Following a tradition he started in 2018, Diaz entered the field from the outfield bullpen, then headed to the pitcher’s mound to the sound of trumpets as his walk-out song "Narco" played over the stadium speakers. Diaz struck out two batters to close out the 5-4 win.
For the past three years, he did it at Citi Field as a member of the New York Mets. On March 27, he unveiled the walk-out ritual at Dodger Stadium.
Diaz told reporters in December he was looking forward to the moment after signing a three-year, $69 million contract with the Dodgers.
“It would be fun,’’ Diaz said at the time. “I think that music will get into the fans right away. That's a nice walk-up song, so I can't wait to, first game of the season, come in the ninth with Timmy Trumpet and get the W for the Dodgers."
The sound of trumpets almost always signals a triumphant moment. Diaz, the 32-year-old from Puerto, has recorded 253 saves in his nine-year MLB career, He also was named the American League Reliever of the year in 2018 and the National Reliever of the Year in 2022 and 2025.
Diaz started using Narco as his walk-out song in 2018. At the time, he was pitching for the Mariners, which provided a few options, according to MLB.com.
Why did he pick the song?
"The trumpets," Díaz told Matt Monagan of MLB.com in 2022. "The trumpets were unique. Something different from what everybody uses. That's why I picked it."
Released in 2017, the hit song is by Blasterjaxx, Dutch DJ and record production duo, and Timmy Trumpet, an Australian DJ/producer.
Upon joining the Mets in 2019, Diaz started using “No Hay Limite’’ as his walk-out song. But he went back to “Narco’’ in 2020 and has remained faithful to the trumpets ever since.
Los Angeles, CA - March 26: Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches his RBI double as teammate Shohei Ohtani (not pictured) scores against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the seventh inning of an opening day baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
After the pomp and circumstance that came from the Dodgers’ second consecutive ring night, the Dodgers had a close affair on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, pulling away late to win 5-4.
Emmet Sheehan made his first start of the season, and he made quick work of the first three Arizona hitters by striking out the side in order. The final one of the inning was initially called a ball, but Will Smith issued a challenge and the Dodgers won their first ABS challenge in team history.
Arizona began the top of the second inning by putting their first two hitters on base via a single from Gabriel Moreno and a walk to Pavin Smith. Sheehan managed to strike out Nolan Arenado and get Carlos Santana to fly out, but Alek Thomas got the Diamondbacks in front early with an RBI double that could’ve scored two, but a great relay from Kyle Tucker and Alex Freeland caught Smith at the plate. Arizona padded their lead to two as Ketel Marte launched a line drive home run to right field in the top of the third inning on a 3-0 fastball from Sheehan.
Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson was one out away from keeping the Dodgers at bay over the first time through the lineup, but Alex Freeland got one of the two runs back with a towering home run to right field— a little thank you to Dave Roberts for adding him to the opening day roster. Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker both walked against Nelson to put the potential tying and go-ahead runners on base, and Mookie Betts, who homered twice on ring night last year, crushed a go-ahead three-run home run to right-center field to give the Dodgers their third four-run inning over their first 11 innings on offense.
Sheehan struggled again in his second time facing the bottom half of Arizona’s lineup, as he allowed his second walk to Smith and a double to Carlos Santana to put the tying run in scoring position. Sheehan was pulled after tossing 83 pitches over just 3 1/3 innings of work, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six. Jack Dreyer came in relief of Sheehan, and Thomas once again made the Dodgers pay with his second double of the night, this time driving in two and tying the game, but Thomas overran the third base bag going for a triple and was tagged out.
Arizona threatened to retake the lead in the top of the sixth inning, as Ben Casparius allowed two baserunners while recording just two outs in the top of the sixth inning. Dave Roberts went to Tanner Scott for the second day in a row, needing him to put away Thomas with the go-ahead run at second base. The gamble paid off, and Scott struck him out to get the Dodgers out of the jam.
Both Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henríquez tossed a scoreless inning as the bullpen kept the Diamondbacks off the board after the second double from Thomas. The Dodgers couldn’t supply anything offensively after the home run from Betts, going hitless over their next 14 at-bats against Nelson and the Arizona bullpen. Freeland snapped the hitless skid to begin the bottom of the eighth inning with a ringing double to the right-center field gap. Ohtani moved him over to third on a groundout, and Tucker lined a ball into right field past a drawn in infield to put the Dodgers back on top by a run.
This set up the perfect opportunity for Edwin Díaz to make his Dodger debut, and emerged from the left field bullpen to the blaring sounds of “Narco” by Timmy Trumpet for the first time at his new home. Díaz put the tying run on base, but struck out two and tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his first save as a Dodger and help his new squad take the series from Arizona.
The Dodgers last season started the year 8-0. They are a quarter of the way there this time around.
Game particulars
Home runs— Ketel Marte (1); Alex Freeland (1), Mookie Betts (1)
The Dodgers wrap things up against Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday before an off-day on Sunday, with a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians beginning the following day. Tyler Glasnow makes his first start of the season against left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 27: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after hitting a home run on a fly ball to right center field during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 27, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Maddy Grassy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Can’t win them all, I suppose. Although, tonight was a frustrating game in the fashion of the summer 2025 Guardians. Gavin Williams took the mound this evening and really struggled to find the zone. He threw a measly 31% of his pitches in the strike zone, per Statcast. The good news is he generated 15 whiffs! His stuff also looked fantastic across the board, just would’ve been nice if said stuff could’ve been located in that lovely white box that appears on the television. Gavin’s sweeper, especially, looked fantastic tonight. He seems to have tweaked that pitch this offseason, and is now more consistently throwing it east-west.
Some more good news as Chase DeLauter homered AGAIN in his first at-bat tonight, an almost exact replica of his first home run in the opening night game.
Per MLB researcher Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports on X), DeLauter is the third player since (at least) 1900 to record 3 home runs in their first two career regular season games. The most recent player was Trevor Story in 2016.
