The Baseball Buffet for 9/28/2025

Issue #411

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 185th day of the season featured a full slate of Saturday games:

• BAL 1, NYY 6 - Yankees’ rookie starter Cam Schlittler was outstanding (7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), with the only Orioles run coming from a Coby Mayo HR off reliever Paul Blackburn in the eighth. Aaron Judge hit his 53rd HR of the year in the first inning, and then both Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon also hit homers off Tomoyuki Sugano in the second.

• STL 3, CHC 7 - Nolan Arenado hit a HR in the fourth inning, but Jameson Taillon otherwise did well (6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). Jordan Walker hit a 2-run HR in the seventh, but that wasn’t enough as the Cubs spread seven runs across five different innings. Michael Busch had a big game, going 4-4 with 2 HR, a triple, a double, and a walk. Seiya Suzuki was 1-2 with a HR, 2 walks, and 2 runs, and Pete Crow-Armstrong was 2-4 with a 2-run HR.

• TBR 1, TOR 5 - Blue Jays’ rookie Trey Yesavage pitched five shutout innings (5 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and the Rays left nine guys on base in this one. Meanwhile, Alejandro Kirk hit his 13th HR of the year, and Ernie Clement was 2-3 with a double, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.

• COL 3, SFG 4 - Hunter Goodman hit his 31st HR in the first inning, and Brenton Doyle added a solo HR in the second. But Justin Verlander did well otherwise over six innings (6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). Meanwhile, Casey Schmitt hit a 3-run HR in the bottom of the second, and the Giants scored a fourth and ultimately decisive run in the eighth.

• DET 2, BOS 1 - Boston’s rookie starter Connelly Early struck out 7 over 5 innings, but also allowed 2 runs. That is all it would take, as Keider Montero did well in a short start (4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K), and four Tigers’ relievers kept the Sox off the board the rest of the way, with Will Vest notching his 23rd save.

• NYM 5, MIA 0 - The Mets got a much-needed victory behind strong pitching by Clay Holmes (6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K) and three relievers who combined for a 1-hit shutout. Eury Pérez struck out 11 in 5.1 innings, but also gave up three runs, including a solo HR to Pete Alonso, his 38th of the year.

• CHW 5, WAS 6 - The White Sox got the scoring going in the fourth with two, 2-run homers by Colson Montgomery and Brooks Baldwin. Tyler Gilbert was an opener for Chicago, and then Sean Burke entered and struck out 10 over 4.1 innings, though he allowed two runs including a HR by Daylen Lile. The Nats scored three in the seventh from a 2-run HR by Jacob Young and a solo HR by James Wood, his 31st of the year. Washington reliever Jose Ferrer came in to pitch the ninth and allowed three hits and a run, but also struck out three and locked down his 11th save.

• MIN 5, PHI 0 - For the third time in four games, Byron Buxton hit a leadoff HR in the first inning. That was just one of the nine hits the Twins would get off Ranger Suárez (4.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K), including James Outman connecting for a solo HR in the fifth. Meanwhile, rookie Mick Abel was outstanding (6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), and three Minnesota relievers combined for the shutout.

• PIT 3, ATL 1 - Pittsburgh rookie starter Bubba Chandler did well (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), and three Pirates’ relievers had two strikeouts each, with Dennis Santana earning his 16th save. Spencer Strider allowed three runs (6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K), including a HR by Henry Davis, and that is all it took in this one.

• TEX 2, CLE 3 - Texas scored one in the top of the first, but then Johnathan Rodríguez hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the frame to put Cleveland ahead. Adolis García hit a solo HR in the fourth to tie it up, and it stayed 2-2 through eight. The Guardians’ closer Cade Smith had already gotten two outs in the eighth, but came back out for the ninth and kept the Rangers off the board. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the bases loaded… Robert Garcia hit C.J. Kayfus which drove in Petey Halpin for the win, and sent Cleveland to the postseason. You just never know what will happen in baseball!

