The Baseball Buffet for 9/25/2025

WAS 4, ATL 3 - Bryce Elder struck out 7 over 7 innings (7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), but also allowed homers to Josh Bell and James Wood. Meanwhile, rookie Andrew Alvarez did well in a short start (4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K). Drake Baldwin hit his 19th HR of the year in the sixth inning, but then James Wood hit his second HR of the day in the top of the eighth to put the Nats up 4-1. The Braves got two more HR from Marcell Ozuna in the eighth and Eli White in the ninth, but it wouldn’t be enough.

MIL 3, SDP 1 - Chad Patrick struck out 6 in a short 3-inning start, while Dylan Cease did well striking out 8 over 5 innings (5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). Jackson Merrill hit a solo HR in the sixth to tie the game 1-1, but then the Brewers scored one in the seventh and another in the ninth when Danny Jansen hit a solo HR. Abner Uribe struck out two in the ninth while notching his 6th save.

TBR 6, BAL 2 - Shane Baz pitched four hitless innings (4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K), while the Rays spread out their six runs across six different frames. Brandon Lowe hit his 31st HR, and Jake Mangum hit his 3rd. The Orioles scored two runs in the eighth, but then Pete Fairbanks closed out the game with a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

MIA 1, PHI 11 - Jesús Luzardo was outstanding (7 IP, 3 H, 1 R , 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K), and two Phillies relievers kept Miami off the board in the final two innings. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s batsmen collected 12 hits, with an impressive 8 HR. Edmundo Sosa was 3-4 with 3 HR and 5 RBI; Kyle Schwarber was 4-5 with 2 HR and a double; Alec Bohm was 2-4 with a HR and a double; Otto Kemp was 1-3 with a HR, a walk, and 2 RBI; and Bryson Stott was 1-4 with a HR.

DET 1, CLE 5 - Tanner Bibee pitched well over six innings (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), and four Cleveland relievers pitched three scoreless innings, with closer Cade Smith getting the final out. George Valera hit a 2-run HR in the 3rd inning, and José Ramírez went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI as the Guardians are now amazingly in the lead in the AL Central.

PIT 4, CIN 3 - What looked to be a nice pitchers’ was exactly that, with Paul Skenes doing very well (6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), lowering his ERA to 1.97 on the year, and Hunter Greene letting up two runs, but also striking out 7 in 6 innings. The Reds tied the game with homers by Noelvi Marte in the 8th and Tyler Stephenson in the ninth to force extras. Both teams scored a run in the 10th, and in the top of the 11th, Spencer Horwitz had his third RBI of the game by hitting a double to drive in Bryan Reynolds who was on base as the freebie Manfred Man. Yohan Ramírez closed out the game for the Pirates, leaving the Reds with a missed opportunity in their quest to gain on the Mets in the NL wildcard race.

CHW 1, NYY 8 - Max Fried did well over seven innings of work (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), and Devin Williams and Paul Blackburn each threw a scoreless inning of relief. Aaron Judge was 3-4 with with 2 HR, giving him 51 HR on the season and raising his AL-leading batting average to .328. Trent Grisham was 1-3 with a 2-run HR and 2 walks.

BOS 7, TOR 1 - Garrett Crochet threw eight shutout innings (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K) while increasing his MLB-leading strikeout total to 255. Meanwhile, Max Scherzer struggled again (5 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K), giving up 10 hits including a solo HR to Masataka Yoshida in the fifth. Carlos Narváez hit a 3-run HR, and Trevor Story was 3-5 on the day.

MIN 2, TEX 4 - Byron Buxton led off the game with a HR, his 32nd of the season. But Jacob deGrom settled in after that, allowing only one other hit through five innings (5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K). Josh Smith hit a HR for Texas in the fourth, but otherwise Taj Bradley more than matched deGrom, allowing only two hits and striking out 9 over 6 innings (6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). Tied 1-1, the Rangers scored three in the bottom of the seventh off Twins’ reliever Travis Adams. Phil Maton eventually pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game with his 5th save of the year.

NYM 3, CHC 10 - The Cubs chased Mets’ rookie starter Jonah Tong out of the game in the third (2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). Francisco Alvarez hit a 2-run HR, but Matthew Boyd otherwise pitched well (5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K). Matt Shaw was 3-4 with a HR and 3 runs, and Michael Busch was 2-4 with 2-run HR, a double, and a walk.

KCR 2, LAA 3 - The Angel scored three runs early, including Taylor Ward hitting his 36th HR of the year. Randal Grichuk hit a HR in the fifth inning, but that was the only hit that Yusei Kikuchi allowed over five (5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K). Kenley Jensen struck out two in the ninth to earn his 28th save.