Anyway, Gavin’s command struggles eventually came back to bite him when he surrendered a 3-run homer to Cole Young (native Clevelander, of course) in the fourth.
Speaking of struggles, the Guardians loaded the bases in the top of the 5th with only 1 out. Hoskins and Naylor walked, and Rocchio was hit by a pitch. Kwan stepped to the plate, weakly flew out to left and, well, if you didn’t watch it live, I’ll let you watch it now.
The Guardians offense was much less fun to watch than it was last night, unfortunately. All good things must come to an end.
DeLauter did have a weird play in the field in the 3rd. Leo Rivas hit a fly ball near the foul line in right, DeLauter seemed to have caught it in his glove, but then dropped it right after. Rivas was awarded a triple.
Newly minted Guardians reliever Colin Holderman came into the game in the 6th and promptly gave up a 2-run homer. Oops!
Another newly minted Guardians reliever Peyton Pallette (Rule 5 pick from the White Sox) made his Guardians debut today, and it went far better than Holderman’s. Pitched 2 innings, struck out 2 (Donovan and Raleigh). Got both strikeouts in his first inning, and did surrender some hard contact in his second, but did not give up a hit. His stuff looked fantastic, per Thomas Nestico (@TJStats on X)
He seems to have spontaneously added almost 5 inches of ride on his fastball in his debut, which resulted in that stellar 114 stuff+ rating.
Anyway, the Guardians look to take the series lead tomorrow night with Cantillo on the mound. It’ll be Bryan Woo for the Mariners.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Ty France #4 of the San Diego Padres tosses his bat after striking out to end the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on March 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The highly regarded San Diego Padres bullpen failed to live up to expectations when the Padres faced the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park on Friday. Jeremiah Estrada entered the top of the eighth inning with San Diego clinging to a 2-1 lead. He was unable to protect the one-run margin, instead he allowed three walks and a single, while recording two outs before manager Craig Stammen replaced him on the mound with the game tied, 2-2.
Wandy Peralta needed just one out to keep the game deadlocked with the Padres coming to the plate in the bottom of the inning. However, Peralta allowed a two-out, two-run double to rookie Kevin McGonigle, who was playing in just his second MLB game. Peralta then allowed a single to Dillon Dingler before finally recording the third out of the inning on a pop out by Matt Vierling, but the damage was done and San Diego dropped its second game of the season to Detroit by the score of 5-2.
Michael King started the game for the Padres and allowed just one run on one hit with four walks allowed and six strikeouts. King left the game with a runner on and a 1-0 lead. Adrian Morejon came in for King and allowed just one hit, but that led to a run for the Tigers which tied the game 1-1. Morejon got the final out of the sixth and worked a clean seventh to setup the eighth inning for Estrada.
Michael King strikes out six over five innings in his Opening Week start against the Tigers
The game started with a highlight play in center field by Jackson Merrill in the top of the second inning. Merrill went back to the wall and jumped to make the catch to take a home run away from McGonigle. The play ensured the game remained scoreless. Merrill then doubled to lead off the bottom of the second inning, but back-to-back lineouts from Miguel Andujar and Ramon Laureano, followed by a strikeout from Ty France left him stranded.
San Diego scored the first run of the game off Detroit starter Framber Valdez, who was making his first start with the Tigers. Manny Machado opened the inning with a double down the line and into the left field corner. Merrill then beat out a close play at first base on a ground ball, which allowed Machado to move to third base and put runners on the corners with no outs. Andujar came through with an RBI-single on a sharp ground ball that kicked off McGonigle’s glove at third base and deflected to Javier Baez at shortstop. Baez saw he did not have a play at first base and held onto the ball and the Padres took a 1-0 lead.
San Diego scored its second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Merrill worked a one-out walk and Andujar flied out for the second out of the inning. An errant throw by Detroit catcher Dingler trying to back-pick Merrill at first base, sailed into right field and Merrill advanced to second base. Laureano followed with a double off the base of the wall in right field that allowed Merrill to score from second base to give the Padres a 2-1 lead.
Mar 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle (7) hits a two-run single during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images
The first game of the season was a smashing success: rookies mashing, pitchers dazzling, and a can of whoop-butt was opened right off the hop. Would the Tigers be able to duplicate their early success in San Diego on Friday night too? Well, it took a few innings to come to fruition, but just like we’ve seen in the past couple of years, these Tigers seem to have a taste for late-in-the-game comebacks at their best, with a clutch hit from a rookie being the fatal blow in a 5-2 Tigers win.
Making his regular-season Tigers debut was Framber Valdez, the biggest offseason pickup for Detroit. After eight solid seasons in Houston, the last four of which were very good, he came north to reunite with his former manager and maybe pick up a little more hardware, hopefully? In that four-year stretch he averaged a 3.21 ERA (127 ERA+, 3.29 FIP), 1.159 WHIP, a bit below 192 IP, 8.8 K/9IP and 2.3 BB/9IP. He’s also been great at keeping the ball in the park, averaging a scant 0.7 HR/9IP, even pitching half his games in whatever that park in Houston’s called these days, which has tended to favour the hitters a bit.
Facing Valdez tonight was Michael King, who’s in his third year in the Padres’ rotation after a few years spent mostly in the Yankees’ bullpen. He’s been no slouch lately either; in two seasons in a brown uniform he’s sported a 3.10 ERA (134 ERA+, 3.65 FIP). He’s also averaged just over 10 K/9IP, so let’s just say he’s been a solid acquisition for the Padres.
In the top of the second Kevin McGonigle hit a rocket to centre, but Jackson Merrill climbed the wall and took the rookie’s first major-league home run away.
I mean, that’s a pretty short wall, but you gotta tip your cap to any dinger-robbery. Merrill, of course, came up first in the bottom of the second and bashed a double to right, but a pair of lineouts and Valdez’s first strikeout got him out of the inning. He was giving up some solid contact, which isn’t exactly what you want to see.
