What’s Happening in Baseball Today

The First Pitch: April 18, 2024

Pitcher Michael King, one of several players sent from the Yankees to the Padres in exchange for star slugger Juan Soto over the offseason, takes a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Milwaukee before the Brewers’ Willy Adames strokes a two-out single to break it up. King will stick around into the eighth, where he gives up his first and only run of the day on a Blake Perkins RBI single; it’ll turn out to be the game’s only run, as the Brewers hold on to defeat the Padres, 1-0.

The Red Sox’ Tanner Houck needs only 94 pitches to shut down the visiting Cleveland Guardians on three hits in a 2-0 victory at Fenway Park. It’s Houck’s first complete game of his five-year career, striking out nine and walking none. The time of game is an hour and 49 minutes, the first MLB game this season to be played under two hours; in fact, it’s the quickest since the pitch clock and other time-saving rules were put in place at the start of last season.

Stick a fork in another pitcher who’s done for the year. Angels reliever Robert Stephenson, who signed a somewhat eye-opening three-year, $33 million contract during the offseason and has yet to pitch this season, will miss the rest of it as well as he undergoes elbow surgery. A clause in Stephenson’s contract gives the Angels an added $2.5 million team option for a fourth year if he spends 130 straight days on the IL with an “elbow ligament injury,” which apparently is now going to happen.

Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Hitters Edition)

3-1-3-2—Juan Soto, New York Yankees
The 25-year-old star bopper—wait, he’s still just 25?—reached base all five times, collecting a single, double, home run and two walks, in the Yankees’ 6-4 win at Toronto. Soto’s solo shot in the eighth ignited a late rally from three runs down; it was his 500th career RBI. Only six other players have reached that milestone at a younger age over the last 50 years.

Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Pitchers Edition)

9-3-0-0-0-9—Tanner Houck, Boston
The 27-year-old righty from St. Louis had only pitched past the sixth inning in one of his previous 44 starts—that one being a seven-inning effort almost exactly a year ago—before firing a three-hit, 2-0 shutout victory over the visiting Guardians.

It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today

1923: Yankee Stadium opens for the first time as a crowd of 64,000 (it was initially reported at 74,000) watches the home team defeat the Red Sox, 4-1. Fittingly, Babe Ruth hits the Stadium’s first home run. 

1925: Brooklyn Dodgers owner Charles Ebbets, 65, dies just hours before his team’s Opening Day game against the Giants. His successor, vice president Ed McKeever, contracts pneumonia at Ebbets’ funeral and dies 11 days later. Brooklyn manager Wilbert Robinson assumes control as the Robins’ third owner within two weeks. He’ll live. 

1964: Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax becomes the first pitcher with multiple career immaculate innings—nine pitches, nine strikes, three outs—in the third inning of a 3-0 win over Cincinnati.

You Say It’s Your Birthday

Tabled Minnesota pitcher Anthony DeSclafani is 34; productive DH/first baseman Billy Butler is 38; Soon to-be Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is 41; 15-year outfielder Jim Eisenreich is 65; 103-game winner who suddenly lost his control Steve Blass is 82. Born on this date is three-time league leader in pitching appearances Jack Scott (1892), 1915 World Series hero Duffy Lewis (1892) and career triples leader/Cooperstown resident Sam Crawford (1880).

Shameless Link of the Day

What happened five years ago this month? Check out the daily baseball dairy that is the April 2019 Comebacker.

To Whom It May Concern

We are proud of what we have built at This Great Game, but we also admit it is not perfect. Occasionally, fans from all walks of life check in and point out errors, and we are grateful to these external editors. Our site is all the better because of you.

Also, we have had many folks chime in on our various lists in the Lists and Teams sections, many of them disagreeing with some of our choices. Since all lists are made to be argued, this is to be expected. If your arguments are respectful, we will respond in kind and join in a civilized debate—and we’ll often see your viewpoints, since no list should qualify as The Gospel. But if your responses contain the sort of vitriol found so often these days in social media circles, you’re going to get ignored. So please, respond respectfully, engage in polite conversation with us, and enjoy the site!