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The First Pitch: April 12, 2026
Play Fernando Tatis Jr. anywhere, and he’s likely not to disappoint. The talented defender, who began his career as a shortstop before moving to right field and winning two Platinum Gloves, gets his first-ever start at second base, playing error-free baseball with three putouts and two assists while, at the plate, collecting two singles, a double and a stolen base in the Padres’ 9-5 home win over the Rockies.
Tatis has played second base before, moving to the position in a late 2023 game against the Phillies after starting that day in the outfield; he also played second 10 times while in the minors.
Getting the win for the Padres against his old teammates is German Marquez, who settles in after a wobbly start (three home runs allowed over the first three innings) with four runs conceded over five innings. He’s 2-1 on the year with an impressive 5.54 ERA this far for the Padres—but that’s an improvement from finishing 3-16 with a hideous 6.70 ERA last season for Colorado.
The Houston Astros are dropping both games and players like flies. In Seattle, the Astros blow a 7-2 lead as the Mariners score six unanswered runs, the last on J.P. Crawford’s RBI game-winning single in the ninth after Houston pitcher Bryan Abreu walks the bases loaded. The 8-7 loss is the Astros’ sixth straight, compounded by the mid-game departure of shortstop Jeremy Pena with knee discomfort.
Though Pena’s injury is, at the moment, not considered serious, it does continue a trend of hobbled Astros; the rotation is (once again) decimated with Cristian Javier (shoulder sprain), Hunter Brown (shoulder strain) and Tatsuya Imai (tired arm) recently joining Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski (Tommy John recoveries) on the shelf.
In just four innings of work this year, Abreu has walked 10 batters and given up six hits—three of them home runs—for an early ERA of 20.25. He’s been doing more ninth-inning work to start the season in the place of closer Josh Hader—himself recovering from a spring camp biceps injury.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Hitters Edition)
5-2-3-5—Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics
A’s fans were beginning to wonder if Soderstrom’s breakout 2025 season represented the potential of a one-hit wonder campaign, given his weak start to 2026. Their worries were allayed on Saturday as the 24-year-old outfielder pounded out his first two homers of the season, adding a single and knocking in five runs as the A’s blitzed their way to their fourth straight win, 11-6 at New York over the Mets.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Pitchers Edition)
8-4-0-0-1-7—Michael Wacha, Kansas City
The veteran right-hander continues his undervalued, late-career groove after his third straight stellar start to begin the year, shutting down the suddenly toothless (20 straight scoreless innings) White Sox in a 2-0 home win. In 21 innings so far this season, Wacha has allowed just one run on 10 hits and five walks.
It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today
1909: Philadelphia’s ornate Shibe Park, the majors’ first true steel-and-concrete ballpark, opens with ace Eddie Plank and the Athletics defeating the visiting Red Sox, 8-1, before a crowd of 30,000—10,000 above capacity. A tragic sidebar develops when 38-year-old A’s catcher Doc Powers crashes into Shibe’s concrete backstop chasing a foul ball, complains of stomach pains—then collapses after the game. He will die two weeks later following three operations that attempt to fix his complications.
1966: The first major league regular season game played in Atlanta results in a 3-2, 13-inning win for the visiting Pirates over the Braves, transplanted from Milwaukee. It’s also the official debut for Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, completed a year earlier before the Braves were legally compelled to remain in Wisconsin for one more season.
1992: The Red Sox set a major league record when they allow just two hits in a doubleheader at Cleveland—yet manage only a split against the Indians. First game starter Matt Young throws an eight-inning no-hitter but loses, 2-1, thanks to seven walks and a poorly timed error. In the nightcap, Roger Clemens allows two hits and shuts Cleveland down, 3-0. Young’s no-hit loss is the start of a luckless year in which the 33-year-old veteran will end up in the bullpen with a 0-4 record.
2001: A scheduled game between the Blue Jays and Royals in Toronto is postponed after small portions of the Skydome’s retractable roof fall during a test that malfunctions.
You Say It’s Your Birthday
Happy birthday to:
Pittsburgh reliever Dennis Santana (30)
Hisashi Iwakuma (45), solid Seattle pitcher during the 2010s; 2013 All-Star
Paul Lo Duca (54), four-time All-Star catcher; admitted to being a steroid user after being outed in the Mitchell Report
Born on this date:
Woody Fryman (1940), 18-year pitcher of 141-155 record; two-time All-Star
Johnny Antonelli (1930), five-time All-Star pitcher for the New York/San Francisco Giants; twice won 20 or more games; top NL pitcher of 1954
Bill Wight (1922), postwar pitcher with 77-99 career record; TGG interview subject
Eric McNair (1909), 1930s infielder with 1,240 hits
Addie Joss (1880), 1900s ace who succumbed to meningitis on eve of 1911 season; second lowest career ERA (1.89) in MLB history, twice leading league; four-time 20-game winner; author of two no-hitters
Vic Willis (1876), Hall-of-Fame workhorse who compiled 249-205 record despite being burdened by lack of support from miserable Boston teams; 1899 NL ERA titlist
Shameless Link of the Day
Here’s our list of the 10 best pitchers and hitters from 50 years ago.
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