The Baseball Buffet for 9/21/2025

Issue #404

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!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 178th day of the season featured a full slate of Saturday games:

• ATL 6, DET 5 - The Braves scored three in the third inning, with Nacho Alvarez Jr. hitting his first career HR, and Drake Baldwin hitting a 2-run HR. Joey Wentz did fairly well (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), but the Tigers took the lead against the Atlanta bullpen, including a solo HR by Zach McKinstry and a 2-run HR by Spencer Torkelson, his 31st of the year. Alvarez Jr. hit a second HR, but Detroit was leading 5-4 after eight. They brought in their closer Will Vest for the top of the ninth, but he let up four singles and two runs. Raisel Inglesias then pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his 27th save.

• CLE 6, MIN 0 (Gm 1) - Joe Ryan struggled in this one, giving up 4 HR in 5 innings (5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). Overall Cleveland had five homers, including two by Bo Naylor, and José Ramírez, Daniel Schneemann, and George Valera each hitting one (and in Valera’s case it was the first of his career). Slade Cecconi was outstanding (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), and Kolby Allard combined for the 3-hit shutout.

• CLE 8, MIN 0 (Gm 2) - The streaking Guardians (ten wins in a row) took the second game as well, which was also backed by great pitching. Logan Allen went eight strong innings (8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K) and rookie Zak Kent struck out two in the ninth to complete the 4-hit shutout. Bailey Ober struggled (5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) with Steven Kwan going 2-5 with 4 RBI, and Gabriel Arias 2-5 with a double and 2 RBI.

• WAS 5, NYM 3 - The Nationals scored three runs early, while Cade Cavalli threw five shutout innings (5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). The Mets caught up with three of their own in the 8th and 9th innings, and the game went into extras. Neither team scored in the tenth, and then in the top of the 11th, Daylen Lile hit a 2-run HR off Mets’ reliever Tyler Rogers. Nats’ reliever PJ Poulin then came in for the bottom of the 11th and recorded his first major league save.

• ATH 0, PIT 2 - Pirates’ rookie Bubba Chandler was great (5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), and so was Braxton Ashcraft who succeeded him and struck out 6 in 3 innings. Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the combined 1-hitter. Meanwhile, Bryan Reynolds and Nicke Yorke each hit solo homers to provide the light-hitting Bucs with their two runs.

• CHC 3, CIN 6 - The Cubs got solo HR from Michael Busch and Reese McGuire, but the Reds had three dingers by Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl, and Tyler Stephenson. Up 6-3, Cincy’s closer Emilio Pagán kept the Cubs off the board in the ninth and secured his 29th save.

• BOS 6, TBR 3 - The Red Sox took a 3-1 lead behind the strong pitching of Kyle Harrison (6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), who was making his first start for Boston since coming over as part of the package for Rafael Devers earlier this year. The Rays tied the game in the seventh, but then Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman pitched scoreless 8th and 9th innings, respectively. Chapman securing his 31st save after Boston had put three more on the board in the top of the ninth.

• MIA 4, TEX 3 - This one was tied 2-2 when the Marlins got two solo HR off Jack Leiter (5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) in the sixth inning from Troy Johnston and Connor Norby. Calvin Faucher let up a HR to Kyle Higashioka in the bottom of the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as Faucher closed it out for his 15th save.

• NYY 6, BAL 1 - Giancarlo Stanton hit a 3-run HR in the first inning, his 21st on the year. Aaron Judge hit his 49th HR in the third inning, marking the 57th time the two teammates have homered in the same game. Meanwhile Carlos Rodón pitched a good game (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K), and Luke Weaver and David Bednar threw scoreless innings in relief.

• SEA 6, HOU 4 - The Mariners kept chipping away at Framber Valdez (4.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K), including Cal Raleigh hitting his MLB-leading 57th HR, surpassing Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise record of 56. George Kirby had another strong start (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), but then Carlos Vargas allowed a grand slam to Jeremy Peña in the seventh to let the Astros back into it. Two Seattle relievers didn’t allow any runs in the eighth, and so they brought in their closer Andrés Muñoz for the bottom of the ninth. With one out and runners on first and second, Carlos Correa hits a line drive to right-center. But RF Victor Robles came out of nowhere to make a diving catch (see video), and then doubled up the runner at 2B to end the game. Muñoz recorded his 37th save, but Robles was the hero!

• TOR 1, KCR 2 - Both starters did fairly well in this one: Noah Cameron (6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and Shane Bieber (6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). All three runs scored were from solo HR: Daulton Varsho hitting his 19th for the Jays, and Bobby Witt Jr. with his 23rd and Vinnie Pasquantino with his 31st for the Royals. Three KC relievers kept Toronto off the board, including Carlos Estévez pitching the ninth for his MLB-leading 41st save.

