The Month That Was in Baseball: March 2026

Sunday, March 1

The St. Louis Cardinals are set to endure through a youth-centric rebuild—a circumstance rare for a franchise that has been a consistent contender for over a century—and Oli Marmol will be asked to be the guy leading them through it, as the fifth-year manager gets a two-year extension for 2027-28, with a club option for 2029. Through his first four seasons in St. Louis, the 39-year-old Marmol has led the Cardinals to a 325-323 record—but that above-.500 mark will be jeopardized as the team looks to be descending into tank mode following an offseason in which it dumped all of its top and/or veteran talent.

Monday, March 2

The Athletic releases the results of a fan poll from 14,500 respondents on matters related to MLB, with no real surprises. With baseball experiencing strong momentum with increased attendance, TV ratings and an excellent 2025 World Series, a majority (67%) of respondents say they are “enthusiastic” or “hopeful” about the state of MLB, while only 22% feel “disappointed” or “upset.” However, commissioner Rob Manfred gets tepid approval from fans, with 22% giving him either a better than average rating while 36% rate him below average. Regarding the Dodgers, 52% think they’re bad for baseball, compared to 32% who say it’s a good thing. Most concerning for MLB, the poll reveals that 77% of respondents say that the “prevalence of gambling” in baseball has them worried about the integrity of the game.

Tuesday, March 3

Oops, he did it again. Almost a year after testing positive for PEDs, it’s déjà screwed all over for Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar, this time testing positive for “exogenous testosterone and its metabolites,” according to MLB. Profar was sidelined for 80 games after his first offense last year. As this is a repeat offense, the 33-year-old veteran will be banned for the entire 2026 season. Additionally, he’ll be ineligible not only for postseason games (should the Braves make it to October), but for the upcoming World Baseball Classic as a member of the Netherlands team.

It’s a day of warming up for WBC teams, taking on MLB opponents a day before the start of the tournament. Eight of 15 WBC teams win their games, including a 15-1 drubbing by Team USA over the San Francisco Giants behind three sharp innings for Paul Skenes and multi-hit games for Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh.

Wednesday, March 4

Vance Honeycutt is threatening to become quite the Spring Training legend. The 22-year-old outfielder, chosen by Baltimore as its first-round draft choice in 2024, drills a 471-foot home run for the Orioles for his fourth so far this spring—in four at-bats. So, is Honeycutt barging his way onto the Orioles’ Opening Day roster? Whoa there, delusionists of grandeur. This is Spring Training, where anyone can become a Cinderella story before being bludgeoned by reality when the games start to count, whether at the major or minor league level. It’s especially hard to reconcile Honeycutt’s sample size of strength with a minor league career in which he’s batted .172 with five homers over 114 games at a level no higher than A+.

Honeycutt, by the way, is not related to former long-time pitcher and coach Rick Honeycutt.

In its second warm-up game before the start of the WBC, Team USA administers another punishment upon an NL West opponent by thrashing Colorado, 14-4. The Americans hit five homers, but the bigger news is reserved for Clayton Kershaw, who announced his retirement from the Dodgers at the end of last season but has returned to the U.S. team in a “break glass in case of emergency” relief role. Kershaw pitches the fourth inning against the Rockies, clearly appearing rusty; in two-thirds of an inning, he allows two runs on a hit (a Mickey Moniak solo homer) with a walk and wild pitch.

Kershaw will not make an appearance in the upcoming WBC, so this is his final time throwing competitively on a major league mound.

Thursday, March 5

With apparently no interest from the Pirates in a return to Pittsburgh, Andrew McCutchen hooks on with the Texas Rangers in a minor league deal. In a second stint with the Bucs lasting the last three seasons, McCutchen put up decent numbers but, as he progressed into his 30s, was not the MVP-level player of lore during his first tenure in Pittsburgh. The Rangers will be McCutchen’s sixth team—assuming, of course, he makes the Opening Day roster.

Scoring tends to run rampant in the Arizona-based Cactus League, but this is ridiculous: The San Diego Padres score 12 runs in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Peoria, Arizona, then add 15 more the rest of the way to finish off a 27-6 rout. Of the 28 hits racked up by the Padres, eight of them are home runs; there are 11 additional baserunners on eight walks, two errors and a hit batsman. The 27 runs are the most scored by a team in a Spring Training game since St. Louis racked up 29 in a 2022 contest against Washington.

Proving that the Cactus League can sometimes impersonate baseball’s 1930 season, there are a total of 153 runs scored in seven Arizona-hosted games on the day—an average of 11 runs per team. All hitters in those games combine to bat .336 with 39 homers in 541 at-bats.

Friday, March 6

A talented and confident—perhaps even cocky—Team USA opens its WBC play with a 15-5 beating of Brazil at Houston. The game is not the rout one would initially believe; the Americans only run away with it by scoring seven runs in the ninth inning. Aaron Judge hits Team USA’s only home run in the first inning, but much of the damage done by the Americans comes courtesy of sloppy Brazilian pitching, which yields 17 walks and two hit batters.

Of note for Brazil are two sons of former leaguers. Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, belts two homers, including a leadoff shot in the first off Team USA starter Logan Webb (who otherwise is perfect through four innings of work.) And Joseph Contreras, the youngest player in this year’s WBC at 17 and the son of former pitcher Jose Contreras, walks three batters through 1.1 innings of work—but does get out of a bases-loaded jam by inducing a double-play grounder from Judge.

Shohei Ohtani’s grand slam in the second inning ignites a 10-run outburst for Japan, adding three in the third before earning a mercy-shortened, seven-inning 13-0 rout of Taiwan to open its quest to repeat as WBC champions at the Tokyo Dome. Ohtani also doubles and singles, knocking in five runs overall; Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts for Japan and allows no hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts through 2.2 innings.

The pitch-fixing trial of Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase and teammate starting pitcher Luis Ortiz has been delayed six months, from May 4 to November 2. This is not ideal news for Clase, who’s hoping for a swift trial capped by an acquittal in the very faint hopes he could return to organized baseball. The judge in the case also doesn’t rule on Ortiz’s request to have a separate trail from Clase. Both pitchers are hoping not to be tried together, out of fear that one may turn against the other.

