The star outfielder for the Atlanta Braves continued to do his home country proud in the World Baseball Classic. Ronald Acuña Jr. delivered another good performance for Venezuela as his performance essentially pushed them over the top in a win that primes them for a massive clash against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

As usual, Acuña led off for Venezuela in this one and as usual (when he’s healthy and feeling confident), he wreaked havoc upon the basepaths once he did reach. He got on with a walk, stole second base and then made it to third base on the play after catcher Ronald Rivera sent a wayward throw into the outfield. Jackson Chourio brought Acuña home on a sacrifice fly and that put a capper on a tone-setter of a trip around the basepaths for Acuña to start things off.

Acuña returned to the dish in the third inning and by that point, Nicaragua starter Danilo Bermudez had sat down eight Venezuela batters in a row. He was unable to make it nine because he served up a hanger in the middle of the zone for Acuña and the leadoff man for Venezuela and the Braves made no mistake with it. He crushed into the seats in right-center (a familiar sight for baseball fans in Miami) for a solo shot that put some breathing room in between Venezuela and Nicaragua. Venezuela had two baserunners and two runs at that point and both were thanks to Ronald Acuña Jr.

He wasn’t done there, either. Once the fifth inning rolled around, Acuña actually came to the plate with runners on base and two outs on the board. Duque Hebbert tried to fool him with a changeup but instead, Acuña smacked it into left-center field for another RBI in order to make it 3-0 Venezuela. For the kids keeping track at home, every run that Venezuela had scored at that point had Acuña involved with it in some way, shape or form. It’s the type of performance that us fans here in Braves Country are used to seeing and now he was doing it for his home country on the world stage.

Acuña added another single in seventh inning to make it a 3-for-3 day at the plate with a walk, a stolen base, two runs scored, two RBI and a home run as well. Again, baseball fans in Miami are very likely used to seeing this type of performance from Acuña and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of that once the Braves make it down there to South Florida for a regular season contest.

Acuña’s performance helped power Venezuela to a comfortable win over Nicaragua. They didn’t need to win the game since earlier results had ensured that they’d be leaving the group but now they’ve ensured that their matchup against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday will be a showdown to decide who wins Pool D. The building formerly known as Marlins Park is going to be packed to the rafters for that one and it’ll be very exciting to see how Acuña and the rest of this Venezuela squad fares against one of the real tournament favorites with quarterfinal seeding on the line.

It’ll all get started at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday night on Fox Sports 1, in case you’re interested in tuning in to see these two mammoths clash.

Whatever you think of the World Baseball Classic, it provides a stage for some of the top players in the world to shine. Sometimes you get a 17-year-old kid inducing Aaron Judge to hit into a double play, and sometimes you get one of the best players in the world making ridiculous plays.

We saw the latter tonight when Bobby Witt Jr. pulled off an acrobatic feat against Mexico. World Series star Alejandro Kirk laced a liner to deep short that looked like a sure hit. Bobby dove and speared the ball on one hop, then fired a one-hopper from his knees to first base to record the out.

But he wasn’t done! An inning later, Nick Gonzales sent a grounder to deep short. Bobby didn’t even have to dive for this one, he made it look easy firing that laser to first to get the out.

Even the star across the parking lot was impressed.

We all knew Bobby was a Gold Glover in Kansas City, but it’s cool the world gets to see it too.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockies fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The World Baseball Classic is in full swing, and the Rockies have a number of players on a variety of rosters. Some have performed well while others have struggled… but that’s baseball!

Tonight, we’d like to know your thoughts on the WBC so far. Who has performed well, and who do you think will win? Let us know!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Look. It’s spring training. I’m not going to get too wound up in the final score. There was some really good tonight and some really blah tonight. On the positive side of the ledger, just-announced Opening Day starter Max Fried looked like an ace on the mound, mixing his repertoire and flummoxing Pirates hitters. Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton was doing his usual, smashing baseballs at preternatural speeds.