The Padres got on the board in the fourth: Machado doubled to left, Merrill pushed him up to third with an infield single, and another infield single by Miguel Andujar scored him. A flyout put runners on second and third with one out, and Valdez was in his first jam of the night. Merrill took off from third on a grounder to Javier Báez and got cut down at the plate, leaving runners at the corners; Jake Cronenworth then struck out on a curveball in the dirt, ending the threat and the inning with limited damage.
In the top of the fifth the Tigers had two runners on with none out via a walk and a hit-batter. But then Parker Meadows struck out, Báez grounded out, and Kerry Carpenter struck out on some nasty changeups from King, and that was that.
Gleyber Torres walked to lead off the sixth, which was the end of King’s night. The very-tough Adam Morejon came on, and pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones grounded into what looked like a sure double-play, except a bobble by Machado put two runners on. But then Riley Greene actually did ground into the ol’ twin-killing, leaving Torres on third with two outs. Would the Tigers squander yet another opportunity? They actually would not, as Spencer Torkelson laced a single to left-centre to score Torres and tie the game.
But then Torkelson was thrown out trying to steal — you gotta be aggressive, I guess — and that ended the inning.
Colt Keith, who came into the game in the bottom of the sixth, made a nifty diving play on the first batter he saw on a screaming, 100-mph liner to third. With two outs and Merrill on first, Dillon Dingler tried to back-pick him after he stumbled, but Dingler airmailed the throw into right field; Merrill advanced to second and scored on a double by Ramón Laureano, the Padres retaking the lead 2-1. Ty France then struck out to end the inning, so yet again Valdez limited the damage after a run had scored with more quite possible.
Enmanuel De Jesus, who had a great WBC with Venezuela, took over for Valdez in the seventh, and gave up yet another Padres infield single. But then De Jesus got a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to right, and hey, that was a pretty nice return to the Major Leagues by EDJ after spending two years in South Korea. I’m going to call him EDJ whenever I can, and I hope it catches on.
Jeremiah Estrada, the second normally-lethal arm out of the Padres’ pen, came on in the eighth and with one out walked Carpenter, Torres and Keith to load the bases; his command was clearly off. That brought up Greene, who softly singled to shortstop — holy moly, how many infield singles can a game have?! — to bring home Carpenter and tie the game. Torkelson struck out, Estrada was dispatched in favour of Wandy Peralta, and McGonigle came to the plate for a lefty-lefty showdown. Peralta kept pouring fastballs inside and then a nasty slider down and away, but McGonigle kept fouling them off, one after another. On the tenth pitch of the at-bat he singled to right, driving in Torres and Keith to put the Tigers up 4-2.
What an epic at-bat by McGonigle in a clutch situation; this is his second game amongst the tall buildings, let’s not forget. Dingler then promptly atoned for his previous miscue by also singling to right, scoring Greene for a 5-2 lead. Vierling popped out to third to end the inning, but it’s worth noting that the Padres’ new manager, Craig Stammen, went to Peralta rather than the always-nasty Mason Miller. Who knows how that inning would’ve turned out if Miller was on the mound? Luckily, second-guessing managers is fun and absolutely free, so have at it, folks.
Kyle Finnegan was called upon for the bottom of the eighth, and Machado walked. But Merrill popped out to second, Andujar and Laureano struck out, and just think what a solid Finnegan could do for this Tigers bullpen. A fan can dream.
Kenley Jansen and his Fabulous Cutters made their Tigers debut tonight, to pitch the ninth and earn the save. What’d he do? Struck out Gavin Sheets, struck out Cronenworth, struck out Old Friend™ Nick Castellanos. I could get used to this.
Follow that pitch sequence: up and down, in and out. Six foul balls. One mistake in the zone, kaboom, game-changing hit. Plus, take a look at that video clip above; his swing is powerful but both controlled and balanced. I’m in luuuuurve, everyone.
Notes and Numbers
Wenceel Pérez, who didn’t make the Tigers out of Spring Training, hit a home run in Toledo tonight. Where was that earlier in March? Sheesh.
Did you see Mike Trout clubbed a monster home run on Thursday night, and crushed a screaming line-drive homer on Friday night? Did you know Mike Trout is still playing? I didn’t, but I’m glad he is. From 2012 through 2016, he averaged 9.4 WAR per season. That’s just absolutely bananas.
On this day in 1845, Wilhelm Röntgen was born in what is now northern Germany (but was part of Prussia back then). You may know him as the discoverer of X-rays in 1895. Quite a handy guy to have around, I’d think.
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 27: Andrés Giménez #0 of the Toronto Blue Jays has a Gatorade bucket thrown on him after hitting a walk off RBI single in the ninth inning by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 during the game between the Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Thomas Skrlj/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
That was fun. The pitching was mostly excellent, and interesting where not. The offence struggled but battled and got just enough done. That’s not how the Jays will hopefully do a lot of their winning this year, but it’s nice to be able to come through in multiple ways.
Kevin Gausman was phenomenal. He began his season by striking out the side, and didn’t allow a base-runner until Shea Langeliers opened the scoring with a one-out home run in the fourth. That would be his only blemish on the night. He got through six in just 83 pitches, but I think John Schneider reasonably concluded that that was enough for his first outing of the year no matter how easy he was making it look. His last pitch of the night was a 96mph fastball, which hopefully augurs well for his form for the rest of the season.
Luis Severino looked pretty strong himself early on. A Vladimir Guerrero jr. walk in the first was the only Jays runner through three. They threatened to tie it in the fourth, with Nathan Lukes working a lead off walk and Vlad recording the Jays’ first hit with a ground ball single, but an Addison Barger double play ball and another ground out prevented them from capitalizing. They finally took the lead in the fifth. Kazuma Okamoto walked and Ernie Clement lined a double to set the table. Tyler Soderstrom badly misplayed a soft Andres Gimenez liner, calling off centre fielder Denzel Clarke and then letting the ball get past him. It was ruled a triple, but really it was a three base mental error that put Toronto in front 2-1.