Saturday, March 7

Team USA improves to 2-0 in WBC pool play with a 9-1 victory over Great Britain at Houston, overcoming a 1-0 deficit in the fifth inning with a five-run rally powered by Kyle Schwarber’s tie-breaking, two-run home run. Taking the loss for Great Britain is Andre Scrubb—yes, that’s his name—who pitched last year for two independent teams.

It took over five tournaments and over 200 games, but the first two walk-off homers in WBC history take place. The first and most dramatic of the two takes place in Miami, where the Braves’ Ozzie Albies—born in Curacao and representing the Netherlands—launches a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to edge Nicaragua, 4-3. Later in San Juan, Athletics infielder Darell Hernaiz caps a two-run rally in the 10th with a solo shot to give Puerto Rico a 4-3 win over Panama.

Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, fresh off winning a $32 million arbitration, is telling the Tigers not to bother about discussions on a long-term extension during the upcoming season. Skubal says he wants to concentrate on pitching through the next seven months, then focus on his next contract—likely as a free agent. It is believed that Skubal could become the first pitcher to top $400 million on a guaranteed deal.

Sunday, March 8

The WBC appears to be emerging from its growing-pains stage, receiving increased respect from both players and fans. But it’s still not perfect. The lax eligibility rules remain dubious, the mercy rules are silly, and there’s many players who’d rather stick around MLB spring camps and prep for the upcoming regular season—which, let’s face it, is still a far more important thing.

One of the WBC’s very few virtues, albeit on a curiosity level, is how the tournament re-opens the door for players of the past to get a last gasp at competitive play. The retired Clayton Kershaw has made himself available for Team USA, Vance Worley—last seen in MLB pitching for Miami in 2017—is on the Great Britain roster, and 2010s infielder Ruben Tejada has gotten action for Panama. Topping them all, however, is the presence on the Cuban side of Alexei Ramirez, who has yet to play—but if he does, he’ll become the oldest player (at age 44) to ever appear in a WBC game, breaking Roger Clemens’ age-43 mark from the very first tourney in 2006. Beloved by Chicago White Sox fans who nicknamed him the Cuban Missile, Ramirez played from 2008-16, earning two Silver Slugger awards, an All-Star roster spot and 143 home runs. Since last appearing in MLB, he’s remained active—playing “competitive sandlot baseball” in Miami. He’s one of three players in this year’s WBC—Panama’s Paolo Espino and the Netherlands’ Shairon Martis being the others—who was on the roster for the very first tourney, 20 years ago.

Ramirez will get one at-bat in the WBC, striking out against Puerto Rico closer Edwin Diaz on March 9. He certainly welcomed the opportunity to play, telling mlb.com, “I just love baseball. I can’t give it up.”

Monday, March 9

In its biggest test yet at the WBC, Team USA secures a 5-3 victory over Mexico at Houston to improve to 3-0 in Pool B play. They still have to win their remaining game of the pool round against Italy (2-0) to ensure passage to the quarterfinal round. Paul Skenes starts for the Americans and throws four shutout innings, allowing a walk and hit with seven strikeouts. At the plate, all five U.S. runs are scored in the third—a two-run shot by Aaron Judge, followed by a three-run blast from Roman Anthony—both off Mexico reliever Jesus Cruz, who has all of 15 MLB appearances to his career and hasn’t thrown in the bigs since 2023. Mexico chips away at the early American advantage thanks to two homers from Boston’s Jarren Duran—but it’s another Red Sock, Garrett Whitlock, who wraps up the win for the U.S. with a scoreless ninth-inning save.

Early in the game, Mexico’s Randy Arozarena comes to bat and offers a handshake to USA catcher—and Seattle Mariners teammate—Cal Raleigh, who declines. After the game, Arozarena apparently sounds off on Raleigh’s refusal to a Mexican reporter, saying that Raleigh should “f**k off” and “go to hell.”

The sellout Daikin Park crowd of 41,628 is said to be roughly 60-70% pro-Mexico. Now American baseball fans know how U.S. soccer fans feel when they play Mexico on their own turf.

Jesus Luzardo, the only Peruvian-born major leaguer, is given a five-year, $135 million extension by the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s an impressive haul for a pitcher with a career 41-41 record and 4.19 ERA, but momentum apparently is everything; the 28-year-old southpaw is coming off career highs in 15 wins (against seven losses), 216 strikeouts and 183.2 innings pitched in 2025, finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young Award vote.

Tuesday, March 10

The U.S. WBC team is handed a shock loss by Italy, as a roster primarily made up of American-born ballplayers with eligibility ties to Lo Stivale take an 8-6 victory—endangering the odds of American advancement to the quarterfinals. Italy scores all eight of its runs before the U.S. scores its first. It’s 5-0 after just four innings, as home runs from the White Sox’ Kyle Teel, minor leaguer Sam Antonacci and Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone back up 4.2 shutout innings from starter Michael Lorenzen, now with Colorado. Three more runs are added in the sixth after a potential inning-ending double-play grounder snagged by U.S. reliever Brad Keller bounces past second for a costly error. The Americans fight back, as Pete-Crow Armstrong leads the charge with a pair of homers. But chances for a comeback win are squelched as Aaron Judge, representing the tying run in the ninth, strikes out against Boston’s Greg Weissert for the game’s final out.

Though the Americans’ comeback bid falls short, it does serve to increase their chances of advancement via tiebreaker with Italy and Mexico taking on each other to cap Pool B play. If Italy wins, Mexico falls to third in the group and the U.S. advances; if Mexico wins—but scores four or fewer runs in the process—Italy still advances and the U.S., shockingly, would be out.

Did Team USA go into the game thinking they had already advanced? Hopefully they weren’t listening to U.S. manager Mark DeRosa, who before the game goes on the MLB Network and says, “We want to (beat Italy), even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals.” After the game, DeRosa says he “misspoke” while making the comment.

Cincinnati fans will not be happy to know that team ace Hunter Greene will miss the first half of the season, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to clean his right elbow of bone chips. It’s a disappointing decision for sure, as Greene was being looked at as a Cy Young candidate after putting together a 16-9 record, 2.76 ERA and 301 strikeouts through 258 innings over the last two seasons.

Wednesday, March 11

Team USA will live to fight another day in the 2026 WBC thanks to Italy, the team that smacked the Americans the night before. That’s because Italy finishes its surprising unbeaten run through Pool B with another romp, this one a 9-1 result over Mexico—pushing the Americans to second place in the group and into the quarterfinals. The Italians’ dominance is fueled by Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino, who becomes the first player in WBC history to launch three home runs in a game. All three are solo shots, the first giving Italy its initial run of the night. On the mound, Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola throws five shutout innings on 69 pitches to keep Mexico at bay.