• SDP 7, CHW 3 - Jackson Merrill hit his 15th HR of the year in the second inning, but the White Sox had a 2-1 lead through five innings. In the sixth inning Ryan O’Hearn hit a bases-loaded double which drove in three, and the Padres added two more runs later on. Their closer Robert Suarez let up a HR to Lenyn Sosa in the bottom of the ninth, but then closed out the game.

• MIL 3, STL 2 - After both starters allowed two runs apiece, the bullpens kept runs off the board and this one went into extras. In the top of the tenth, with a runner on third and two outs, Brice Turang singled to center to drive in what would be the winning run, as Jared Koenig pitched his second scoreless inning in the bottom of the tenth.

• LAA 3, COL 0 - Veteran Kyle Hendricks did well over seven innings of work (7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) and two Angels’ relievers combined for a 5-hit shutout. Germán Marquez did fairly well (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), but allowed solo HR to Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel. Mike Trout also hit a solo HR in the eighth, his 22nd of the year, and the 400th of his career.

• PHI 3, AZ 4 - Zac Gallen struck out nine (7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), giving up a HR to Alec Bohm in the fourth inning. The Phillies and Aaron Nola had the lead until the sixth when the D-Backs scored two more against him (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). Three Arizona relievers kept Philadelphia off the board for the final two frames, with John Curtiss notching his first save of the year.

• SFG 5, LAD 7 - The Giants scored four runs in the first inning, but then Tyler Glasnow settled in (5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 7 K). The Dodgers collected four homers in this one from Max Muncy, Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman, and Shohei Ohtani, his 53rd of the season, which ties him with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. Jack Dreyer pitched a scoreless ninth for his 4th save.

Standings

I am providing current standings as part of The Baseball Buffet, with the image being a modified version of the text-based standings at Plain Text Sports. Here also is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Notes:

• The Mariners won and the Astros lost, so Seattle is now up by two in the AL West.

• The Blue Jays lost and the Yankees won, so that cut Toronto’s lead to only two games in the AL East.

• And Detroit lost their fifth in a row, while surging Cleveland won their 10th in a row, amazing putting them just one behind for the AL Central.

• And also of note, Cleveland and Houston are now tied for the final AL Wildcard spot… and the Guardians are ahead in the first tie-break statistics, which is head-to-head record. So the Astros are currently on the outside looking in.

• In the NL, the Mets are only one game ahead of the Reds, and two games ahead of the D-backs for the final wildcard spot.

• Current Wild Card Leaders: In the AL it is NYY/BOS/CLE; in the NL it is CHC/SDP/NYM. See MLB’s 2025 Postseason Watch for the current bracket and more.

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted above, Mike Trout hit his 400th career HR, and of course all of them have come with the Angels. Trout is their all-time leader in not just HR, but also runs, walks, OBP, and SLG. He is also second or third in several categories, so can you name the one player who is first all-time for the Angels in hits, doubles, and RBI? Also, Trout is second all-time for the Angels in stolen bases -- can you name who is first?

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

• CHC RP Daniel Palencia

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CLE RF Nolan Jones - 10-day IL (right oblique strain)

• ATH RP/SP Sean Newcomb - 15-day IL (left elbow inflammation)

• ATH 2B Zack Gelof - 10-day IL (left shoulder dislocation)

• LAA RP Robert Stephenson - 15-day IL (right elbow inflammation)

• MIN SP Pablo López - 15-day IL (mild mid right forearm strain)

• TOR SP Chris Bassitt - 15-day IL (low back inflammation)

League Leaders

We are nearing the end of the season, and it appears we might only have one qualifying hitter with an OBP over .400. But Aaron Judge’s OBP has risen lately, making for a very impressive lead over everyone else:

• .452 - NYY Aaron Judge

• .397 - NYM Juan Soto

• .395 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• .393 - TOR George Springer

• .391 - AZ Gabriel Perdomo

• .389 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero

• .381 - CHC Kyle Tucker

• .374 - AZ Ketel Marte

• .373 - ATL Matt Olson

• .372 - SDP Jake Cronenworth

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On September 21…

• 1934: Paul Dean throws a no-hitter. “The Deans shut out the Dodgers. After Dizzy gives up just three hits in a 13-0 victory, allowing no hits until the 8th, Paul wins a no-hitter, 3-0. Diz says: ‘If'n Paul had told me he was gonna pitch a no-hitter, I'd of throwed one, too.’”

• 1952: The last Braves game at Boston’s Braves Field. “The Braves play their last game in Boston's Braves Field, losing to Brooklyn's Joe Black 8-2. The Braves will announce they are moving to Milwaukee, WI just before the start of next season. The crowd of 8,822 is the Braves' second largest of the season. With the win, the Dodgers clinch a tie for the pennant; catcher Roy Campanella hits the last home run ever in Braves Field.”