Less positively, “let’s get Rockies relievers for our bullpen” is looking like a sketchy proposition, with a couple former Coloradans struggling versus Pittsburgh hitters in a 5-3 loss. But at the end of the day, Fried looked great, Stanton’s swinging a big stick, and the club got out of tonight healthy. That’s its own kind of win in my book.

Fried picked up right where he left off against Panama last week. Three Pirates came to the dish in the opening stanza, including super-prospect Konnor Griffin. All sat right back down. Fried punctuated the inning with a swinging strikeout of former first overall pick Henry Davis, the first of six on the night.

Former Houston Astro José Urquidy took the mound for Pittsburgh and, unfortunately, matched Fried. I hold grudges, so out of sheer spite, I would have liked to hang 10 runs on Urquidy in the first.

Fried ran his scoreless spring streak to five innings when he stepped back on the mound in the second. Two more strikeouts highlighted the frame, led by an ABS overturn that sent former Baby Bomber Rafael Flores, Jr. back to the Pirates dugout with his bat on his shoulder.

Big G got the Yankees on board in the home second. And it was Vintage Stanton. Giancarlo absolutely murdered an Urquidy offering: 109.5 mph off the bat, 424 feet to left center field. Watch and enjoy:

Sadly, the Pirates managed a base hit in the top of the third. No spring training no-no for Maximum Fried and the Yankees. I guess the good news was, as Todd Frazier pointed out in the YES booth, it gave Fried a chance to pitch out of the stretch after having been exclusively in the windup for the first two innings.

Veteran infielder Paul DeJong, leading off the Yankee third, followed in Stanton’s footsteps. He got a fastball out over the plate from Urquidy and drove it to left field. The only question was whether it would stay fair. It did, and it was 2-0, New York. Later in the inning, with Trent Grisham standing on second and two out, Cody Bellinger took Urquidy to deep right-center field. That double scored Grish and extended the lead to three runs.

With his pitch count in outstanding shape (40 pitches through three), Fried came back out for the fourth. Two more whiffs and a groundball sent him back to the dugout with about 10 pitches left in his bag – skipper Aaron Boone revealed in-game the goal was to have Fried throw 65.

The Pirates got on the board with Fried at the end of his rope in the fifth. On Fried’s 62nd pitch of the night, Endy Rodriguez got ahold of a mistake and hit it just far enough to send one up and out to left field. Boone left him out to face the next hitter, but once Fried’s pitch count hit 67, Boone bounded out of the dugout to come get his ace.

All told, it was an excellent outing from Fried, who threw seven different pitches on his way to striking out six Buccos while handing out nary a free pass.

Jake Bird was the next man up for the Yanks. Following the disastrous beginning to his Yankees tenure after the club acquired him from Colorado last summer, all positive signs from Bird are encouraged. Unfortunately, there were not many of those tonight. Bird handed out another walk. Along with a catcher’s interference, that loaded the bases for Griffin. Bird then missed over the plate with a 1-2 sweeper that Pittsburgh’s next great star promptly drove into left field, scoring two runs, tying the game, and ending Bird’s outing.

Another former Rockie followed Bird into the game. Angel Chivilli inherited runners on second and third with two out. It was dicey at points but ultimately, he was more successful than his predecessor and got the Yankees out of the inning. He was not so lucky in the sixth. A pair of singles and some good situational baseball allowed the Pirates to eke a fourth run across and take the lead. To Chivilli’s credit though, he limited the damage and got back to the dugout only down one.

The Yankee bats had been quiet since Urquidy departed. But in the bottom of the sixth, Stanton crushed another baseball. This one was merely a single to left field, but it was a 115.3-mph single to left. There is only one Giancarlo Stanton.

Osvaldo Bido, who the Yankees claimed off waivers from the Angels in early February, came in for the seventh and looked good, striking out a pair of Pirates hitters in a scoreless frame.

Southpaw Kyle Carr, the Yanks’ 13th-ranked prospect, came in to pitch the eighth. Unfortunately, some control problems led to a pair of two-out walks. And everyone knows those often come around to haunt the pitcher who hands them out. Shawn Ross doubled in the fifth Pirates run of the game.