Thursday, March 12

In the largest purchase yet of a modern baseball card, the lone “one-of-one” 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Autographs Superfractor for Aaron Judge sells in a private auction for $5.2 million. The price tops the $3.84 million paid in 2020 for a 2009 Mike Trout card, also from Bowman. The Judge card was previously sold in 2022 for $324,000, but that was before he belted 210 homers over the next four years—including an AL season-record 62—won a batting title in 2025, and earned three league MVPs.

As it almost always is in an auction of a highly-valued sports card, the buyer is anonymous.

Friday, March 13

Team USA gets one step closer to the top of the WBC throne, defeating regional rival Canada 5-3 behind 4.2 shutout innings from starter Logan Webb and early-inning scoring—all of them off of singles or infield grounders. An early 5-0 lead is trimmed down, but three American relievers hold the fort over the final three innings. The tensest of those frames comes in the seventh when Canada advances runners to second and third with no outs before David Bednar slams the door with a pop fly and two strikeouts.

The Americans will next face the Dominican Republic, which clobbers Korea 10-0 in a mercy rule-shortened, seven-inning romp and which features perhaps the most star-studded of all WBC lineups with Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. fronting the roster.

Saturday, March 14

Visions of a WBC final rematch between the U.S. and Japan vanish as the latter team is ousted from the tournament in an 8-5 loss to Venezuela in Miami. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani exchange solo home runs in the first inning, and Japan takes a 5-2 lead in the third on a three-run homer from Shota Morishita, in his first at-bat after the departure of Seiya Suzuki—who earlier limped off after a stolen base attempt. But Venezuela strikes back with six unanswered runs, thanks primarily to home runs from Maikel Garcia and Wilyer Abreu, while six relievers keep Japan scoreless over the final 6.1 innings after starter Ranger Suarez is yanked. Venezuela moves on to a semifinal matchup with Italy, which continues its unlikely ascent with an 8-6 win over Puerto Rico.

The Athletics’ power stroke appears to be ready for Opening Day. After launching homers on three consecutive pitches the day before, the A’s get three solo blasts from Sean Langeliers within the first five innings of the team’s 12-1 Spring Training rout of Kansas City. Hat tricks are nothing new to the 28-year-old Langeliers, with two of them already under his belt in regular season action over the past two years.

Sunday, March 15

In a vibrant, tense WBC semifinal, the U.S. edges the equally powerful Dominican Republic team, 2-1, to advance to the tournament final. Paul Skenes starts for the Americans and, although not sharp, allows a run on six hits and no walks through 4.1 innings. The young Pittsburgh ace gets out a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, then allows two more baserunners in the fifth with one out before being removed; submarine-style reliever Tyler Rogers takes over and induces an inning-ending double play from Juan Soto. Four additional U.S. relievers group up to allow two hits and a walk through four more shutout innings; Mason Miller strikes out Geraldo Perdomo for the game’s final out, a 3-2 pitch below the strike zone that’s nevertheless called a strike by home plate umpire Cory Blaser. (The ABS system, which will make its MLB regular season debut this year, is not being used in the WBC.) The two U.S. runs come on solo homers in the fourth, from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony. The potential for a third such homer by Aaron Judge in the fifth is robbed by D.R. center fielder Julio Rodriguez.

Monday, March 16

The clock strikes midnight for Italy’s Cinderella run at the WBC, with the tournament’s surprise team bowing in the semifinal to Venezuela at Miami, 4-2. Venezuela moves on to the final against the United States at loanDepot Park. For a good chunk of the game, Italy looks to be on its way to victory, leading 2-1 through the first six innings behind stellar pitching from Aaron Nola and Michael Lorenzen. But the latter pitcher breaks down in the seventh, as four straight singles bring in three runs to give the Venezuelans the lead for good. There’s no response from Italy’s lineup, unable to net even one baserunner through the final three innings.

Part-time Philadelphia outfielder Johan Rojas will have his status reduced to no-time for the first half of the season, suspended 80 games by MLB for a positive steroid test. News of Rojas’ alleged use of the offending drug (Boldenone) had already been known, as Rojas appealed the impending decision and was dropped from the Dominican Republic’s WBC team. Besides missing the Phillies’ first 80 games, Rojas will also be ineligible for the postseason.

Tuesday, March 17

The United States suffer a second straight WBC final defeat, dropping a 3-2 decision to underdog Venezuela, 3-2 in Miami. It’s the first tournament win for the South American nation, amounting to a moment of pride amid challenging times of late—and a burst of enthusiasm for supporters who make up more than half of the sellout crowd at loanDepot Park. While the star power of the Venezuelan lineup compares equitably with that of the U.S., it’s the pitching that unexpectedly impresses. Venezuela starts Eduardo Rodriguez, the veteran right-hander coming off two subpar seasons with Arizona—but he shines against the Americans, allowing a single and walk over 4.1 shutout innings. After his departure, five relievers—none of whom considered All-Star-level talent—continue to clamp down on Team USA, which strikes out 10 times in total while otherwise putting one easily playable ball after another into the field. The Americans’ lone jolt of energy comes with two outs in the eighth, when Bryce Harper smashes a no-doubt-about-it, game-tying home run over the center-field fence. But Venezuela bounces back in the ninth; Javier Sanoja, pinch-running for Luis Arraez after a leadoff walk, easily scores on Eugenio Suarez’s gap double for the ultimate game-winning run.

Numerous American players, after receiving their silver medals in a postgame on-field ceremony, proceed to take them off before returning to the dugout. 

The WBC final attracts up to 12 million viewers, by far the largest audience ever for a WBC game and higher than the per-game average of the 2025 NBA Finals. It’s a strong sign that the WBC, warts and all, has grown into a major sideshow for MLB—and its success is leading some high up in MLB to consider moving all or part of the tournament to midseason as part of an extended All-Star Break.