That score would hold for a while. Severino got out of the inning, and Scott Barlow retired the Jays in order in the bottom of the sixth. Louis Varland allowed a walk and a single to open the seventh, but escaped on a double play and a strikeout. Barlow got two more outs in the bottom half around a line single by Okamoto. Hogan Harris took over and walked Gimenez but then got Springer to ground out. Tyler Rogers and Harris traded scoreless eighths.
Jeff Hoffman had an eventful ninth. He got some help from a smart ball challenge by Alejandro Kirk to strike out Nick Kurtz leading off, but then Langeliers’ second bomb of the night tied it at two. Hoffman rallied to strike out Soderstrom swinging, but the third strike was on a slider that bounced in the batter’s box and got past Kirk. It was ruled a strikeout and wild pitch. He rallied, striking out Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson to end the inning. Hoffman becomes the third Blue Jay to record four strikeouts in an inning, following Mike Bolsinger in 2017 and Steve Delabar in 2012.
Justin Sterner came on to try to preserve the tie, and it looked like he was going to do it after he got ground outs from the first two Jays batters. Luckily, it wasn’t to be. Okamoto started the rally with a ground ball single, his second hit and third time on of the night. Clement chopped one softly up the line into left field for his second double, and Gimenez finished it off with a sharp ground ball single to secure the win.
Jays of the Day: Andres Gimenez (0.58!!), Ernie Clement (0.15), Kevin Gausman (0.21), Tyler Rogers (0.12), and Kazuma Okamoto has to get a nod for reaching base three times in his North American debut.
Send em’ back to Dunedin: Addison Barger (-0.18), George Springer (-0.13), Alejandro Kirk (-0.14), Jeff Hoffman (-0.21).
We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon at 3:07pm ET. Jeffrey Springs will take on new Blue Jay Dylan Cease. See you all there.
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 15, 2025: Jonathon Long #17 of the Chicago Cubs bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sloan Park on March 15, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Welcome to another year of the Minor League Wrap. Although for the first week, we’ll just be the Iowa Cubs wrap as they started the season this evening and the other three affiliates wait until next Friday.
Javier Assad got the Opening Night start for Iowa and maybe he wasn’t as sharp as he has been, but he definitely was effective. Assad did not allow the Clippers a run over the first three innings. Assad allowed three hits and walked three, so there were a lot of baserunners, but striking out five helped keep any of them from scoring.
Charlie Barnes, who pitched the last four years with KBO’s Lotte Giants, threw the next three innings and was impressive. He got the win after giving up just one hit and no runs. He did walk three but he struck out seven.
The Clippers got two runs off of reliever Ryan Rollison in the seventh inning. But Collin Snider threw the final 1.2 innings, did not allow a baserunner and got the save. He struck out two.
The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when first baseman Jonathon Long singled, went to second on a ground out and scored after two wild pitches.
The I-Cubs put this game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning. First up was an RBI single for center fielder Brett Bateman. It was Bateman’s first Triple-A hit.
It was Opening Day for the baseball Athletics as they enter their second season playing in West Sacramento, a temporary stay after relocating from Oakland as they await their presumed move to a state of the art ballpark in Las Vegas.
To begin what will be the 126th season for A's, the green and gold bunch opened the season on the road. The Athletics take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a season-opening three-game weekend series at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. They dropped the first game, 3-2, despite two home runs from Shea Langeliers. The Blue Jays won the game on a walk-off single by shortstop Andres Gimenez. The next game is Saturday, March 28 at 3:07 p.m. ET (12:07 p.m. PT).
Last year was kind of weird. It was the first time in 57 years that the Athletics didn't play in the Bay. The last game in Oakland was Sept. 26, 2024.
Athletics owner John Fisher wanted new facilities, fans said "sell the team" and Fisher relocated them to Vegas. Until his fancy new ballpark is ready, they moved eastward to Sacramento.
Their first go around was interesting. On the field, the Athletics weren't exactly terrible, but they weren't good. Improvement in the bullpen and there could be some hope for a team that has hitting strength that compares to some of the best in the majors behind Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler.
Last season, the Athletics ended their season with a 76-86 record. They played better on the road at 40-41. Through 81 games in Yolo County, they posted a 36-45 record despite the home circumstances they faced at Sutter Health Park, a minor-league venue with a max capacity crowd of a little more than 14,000. However, that number was rarely seen in attendance.
Here are some bold, and fun, predictions for the Athletics with 161 to go:
Athletics fans are in a dilemma. They love baseball. They love their A's. They dislike Fisher.
Some go to games to support the A's, even if it means making the drive from Oakland or their Bay Area home. Some don't. Some just go for baseball to see their favorite opposing team. The average attendance during the 2025 season was 9,487.
That number could go up. Tickets are cheap and Sacramento is a baseball town after all. The city also wants a major league team and sees this as a tryout period. The first year might have been tough to get large crowds consistently, but maybe Sacramento and surrounding neighbors will catch on to the fact they have Major League Baseball right in their vicinity.
A's could surprise some folks
As predictions go, nobody really knows what's going to happen. But it's still fun to guestimate.
Although a lot goes into being successful. Staying injury-free, which probably won't happen. Momentum swings amist the long, drawn out MLB season. Teams will go on runs. Some winning, others losing.
Expect the A's to be fun, exciting. Especially with half their lineup (Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler) locked in to long-term contracts. USA TODAY experts say pitching, though, might not enable them to take the next step.
Their offensive capabilities last year proved that they can win games. It's Round 2 in Sacramento for the A's young core and veteran mix. Is it crazy to say they win 80 games? Maybe. But that's where this is going. It's still not enough, but it'll bring excitement and just maybe they'll flirt with wild-card talks, but ultimately falling short.