Some shoddy Pittsburgh defense in the home eighth gave the Yankees a window to come back. After a one-out walk, Pirates reliever Yohan Ramirez threw a ball into center field trying to get an ill-advised force out at second base. Instead, the Yanks had runners on the corners. Alas, that was as close as they’d get. Carr tossed a clean ninth for the Bombers but the bats were—as they’d been all night since Urquidy left—unable to make a dent in the Pirates. Yankees lost, 5-3.

At least Aaron Judge had a very nice day for Team USA.

Join us tomorrow as the Yankees hit the road to play Philadelphia. Luis Gil gets the start for New York against Tanner Banks. First pitch is 1:05 pm EDT.

Box Score

The Mets blanked the Marlins 9-0 this evening thanks to a pair of four-run innings in the first and sixth.

• Lefty Zach Thornton looked sharp, tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts to get things started for the Mets.
• He was provided with plenty of run support, as the Mets put up a four-run first inning in which Tyrone Taylor and Ryan Clifford each contributed RBI doubles.
• The Mets added a run in the second on an RBI triple by Carson Benge. Benge also had a two-RBI single in the sixth, taking a 3-2 pitch the other way with the bases loaded. The Mets put up another crooked number in that frame to extend their lead to 9-0.
• Devin Williams’ airbender was working, as he fanned two in a hitless inning of work in the fifth.
• The Marlins loaded the bases a couple of times, but failed to score. Craig Kimbrel, Ofreidy Gómez, Matt Turner, Channing Austin, and Brian Metoyer each pitched a scoreless inning.

The Mets will be back at it tomorrow at Clover Park, facing off against the Cardinals at 1:10pm EDT.

Kade Anderson’s fastball is neither fast nor shapely, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. 

Anderson’s first two outings this Spring have been somewhat controversial. He’s earned rave reviews from the Mariners and the media, but the underlying data has lagged behind. Public “stuff” models are somewhat skeptical of his arsenal, and his vaunted fastball appears especially disappointing. Here’s a snapshot from Thomas Nestico, whose website I highly recommend for exploring pitching data: 

Stuff+ is statement on the physical properties of a pitch, where 100 is average and higher is better. It takes a bunch of data points—velocity, spin, movement, etc.—and estimates the effect of those characteristics on performance. In broad strokes, it works very well, and there’s a reason both public-facing analysts and teams invest in these models. Andrés Muñoz is the Mariners all-time leader in Stuff+, if that helps paint the picture. 

Anderson’s fastball so far grades at 91 by tjStuff+, Nestico’s version of the model. (I’m not picking on Nestico here. His just happens to be one of the few models available for Spring, and again, I really enjoy playing around in his website.) For reference, that’s about 10% below league average and would be one of the lesser four-seam grades in MLB. He’s only thrown 28 fastballs—another element of this discourse to keep in mind—but we can see why the models are unimpressed: it’s not very fast. His average four-seamer of 93.4 mph would be below average by MLB standards, and you don’t need fancy statistics to tell you more velocity is good.

The “shape” (or vertical and horizontal movement) of the pitch is also not unique. Great fastballs come in all shapes and sizes, and nothing about Anderson’s movement profile prevents it from being a highly effective pitch. But his fastball doesn’t exhibit the traditional top-rail four-seamer rise to coax whiffs at the letters, nor the bowling ball quasi-sinker that can plop down in the zone. From the perspective of these models, it’s just kind of… generic. 

Again, none of this is disqualifying. Plenty of great pitchers have a lesser, nondescript fastball—some pitchers don’t even throw a fastball. But the concern here is Anderson was billed as having a remarkable fastball. FanGraphs, for instance, gave it a 70 grade on the traditional scouting scale. That’s hard to square with what we’re seeing in these models, even in small samples. If the fastball has indeed been overstated, it’s possible there’s some limit to his projection.