Wednesday, March 18

Back in Dodgers camp after Japan’s earlier-than-expected exit from the WBC, Shohei Ohtani takes the mound for the first time this spring and looks solid—allowing just one hit over 4.1 shutout innings in a 5-1 victory over San Francisco at Glendale, Arizona. Ohtani does walk two batters and hits another, but he also reaches just under 100 MPH on the radar as the Dodgers hope they can get more innings out of him this coming season. Interestingly, Ohtani does not bat in the game, not even as a DH during or after his time on the mound.

Also getting his first activity of the spring—and first in just over a year—is Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, back in action after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He needs just 10 pitches to get through a scoreless first inning, allowing a pair of hits in New York’s 2-1 home win over Boston. Like Ohtani, Cole tops out at 99 MPH.

This appearance for Cole, along with another on March 24, is considered part of his rehab process; the Yankees are not expected to bring him into regular season action until May at the earliest.

Thursday, March 19

Despite its pitch-fixing scandal involving Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, MLB decides that it’s a good time to further embrace sports betting by announcing a partnership with Polymarket, the fast-booming “prediction market” platform that is being challenged in many states as an illegal gambling operation. The value of the partnership is $300 million over four years, though there is an escape clause for MLB to void the deal if courts rule that Polymarket and its market competitors are violating state law. As if to allay fears that Polymarket will lead to more of a “Wild West” gambling environment that could harm MLB, the league also announces a deal with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to share information and, in commissioner Rob Manfred’s words, “work together to clear boundaries with the goal of mitigating risk while providing fan engagement opportunities.”

The response on social media is curious. While most of those responding to posts about the deal are applauding the move, they’re getting few if any likes—while the few others reacting more negatively get a boatload of them. MLB players may be among those in agreement with the latter group; the last thing they need more of is to have a bad game compounded by verbal abuse and threats from bettors who lose money on them.

FYI: The players’ union was not granted any say in the deal. Expect this to be a topic of conversation during upcoming labor negotiations.

Friday, March 20

For the fifth time this Spring, a team reaches 20 runs on the scoreboard as the Mariners drub the Cleveland Guardians in Goodyear, Arizona, 20-8. Seattle nets 32 baserunners in the romp, 26 of them via hits—five of those home runs, including two from 22-year-old second baseman Cole Young to give him six in Cactus League play this year. One of Young’s blasts against the Guardians travels 478 feet in the toasty desert evening air, making it the longest homer hit so far in Spring Training 2026.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, the two pitchers currently sidelined from baseball as they await trial for pitch-fixing, have their status changed to unpaid non-disciplinary leave in a move agreed to by MLB and the players’ union. Both pitchers were placed on paid leave for the balance of the 2025 season after MLB became aware of their scheme to intentionally throw pitches outside of the strike zone to reward sports bettors. In a terse statement, MLB claims that the unpaid leave for both is “not an admission of any wrongdoing”—quickly concluding that it “will have no further comment until its investigation is completed.”

Saturday, March 21

The Pirates decide that Konnor Griffin isn’t quite yet ready for the big time. The exciting young shortstop, currently heralded as MLB’s #1 prospect after a banner first year at the minor-league level with a .333 batting average, 21 home runs and 65 steals, has been reassigned to minor league camp to start the 2026 season. Griffin will likely begin the year at Triple-A; if he continues to shine as he did last year at both Class A and AA, he should get a call-up to the Pirates later on this season. Griffin smacked four home runs in 38 at-bats for the Pirates in Spring Training action, but batted .171, attempted no steals and struck out 11 times.

Randy Arozarena, who went on a profanity-laced, public rant toward Seattle teammate (and WBC foe) Cal Raleigh for not shaking hands at the plate before an at-bat during the Mexico-USA game on March 9, has kissed and made up. In a statement released through the Mariners, Arozarena says, “Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game. Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates.”

Sunday, March 22

Over a year after handing Cristopher Sanchez a four-year extension, the Phillies grant another to the towering southpaw ace—adding two more years to his current deal for an additional $60 million, plus a 2033 team option worth another $44.5 million. And why not? The 29-year-old Sanchez has emerged into one of baseball’s best pitchers, finishing runner-up in the NL Cy Young vote to Paul Skenes last year despite producing the best WAR (Wins Above Replacement) among all MLB pitchers.

Monday, March 23

As Opening Day rosters are being finalized, there’s joy for top prospects making the grade, including the Mets’ Carson Benge and Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt, both selected in the first round of the 2024 Amateur Draft. There’s also joy being experienced by some veterans hoping to hang on, including 39-year-old Andrew McCutchen—making the final cut with the Texas Rangers after going 8-for-18 with a home run during exhibition play.

Also making the Opening Day roster for the Rangers is 24-year-old reliever Carter Baumler, who threw 9.1 shutout innings this spring. Baumler isn’t given the good news by manager Skip Schumaker in his office, but on the mound—surrounded by congratulatory teammates during the Rangers’ 3-2 exhibition win over Kansas City in Arlington.

Spring Trained: Who’s Ready (and Who’s Not) for the 2026 Regular Season
It’s a This Great Game tradition; every year, right before Opening Day, we name the teams and players who performed bat their best, or worst, during Spring Training—and whether it will actually mean anything once the regular season begins and the games start to count. True, the heroes of the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues may become Ordinary Joes from April on, trying often in vain to emulate their spring camp numbers in the majors or whatever minor league level they’ve been assigned to. If you don’t believe us, look at last year’s list and see if you know half of the people we named.

Below is this year’s rundown of who’s ready—and, well, perhaps not. (FYI: The list reflects Spring Training action through Sunday, March 22.)

Ready: The Atlanta Braves. Despite the dreaded feeling of déjà vu with pitchers dropping like flies and Jurickson Profar failing PED tests, the Braves managed to post the Grapefruit League’s best record at 19-7 with two ties. More than any other team, the Braves are crossing their fingers that their camp success will translate to a strong regular season campaign.

Not Ready: The Kansas City Royals. Granted, the WBC took a good chunk of time away from Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez, Seth Lugo and Jac Caglianone at Royals’ camp, but it’s not like every other team was unaffected. The rest of the Royals buddied up to bat a relatively abysmal .250 in the offensively crazy Cactus League (no other Arizona-based team hit worse, while 13 others in Florida posted a lower mark); meanwhile, the staff’s 6.27 ERA was more in line with what you’d expect in the Valley of the Sun—only worse.

Ready: Washington Nationals pitching. If we still wrote up our predictions for the coming season, we’d be talking big-time doom for a Washington staff (especially its rotation) that looks DOA for 2026. Which makes the Nats’ MLB-best 3.17 ERA this spring all the more surprising.

