What’s Happening in Baseball Today

The First Pitch: April 19, 2024

The Pirates are off to an agreeable start with a 11-8 record and a 3.40 ERA among starting pitchers that’s currently the fifth best in MLB. If they want to their rotation to get even better, they might want to bring up one Paul Skenes. The majors’ top pitching prospect made his fourth start for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians and marveled once more, striking out eight over 3.1 shutout innings; overall this young season, he’s thrown 12.2 innings, allowed no runs and struck out 27. There’s also this: He’s thrown 74 pitches over 100 MPH, far ahead of the MLB leader (Hunter Greene, with 17). 

It’s obviously not a matter of if but when the Bucs bring up the 21-year-old right-hander. Perhaps the Pirates will want to make sure that he can last a minimum of five innings at the big-league level, given that he’s averaged three frames per start in the minors this season. But with numbers like those above, the temptation to make the call-up must be getting pretty irresistible.

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

6-1-3-2—Marcus Semien, Texas
The man who never gets tired spent the day tiring out opposing Detroit pitchers, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with his second three-hit game of the season in the Rangers’ 9-7 win over the Tigers. Semien has led the AL in games played over each of his last three years, and he’s appeared in all 20 Texas games so far in 2024; expect him to play another 142 before the end of this season.

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

7-2-0-0-1-5—Logan Webb, San Francisco
The Giants’ ace gave up hits to the first two Arizona batters he faced—then didn’t allow another through seven shutout innings, conceding only one other baserunner via a walk. With a 5-0 home victory, Webb improves to 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA.

It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today

1900: The Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Beaneaters set a major league mark by combining to score the most runs in an Opening Day contest, as the Phillies prevail 19-17 in 10 innings. After blowing a 17-8 lead in the bottom of the ninth, the Phillies rebound to score two in the 10th to win it. Incredibly, starting pitcher Al Orth goes the distance, allowing all 17 Boston runs and picking up the victory for Philadelphia. 

1902: In his very first major league start, Cincinnati rookie pitcher Bob Ewing walks a modern NL record seven batters in the fourth inning against the Cubs. Overall, the 29-year-old Ewing will walk 10 in the Reds’ 9-5 loss. 

1966: Anaheim (later Angel) Stadium holds its first regular season game with the visiting White Sox defeating the California Angels, 3-1. Tommy John, who will pitch for the Angels during the early 1980s, gets the win for Chicago. 

1968: Alerting batters of things to come, the Mets’ Nolan Ryan retires the side in the third inning against the Dodgers—on nine pitches, all strikes—during a 3-2 loss. It will be the first of two ‘immaculate’ innings Ryan will throw in his career, also achieving the feat in 1972 for the Angels. 

1981: The longest game in organized baseball history is suspended at 4:07 in the morning when the Rochester Red Wings and Pawtucket Red Sox fail to decide a winner after 32 innings. The game will be picked up later in the year with Pawtucket scoring the winning run in the 33rd frame. 

1997: The Hawaiian Islands play host to a major league regular season game for the first time when the Padres and Cardinals square off at Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium. Before a crowd of 37,382, the Cardinals sweep a doubleheader, 1-0 and 2-1. 

2000: Once-and-current Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser ties an all-time record by hitting four batters in a game—all within one-third of an inning’s work—against the Astros at Los Angeles. Houston’s Richard Hildago is hit three times—twice by Hershiser, once by reliever Matt Herges—to tie another record.

You Say It’s Your Birthday

Rookie San Diego outfielder Jackson Merrill is 21; Houston outfielder Chas McCormick is 29; Hall-of-Fame catcher Joe Mauer is 41; outfielder of 204 home runs Jose Cruz Jr. is 50; 13-year shortstop Spike Owen is 63; 1988 AL Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola is 64. Born on this date is 1940s Cardinals third baseman Whitey Kurowski (1918) and six-time All-Star pitcher Bucky Walters (1909).

Shameless Link of the Day

Check out the five most memorable games in Colorado Rockies history.

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