But as Nestico or anyone else developing these models will tell you: stuff isn’t everything. It doesn’t capture location, tunneling, and other matters of deception. As Brendan Gawloski noted in his report for FanGraphs, that’s a big part of what makes Anderson’s fastball an elite pitch:

His fastball sits 92-95 mph with vertical ride, and it plays up because his loose arm action hides it until the very last moment. It generated a whopping 35% miss rate in 2025. The way his fastball plays means Anderson’s command of it doesn’t have to be precise; it rides enough to evade barrels in the strike zone. 

Jerry Dipoto offered a similar account when Kate Preusser asked him about it on Sunday. Anderson’s delivery naturally hides the ball from the batter until the last moment, Dipoto said. He throws from an unusually high arm slot for a lefty, while still getting solid extension down the mound. It’s just not a “look” batters see very often. Public models can’t capture that, Dipoto said.

And it’s not just Dipoto saying it. Mariners’ hitters have reported issues picking up the pitch in practice.

“It’s got some teeth on it,” Ryan Bliss said. “It’s spinny, it’s sneaky. It’s 93-94, but it feels like it’s 96-97. And he will throw it any time, he’ll throw any of his pitches any time for strikes, so you don’t know what’s coming. It’s an uncomfortable at-bat.”

And look, I’m not going to tell you that I, sitting here in my office, in my sweats, mustard still staining my fingers from lunch, can “see” even the weakest professional fastball. But yeah, I get how this pitch might appear out of nowhere from the perspective of a batter.

The other thing stuff models don’t capture? Arsenals. In addition to the fastball, Anderson throws a slider, changeup and curveball. Each of these pitches grades a more favorably by stuff models, and each gets the same boost from his deceptive arm action. This is one thing we (and by we I mean people much smarter than me) are starting to model publicly, and it does appear to be a big factor in whether a pitch or pitcher is effective. When Anderson releases the ball, batters might expect the incoming pitch to move at four different speeds and in four different directions. They can’t cheat and sit on any one offering, and because of his hocus-pocus delivery, they can’t afford not to cheat. It’s a blender of deception that helps his velocity play up.

…. in theory. We have yet to see the sum of this deception in games that count. We have data telling us one thing, and we have the Mariners telling us another. That’s why there’s dissonance. But while I normally wouldn’t put stock in typical Spring Training chatter from the team, I certainly value action. And the Mariners, somewhat literally, put $8.8 million where their mouth is when they drafted him. That’s worth something, as Justin Hollander pointed out Monday.

“If the Seattle Mariners draft him third overall in the country, you can bet our models like him,” Hollander said.

That’s the strongest point in favor of Anderson’s fastball, in my opinion. To be clear, Kumar Rocker, Max Meyer, and Ian Anderson were also drafted third overall within the last decade, so it’s not quite ipso facto in the way Hollander asserts. But the Mariners are indeed a top five collection of pitching thinkers across the league, and (I’d argue) the best organization at knowing who to draft. They’re aware of the models, and they invested anyways. 

This level of scrutiny isn’t entirely fair to Anderson. He is still a prospect after all and has yet to make a professional appearance outside these exhibitions. His stuff is not defined by 64 pitches in any setting, and a few outings while ramping up for the season aren’t representative of his current abilities. Regardless, he’s sure to get better with experience, whether we can measure it or not.

Still, the scrutiny isn’t quite misplaced. The hype heaped on Anderson has been pushed to rare levels, and the emphasis of the narrative is how fast he’s expected to move through the minors. The Mariners are trying to win a World Series this year, and there are legitimate questions about the depth of their rotation. It’s fair to wonder whether the team is serious about accelerating him, and whether he is ready for the jump. Is he now the sixth starter? Seventh? Eighth? I’m not sure. But my sense is Anderson, much like his fastball, will sneak up on us quick.

The Diamondbacks are 7-5, fourth in the Cactus League, and still only the third best NL West team in the league. Preview of what’s to come?

James: While I never consider Cactus League indicative of anything remotely accurate to the regular season, I do still think AZ finishes 2026 in a battle for third or fourth.