• CIN 7, MIL 4 - The Reds scored six runs in the top of the third, including rookie Sal Stewart hitting his 5th HR of the year. The Brewers came back with two in the bottom of the frame, including Jackson Chourio hitting his 21st HR. But they’d only get two more runs later in the sixth, before the Reds’ bullpen kept them off the board for the final three frames. Emilio Pagán earned his 32nd save.

• AZ 1, SDP 5 - Geraldo Perdomo hit a solo HR in the fifth inning, but the Padres used a mix of six pitchers to limit the D-Backs to just five hits and that lone run. Meanwhile, San Diego’s hitters scored five runs in the first two innings, powered by homers from Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Elias Díaz.

• HOU 6, LAA 1 - Four Astros’ pitchers limited the Angels to just three hits and one run, while their batsmen connected for four HR, with Christian Walker hitting two, and Zach Cole and Jesús Sánchez getting one apiece.

• LAD 5, SEA 3 - Tyler Glasnow was good in a short tune-up start (3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K), and after Andrew Heaney gave up a 3-run HR to Jorge Polanco, four other LA relievers pitched scoreless innings. Dalton Rushing hit a 2-run HR in the fifth inning, but Logan Gilbert otherwise did fairly well in his final start before the postseason (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K).

• KCR 4, ATH 2 - Michael Wacha pitched six shutout innings (6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), and Carlos Estévez struck out two in the ninth to earn his MLB-leading 42nd save. Shea Langeliers was 3-4 with a double and an RBI for the Athletics, while Bobby Witt Jr. was 2-5 with a SB and a RBI for the Royals.

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 Yankees won their seventh in a row, but the Blue Jays also won, so they remain tied atop the AL East. However, Toronto has the tie-breaker advantage (head-to-head this season).

• Detroit and Cleveland both won, so they remain tied in the AL Central. But the Guardians hold the head-to-head record tie-breaker. Both teams hold a wild card tiebreaker over the Astros, so they are both in the playoffs — today’s games will determine who the division winner is.

• The Reds won and the Mets won, so their records remain tied. But the Reds own the tie-breaker for the final NL Wild Card spot, so if they win today, they are in.

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

Today’s Trivia Question

Amongst catchers this year who have caught 82 or more games (over half of their team’s games), who is leading in caught-stealing %?

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).

🤕 Placed on the IL

• CHC SP Cade Horton - 15-day IL (right rib fracture)

• NYM 3B Brett Baty - 10-day IL (right oblique strain)

• SDP RF Ramón Laureano - 10-day IL (right index finger fracture)

• HOU CF Jake Meyers - 10-day IL (right calf soreness)

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• BAL RP Dietrich Enns

League Leaders

I’ve not reported out on the Hits leaderboard much (if ever) this year, so I was struck today when I checked and no one is even close to having 200 hits on the season (which aligns with the remarkably low batting average leaders this year too). I guess Trea Turner would have gotten a lot closer to 200 if not for his injury this month.

• 183 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 181 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 181 - SDP Luis Arráez

• 179 - PHI Trea Turner

• 178 - NYY Aaron Judge

• 177 - CHC Nico Hoerner

• 175 - TBR Yandy Díaz

• 174 - SEA Julio Rodríguez

• 172 - AZ Geraldo Perdomo

• 171 - TOR Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

• 171 - NYM Francisco Lindor

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 28…

• 1930: Hack Wilson ends the season with a record 190 RBI. “The Cubs bring down the season's curtain as Hack Wilson has his 189th and 190th RBI in a 12-11 victory over the Reds. Wilson's major league RBI record will remain untouched. With Riggs Stephenson and Kiki Cuyler each driving in 100 runs, the Cubs have the first all-100 RBI outfield in the 20th century. The Boston outfield in 1894 also had the same credentials.”

• 1930: Babe Ruth shows he can still pitch, even after nine-year break. “As a Yankee, Babe Ruth returns to the mound after a nine-year absence at Fenway Park and pitches a complete game, beating the Red Sox, 9-3. The last time the "Bambino" took the mound, he defeated the A's at the end of the 1921 season.”