Plus, USA TODAY experts have the Astros and Seattle Mariners atop the AL West.
Nick Kurtz goes from Rookie of the Year to MVP candidate
Nick Kurtz is coming off of a rookie year in which he smacked 36 home runs, had 86 RBIs on a .290 batting average and 1.002 OPS.
It'd be ridiculous to think that the Baseball Writers' Association of America would even consider a MVP on a team that barely scratches the surface of 80 wins. However, if the A's are going to have any kind of success, Kurtz might have a lot to do with that.
Just flirting with a wild-card berth should put him in conversation. Not to win, just mention his name. However, if the A's somehow are a playoff team, and he's has similar success or better than the 2025 campaign, then yeah, Kurtz for MVP. Why not?
All the World Series memories and emotions came flooding back for the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans on March 27 at Dodger Stadium.
The remaining members of the 2025 team were individually called from the dugout and onto the stage to receive their rings before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Shortstop Mookie Betts received his fourth career World Series ring, the most of any active player.
“It's super special and this day never gets old,” Betts told Spectrum SportsNet in the moments after receiving his ring. “It shows the accomplishments we made and hope we can do it again.”
Pitcher Clayton Kershaw retired after the World Series, but was also in attendance at the stadium for a second straight night to follow up his broadcasting debut on NBC.
Kershaw was not initially announced among his former teammates, but received a thunderous ovation nonetheless.
Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser was headed to the mound to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before manager Dave Roberts got on the microphone to announce a pitching change, calling on Kershaw from the dugout.
Kershaw stood on the familiar hill to throw the ball to Freddie Freeman before the pitcher was handed his ring and embraced by his teammates, who made their way back out of the dugout.
What do the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series rings look like?
Each ring includes the words "World Champions" on top of the ring with a blue "LA" featured in the middle.
The top of the ring could be removed to reevaluate a sample of dirt enclosed in the ring and a pair of trophies inscribed with "2024" and "2025" on the respective trophies.
The side panels of the ring included the respective player's last name and number on one panel and the words "Dodgers 2025 BACK 2 BACK" inscribed on the other.
“There are a lot of diamonds, but you can open it up and there's some dirt in there,” Betts said. “A lot is going on.”
Mar 27, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland (21) is removed from the game by manager Warren Schaeffer (4) during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Colorado Rockies opened the 2026 season in Miami with a lineup that looked nothing like the one that started 2025 — between debuts and new additions, this felt less like a continuation and more like a reset.
Kyle Karros made his first Opening Day start, following in the footsteps of his father Eric, who made nine in his career.
TJ Rumfield made his MLB debut, becoming the first rookie to start Opening Day for Colorado since Trevor Story in 2016.
Jake McCarthy and Edouard Julien also made their first Opening Day starts for the Rockies, underscoring just how much this roster has turned over.
Even Warren Schaeffer was managing in his first Opening Day game.
The result? A competitive game that ultimately slipped away, 2–1, with just a hint of familiar frustration on offense.
Freeland battles, bullpen delivers
Kyle Freeland took the loss, falling to 1–3 with a 7.01 ERA in five Opening Day starts — a number skewed to an extent by one rough outing.
This wasn’t ace-level dominance, but it was veteran pitching.
Freeland bent, but didn’t break. He worked through traffic, issued a couple of walks, and gutted his way through 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs while keeping the game within reach.
Jimmy Herget, Brennan Bernardino (making his Rockies debut), and Juan Mejia combined for 3.2 scoreless innings—no walks, two strikeouts, and a key escape in the eighth. Mejia stranded a runner at third with a full-count strikeout on a back-up slider that froze Caissie.
His fastball touched the upper 90’s, his secondaries had sharp depth, and he worked efficiently — seven innings, four hits, one unearned run, five strikeouts. For long stretches, the Rockies looked eager against him, pressing early before settling in late.
Colorado’s lone run came in the fourth — and it came the hard way.
The inning started with Jake McCarthy dropping a drag bunt and using his speed to create some chaos and reach first base. McCarthy then stole second base, but his aggressiveness backfired as he was cut down at home after a Hunter Goodman single.
Willi Castro beat out a double-play ball. Tovar followed with a topped ball that forced a tough play. Rumfield showed discipline with a four-pitch walk in his second MLB plate appearance. Beck added an infield hit driving in Castro.
It was a textbook manufactured run. It was also the only one.
The inning that got away
The Rockies had their best chance in the eighth, and couldn’t cash in.
Hunter Goodman, who led the team with two hits, put together a strong at-bat against Anthony Bender, fighting off multiple sweepers before lining a two-out single to left. Karros moved to third, and suddenly Colorado had runners on the corners.
Willi Castro stepped in.
An ABS challenge flipped a ball to a strike. Castro worked the count full as Bender struggled to land his off-speed.
Miami immediately applied pressure in the bottom half.
Connor Norby led off with a double, and after a groundout moved him to third, the infield came in. Mejia induced a pop-up in foul territory for the second out, then delivered the biggest pitch of the night:
Full count. Two outs. Runner on third.
A back-up slider that froze Owen Caissie.
Inning over.
Last chance, same result
The Rockies had one more shot in the ninth.
Facing Peter Fairbanks, they couldn’t break through. Tovar struck out chasing, Beck popped out, and after TJ Rumfield collected his first MLB hit — a broken-bat blooper into shallow right-center — Brenton Doyle lined out to shortstop to end it.
There were some familiar frustrations — the inability to sustain innings and cash in with runners in scoring position had a bit of a 2025 feel.
But it’s too early to spiral there. The hitters were overly aggresive in swing decisions early, but settled in a bit as the excitement of Opening Day dissipated. Colorado struck out nine times — an improvement from Opening Day 2025, when they struck out 12 in another one-run loss in Florida.