Not Ready: Washington Nationals hitting. The only reason the Nationals weren’t better than 14-10 at camp is because the team’s offense placed dead last in batting average (.197), OPS (.604) and home runs (18).

Ready: The Boston Red Sox’ speed game. Historically a lead-footed operation, the Red Sox uncharacteristically displayed a knack for grabbing 90 extra feet whenever they could, leading Spring Training with 53 stolen bases. Even without Braiden Ward’s 19 swipes (see below), the Red Sox still would list in the top 10 among MLB teams with the most steals.

Not Ready: The Detroit Tigers’ inability to settle a score. At first glance, the Tigers’ 8-12 record looks odd because it appears they played 20 games while most everyone else was close to 30. But in actuality, Detroit’s spring mark was 8-12-6, the latter number representing uncounted ties. With that many draws, you’d think the Tigers were performing in the Premier League.

Ready: Matt McLain, Cincinnati. The young infielder who batted .220 with modest power last year absolutely cleaned up in Spring Training, hitting .529 over 51 at-bats while tying the A’s Shea Langeliers for the most spring home runs with seven.

Not Ready: Mark Vientos, New York Mets. Reports are saying that Vientos could be the odd man out at Flushing Meadows after the Mets brought in Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco and Marcus Semien to bolster their infield. If Vientos was looking to make his case at camp, he failed miserably—netting just two hits and a walk over 37 plate appearances.

Ready: Jake Bauers, Milwaukee. A part-time utility guy with a career .211 batting average, Bauers began looking like a new man after a return from injury last summer by batting .360 in September. This spring, he kept up the momentum with a .471 mark over 34 at-bats including six homers, five doubles and three steals. The Brewers must be feeling eager to plug him into the lineup to start the season. (Update: With first baseman Andrew Vaughn fracturing his hand on Opening Day, Bauers will get that oppo.)

Not Ready: Jose Altuve, Houston. It was postulated that the Cooperstown-worthy, 5’6” second baseman would benefit from the ABS system with his short height reducing his strike zone. So far, so bad; Altuve collected just five hits in 39 at-bats, walked just twice, and struck out 14 times.

Ready: Braiden Ward, Boston. As mentioned above, the Red Sox were not content being stationary on the basepaths. Especially this guy. Ward batted .378 over 45 at-bats, but the number everyone zeroed in on was his 19 stolen bases—the most racked up by any major leaguer in Spring Training in recent memory. Apparently, all of this—on top of 208 steals over the last four years in the minors—wasn’t impressive enough for the Red Sox, who have optioned Ward back to the lower levels.

Not Ready: Keaton Anthony, Philadelphia. After consistently batting over .300 at each step of the minor league staircase, the 24-year-old first baseman was hoping for his big break with an Opening Day roster spot. Alas, a break is what Anthony got; he fouled a ball off his toe, fractured it, and underwent surgery. But it also must be noted: Before the injury, he was hitless in 16 at-bats.

Ready: Framber Valdez, Detroit. It’s a good first impression for the former Astros ace handsomely garnished with big money by the Tigers over the winter. In four camp starts, Valdez posted a 2-0 record and 0.98 ERA that was the lowest posted by a major leaguer with at least 17 innings thrown this spring.

Not Ready: Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs. The veteran right-hander has been a steady presence in the Cubs’ rotation over the past four years, but he was steadily awful this spring. In five starts, he was punished for 26 runs on 26 hits—10 of them home runs—resulting in a 17.55 ERA.

Ready: Robbie Ray, San Francisco. Anyone would take a 1.37 ERA over six starts and 19.2 innings in lively Cactus League hitting conditions worthy of 1930. Ray may have been a little wild—he did walk 10 batters—but opponents rarely connected off him, garnering only seven hits.

Not Ready: Alek Manoah, Los Angeles Angels. The road back to prominence continues to be littered with massive potholes for Manoah. A Cy Young candidate less than four years ago—but hopelessly stuck in the minors last season—the burly Manoah showed no hint of a comeback with the Angels, getting tagged for 16 runs on 23 hits and an MLB-high 14 walks over 15.1 innings.

Ready: Will Warren, New York Yankees. After a decent rookie effort last year, the right-hander kept it steady—and strong—with a 1.42 ERA over 25.1 innings with 22 strikeouts and only 13 hits and three walks allowed. The Yankees’ rotation starts the year in flux, so Warren’s presence will be highly welcomed.

Not Ready: Seth Halvorsen, Colorado. And we mean, really, truly not ready. No pitcher in any camp was as messed up; in five innings, Halvorsen gave up 12 runs on eight hits and 12 walks; additionally, he hit a batter and threw four wild pitches. It’s almost scary to think that Phoenix’ general valley elevation is just over 1,000 feet while back in the thin air of Denver, it’s a mile high.

Tuesday, March 24

The Cubs feel bullish on Pete Crow-Armstrong, giving the exciting young outfielder a six-year extension worth $115 million on the eve of his 24th birthday. The deal will go from 2027-32, covering his first two years of free agency, and includes no options. After a strong start last year that earned him a starting spot on the NL All-Star team, Crow-Armstrong cooled off in the season’s second half, but still nearly gained 30-30 status—collecting 31 home runs and 29 stolen bases—while receiving a Gold Glove for his play in center field.

Kevin McGonigle, currently MLB’s #2 prospect, has made the Tigers’ Opening Day roster despite having previously played no higher than Double-A ball—with just 46 games to vouch for at that level. The 21-year-old shortstop has good (but as of yet not overwhelming) power, and has batted .308 over 183 minor league games, but the Tigers have been impressed with his superior level of play during Spring Training.

Chicago White Sox legend Frank Thomas sues the team for using his name on uniforms sold by the ballclub. The suit, asking for $50,000 in damages, also names Nike and Fanatics as co-defendants. Clearly the greatest hitter in White Sox history, the Hall-of-Fame slugger has had something of a long-running feud with the team. Most recently, the Sox all but left Thomas off a graphic celebrating the franchise’s African-American stars for Black History Month, leading Thomas to respond: “I guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable!”

