixth, Michael Soroka had done well as the Nationals starter, striking out 10 in 5.1 IP.

• KCR 2, SDP 3 - Royals starter Seth Lugo pitched well 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB 7 K), and Salvador Perez hit his 9th HR of the year. But Randy Vasquez otherwise pitched well for the Padres (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K), and the game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. With runners on second and third and one out, Jose Iglesias, who had driven in the two earlier San Diego runs as well, drove in Luis Arraez for the winning run on a fielder’s choice.

• NYM 1, PHI 7 - Francisco Lindor hit a HR late in the game, but that was all the Mets could muster. Jesús Luzardo was excellent (6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and the Phillies scored five runs in the fourth inning, mostly from Kyle Schwarber’s 24th HR of the year, and a 3-run HR by Edmundo Sosa.

I plan to start including the current standings in some form here, but until then… here is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted above Cal Raleigh hit his 31st HR of the season. He has 4 HR in his past 3 games, and 5 over his past 5 games. He has a chance to break three HR records this year. Can you name who holds the record in each or any of the following three categories?

• Most HR by a player in a season who was primarily a catcher (50% or more of his games played?)

• Most HR by a player in a season while actually playing the catcher position (so not including any he had while playing DH, 1B, etc.?)

• Most HR in a season by a switch hitter?

Trivia answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

Who’s on the move?

In this section I won’t list 26th-man moves, or every time a team shuttles relievers back and forth to AAA to keep a stock of fresh arms in the bullpen. I’ll focus on the biggest, more impactful demotions, promotions, and injury list changes (for a full list, see all the latest MLB transactions).

➕ Sent on a Rehab Assignment

• ATH SP Ken Waldichuk

• BOS SP Jordan Hicks

• LAD RP Luis Garcia

• BAL RF Tyler O’Neill

• LAD SP Tyler Glasnow

🤕 Placed on the IL

• NYY SP Ryan Yarbrough - 15-day IL (right oblique strain)

• BOS SP Hunter Dobbins - 15-day IL (right elbow strain)

MLB Debut Yesterday

Here I’ll try to keep up with players who just made their MLB debut the day before!

• ATH RP Jack Perkins - Entered as a reliever and did well pitching the final three innings of the Athletics 3-0 loss to Cleveland (3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K). Before being called up, Perkins was pitching well as a starter at AAA, with a 2.86 ERA and an impressive 68 K with only 25 hits allowed in 44 IP.

League Leaders

José Caballero had another stolen base yesterday, lengthening his lead on the Stolen Bases leaderboard:

• 29 - TBR José Caballero

• 26 - PIT Oneil Cruz

• 23 - CHC Pete Crow-Armstrong

• 22 - CHW Luis Robert Jr.

• 21 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 21 - STL Victor Scott II

• 21 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 20 - CLE José Ramírez

• 19 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 19 - PHI Trea Turner

• 18 - CHC Kyle Tucker

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history (for a longer list, see the feature at the Baseball Almanac or the Bullpen feature at Baseball-Reference.com):

📅 On June 23…

• 1915: A rookie with some control issues. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Philadelphia Athletics lefty Bruno Haas makes his debut against New York a memorable one as he walks a record 16 batters, and throws three wild pitches. He goes all the way in a 15-7 loss, his only major league decision. Haas breaks the American League record of 15 walks, set by Boardwalk Brown and ties Bill George's major league record. Haas will pitch in just five more games before ending up in the NFL as a halfback for Akron.”

• 1917: Babe Ruth ejected, but Ernie Shore shines. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In the first of two games at Boston, Babe Ruth starts for the Red Sox and walks the leadoff man, griping to plate umpire Brick Owens after each pitch. On ball four, Ruth plants a right to the umpire's head, and is ejected. Ernie Shore comes in to pitch. Ray Morgan is then caught stealing, and Shore retires all 26 men he faces in a 4-0 win, getting credit in the books for a perfect game (the ruling will later be changed, giving the two pitchers a combined no-hitter, but no perfect game). Boston's Dutch Leonard then beats Walter Johnson, 5-0, in the nitecap. Ruth is suspended for his actions, a ban that will last nine days. He also is fined $100.”

• 1971: Rick Wise hits two HR in his no-hitter. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Rick Wise hits two home runs and drives in three runs as he faces only 28 batters and no-hits the Reds, 4-0 on 95 pitches. He goes deep against Ross Grimsley and Clay Carroll. Pete Rose is retired as the final out. The Phillies' hurler will again hit two home runs in same game this season on August 28th.”

• 1973: Brett has a hitting streak going. No, not that Brett, his older brother. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Phillies P Ken Brett beats the Expos, 7-2, and hits a home run for a major league-record fourth consecutive game by a pitcher. He hit home runs on June 9th, 13th, and 18th: he will total ten for his career. Don Drysdale (1958) and Wes Ferrell (1933) shared the previous record of three straight games with a homer.”

• 1981: The longest professional game is finally concluded. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Dave Koza drives in Marty Barrett with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving Pawtucket a 3-2 win over Rochester and ending the longest game in professional baseball history. The game had been suspended after 32 innings and eight hours, seven minutes of play on April 19th, but the continuation takes only 18 minutes to complete. Bob Ojeda pitches one inning to earn the win. Future major league stars Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. go a combined 6 for 25.”

• 1994: If only Bobby Witt had instant replay. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Oakland P Bobby Witt narrowly misses hurling a perfect game, defeating Kansas City on a 4-0 one-hitter. Umpire Gary Cederstrom calls Greg Gagne safe on a close play at first in the 6th inning, for the Royals' only hit, but TV replays show that Gagne was out. The play goes 1B Troy Neel to Witt covering. Witt fans 14 and does not walk a batter in his masterpiece.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Tom Haller (1937) had a 12-year major league career as a catcher from 1961-1973, mostly with the Giants and Dodgers. A 3-time All-Star, Haller had a little pop, hitting 14+ HR in six consecutive seasons with a high of 27 HR in 1966. Overall he had 134 HR, a .257/.340/.414 slash line, and a 114 OPS+.