This team looked more athletic. More versatile. More aggressive. The bullpen was excellent. Freeland kept them in it.
They were competitive. Gutty. A game within reach all night.
Sandy Alcantara was simply better — and the Rockies couldn’t quite capitalize.
Up next
The Rockies will look to even the series tomorrow at 2:10 p.m. MDT.
Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) poses with players during the World Series ring ceremony before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers got their 2025 championship rings on Friday night before their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Anthony Anderson emceed the event, introducing players as they got their rings. Before the festivities, Anderson said, “Mookie Betts is now on the verge of having an infinity gauntlet,” referencing Betts’ four career championship rings, more than any other active player in Major League Baseball.
Players and coaches were tight-lipped about the rings before the ceremony.
“I heard rumblings, it’s sort of layered. I guess I could kind of tease it with that,” said manager Dave Roberts, who admitted he keeps his rings in a safe and doesn’t wear them. “It’s substantial, I’ve heard that.”
“I’ve seen a picture of it, but pictures don’t really do anything justice until you actually see it in person, and you get that kind of wow factor to it,” third baseman Max Muncy told Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA in the dugout earlier Friday.
In person, here are the rings, with photos by The Champions Collective.
Here’s the description of the rings, from a press release:
The ring top is a statement of victory. Embellished around the face in 14K yellow gold, the title WORLD CHAMPIONS is written in a spectacular array of stones: 32 diamonds for WORLD and 54 for CHAMPIONS. At the heart of the design, a singular, immaculate diamond symbolizes the Dodgers’ spot as the No. 1 team in baseball. The iconic LA logo hosts 17 custom-cut blue sapphires, representing the 17 hard-fought games of their postseason journey. Behind the logo is a backdrop of 79 diamonds with 48 round sapphires surrounding the display. The Dodgers’ nine championship dates and 15 sparkling round sapphires encircle the ring top, while an additional 50 diamonds decorate the top and bottom of the bezel. Completing the ring top, a total of 70 round diamonds frame the centerpiece.
The story of the Dodgers’ season continues with a brilliant reveal located beneath the ring top: a glass window, etched with the Dodgers’ logo, protecting genuine dirt gathered from home plate during Game 7 of the World Series. Below this feature, a bespoke band wraps around two World Series trophies — each set with a gleaming diamond — and a championship banner commemorating the franchise’s back-to-back achievements. The band itself boasts a stunning array of sapphires and a prominent princess-cut diamond, finished with an interior engraving of the dual Commissioner’s Trophies and the player’s unique signature.
The left side of the ring honors the individual with the city he represents. LOS ANGELES is proudly displayed above the player’s last name, with a striking row of 15 round sapphires underneath. Each player’s jersey number is meticulously set in diamonds. The classic MLB logo completes the left side of the ring.
The right side celebrates the franchise’s historic year. DODGERS is declared above the year 2025, which is adorned with 33 round diamonds. The BACK 2 BACK title is boldly displayed between two Commissioner’s Trophies and the Dodgers’ script logo in blue.
A stunning array of diamonds cascades from the ring top down the edges, creating a continued brilliance that wraps around the entire piece.
The interior of the ring also features the player’s signature and is etched with the playoff series scores, opponents and the date of Game 7 — the date the Dodgers clinched their World Series title. Finally, the exterior band features the number 4,012,470 as a permanent tribute to the millions of fans who filled Dodger Stadium throughout the season and fueled the team’s second consecutive journey to the top.
The ceremony itself had a few highlights, including thunderous roars for the various superstars, plus Miguel Rojas and Kiké Hernández. Will Klein got a very nice ovation for his Game 3 heroics, and Alex Vesia received a wonderful and emotional response from the crowd when he got his ring.
The ceremony ended without Clayton Kershaw getting introduced. But he wasn’tbusy off doing his special assistant duties. Rather the Dodgers executed a ruse by announcing Orel Hershiser would throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Joe Davis from the announcing booth called down to Hershiser, saying he needed to get back to the press box to call the game for SportsNet LA. Roberts then “called to the bullpen” for Kershaw, who got his own loud ovation before throwing the first pitch. Then, his teammates all came onto the field to give him his ring.
“I’m just really excited,” the now-retired Kershaw said about the ring ceremony earlier Friday. “I know they gotta move on to this season, but I don’t have to. So I’m just gonna keep relishing it.”
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves embraces Manager Walt Weiss during player introductions prior the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Friday, March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
One game won’t exorcise all the demons of yesteryear, but the Atlanta Braves made a huge first step in turning things around on Opening Day, dominating the Kansas City Royals to the tune of a 6-0, wire-to-wire victory. Chris Sale was uncharacteristically shaky in the early going, but the bats (three dingers!) and gloves (lots of flash!) showed up in full force — sprinkle in a little luck, and you have a recipe for a feel-good Friday night.
Things even looked auspicious early. After a Maikel Garcia single started the game, Sale pumped in a get-me-over fastball to Bobby Witt Jr., and was “rewarded” with a hard-hit but routine double play ball to Mauricio Dubon at shortstop. Though Royals ace Cole Ragans and his defense got two outs on two grounders in three pitches, Ozzie Albies jumped all over a 2-1 floating changeup and yoinked it into the left-field corner for the Braves’ first homer, and run, of the season. It was a cheapie, coming off the bat at less than 97 mph and traveling less than 370 feet, but we’re exorcising demons here. Ragans probably didn’t intend to float a 2-1 changeup, and he looked shaky afterwards. Matt Olson yanked a pitch way below the zone for a hard single, and then Ragans walked Austin Riley on four pitches. Unfortunately, Eli White had a weak bounceout to end the rally.