Wednesday, March 25

It’s the start of the 2026 regular season and a definitive win for the New York Yankees, who defeat the Giants at San Francisco, 7-0. Max Fried fires 6.1 shutout innings against a toothless Giants offense, spoiling the debut of San Francisco manager Tony Vitello. Meanwhile, the Yankees’ powerful lineup uses a less-than-lethal approach against Giants starter Logan Webb, who absorbs all seven Yankees runs over five innings; of New York’s 10 total hits, nine are singles. Aaron Judge has none of them; the three-time AL MVP is hitless in five at-bats, striking out in each of his first four.

History is made in the fourth inning when the Yankees’ Jose Caballero asks for the first ABS challenge in an MLB regular season game. Webb’s 0-1 pitch on the inside corner is quickly confirmed as a strike; it’s the only ABS challenge by either team on the night.

The game is also noteworthy as the first ever broadcast by Netflix, with the streaming giant painting McCovey Cove beyond Oracle Park’s right field in its corporate red with the placement of some 30 kayaks dressed in its branding. Netflix also employs recent stars of the past as part of its broadcast team, including a pregame panel consisting of Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and Anthony Rizzo. Appearing later in the booth with play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian and analysts Hunter Pence and CC Sabathia, Bonds tells a previously-unknown story of then-Yankee boss George Steinbrenner attempting to woo him to New York as baseball’s highest-paid player. But Steinbrenner insisted that Bonds had to agree to the deal within a couple of hours—to which Bonds responded by hanging up on him.

Heliot Ramos gets his second straight Opening Day start as the Giants’ left fielder, ending a record-tying streak of 19 consecutive years in which the Giants had begun the season with a different player at the position. That list included Bonds, Pence, current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, USA WBC manager Mark DeRosa, Aubrey Huff, Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto.

This is the Giants’ first scheduled Opening Day game played at Oracle Park since 2009. They opened the 2022 season at home, but only because the scheduled opening series on the road had been postponed due to the owners’ lockout of the players that spring. Maybe the Giants will want to return to the road to start after suffering their first Opening Day shutout loss at home since their very first game in San Francisco, back in 1958 against the Dodgers.

Thursday, March 26

It’s never supposed to go this way for Paul Skenes—especially on Opening Day. The Pirates ace and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner suffers the worst start of his career—and the shortest by a Pirates starter in the post-1900 modern era—lasting 0.2 innings and allowing five runs as the host New York Mets bolt to an 11-7 victory. Skenes’ performance is worsened thanks to center field Oneil Cruz, who badly misplays two catchable balls—though neither technically results in an error. After Skenes’ departure, the Mets manage to keep the Pirates at arm’s length. Top prospect Carson Benge, in his MLB debut, walks twice, steals a base and strokes a solo home run in the sixth.

If Oneil’s day isn’t bad enough already, he also ends up on the wrong side of the first-ever overturning of a called pitch in the third inning when, with the count full, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez challenges a ball four decision by home plate umpire Adrian Johnson. An ABS review quickly shows the pitch is in the strike zone, reversing the call and changing a walk into a strike out.

On the day, there are 30 ABS challenges—with 19 of them overturning the original call.

Chase Meidroth becomes the first White Sox player to hit a first-inning, leadoff homer in an Opening Day game, and powerful Japanese import Munetaka Murakami goes deep in his MLB debut in the ninth, but the solo shots simply bookend a miserable day for Chicago as the Brewers coast to a 14-2 home rout. After surrendering Meidroth’s initial bomb, Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski allows just one more hit and strikes out a Brewers Opening-Day record 11 batters over five innings; four Milwaukee relievers will combine to strike out another nine, with the 20 total tying an MLB mark for the most in a nine-inning game.

The Brewers begin the day without young star outfielder Jackson Chourio, who’ll sit out the next two-to-four weeks with a hairline fracture in his hand suffered while playing in the WBC. They’ll end it without first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who during the game also fractures his hand and will miss roughly a month.

Cleveland spoils the Mariners’ home debut at Seattle, grabbing a 6-4 victory behind the bat of Chase DeLauter—making his regular season debut for the Guardians after appearing in two playoff games last season. The 24-year-old outfielder opens the scoring in the first with a solo homer, then closes it with another in the ninth; he’s the first Cleveland player—and seventh in MLB history—to go deep twice in his big-league debut.

JJ Wetherholt adds his name to the debut dinger parade, as the Cardinals’ 23-year-old top prospect launches a solo homer in the third inning during a 9-7 home win over Tampa Bay. Along with the aforementioned Benge, Murakami and DeLauter, Wetherholt is one of a record four major leaguers all homering in their debut on the same day.

Kevin McGonigle doesn’t crush one over the fence, but he arguably has the best day among all big-league debutantes. Playing at third base for Detroit, the 21-year-old McGongile knocks out four hits including two doubles, supporting Tarik Skubal (six innings with an unearned run allowed on three hits) in the Tigers’ 8-2 win at San Diego. McGonigle is the second Detroit player, and the fourth youngest among all MLB players, with four hits in his first game.

The Dodgers open the defense of their back-to-back world titles with an easy 8-2 win over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Everyone in the L.A. starting lineup reaches base at least once, with pricey free-agent pick-up Kyle Tucker roping a seventh-inning RBI double; Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws six solid innings to collect the win.

The Orioles eke past the visiting Minnesota Twins in their opener, 2-1, in large part thanks to seven shutout innings thrown by Trevor Rogers. Pete Alonso is hitless in three at-bats with a walk in his official Baltimore debut, while Tyler O’Neill accrues a single and walk but nothing else—ending his record streak of six straight Opening Day games with a home run.

Throwing out the first pitch for the Orioles is long, long-time fan Arthur Green, who at age 109 has seen it all as an Orioles fan since the team’s move from St. Louis in 1954.

Is the old Mike Trout back? Having struggled with numerous injuries and regressed numbers over the past six years, Trout breaks out the vintage vibe with a home run, three walks and a stolen base in the Los Angeles Angels’ 3-0 win over the Astros at Houston. Jose Soriano throws six shutout innings, allowing just a pair of hits, to earn the win; helping to preserve the shutout is Daikin Park’s ceiling, which possibly robs a towering home run from Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez in the first. Umpires and replay officials agree that the ball, which ricochets off scaffolding toward the field-level seats, was likely headed foul of the right-field pole.

The Phillies hold on to take a 5-3 home win over Texas, as Jhoan Duran puts out a ninth-inning fire from which the Rangers score all three of their runs. Amazingly, Duran is the first Phillies pitcher to earn a save in a home game on Opening Day in franchise history.