• Tim Anderson (1993) was drafted out of college in the first round (17th overall) in 2013 by the White Sox. He was a SS in the majors by 2016, and displayed some power by hitting 15+ HR four times. He led the AL with a .335 average in 2019, and has had four seasons with 15+ SB, including a high of 26 SB in 2018. Anderson is an aggressive hitter, who doesn’t walk much and has had six seasons with 100+ strikeouts, including a high of 162 in 2017. After eight seasons with the White Sox, he has struggled last year with the Marlins, and then this year with the Angels, who released him in late May. A two-time All-Star, for his career thus far Anderson has 98 HR, 122 SB, and a .276/.307/.407 slash line.

• Jack Smith (1895) had a 15-year major league career as an outfielder, mostly with the Cardinals. Smith didn’t have much power, but he ran the bases well with six seasons of 20+ SB. He also batted over .300 six times, and retired with 228 SB, a .287/.339/.385 slash line, and a 103 OPS+.

In addition to Tim Anderson, another currently active player who was born on June 23 is BAL Jorge Mateo.

Today’s Matchups

A partial slate of Monday games (9), as many teams are either travelling or otherwise have the day off. Some games that jump out to me are:

• ATL vs. NYM is game one of a good NL East series, with Spencer Schwellenbach (3.26 ERA, 92 K in 96.2 IP) going for Atlanta and the Mets countering with Paul Blackburn who has struggled thus far (four appearances) in 2025.

• CHC vs. STL is both a rivalry series and an important 4-game set as only 4.5 games separates these two teams in the NL Central (with Brewers also 3.5 games behind the Cubs). Ben Brown (5.57 ERA, 8 8K in 74.1 IP) will face Matthew Liberatore (4.08 ERA, 66 K in 79.1 IP).

Other pitchers of note taking the hill today are SEA Bryan Woo and CHW Shane Smith.

HR Watch

Predicting who might hit a HR on any given day is a challenge. But here are a few to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• NYY Paul Goldschmidt, small sample but is 4-8 with 2 HR and a double vs. lefty CIN Nick Lodolo… and Goldy generally hits lefties well.

• LAA Logan O’Hoppe, smallest sample imaginable, but is 1-1 with a HR vs. BOS Walker Buehler. Of note, O’Hoppe hit 2 HR on Saturday, and added another yesterday.

Hits Watch

If you play MLB’s Beat the Streak mobile game, or otherwise bet on/parlay players to collect hits, I’ll try to provide some good options in this section. In addition to the HR Watch guys listed above, here are some others to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• LAA Travis d’Arnaud, 7-15 with a HR and a double vs. BOS Walker Buehler… though as I just noted, O’Hoppe is hot lately so d’Arnaud might not be playing.

• SDP Luis Arraez, small sample but is 4-6 vs. lefty WAS Mitchell Parker… even though Arraez generally doesn’t hit LHP nearly as well.

• NYY Cody Bellinger, small sample but is 4-9 vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

• NYM Tyrone Taylor, small sample but is 4-8 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. ATL Spencer Schwellenbach

Who is streaking?

These are players on active hit streaks and who for this reason (if playing) might also be interesting picks to get a hit today:

• 13 - TBR Yandy Diaz

• 11 - AZ Josh Naylor

• 11 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 11 - WAS Luis Garcia Jr.

• 10 - TBR Jake Mangum

• 10 - TEX Josh Smith

• 10 - HOU Jake Meyers

• 10 - CIN Matt McLain

• 10 - COL Tyler Freeman

• 9 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 8 - TBR Jonathan Aranda

• 7 - MIL Brice Turang

• 7 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

Who might struggle today?

Betting against any given player to not get a hit is tough, as guys in the starting lineup get at least one hit in a game more often than not. That said, here are some guys who clearly have struggled against their opposing SP today:

• NYM Brandon Nimmo, 0-12 with 4 K vs. ATL Spencer Schwellenbach

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 0-9 with 2 K vs. ATL Spencer Schwellenbach

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Seattle’s switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh is the current MLB HR leader with 31. He has a chance to break three HR records this year, and here are the top five in those categories:

Most HR by a player in a season who was primarily a catcher (50% or more of his games played)

• 48 - Salvador Perez (2021)

• 45 - Johnny Bench (1970)

• 43 - Javy López (2003)

• 41 - Roy Campanella (1953)

• 41 - Todd Hundley (1996)

Most HR by a player in a season while actually playing the catcher position (so not including any he had while playing DH, 1B, etc.?)

• 42 - Javy López (2003)

• 41 - Todd Hundley (1996)

• 40 - Roy Campanella (1953)

• 40 - Mike Piazza (1999)

• 40 - Mike Piazza (1997)

Note: 38 of Bench's HR in 1970 came as a catcher, and 33 of Perez's HR in 2021 came as a catcher. So far this year, 28 of the 31 HR by Cal Raleigh have come while in the game as catcher.

Most HR in a season by a switch hitter

• 54 - Mickey Mantle (1961)

• 52 - Mickey Mantle (1956)

• 45 - Lance Berkman (2006)

• 45 - Chipper Jones (1999)

• 44 - Anthony Santander (2024)

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• The 4 bats driving the Tigers' resurgent offense, by Jared Greenspan at MLB, 6/22/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards that Fell Out of the Family Tree, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 6/22/2025

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.

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