LAD 5, AZ 4 - Ryne Nelson struck out 9 in 6 innings, but also allowed three runs, including a 2-run HR to Andy Pages in the fourth. Blake Snell did well (6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), with the D-Backs making a comeback with three runs in the eighth to tie the game and force extras. Neither team scored in the 10th, and then in the top of the 11th, with two outs, Tommy Edman singled to center to drive in Freddie Freeman. Justin Wrobleski pitched a scoreless bottom of the 11th to earn his 2nd save.

COL 2, SEA 9 - Blaine Crim hit a HR in the fourth, but that was the only hit that Luis Castillo allowed while striking out 10 (7.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K). Meanwhile, Cal Raleigh hit two more homers, giving him an amazing 60 on the year. Julio Rodríguez and Jorge Polanco joined him in hitting homers in the first-inning, and then Eugenio Suárez hit his 48th dinger later in the seventh.

STL 3, SFG 4 - Sonny Gray pitched fairly well over six innings (6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K), with Rafael Devers hitting his 34th HR of the year in the third inning. The Cardinals tied the game in the top of the eighth, but the Giants immediately responded with another run in the bottom of the frame when Andrew Knizer hit a triple that drove in Christian Koss. Tristan Beck closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for his 2nd save.

HOU 0, ATH 6 - Luis Severino did well (6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) and two Athletics’ relievers combined for the 5-hit shutout. Shea Langeliers went 4-4 with a HR and a double, and Tyler Soderstrom was 2-4 with a HR and a double.

With their fourth win in a row, the Yankees are now tied with the Blue Jays for the AL East lead. However, Toronto has the tie-breaker advantage (head-to-head this season).

Continuing an epic run, the Guardians beat the Tigers again, and are now leading the AL Central.

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

CHW RF Mike Tauchman - 10-day IL (right knee meniscus tear)

CHW RP Wikelman González - 15-day IL (right elbow impingement)

TEX LF Wyatt Langford - 10-day IL (left oblique strain)

LAD RP Kirby Yates - 15-day IL (right hamstring strain)

COL RP Roansy Contreras - 15-day IL (right hand contusion)

MIA CF Dane Myers - 10-day IL (right knee laceration)

CLE 1B David Fry - 10-day IL (nasal and facial fractures)

60 - SEA Cal Raleigh

56 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

53 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

51 - NYY Aaron Judge

48 - SEA Eugenio Suárez

44 - TBR Junior Caminero

43 - NYM Juan Soto

37 - NYM Pete Alonso

36 - LAA Jo Adell

36 - LAA Taylor Ward

35 - DET Riley Greene

1955: Al Kaline becomes the youngest to win a batting title. “Detroit OF Al Kaline becomes the youngest batting champ in history, as he takes the American League crown at age 20.”

1956: Sal Maglie throws a no-hitter. “At Ebbets Field, Sal Maglie of the Dodgers no-hits the Phils, 5-0, for his 12th win against four losses. The win keeps Brooklyn one and a half games behind the Braves who beat Cincinnati, 7-1.”

1965: Satchel Paige throws three innings at age 59. “Another Kansas City publicity stunt makes the great Satchel Paige baseball's oldest performer. At 59, Paige hurls the first three innings, garners one strikeout, and allows just one hit, to Carl Yastrzemski, in his first major league appearance since 1953 and the final one of his storied career. The Red Sox then jump on reliever Don Mossi for a 5-2 win.”

1968: Mickey Mantle makes his last appearance as a player at Yankee Stadium. “In Mickey Mantle's last appearance at Yankee Stadium, he slices a two-out 1st-inning single off Cleveland's Luis Tiant, the only hit for the Yankees. Tiant tosses his ninth shutout of the year, tops in the American League, to win, 3-0. El Tiante's ERA drops to 1.60; the previous low for an Indian pitcher was Stan Coveleski's 1.87 in 1917.”

1974: Tommy John has his surgery. “In a revolutionary surgical operation, Dr. Frank Jobe repairs Tommy John's damaged ulnar collateral ligament by replacing the elbow tendon of the pitching arm with a tendon from the right wrist. The procedure, now known as Tommy John surgery, will give the southpaw, who was unlikely to ever be able to pitch again, an opportunity to post an additional 164 victories.”

1986: Mike Scott throws a no-hitter. “Houston's Mike Scott pitches a 2-0 no-hitter against the Giants at the Astrodome, clinching the National League West title for the Astros.”