The bad news on the day for the Chicago Cubs is a 10-4 loss to the visiting Washington Nationals as Matthew Boyd—12-1 at Wrigley Field last season—is pummeled for six runs over 3.2 innings. The good news for the Cubs: They lock up Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner with a six-year extension valued at over $140 million. Hoerner was due to be a free agent at the end of this season.

Friday, March 27

It’s a déjà vu moment for the Toronto Blue Jays and their closer Jeff Hoffman. Nearly five months after allowing a game-tying, one-out homer in the ninth inning to the Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas in Game Seven of the 2025 World Series, Hoffman does the same against the A’s Shea Langeliers in the Jays’ 2026 home opener. This time, however, the Jays finish the job the right way—triumphing 3-2 on Andres Gimenez’s two-out single in the bottom half of the ninth. Gimenez ends up bringing home all three Toronto runs, earlier knocking out a two-run triple in the fifth, giving the lead to the Blue Jays and starting pitcher Kevin Gausman—who sets a team Opening Day record with 11 K’s.

In defeat, Langeliers is responsible for the A’s three hits, two runs and two RBIs, with the rest of the team going 0-for-26. Never before in franchise history has one player collected as many runs, hits and ribbies while the rest of his teammates were shut out in each of those categories.

Two games, two losses and no runs as of yet for the Giants, who are shut down once again by the visiting Yankees, 3-0. It’s the first time in Giants franchise history that they’ve failed to score a run in each of their first two games of a season. All three of New York’s tallies come on home runs in the sixth inning, with a two-run blast from Aaron Judge—followed two batters later with a solo shot from Giancarlo Stanton. On the mound, Cam Schlittler throws 5.1 shutout innings—allowing the Giants’ lone hit on a Heliot Ramos double.

Two days before making his pitching debut with Baltimore, Shane Baz receives a five-year, $68 million extension from the Orioles. The 26-year-old Baz was traded to the Orioles last December from Tampa Bay, where over five years and 54 career starts he produced a 17-17 record and 4.25 ERA.

After 16 years playing for six teams, Jason Heyward announces that he’s stepping down from the game. The New Jersey native wowed fans and experts alike during the spring of 2010, with some even evoking Willie Mays when predicting his ceiling. Such massive expectations failed to materialize; though he was a standout on defense, his hitting game—though starting off promisingly—regressed through time. This imbalance was never more apparent than in 2016, when Heyward won his fifth (and final) Gold Glove in the outfield for the World Series-winning Cubs but was also tagged with our dishonor as the year’s worst NL hitter. Overall, Heyward batted a career .255 on 1,575 hits including 186 home runs.

Saturday, March 28

Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter continues his historic start in Seattle. The 24-year-old’s two-run homer in the 10th isn’t a go-ahead blow, but it provides essential insurance as the Mariners’ rally in the bottom half of the frame falls just short, giving the Guardians a 6-5 victory. DeLauter now has four home runs over his first three MLB games, a feat matched only by Trevor Story in 2016.

Six of the nine hits posted by the Mariners are singles, after having none over each of their first two games—an MLB first. Cal Raleigh’s single in the third—after striking out in each of his first eight at-bats—is the first of the year for Seattle; they had already accumulated three doubles, a triple and six homers. Meanwhile and ironically, the Rays at St. Louis knock out the most singles over the first two games of any season, with 23—adding only one extra-base hit.

The Dodgers Houdini their way to a third straight win to start the year—each one bouncing back from a multi-run deficit, something no MLB team has done since 1999. After trailing Arizona 2-0 through the first five innings, the Dodgers close the Diamondbacks’ margin to one in the sixth on a Freddie Freeman double. Then, in the eighth, it’s Will Smith—celebrating his 31st birthday on a night in which fans receive a bobblehead of him hitting his World Series-winning home run against Toronto—punching out a two-run, two-out homer that will finish the scoring on the night in a 3-2 win.

The good news for the Giants: They score a run. The bad news: It’s only one run, and it’s not enough to ward off a three-game sweep by the visiting Yankees. A third-inning RBI single by Matt Chapman puts San Francisco on the board after failing to score in each of their first 20 frames on the season, but the Yankees prevail 3-1 on a two-run Ben Rice double and Aaron Judge’s second home run in as many days. For Yankees manager Aaron Boone, it’s his 700th career victory.

The Giants’ 20 scoreless innings to start the year ties a franchise record.

Home plate umpire Chad Whitson has seven of his balls-and-strikes calls challenged by both teams. They are all overturned.

Dominic Smith, now employed by his eighth MLB organization over the last four years at Atlanta, becomes the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in his debut with a new team, giving the Braves a 6-2 win over Kansas City. All six Atlanta runs plate in the ninth off Royals closer Carlos Estevez, who led the majors last season in saves; he ends his first appearance saddled with a 162.00 ERA and an ankle contusion after getting hit during the meltdown.

In one of four other games settled in walk-off fashion, the Blue Jays make it two straight wins to begin the year over the Athletics, 8-7 in 11 innings. Dylan Cease’s debut start with Toronto is a beauty, striking out 12 batters over 5.1 innings while allowing a run on three hits; but the Blue Jays bullpen lapses after his departure, particularly in the seventh when five A’s cross the plate (four on Shea Langeliers’ grand slam). The Jays rebound; single runs in the ninth and 10th tie the game, and they score the winner in the 11th on Ernie Clement’s RBI single.

Cease’s 12 K’s, a day after Kevin Gausman racked up 11 strikeouts of his own, make the Blue Jays the first team in MLB history to have their first two starters of the season strike out at least 11.

Sunday, March 29

A day after the Guardians’ Chase DeLauter becomes the third player in major league history to hit home runs in each of his first three career games, the White Sox’ Munetaka Murakami becomes the fourth. At Milwaukee, Murakami’s solo homer in the second inning is his third in as many days; it will be his lone hit of the day, otherwise drawing a walk and striking out three times as the Sox take a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the eighth. But that’s when the Brewers explode for six runs, capped by a go-ahead, three-run shot from Christian Yelich to give Milwaukee a 9-7 win and a three-game sweep of Chicago.

