The Baseball Buffet for 7/21/2026

MIN 4, CLE 13 - It is rare that a team can score every inning for seven innings in a row, but the Guardians' hitters were relentless in this game. MIN SP Joe Ryan was victimized for six HRs over just 4 innings of work (4 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), and then Cleveland kept attacking the Twins' bullpen too. Rhys Hoskins went 2-5 with 2 HR; rookie Petey Helpin was 3-5 with 2 HR and a double (his first two major leaguer home runs); Patrick Bailey was 4-5 with a HR; Travis Bazzana went 3-5 with a HR; and Brayan Rocchio had a HR also. Chase DeLauter went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI, while CLE SP Tanner Bibee pitched well enough (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) given the support he was given. Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Josh Bell, and Brooks Lee had two hits apiece in the losing effort.

BAL 5, BOS 6 - BOS SP Payton Tolle had 9 K over 5.2 innings (8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), giving up a solo HR to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, his first since joining the Orioles. But BAL SP Shane Baz (6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) gave up four runs (two earned) and left with the game tied 4-4. Both teams scored again in the seventh, and then Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless top of the eighth. With the team's 13-game winning streak on the line, Caleb Durbin hit a solo HR in the bottom of the eighth off Orioles reliever Tyler Wells. Aroldis Chapman entered in the ninth and walked Colton Cowser before striking out Taylor Ward and Pete Alonso. Gunnar Henderson then hit a 2-out double (his third double of the game), advancing Cowser to third. Tyler O'Neill then lined out to shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng, ending the Orioles' 7-game winning streak, and extending Boston's to 14. Willson Contreras went 3-4 with a double and 2 RBI and Wilyer Abreu was 2-4 with a double and 2 runs.

STL 2, LAA 3 - LAA SP José Soriano gave up two runs in the second inning but otherwise had a strong seven-inning performance (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). STL SP Kyle Leahy also did well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), only giving up a solo HR to Jo Adell in the third. The Cardinals were still up 2-1 and so brought in their closer Riley O'Brien for the bottom of the ninth. He struck out fellow All-Star Mike Trout, but then gave up a single to Nolan Schanuel. He then hit Jorge Soler with a pitch, and surrendered a double to Vaughn Grissom which drove in one to tie the game 2-2. O'Brien intentionally walked Josh Lowe to load the bases and set up force-play options everywhere and the possibility for a double play. Unfortunately, he then hit Jo Adell with a pitch—a rare walk-off HBP to end the game.

TBR 7, TOR 1

SDP 2, ATL 3

PIT 5, NYY 8

LAD 7, PHI 10

SFG 3, KCR 4

NYM 3, MIL 8

CWS 10, TEX 3

MIA 5, HOU 8

DET 8, CHC 6 (10)

WSH 7, COL 3

CIN 0, SEA 8

ATH 5, ARI 2

Game summaries for every game

Current MLB standings

Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.

Rotating statistical leader lists

Current hitting streaks of seven or more games

On this day in baseball history…

Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys

Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?

Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers

… and the answers to the daily trivia questions!

… and during the offseason I still publish every day, covering trades, free-agent signings, and other hot-stove season news!

1892: Dueling 300-game winners. " In a match up of 300-game winners at Philadelphia Baseball Grounds, Phillies submariner Tim Keefe sinks Jim "Pud" Galvin and the Browns, 2 - 0. The next time two National League pitchers with 300 or more victories will face each other will occur in 2005 when Greg Maddux of the Cubs beats Astros ace Roger Clemens at Minute Maid Park, 3 - 2."

1921: 16 doubles in one game. "The Indians bang out nine doubles, and the Yankees seven for an American League record 16 in Cleveland's 17 - 8 win. The Indians cling to a two-game lead."

1930: A doubleheader has four pinch-hit home runs. "Four pinch-hit home runs are hit in a doubleheader between Brooklyn and St. Louis. Hal Lee and Harvey Hendrick connect for Brooklyn, and George Puccinelli and Jim Bottomley, for the Cards. The homers are the first major-league hits for both Lee and Puccinelli."

1936: Joe Medwick has ten consecutive hits. "Cardinals slugger Joe Medwick has ten hits in succession to equal the National League record. He had seven hits in his last seven times at bat in a doubleheader on the 19th, and he hits safely in his first three today. He is finally stopped by the Giants' Carl Hubbell. The Giants break a 1 - 1 tie on Dick Bartell's homer in the 10th off Dizzy Dean to win, 2 - 1."

1945: A pitcher throws 19.2 innings. "The Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics battle to a 1 - 1 tie in 24 innings. Les Mueller hurls 19 2/3 innings for the Tigers. No hurler has matched this endurance feat since then."

1956: 2,000 hits and 12 assists. "In a 13 - 6 defeat to the Cardinals, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese becomes one of five active players to collect 2,000 hits and teammate Junior Gilliam sets a major league record by handling 12 assists at second base."

1972: Hoyt Wilhelm’s long career comes to an end. "The Dodgers release P Hoyt Wilhelm, ending his Hall of Fame career two days before his 49th birthday. Wilhelm appeared in 1,070 games, the most of any major league pitcher to that point. He is also the last World War II veteran to play in the majors. He survived the Battle of the Bulge, suffering a permanent neck wound in the action."

1973: Hank Aaron becomes the second player to hit 700 home runs. "Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits a Ken Brett fastball into the left-centerfield stands for a two-run home run during an 8 - 4 loss to the Phillies. It is career home run number 700 for Aaron, only the second player to reach that milestone, after Babe Ruth."

1975: Four singles for Felix Millan, but four double-plays for Joe Torre. "The Mets' Felix Millan has four straight singles but is wiped out each time when Joe Torre grounds into four straight double plays, tying a major league record. New York loses, 6 - 2, to the Astros."

1988: DH Ken Phelps is traded from Seattle to New York for OF Jay Buhner. "In a pair of trades, Seattle sends DH Ken Phelps to the Yankees for OF Jay Buhner and 1B-DH Steve Balboni, and deals OF Glenn Wilson to the Pirates for IF-OF Darnell Coles."

The first of those two trades was immortalized in a scene from Seinfeld, where Frank Costanza is irate at George Steinbrenner for making the deal.

LAD Justin Wrobleski vs. PHI Zack Wheeler - another game between these two strong clubs, featuring All-Star Wrobleski (10-2, 2.69 ERA) and All-Star snub Wheeler (10-1, 2.13 ERA)

TBR Drew Rasmussen vs. TOR Kevin Gausman - two pitchers capable of very good performances, though Gausman has been less consistent this year

WSH Miles Mikolas vs. COL Michael Lorenzen - If I had to pick one game today to be a high-scoring contest, it would be this one. The Nationals offense has been good this year, the game is in Colorado, and neither pitcher is having a good season: Mikolas (3-7, 5.53 ERA) and Lorenzen (3-9, 6.22 ERA)