2016: Jose Fernandez dies in a boating accident. “Jose Fernandez, 24-year-old All-Star pitcher with the Miami Marlins, dies tragically in a boating accident in Miami Beach, FL in the small hours of the morning. The scheduled game between the Marlins and Braves is canceled in mourning.”

Hall of Famer

13-year major league career, spanning from 1941-1956 and all with the Yankees, with three years missed due to Military Service

Five-time All-Star, and was AL MVP in 1950 after scoring 125 runs, with 200 hits, 12 SB, and a .324/.418/.439 slash line

Was a strong defensive SS, who when he retired was second all-time in SS double plays and SS fielding percentage (Wikipedia)

Overall had 877 runs, 149 SB, a .273 average, and a .351 OBP

After retiring, he had a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees

11-year major league career, spanning from 1942-1955, mostly with the Braves and Yankees, but missing three years early on due to Military Service

Three-time All-Star

Won 20+ games four times, including in 1948 when he led the NL in wins with a 24-15 record

Switched to a relief role late in his career, and led the AL with 26 saves in 1954

Overall had a 139-116 (.545) record, a 3.49 ERA, and 107 ERA+

First-round (6th overall) draft pick by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000

7-year major league playing career, spanning from 2003-2010, as a CF mostly for the Rays

Had a good rookie campaign in 2003, batting .289 with 11 HR, 89 runs, and 27 SB

As described at Wikipedia, "In 2005, Baldelli's promising career was derailed by channelopathy, a rare metabolic/muscular disorder which causes frequent soft tissue injuries and severe fatigue. He was unable to play at all in 2005 and missed significant time over the following seasons as doctors struggled to diagnose and treat his condition; from 2005 until his retirement in 2010, the former everyday center fielder spent long stretches on the disabled list and only once appeared in more than half of his team's games."

Has been the manager of the Minnesota Twins since 2019, including three AL Central division titles

13-year major league career, spanning from 1993-2006, with five years each with the Pirates and Diamondbacks, and brief stints with four other clubs

All-Star in his first full season in 1997 when he led the NL with 60 SB and hit .278

Also led the NL with 58 SB in 1998 and 72 SB in 1999, and led the league with 14 triples in 2000

Overall had 363 SB and a .273 career average

LAD vs. AZ will be a tough one for the Diamondbacks, who are trying to get into the playoffs with a wildcard spot. They’ll face Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.58 ERA, 194 K in 167.2 IP), and will apparently go with an opener in Jalen Beeks.

DET vs. CLE is another critical AL Central game, with Cleveland turning to rookie Parker Messick (2.08 ERA, 31 K in 34.2 IP over his first six starts). As for the time of this writing, Detroit’s starter has not been announced.

NYM vs. CHC is another important game for the Mets, and they have Nolan McLean going (1.27 ERA, 46 K in 42.2 IP in his first seven major league starts), with the Cubs countering with Shota Imanaga (3.37 ERA, 114 K in 139 IP).

TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 11-27 with 2 HR and 4 doubles vs. BOS Brayan Bello

LAA Luis Rengifo, 4-11 with 2 HR vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

TOR George Springer, 10-28 with a HR and a double vs. BOS Brayan Bello

PIT Bryan Reynolds, 6-14 with a double vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

AZ Ketel Marte, 5-12 with a HR and a double vs. LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

LAA Jo Adell, 4-8 with a HR vs. KCR Michael Lorenzen

13 - SDP Luis Arraez

10 - SEA Josh Naylor

9 - STL Alec Burleson

9 - AZ Corbin Carroll

8 - STL Brendan Donovan

8 - ATL Drake Baldwin

8 - NYM Juan Soto

8 - COL Blaine Crim

7 - LAA Taylor Ward

7 - CLE José Ramírez

2 - NYM Francisco Alvarez

2 - PHI Otto Kemp

2 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

2 - LAA Taylor Ward

2 - WAS James Wood

2 - SDP Jose Iglesias

AZ Corbin Carroll, 1-14 with 4 K vs. LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto

TOR Anthony Santander, 2-14 with 2 K vs. BOS Brayan Bello

PIT Andrew McCutchen, 2-15 with 6 K though one hit was a HR vs. CIN Nick Lodolo

TEX Jake Burger, 1-10 with 5 K though the hit was a HR vs. MIN Bailey Ober

6 increasingly unhinged ways to use Ohtani in playoffs, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 9/24/2025

Which Top 5 overall prospects will make big league debuts in '26?, by Joe Trezza, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra, 9/24/2025

The Wasting of Mike Trout’s Career, by Jeff Kallman at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 9/24/2025

Not brothers Billy Herman and Babe Herman, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 9/24/2025