Sale’s second inning was a mess, but it cleaned itself up. A hard single, a hit-by-pitch, a strikeout, and a four-pitch walk loaded the bases and brought up Isaac Collins. Sale got ahead with a slider, and then threw a fastball that ended up considerably lower than where it was likely called for… but Collins didn’t do anything with the pitch and instead bounced it right to Dubon for another bacon-saving double play.
Ragans bounced back, striking out the side (but also walking Jonah Heim) in the bottom of the inning. Sale continued to wobble in the third — two walks and two strikeouts, but was bailed out by White’s diving catch of a liner to left that would’ve tied the game.
And then the Braves more or less took over the proceedings. Drake Baldwin swung at and barely tipped what would’ve been fall four from Ragans to start the bottom of the third, but then got a misplaced fastball that he sweetly hoisted over the brick wall in right. Ragans is actually a bizarre reverse splits guy (are they real? If so, Ragans would be a paragon of the cause), but had been taken deep by lefties all of three times in his entire career, and none since September 2024… at least until Drake Baldwin had his say in the matter. Albies followed by lacing another floating changeup for a single up the middle. The Braves kind of took the wind out of their own sails a bit by having Albies try to steal with Olson at the plate — not only did Olson take a strike when Albies was thrown out, but then he struck out on the next pitch. Riley followed with a bloop single, and White struck out.
By the fourth, we were done with Shaky Sale and had progressed back to the expected, Smooth Sale(ing). He threw a 1-2-3 frame, with two groundouts and a strikeout. After Heim drew another walk off Ragans, it was Michael Harris II’s turn to go off, as he took a hanging first-pitch slider and bashed it for a two-run homer. So, just to be clear: Cole Ragans pre-facing the Braves tonight — three career homers yielded to lefties; Cole Ragans tonight — two homers yielded to lefties. Go figure. At this point, while it wasn’t inconceivable that the Royals could rally, the game started to feel like a fait accompli. Sale ended up with just one more baserunner (a Witt leadoff single) as he completed six frames. The defense continued to help him out — Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Riley all made nice defensive plays to keep the outs tally growing.
Ragans departed after four in favor of Bailey Falter, who was fine for two innings before the Braves got him in his third frame of work. At one point, there was a near-surreal sequence where Acuña struck out looking and challenged the call, with it being confirmed by the slimmest of margins, only for Baldwin to follow and get thrown out trying to beat out a slow roller by a similarly-microscopic sliver. But, in the seventh, a combination of what were essentially bloops by Olson, Riley, and Dubon scored two more runs. The first two bloops were donut holes, but Dubon’s was basically a routine fly ball that just so happened to split the defense in right center, capping the scoring at 6-0.
The Braves’ bullpen had no adventures. Dylan Lee had a nine-pitch inning with three outs in the air. Robert Suarez had a couple of bloop hits go against him in his Braves debut, but collected a strikeout and got a groundout to escape. Tyler Kinley wrapped the game up while looking somewhat unrecognizable, peppering the zone with breaking pitches in a way that baffled the Royals and exhausted their remaining outs.
Overall, it was hard to ask for an easier, more relaxing win — after Sale settled down, anyway. Good enough pitching, some flashed leather, and, oh yeah, homers. We don’t yet know if that’s how the Braves will do it in 2026, but it’s what they did tonight, and it was great.
Walt Weiss got his first win as Atlanta’s skipper. Sale’s line was only okay in the end (6/3 K/BB ratio, and a hit by pitch), but he improved as the game went on and no one’s gonna complain given the game itself. The Atlanta side of the box score generally looked pretty sweet, with Albies and Olson each collecting two hits, and Riley having a perfect 3-for-3 night with a walk, though two of his three hits were bloops and the third was an infield hit not cleanly handled by the defense. The only guy that didn’t have a good time, on paper, was Acuña, who struck out three times, and had a couple of weak balls in play otherwise. Ah, well, he can have the spotlight another day.
Ragans had his worst start by FIP ever and his worst start by xFIP since August 2024, as he managed just a 5/4 K/BB ratio and gave up three bombs. Falter saved the Kansas City relief corps with three innings and a 4/0 K/BB ratio, though he did suffer bloop damage in the seventh.
The series continues tomorrow with a Reynaldo Lopez-Michael Wacha matchup, as the Braves will try to add some old priest/young priest action on top of tonight’s soul-cleansing win.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. A’s Opening Day baseball is under way for 2026. Granted, it’s not opening day at “our” our ballpark, we’ll have to wait another week for that celebration, but it is the start of the most promising season in recent memory. Let’s hope that watching the Blue Jays hoist the American League Pennant will serve as even more motivation for this young and uber-talented team to take their play to the next level.
Luis Severino got the start for the A’s today. The 32-year-old righty hopes to improve upon a rough first season in the kelly-green and gold where he went 8-11 with a 4.45 ERA in 162 innings. He matched up against Kevin Gausman, who finished the year with a 10-11 record over thirty-two starts for the Jays, logging a 3.99 ERA with 189 strikeouts.
Both pitchers were rock solid through the first three innings. Severino, only allowing one baserunner, a walk to Vlad Jr. Gausman was perfect through three innings with six strikeouts. But the A’s broke through against Gausman when Shea Langeliers launched the first homer of the season over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead.
Severino worked his way into a bit of a jam in the bottom of the fourth walking Nathan Lukes and giving up a single to Guerrero. But two ground balls; one a double play and the other a 6-3 ground out got him quickly out of the inning. His luck ran out in the bottom of the fifth when a bad miscommunication between Clarke and Soderstrom allowed a gapper to score two runs and bring Gimenez to third with just one out. Seve worked his way out of the jam but hit the bench trailing 2-1 for the first time this game. That was all for Severino, who finished his day with 5.0 innings, three hits, two earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts. Scott Barlow made his A’s debut in the bottom of the sixth with a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Gausman was finished after six, replaced by Louis Varland. Langeliers greeted him with a base hit and Soderstrom walked with no outs. But Varland buckled down and escaped without allowing a run. Barlow got the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh then gave way to Hogan Harris. He walked one but escaped unharmed. Harris came out again for the eighth and tossed another quick inning for the A’s.