While Murakami is looking to be the real deal so far after three games, another Japanese import getting his first taste of MLB life struggles in his debut. Tatsuya Imai makes his first regular season start for Houston and bombs, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks against the Angels before being lifted with two outs in the third. The Astros, buoyed by a three-run rally in the eighth, will ultimately win the game, 9-7.

Asked about his poor debut afterward, Imai says he was “kind of nervous,” adding that “it’s a different environment from the time I was in Japan.”

The Blue Jays finish off a three-game sweep of the visiting A’s with a 5-2 win—and in the process set an MLB mark for the most pitching strikeouts (50) in the first three games of a season. Toronto starter Eric Lauer whiffs nine through 5.1 innings, with six more K’s notched by four relievers to follow. Offensively, George Springer gets the Blue Jays on the right track with a leadoff homer in the first—the 64th such blast of his career, a total second only to Rickey Henderson.

The 50 strikeouts suffered by the A’s is a franchise nadir for any three-game span in their 126-year history.

Monday, March 30

Justin Verlander makes his 381st start—and first since 2017—for Detroit and produces his 26th lowest pitching score (28) as a Tiger, coughing up five runs on six hits and two walks with just one strikeout over 3.2 innings at Phoenix against the Diamondbacks. Mike Soroka, his opposite number making his first start for his fifth team, throws five shutout innings and sets a DBacks record for a pitcher making his debut with 10 strikeouts. The last three of those occur in the fifth on nine pitches, nine strikes—thus becoming the fourth Arizona pitcher to throw an immaculate inning. The Tigers make a game of it in the seventh inning when they pile six runs on DBacks reliever Joe Ross, but Arizona holds on for a 9-6 victory.

The hot starts continue for both the Washington Nationals and their center fielder, Joey Wiemer. In Philadelphia, the Nationals clobber the Phillies, 13-2—and Wiemer extends his streak of plate appearances reaching base to start the year to 10, tying Carlos Delgado (in 2002) for the longest such recorded run. Weimer’s ninth reach, on an infield single in the first, is given only after he was initially called out; a video review reverses the call. After a clean single in the fourth, Wiemer will end his streak an inning later when he grounds out.

The Yankees suffer their first loss thanks to Cal Raleigh, last year’s 60-homer man off to an atrocious start for Seattle before he strokes a game-winning RBI single in the ninth to give the Mariners a 2-1 win. Before his walk-off hit, Raleigh was 2-for-16 (both singles) with 11 strikeouts.

Toronto pitcher Cody Ponce, making his first MLB appearance in five years after reinventing himself in the Far East, suffers what appears to be a major injury while chasing down a ground ball in a 14-5 home defeat to Colorado, the Blue Jays’ first loss of the season. Ponce steps awkwardly on the Rogers Centre turf in the third inning and collapses to the ground in serious pain, before being carted off the field. The Blue Jays will later say his injury is a hyperextended knee, but an MRI will be taken to see if the damage is more severe. In his outing, Ponce—who last season went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA with Korea’s Hanwha Eagles—allows a run on a hit and walk over 2.1 innings, with three strikeouts.

Two players you’ve likely never heard of—unless you’re deep in the weeds of major league prospects—sign eight-year extensions despite never having played an MLB regular season game. The Brewers give a $50.75 million gift to shortstop Cooper Pratt, who’s just played his first three games at the Triple-A level; though his offense (career minor league .730 OPS) is still a work progress, the Brewers are in love with his defense. Later, the Mariners will reward Colt Emerson, their potential shortstop of the future, with an eight-year pact totaling $95 million. The 20-year-old Emerson, Seattle’s first round pick in the 2023 draft, has a more promising bat with an .843 OPS over 227 minor league games to date; he’s currently at Triple-A Tacoma.

Tuesday, March 31

Shohei Ohtani makes his first start of the year on the mound and pitches like his usual Hall-of-Fame self, allowing just one hit (a fourth-inning double from Rhys Hoskins) and three walks with six strikeouts over six shutout innings as the Dodgers roll to a 4-1 home win over Cleveland. At the plate, Ohtani singles and walks twice, but does not figure in any of the Dodgers’ scoring.

According to stat hawk Sarah Langs, Ohtani currently owns MLB’s longest streak of games reaching base (36) and its longest string of consecutive scoreless innings (22.2).

Say the name Jose Fernandez before yesterday and the average baseball fan will think of the Miami ace tragically killed in a boating accident in 2016. Say the name 24 hours later, and that fan might be thinking of the Arizona third baseman who, in his first major league game, slams two home runs—including a three-run shot to cap a six-run eighth and send the Diamondbacks to a come-from-behind, 7-5 victory over the visiting Tigers. The 22-year-old Venezuelan native is the eighth major league player—and the second this year (after the Guardians’ Chase DeLauter) to go deep twice in his MLB debut. His four RBIs and three hits (adding a single to his two homers) establish team records for a debut, the latter mark shared with Travis Lee in the DBacks’ very first game in 1998.

For the first time since August 2, 2023, two-time All-Star pitcher Shane McClanahan takes the mound for Tampa Bay and allows a pair of runs on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings in the Rays’ 6-2 loss at Milwaukee. A Tommy John surgery late in 2023, and nerve issues last season, had kept McClanahan out for two-plus years. The Rays are just hoping that he can stay in one piece for an entire season.

The game is marred by another awful call from umpire CB Bucknor, who declares the Brewers’ Jake Bauers out at first despite a wild throw past the bag—because he didn’t touch the base. Replays confirm that not only did Bauers firmly plant his foot on the bag, but that Bucknor wasn’t even watching. Bucknor, who missed 26 balls-and-strikes calls in his last appearance behind the plate, is a part of a union that protects veteran umpires and does not demote them for bad performance. This needs to change.

Speaking of bad umpiring, it happens again; nobody on the field can astonishingly keep track of a simple count. In Houston. The Astros’ Cam Smith swings and misses at the first three pitches from Boston’s Brayan Bello, but nobody says anything—not the umpires, not the pitcher, his manager (Alex Cora), the fielders, not even the broadcasters in the booth. (Houston manager Joe Espada knows, but he’s not saying anything.) Part of the confusion may stem from a stolen base attempt in the middle of Smith’s swing-and-miss sequence that ends in a wild throw/error, perhaps leading to a loss of focus on the count. Smith will go on to walk; the missed strike out will not affect the result, as the Astros, leading 6-1 at the time, breeze to a 9-2 victory over the Red Sox.