• 1941: Ted Williams elects to play and goes 6 for 8 to hit .406 on the year. “Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox goes 6 for 8 in a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics to finish the season with a .406 batting average. He had started the day batting .3995 - which rounds up to .400 - and his manager, Joe Cronin, had suggested he sit out the otherwise meaniningless games to preserve the mark, but Williams insisted on earning the title on the field. No player has batted .400 since.

• 1951: Allie Reynolds throws his second no-hitter of the year. “Allie Reynolds pitches his second no-hitter of the season as the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox, 8-0, in the opener of a doubleheader. The Yankees clinch the American League pennant with an 11 - 3 victory in the nightcap.”

• 1960: Ted Williams hits a HR in his final at-bat. “In his final major-league plate appearance, against Baltimore's Jack Fisher, Ted Williams picks out a 1-1 pitch and drives it 450 feet into the right-center field seats behind the Boston bullpen. It is Williams' 521st and last home run, putting him third on the all-time list. The blast gives the seventh-place Red Sox a 5-4 victory. Williams stays in the dugout, ignoring the crowd's cheers, but when he trots out to left field in the 9th, he is replaced immediately by Carroll Hardy. He retires as a standing crowd roars.”

• 1974: Nolan Ryan throws his third no-hitter. “Nolan Ryan pitches his third of seven career no-hitters, striking out 15 batters and beating the Minnesota Twins, 4-0, at Anaheim Stadium. He also walks eight to run his season total to 202 bases on balls, joining Bob Feller in 1938 as the only pitcher to walk more than 200 in a season. Ryan will again top 200 in 1977.”

• 1976: John Montefusco throws a no-hitter. “At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Giants hurler John Montefusco no-hits the Braves, 9-0. The "Count" is almost perfect, giving up just a leadoff walk to Jerry Royster in the 4th inning.”

• 1979: Garry Templeton ends the season with 100+ hits from each side. “Switch-hitting Cardinals shortstop Garry Templeton collects three hits against the Mets and becomes the first player to get 100 hits from each side of the plate. During the last nine games, he batted exclusively righthanded to set the record.”

• 2012: Homer Bailey throws a no-hitter. “Homer Bailey of the Reds pitches the seventh no-hitter of the season, beating the Pirates, 1-0. He allows a walk and one batter reaches on an error. The seven no-hitters this year tie the modern record set in 1990 and matched in 1991.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Ryan Zimmerman (1984)

• Drafted by the Washington Nationals in the first round (4th overall) in 2005, and hit .397 over 20 games in the majors later that season

• 16-year major league career, all with Washington, starting out as a 3B and then later shifting across the diamond to 1B

• Hit 20+ HR seven times, with a high of 36 in 2017

• Two-time All-Star and won a Gold Glove Award at 3B in 2009

• Overall had 284 HR, 1,061 RBI, a .277/.341/.475 slash line, and 116 OPS+

Jack Fournier (1892)

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1912-1927, mostly with the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, and Brooklyn Robins

• Had 20+ HR and 100+ RBI three times, including leading the NL with 27 HR in 1924

• Had 20+ SB three times, though led the NL in times caught stealing with 22 in 1921

• Overall had 136 HR, 146 SB, a .313/.392/.483 slash line, and 142 OPS+

Todd Worrell (1959)

• Drafted by the Cardinals in the first round (21st overall) in 1982

• Only pitched 21.2 innings with the Cardinals in late 1985, but then gained attention in the postseason when he had a 2.45 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 11 innings over 7 appearances

• Won the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 1986 after posting a 2.08 ERA with a league-leading 36 saves

• Did well again in the 1987 postseason with 3 saves and a 1.62 ERA over 11.1 innings

• Three-time All-Star

• In 11 years in the majors, posted 30+ saves six times, including a career high of 44 when he led the NL for the Dodgers in 1996

• Overall had 256 saves, a 3.09 ERA, and 122 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on September 28 include DET Riley Greene and ATL Alexis Díaz.

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:

• CIN vs. MIL is a big game because if the Reds win, they are in the playoffs. If they lose, then they need the Mets to also lose. They will go with Brady Singer (3.95 ERA, 158 K in 166.1 IP), and the Brewers will make it tough by giving ace Freddy Peralta (2.68 ERA, 201 K in 174.2 IP) one more outing before their postseason begins.