Wesley: There’s very little correlation between a team’s performance in spring training and how they ultimately do in the regular season, although I also wouldn’t be surprised if they finish third or fourth anyway. I am actually somewhat encouraged by the performance of some of our young hitters. Seeing Jordan Lawlar, Tommy Troy, Ryan Waldschmidt, and Alek Thomas hit the cover off the ball this Spring should be a sign of encouragement, but it has to be taken with a massive grain of salt especially with Thomas and Lawlar’s previous offensive struggles.

Makakilo:  The manager and coaches are looking at things that don’t show up in the box score, such as player skills, poise, and confidence.  Three thoughts follow:

• In the first 11 games, the offense scored an average of 6.5 runs per game.  That encourages me to predict above average offense. 
• With four infielders who are excellent defenders (Arenado, Perdomo, Marte, and Santana) now playing WBC games, runs allowed are not predictive of the regular season.
• Thru Saturday the 5-inning win-loss record would be 4-10-1, which is worse than their full-game win-loss record of 7-8.  Nevertheless, my view is that 81 regular-season wins is the floor for the Diamondbacks.

Spencer: They keep a record of Cactus League results?

1AZfan1: Ha Spencer wins

How’s the unexpected fifth starter competition going? Any standouts to you so far? If the season started tomorrow, who gets the nod?

James: This is sort of a trick question for me. If Merrill Kelly is healthy enough to not miss more than the first run through the rotation, I don’t see much of a competition for fifth starter. Michael Soroka was never a serious rotation candidate, despite the narrative around his initial signing. If Soroka is in the rotation, someone is hurt long-term. That would be bad.

Wesley: I’m with James on this, it really depends on how many starts Merrill Kelly is likely to miss. Soroka has stood out to me for the wrong reasons, as he’s been awful so far this spring.

Spencer: Sadly I agree here. I think unlike with The Bum and The Full Monty, Rodriguez is guaranteed a rotation spot because he was actually a Hazen target and signing not a Kendrick splurge. I personally would rather have Soroka in there but he’s headed to the bullpen most likely. I think the only way that changes is if Pfaadt has a rough go and they choose to stash him in Reno for some reason. I put that option at 10% likelihood. 

1AZfan1: Concur with the consensus. Soroka will be the odd man out if Kelly is healthy enough to start the year on the active roster.

Makakilo:  The following is good news about Kelly:

“But, after throwing 26 pitches Thursday and feeling no discomfort Friday, Kelly may very well be able to open the season on the active roster and pitch at the backend of the rotation.”  – Steve Gilbert, 6 March

On the flip side, who gets the ball on Opening Day 12 games in?

James: Unless Ryne Nelson turns into Brandon Webb between now and just under three weeks from now, the answer is Zac Gallen. It shouldn’t even really be a debate.

Wesley: Ryne Nelson has actually been better than his already solid performance this spring, but James is right, Gallen is the obvious answer here.

Makakilo:  Last season, Ryne Nelson pitched better than Gallen (ERA 3.39 vs 4.83, FIP 3.73 vs 4.50).  Therefore, Ryne Nelson is my choice.

Spencer: The concept that Opening Day Starter means something still confuses me. Whomever is ready and looks good will start. We play in LA. You can basically pencil in a loss already. So ERod or Pfaadt gets my vote. 

1AZfan1: Nelson deserves it. He’s been our best starter for the past year and a half. Opening Day starter is largely ceremonial in my mind, so I could see the argument for Gallen getting the ball as he’s been the guy for the past 3 years. Torey has a valid excuse to delay Gallen’s start to the home-opening series, though. If this isn’t Nelly’s perfect opportunity (late start for Gallen and Kelly injury setback) then I don’t know what is.

Jurkison Profar will be serving his second PED suspension in 2 years. Is that a sign the program is working? Or do you feel it’s a sign that even more is happening we can’t see?

James: In this particular case, both. Overall, I think the system works as-is. While the system is far from perfect, it has the sort of teeth that clearly have had an effect. 

