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The First Pitch: May 13, 2026
All is well again in Paul Skenes’ immortal universe. For the second straight game, the young Pittsburgh ace throws eight shutout innings allowing two hits and no walks, retiring the first 18 Rockies he faces—the first six of those by strikeout—and registering 10 K’s overall in a 3-1 home win. Skenes has struck out 40 batters over his last five-plus starts without issuing a walk, establishing a modern Pirates record.
For all of Skenes’ magnificence, Bailey Ober has the best pitching performance of the night. Against the Marlins at Minneapolis, the 30-year-old right-hander throws 89 pitches in securing his first career shutout (and third complete game), allowing two hits and no walks in the Twins’ 3-0 victory. It’s the fewest number of deliveries thrown by a Twins pitcher while throwing a shutout since Bill Krueger in 1992.
The Mariners get a grand slam from Dominic Canzone, a big four-hit display from Randy Arozarena (see below), and even two hits from the badly struggling Cal Raleigh in a 10-2 stomping of the Astros in Houston. Raleigh’s knocks, singles in his last two ups, break a string of 38 straight at-bats and 43 plate appearances without a hit. To further wash away his long slump, which was four at-bats shy of a Seattle team record, Raleigh showers after the game—in full uniform.
Kyle Schwarber is having another one of his unstoppable rampages. The Phillies’ slugger, whos’ been prone to rack up his home runs in bunches over the years, goes deep for a fifth straight game to tie a franchise mark. Schwarber’s solo homer in the first, followed an inning later by an RBI ground-rule double from Bryson Stott, is all Zack Wheeler (one run allowed through 7.1 innings) will need to neuter the opposing Red Sox in Boston, 2-1.
Of Wheeler’s 87 pitches, only 16 are thrown within the first three innings; that’s the fewest tosses thrown by a starting pitcher through his first three frames this century.
The Mets, who enter the day with the majors’ worst record at 15-25—on pace for 100 losses—get a big boost on the day from newly-arrived outfielding prospect A.J. Ewing. In his first major league game, the speedy 21-year old— with 101 steals over 251 career minor league games—reaches bases four times on a triple and three weeks, pilfering a base to boot in the Mets’ 10-2 drubbing of the visiting Tigers. Ewing is the 13th player since 1900 to have both a triple and steal in his first major league game, and the first since the Tigers’ Travis Demeritte in 2019.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Hitters Edition)
4-4-4-3—Randy Arozarena, Seattle
The Cuban native (and adopted son for Mexico’s WBC team) came into Tuesday’s game with eight hits in his last 17 at-bats—yet they were all singles, with just one RBI. But at Houston, the hits got much longer. Arozarena punched out two doubles and a home run amid four hits, stealing a base as well in the Mariners’ 10-2 crushing of the Astros. With his perfect (and powerful) night, Arozarena moves his season batting average up to .303.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Pitchers Edition)
9-2-0-0-0-7—Bailey Ober, Minnesota
Ober seems to be the kind of guy who just plugs along with one decent start after another, then stuns you with a gem that reminds you that he’s still around and going strong. His two-hit shutdown of the visiting Marlins is yet another sign that Ober is rebounding well from his worst campaign (6-9, 5.10 ERA) last year, when those decent outings were unusually few and far between.
It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today
1942: Braves pitcher Jim Tobin belts home runs in three consecutive at-bats, helping himself to a win on the mound in a 6-5 squeaker over the Cubs at Boston. Tobin had also hit a home run in a pinch-hitting role the day before and will hit six for the year; he will go on to hit 17 in a nine-year career with a .230 batting average.
1958: Stan Musial hammers out his 3,000th career hit, a pinch-hit double during the Cardinals’ 5-3 win over the Cubs at Chicago. It makes him the eighth player in history—and the first since Paul Waner, sixteen years earlier—to reach the 3,000-hit plateau.
2025: Commissioner Rob Manfred removes every deceased person currently on baseball’s permanent ineligibility list, including Pete Rose and members of the 1919 White Sox who attempted to throw that year’s World Series. Manfred justifies his decision by stating that bans on such players should end when they die, but those criticizing the decision say it opens the door for future enshrinement in the Hall of Fame— something they believe Rose, Jackson, et al should never be eligible for, whether they are living or not.
You Say It’s Your Birthday
Happy birthday to:
Boston outfielder Roman Anthony (22)
Colorado outfielder Mickey Moniak (28)
Nico Hoerner (29), steady second baseman for the Cubs with career .282 batting average; recipient of two Gold Gloves
Boston first baseman Willson Contreras (34), three-time All-Star who recently converted from catcher role
Barry Zito (48), part of Oakland’s “Big Three” starting pitching corps during the early 2000s; 2002 AL Cy Young winner; 2-0 record in Giants’ 2014 World Series run; guitar player
Jose Rijo (61), owner of career 116-91 record; 1990 World Series hero; NL strikeout leader (227) in 1993; made brief comeback in 2001 after five-year absence from the game
Bobby Valentine (76), outfielder whose playing career was stunted by brutal fence collision playing for 1973 Angels; manager of 16 seasons, including 2000 NL pennant-winning Mets and doomed 2012 Red Sox
Juan Beniquez (76), 17-year outfielder for eight different teams, primarily Angels and Rangers; recipient of 1977 Gold Glove
Born on this date:
Leon Wagner (1934), two-time All-Star who twice collected 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs; 211 career homers
Johnny Roseboro (1933), three-time All-Star during the 1960s most remembered for getting struck by bat wielded by Giants pitcher Juan Marichal during 1965 brawl
Dusty Rhodes (1927), pinch-hitting slugger who poked 54 homers—many of them down the very short (258 feet) right-field line at New York’s Polo Grounds
Leroy Morney (1909), Negro League infielder of 12 seasons; hit league-high .378 in 1932 rookie season with Monroe Monarchs
Larry Gardner (1886), third baseman of career .289 batting average on 1,931 hits, multiple 100-RBI seasons and four World Series rings
Shameless Link of the Day
Check out the decade-by-decade history of the San Francisco Giants.
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