• 1956: The Yankees strand 20 runners on base. “1B Bill Skowron has five hits, but the Yankees strand a record 20 base runners in losing to the Red Sox in Boston, 13-9. Mickey Mantle sends a 480-foot home run into the center field bleachers that lands a foot from the top. His three hits raise his average to .352, four points behind Ted Williams.”

• 1957: The last HR by a New York Giants player. “Gail Harris is the last player to hit a home run as a member of the New York Giants, as they beat the Pirates, 9-5, in the second game of a doubleheader. Ruben Gomez gains the team's last victory while representing New York.”

• 1970: A young Vida Blue throws a no-hitter. “The A's Vida Blue no-hits the Twins, 6-0, becoming the youngest pitcher to perform the feat since Paul Dean, 36 years ago to the day. The only baserunner against Blue is Harmon Killebrew, who walks in the 4th inning. Bert Campaneris, who helps Blue with a leaping catch on George Mitterwald in the 5th, adds a triple and home run. An Oakland crowd of only 4,284 watches Blue's second major league start.”

• 1982: Fred Lynn and Brian Downing crash through the LF wall. “Playing against the Royals at Anaheim Stadium, outfielders Fred Lynn and Brian Downing crash through the left field fence while trying to catch a fly ball. Lynn makes the catch and it is ruled an out, the umpires reason that it is the same as if he had tumbled into the seats. California wins, 2-1, when Daryl Sconiers singles home the winner in the 9th.”

• 1984: Jim Traber is both swinging and singing in his major league debut. “Rookie Jim Traber makes his debut in Baltimore, first by singing the national anthem before the Red Sox game, then by DHing. The Red Sox are unimpressed, clipping the Orioles, 8-0. Traber had sung the national anthem a number of times before minor league games.”

• 1987: The Mets have two 30/30 club members in the same season. “With two stolen bases against the Cubs, Darryl Strawberry joins teammate Howard Johnson as a member of the 30/30 club. It is the first time in major league history players on the same team have hit 30 homers and have stolen 30 bases in the same year. The losing pitcher is Doc Gooden, who had his ten-game win streak over Chicago snapped in August; however, today's win will start him on another 12-game win streak over the Cubs.”

• 1995: John Vander Wal sets new pinch-hit record for a season. “Colorado's John Vander Wal set a Major League record with his 26th pinch-hit of the season, a home run in the seventh inning against San Francisco.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Sam McDowell (1942)

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1961-1975, mostly with Cleveland

• 6-time All-Star

• Four seasons with 15+ wins, including a 20-12 record in 1970

• Led the AL with a 2.18 ERA in 1965, and then had a 1.81 ERA in 1968

• Led the AL in strikeouts five times, with a high of 325 in 1965

• Also led the AL in walks six times

• Pitched a no-hitter in 1964

• Nicknamed "Sudden Sam" because his fastball was delivered with an unusually calm pitching motion (see this YouTube compilation video)

• Overall had a 141-134 record, 3.17 ERA, 112 ERA+, and 2,453 K in 2,492.1 IP

Cecil Fielder (1963)

• 13-year major league career, spanning from 1985-1998

• Had a slow start to his career: drafted in the 4th round in 1982 by the Royals, then was traded to the Blue Jays while still in the minors, and struggled in four short stints with Toronto from 1985-1988. Played one year in Japan and did well, and then came back to MLB and was a star with the Tigers from 1990-1996.

• Led the AL with 51 HR in 1990 and 44 HR in 1991, led the league in RBI each year from 1990-1992, and had five seasons with 100+ RBI overall.

• Three-time All-Star

• Struck out a lot, with eight seasons of 100+ K and a high of 182 in 1990

• Overall had 319 HR, a .255/.345/.482 slash line and a 119 OPS+

Tom Brown (1860)

• 17-year major league career, spanning from 1882-1898, playing for nine different clubs

• Was a good base-runner and run-scorer, with highs of 177 runs and 106 SB in 1891

• Had six seasons with 100+ runs

• Overall had 1,524 runs, 658 SB (and with lacking data for his first four seasons), and a .265 average

Aurelio López (1948)

• 11-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1974-1987; and also played 11 years early on in the Mexican League, spanning from 1967-1977

• Began as a starter in the Mexican League, then became a reliever both there and in the majors, where he mostly pitched for the Tigers

• Nicknamed "Señior Smoke," was an All-Star in 1983, and then was an important member of the 1984 Tigers World Champions' bullpen

• Overall in the major had 93 saves, a 3.56 ERA, and a 112 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on September 21 include NYY Devin Williams, HOU Yainer Diaz, PIT Henry Davis, and ATL Aaron Bummer.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have a full slate of Sunday games (15), so there are lots of possibilities. Some games and pitchers that jump out to me are:

• ATL vs. DET is an interesting game, as the Tigers are trying to fend off the surging Guardians in the AL Central, and will be facing Spencer Strider (4.64 ERA, 120 K in 114.1 IP) in this one. They will counter with Casey Mize (3.88 ERA, 126 K in 137 IP).