Wesley: I think there’s a very real issue with medication/supplement labeling in Caribbean and Latin-American countries. There’s also the real issue of tainted/adulterated supplements being sold online as well. While I don’t think that either is applicable in Profar’s case, both are very real issues not being discussed, and MLB really needs to do a better job educating young players on “Maybe don’t take that sketchy supplement from a pharmacy back home”  and “Don’t order cheap bulk supplements from a sketchy online retailer.”

Makakilo:  There is reason to believe the program is working to reduce PEDs.  Looking at this Wikipedia Website, suspensions of MLB players and former MLB players dropped from about 10 per year in 2020 to 2022, to about 6 per year in 2023-2025, with 3 so far in 2026.  

An interesting point is that Profar had nothing to gain financially from using PEDs.  His high-paying contract was good thru the 2027 season.  That would be his age 34 season, which might have been his last season before retirement (and now it looks likely to be his last season before retirement).

Profar’s reaction after his first suspension (assuming it was unintentional per his statement at the time) should have been to consistently guard (and document) his intake of foods, vitamin supplements, and medicine to for-sure avoid a second suspension.  Some people might have avoided anything that might have a risk, even if it hurt their health.  And yet he is facing a second suspension. Why?

Spencer: Working. The league is actually testing people and following through on punishment. The list of PED users this decade is laughable. And Tatis showed a new generation just how good PEDs can make a player. Profar has proven how stupid players can be… 

1AZfan1: I think that’s a really interesting point brought up by Wesley. Something worth looking into further for sure. General rule of thumb is that programs like these don’t catch every rule-breaker, but I still speculate that the program is working overall, though.

What’s your favorite Spring Training park?

James: Trick question. While I am torn between Scottsdale Stadium and SRF for favorite venue, my favorite place to attend an actual game is Tempe Diablo. If one arrives early to the game, there are shaded tables situated along the outfield concourse with individual seats. The view is great. Sitting in those seats allows stretching out. The shade is a massive boon. Also, the be girl is 8-10 feet away. My mattress and I regularly have purchased premium seats to enjoy the game (in case we couldn’t get one of those tables). We then don’t feel bad if we monopolize one of those tables for the duration. Without that loophole, Tempe Diablo needs a serious updating.

Wesley: The two spring training parks I’ve been to no longer host spring training games, ie Hi Corbett Field and Kino Ballpark. I can’t really answer the question honestly.

Makakilo:  I, like Wesley, have been to games at Hi Corbett Field and Kino Ballpark. Also, many years ago, I went to Surprise Arizona.  Because Surprise was a delightful adventure, and because spring training games happen there this season, my choice is Surprise Stadium. 

Spencer: I have no idea what parks I attended as a kid living in Phoenix. So I’ll just say Peoria because it’s the only one I’m confident I went to. As I recall, most Spring Parks are nicer than Chase, but lackluster compared to most AAA/MLB parks around the country. I’m also told this has been changing since I left AZ in 2012. 

Justin: Same as Wes. I think of the two, I preferred Hi Corbett. It’s an older ballpark, so maybe the old timey nostalgia feel. When the Sidewinders were still here, I would go to several games over the summer (yay living at my parents house still…) at Kino, versus maybe 1 game at Hi Corbett so that might add to it.
1AZfan1: I’ve only been to one Spring game in the past 20 or so years and that one trip to Salt River Fields was very nice. Baseball is generally a nostalgic pastime, though, so with that in mind, my absolute favorite Spring Training memory occurred at Peoria Sports Complex. I was thrilled to see my all-time favorite player, Ken Griffey Jr., launch a moonball to the top of the berm in right field in his first AB of the game. I was the happiest kid alive that day – except for maybe the kid who got that Griffey home run ball. So I’ll go with Peoria as my fave.

New San Francisco Giants second baseman has read your (our) criticism of his lack of power and he decided to take it out on the beleaguered pitchers of Team Israel. Luis Arraez went 4-for-5 with four runs, five RBIs, two doubles and two big home runs as Venezuela defeated Israel Saturday night, 11-3. at loanDepot Park (It’s a lowercase “L” because the Marlins are the worst).