• NYM vs. MIA is the other key game today, as the Mets have to win to have a shot at the playoffs. They will also need Cincinnati to lose, because of both teams win (or both teams lose), then they remain tied and the Reds get the final wild card spot because the tie-breaker is head-to-head record. Sean Manaea (5.80 ERA, 72 K in 59 IP) gets the call, and the Marlins will go with Edward Cabrera (3.66 ERA, 143 K in 132.2 IP).

• LAD and SEA features two teams already in the playoffs, but it is interesting because future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw (3.52 ERA, 77 K in 107.1 IP) is making his final regular season start. Seattle will counter with Bryce Miller (5.53 ERA, 72 K in 86.1 IP).

• PIT vs. ATL involves two teams that have long been out of contention. But Atlanta picked up 41-year old Charlie Morton (5.89 ERA, 148 K in 140.2 IP) so he could retire with them, so he is throwing his final game today. The Pirates will give Johan Oviedo (3.57 ERA, 39 K in 35.1 IP) one more start, as he will be a contender for a back-end rotation spot next year.

Also toeing the rubber today are SFG Logan Webb, PHI Cristopher Sánchez, and TOR Kevin Gausman.

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:

• NYM Pete Alonso, 5-17 with 3 HR vs. MIA Edward Cabrera

• LAA Mike Trout, only 7-30 (.233) but with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. HOU Lance McCullers Jr.

• PIT Tommy Pham, 3-11 with 2 HR and a double vs. ATL Charlie Morton

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:

• DET Javier Báez, 12-30 with a HR, a triple, and 4 doubles vs. BOS Lucas Giolito (if pitching, TBD)

• SDP Luis Arraez, 10-21 with 2 doubles vs. AZ Brandon Pfaadt

• SDP Jake Cronenworth, 9-21 with a double vs. AZ Brandon Pfaadt

• TBR Yandy Díaz, 7-12 with a HR vs. TOR Kevin Gausman

• COL Ezequiel Tovar, 7-18 with a HR vs. SFG Logan Webb

Who is streaking?

Active hit streaks

• 15 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 12 - SEA Josh Naylor

• 10 - ATL Drake Baldwin

• 9 - CHW Colson Montgomery

• 8 - STL Brendan Donovan

• 8 - PHI Alec Bohm

• 8 - SDP Ryan O’Hearn

• 8 - CHW Miguel Vargas

• 8 - WAS Josh Bell

• 8 - STL Iván Herrera

• 7 - AZ Ketel Marte

• 7 - WAS Daylen Lile

• 7 - SDP Fernando Tatis Jr.

• 7 - SFG Rafael Devers

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:

• STL Nolan Arenado, 1-13 with 2 K vs. CHC Javier Assad

• SEA Eugenio Suárez, 1-12 with 4 K vs. LAD Clayton Kershaw

• TEX Jake Burger, 1-11 with 3 K vs. CLE Logan Allen (if pitching, TBD)

• DET Riley Greene, 1-12 with 7 K vs. BOS Lucas Giolito (if pitching, TBD)

• CIN Gavin Lux, 0-10 with 6 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• ATH Shea Langeliers, 0-10 with 6 K vs. KCR Cole Ragans

• PIT Andrew McCutchen, 2-16 with 5 K vs. ATL Charlie Morton

• SDP Xander Bogaerts, 2-15 with 5 K vs. AZ Brandon Pfaadt

• COL Orlando Arcia, 0-11 though only 1 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

• COL Kyle Farmer, 0-10 with 3 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

• COL Brenton Doyle, 2-16 though only 2 K vs. SFG Logan Webb

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

35-year old Salvador Perez of the Royals is leading this year with an impressive 43.8% caught stealing percentage. Luis Torrens of the Mets is second at 40.8%, and Carson Kelly of the Cubs is a distant third at 33.8%. Perez has led his league in CS % three other times (2012, 2016, and 2021). He is also the only catcher this year with 82 or more games catching to not have made any errors.

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.

• Ready for a wild final day? Here's everything at stake, by Brent Maquire at MLB, 9/28/2025

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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