• TOR vs. KCR is one to watch as it features Blue Jays’ prospect Trey Yesavage’s second major league start after a strong first outing (5 IP, 1 ER, 9 K)). The Royals will go with Michael Wacha (3.79 ERA, 117 K in 161.2 IP).

• BOS vs. TBR is similar as it includes Connelly Early’s third major league start after two good ones (10.1 IP, 18 K, 0.87 ERA). Tampa will counter with Joe Boyle (4.64 ERA, 44 K in 42.1 IP), who did well in his last game on 9/15.

Also on the hill today are CIN Andrew Abbott, SDP Michael King, PHI Ranger Suárez, TEX Merrill Kelly, and SEA Logan Gilbert.

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:

• BOS Trevor Story, 7-11 with 2 HR vs. TBR Ryan Peopiot

• STL Nolan Arenado, 11-39 with 4 HR and a double vs MIL Freddy Peralta

• STL Willson Contreras, 7-26 with 2 HR and a double vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• STL Pedro Pagés, small sample but is 2-4 with 2 HR vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• CIN Elly De La Cruz, 4-11 with 2 HR and a double vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• CIN TJ Friedl, 4-16 with 2 HR and a double vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 4-12 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. CIN Andrew Abbott

• LAD Shohei Ohtani, only 5-25 (.200) but has 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• PHI Max Kepler, 6-17 with 2 HR and a double vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• NYM Brandon Nimmo, 7-20 with 2 HR vs. WAS Jake Irvin

• AZ Ildemaro Vargas, 9-18 with 2 HR and 3 doubles vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• HOU Jose Altuve, 12-36 with 2 HR and 5 doubles vs. SEA Logan Gilbert

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:

• TOR Ty France, 12-28 with a HR and 5 doubles vs. KCR Michael Wacha

• CIN Austin Hays, 8-14 with 3 doubles vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• CIN Tyler Stephenson, 5-12 with a HR and a double vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• CIN Will Benson, 4-10 with a HR and a double vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• AZ Corbin Carroll, 6-13 with a double vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• AZ Ketel Marte, 8-21 (.381) with 2 doubles vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• AZ Geraldo Perdomo, 5-12 with a double vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• NYM Francisco Lindor, 7-20 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. WAS Jake Irvin

• MIL Christian Yelich, small sample but is 4-7 vs. STL Matthew Liberatore

• CHC Justin Turner, small sample but is 4-8 with a HR and a double vs. CIN Andrew Abbott

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 11 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

• 11 - MIA Augstín Ramírez

• 10 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• 9 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 9 - NYM Francisco Lindor

• 8 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 8 - CLE Bo Naylor

• 8 - ATL Ha-Seong Kim

• 8 - NYM Starling Marte

• 8 - MIL Sal Frelick

• 8 - AZ Ildemaro Vargas

• 7 - COL Mickey Moniak

• 7 - NYM Pete Alonso

• 7 - SEA Josh Naylor

• 7 - STL Thomas Saggese

• 7 - KCR Salvador Perez

Active HR streaks

• 2 - ATL Drake Baldwin

• 2 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 2 - CIN Spencer Steer

• 2 - DET Spencer Torkelson

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:

• HOU Jeremy Peña, 1-25 with 6 K vs. SEA Logan Gilbert… that is a .040 average!

• LAD Mookie Betts, 3-33 with 4 K vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 2-18 with 8 K though the hits were a HR and a double vs. AZ Eduardo Rodriguez

• NYM Pete Alonso, 2-18 with 5 K vs. WAS Jake Irvin

• STL Brendan Donovan, 2-16 with 2 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• NYM Mark Vientos, 2-15 with 2 K but one hit was a HR vs. WAS Jake Irvin

• NYM Francisco Alvarez, 2-14 with 7 K vs. WAS Jake Irvin

• CHC Ian Happ, 1-13 with 2 K vs. CIN Andrew Abbott

• AZ Pavin Smith, 0-10 with 2 K vs. PHI Ranger Suárez

• MIL Brice Turang, 0-10 with 2 K vs. STL Matthew Liberatore

• CLE José Ramírez, 0-10 with 2 K vs. MIN Simeon Woods Richardson

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The All-Time leader for the Angels in hits, doubles, and RBI is Garret Anderson. And their all-time leader in SB is Chone Figgins.

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.

• 8 under-the-radar relievers who could take over October, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 9/20/2025

• 7 players who could flip their '25 script in October, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 9/20/2025

• Will we ever see a FIVE-homer game?, by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, 9/20/2025

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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