Arraez got scoring started in the first inning with an RBI double, a play that didn’t make new Giants center fielder Harrison Bader look great as he utilized what looked like a pilates move in his attempt to catch the line drive.

Arraez went deep for the first time in the bottom of the fifth off of New York Mets reliever Jordan Geber, he of 6.2 career major league innings pitched.

In the bottom of the sixth, Venezuela had a 7-2 lead and two runners on when Israel brought in left-handed reliever Ryan Kaminsky to shut down the Reggie Jackson of the World Baseball Classic. Arraez said “Nacht gut!” and sent 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall.

Arraez added another double in the eighth and came around to score. That almost capped the scoring, but Bader proved the Giants may have one of the most powerful lineups in the world by hitting a 397-foot home run in the top of the ninth.

Look, maybe Arraez has only hit 16 home runs in the last three seasons, when he hasn’t slugged over .400, despite winning a batting title in 2024. But if this tournament is any indication, Arraez is poised for a power breakthrough, as long as he can solely face marginal Israeli one-inning relievers.

Israel! Venenzuela! They’re all about power now, and not just the United States imperial overreach kind!

No matter how the 2026 season ends up going, we’ll always have the fourth inning of a who-cares Spring Training game on March 9.

The White Sox steamrolled Colorado, 12-3, on the wings of a ridiculous 11-run outburst in the fourth inning.

In the words of White Sox beat writer and witness to the massacre Scott Merkin, who in a quarter-century of coverage may never have witnessed an 11-run inning in Spring Training, and certainly not one accomplished without making an out:

The White Sox social media account certainly acted like this was commonplace:

Here’s the blow-by-blow of the miraculous inning:

Oliver Dunn led off with a triple. Drew Romo singled to center field, sending Dunn home. William Bergolla Jr. singled Romo to third, taking second on the throw trying to get Romo. Chase Meidroth tripled to deep right-center field, scoring both Bergolla and Romo. Braden Montgomery singled, sending Meidroth home. Andrew Benintendi singled Montgomery to third, followed by an Austin Hays single to right-center that pushed Benny to second and plating Montgomery.

That seems like a lot, right? The five runs without a single batter retired made the score 6-0, White Sox. But wait — there’s more!

LaMonte Wade Jr. singled to pack the sacks, and then Tristan Peters walked, pushing Benintendi home.

Yes, the White Sox batted around without making an out!

Dunn was back with more power, this time via an RBI single that would keep the bases loaded. After homering in the second and with two hits this frame, Dunn was a double away from the cycle — with nobody out in the bottom of the fourth!

Romo tripled — the third three-bagger of the inning — and sent three players across home plate. Finally, Bergolla grounded out, but still drove Romo in. For those not keeping count, the White Sox had 10 hits in a row, one walk, and three triples before the Rockies recorded a single out.

While this game was all about the bats, the pitching was impressive as well, holding Colorado to three late runs, at a point when the regular lineup was probably having a pizza party in the clubhouse for putting up 12 runs in its first 12 outs.

Starter Jedixson Paez pitched for two innings, only allowing one hit and striking out two. The outing was key, both in that it allowed Paez to bounce back from a six-run disaster his last time out, and perhaps give the White Sox more reason to keep the Rule 5 hurler into the season.

Mike Vasil, who’d also struggled a bit this spring, took over on the in the third inning and allowed one hit, two walks, and a strikeout over three innings. While the pitching was mostly positive today, the real story comes in the fourth inning.

Brandon Eisert came on after that and threw another scoreless outing, two innings with two hits, a walk and a K.

The Rockies attempted a comeback in the eighth when Drew Avans doubled to left field, allowing Roldy Brito to score. They also loaded the bases when Robert Calaz walked, allowing Avans to score. They also had a solo run in the ninth from Roc Riggio, but that was all they could muster.

While the Rockies managed seven hits, it wouldn’t be a match for the 16 White Sox hits.

In other White Sox news: Seranthony Domínguez helped secure a win for the Dominican Republic, knocking out Israel in a 10-1 win.