The Blue Jays closer, Jeff Hoffman entered to shut down the A’s in the ninth. He got Kurtz on an ABS challenged strike three. But Shea Langeliers ripped his second homer of the game to straight away centerfield to tie the game.
With one out Soderstrom swung at strike three, but the ball got away from Alejandro Kirk and Soderstrom beat the throw to first. Unfortunately, Hoffman struck out the side, and we went to the bottom of the ninth tied at 2-2.
Justin Sterner entered the game to pitch the ninth. Sterner got two easy outs, but then Kazuma Okamoto singled and Ernie Clement doubled to move Okamoto to third with two down. Andrés Giménez singled to drive in the winning run. The A’s dropped the opener in Toronto 3-2 to the Blue Jays.
Maybe if Q hadn’t been shaking hands before the game, the Royals would have played better. | Getty Images
The bad news? The Royals had a really rough game at the plate and on the mound. The good news? There are 161 more of these, and the Royals will look better in most of them.
Cole Ragans led the way to the Royals’ third straight Opening Day loss with him on the mound. He ended up giving up four runs on six hits in four innings. He walked four and gave up three home runs; he did strike out five. Walks continue to be an issue for him in starts where they show up, not just adding baserunners but really skyrocketing the pitch count. There was a scare in the first inning where Ragans came down on his lead foot weird. His command seemed to suffer after that, but he had only faced two hitters before that, so it might have been a pure coincidence.
Bailey Falter came on in relief and pitched three innings, the first two looked pretty good but he definitely seemed to wear down in the third inning. Ultimately, he gave up two runs in three innings with four strikeouts and no walks. It does seem like he might have something to build on there. Alex Lange got the eighth and pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout. So the bullpen is showing some promise to get things started.
Chris Sale really struggled with his command in the early going, but managed to get things under control without giving up any runs, thanks in part to some excellent defensive plays behind him. Their bullpen sent two to the mound, giving up no runs. The Royals managed only five hits and three walks all night. The top of the order did their jobs with Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., and Lane Thomas each reaching twice. Salvador Perez contributed a single from the four hole as well. But the bottom five reached only once, a Jonathan India walk.
The offense will need to be better, but Chris Sale is a tough matchup for anyone. They’ll face righties for each of the next two games, so hopefully they’ll be able to put out the stronger iteration of their lineup and get some work done. It’s far too early to panic.
Tomorrow’s matchup will feature Michael Wacha (10-13, 3.86 ERA last year) facing off against Reynaldo López (0-0, 5.40 ERA in one start last year – he was injured for most of it.) It will be a nationally televised game on FOX, so if you’re a cord-cutter, you will already require a second service to watch the game. Hopefully, the Royals put up a slightly better showing. It starts at the same time as tonight’s game, 6:15 Royals time.
Mar 27, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (26) stands on the field during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
18 zeros. 18 goose eggs. 18 uh-ohs. 18 black holes. 18 innings of big ol’ nothin’s from the San Francisco Giants offense.
Two days removed from being carved up by New York starter Max Fried (with an off-day in-between to recoup), the Giants hitters got right back in the saddle, and promptly tumbled off the other side against young right-hander, Cam Schlittler, in an eventual 3-nil loss.
It’s not an ideal start…but it could be a symbolic one, because what if I told you that a similar offensive cold snap started the 2002 season? Because what if I told you a similar stumble led to one of the most successful seasons in club history? And what if I told you all of that is a lie? Because of course it is. The Barry Bond-Jeff Kent Giants scored a bajillion runs in the first 18 innings and never lost a game all season.
These 18 offensive donuts — that’s called history folks. The first time the New York Yankees have ever thrown back-to-back shutouts to start a season. The first time the New York/San Francisco Giants have ever been shutout in back-to-back games to start a season.
Add Heliot Ramos’s 2nd inning double — the only knock of the day — to the tally, and we’re still on our left hand. San Francisco’s four hits in these two losses are actually the fewest hit total to start a season in the team’s 144 year history. According to Duane Kuiper on the postgame wrap, that low mark actually tied the 1909 Chicago White Sox’s for fewest in all of Major League history.
But it’s not like the Giants bats have tripped over their own shoelaces while taking a walk in the park. They’ve had their hands full with these Yankee starters. Fried fried their bats on Wednesday. And Schlittler…well, you can figure out the descriptive name-pun for yourself.
The 25 year old’s understated and quiet wind-up belies the loud and volatile pitches he unleashes. Schlittler almost looks shy as he starts his delivery. Any movement pre-leg kick is hard to discern. To start, he closes his shoulders off to the plate with the slightest reset of his front foot. He peers down at his shoes, taps his toe on the ground as if to reassure himself it’s there before the knee hoists up and ffoooooommmmpppp… 99 MPH four-seamer, or sinker, or 95 MPH cutter.
Everything out of Schlittler’s hand is hard, and based on aggressive early swings from Giants bats, hard to lay off. The three variations on heat produced a cruel mix of beguiling movements that avoided barrels like the plague. The confrontations were one-sided and quick. He fanned 8 over 5.1 innings pitched, and I don’t think he broke a sweat doing it, needing just 68 pitches to bag 16 outs before being yanked by Yankee skipper Aaron Boone. But the New York relief was no relief for the Giants offense. Just the same ol’ same ol’ with a stand-out performance from old bud Camilo Doval, who looked as sharp as he ever had in the orange-and-black. He worked quick, established his pitches sinker early, kept his slider tight, and attacked the zone to bag three punch-outs in a 1-2-3 8th.
One could make a decent argument that the only good thing about the game was the weather, but I don’t think that’s completely fair to Robbie Ray. Though hung with the loss, the veteran lefty ultimately held a potent offense to just two runs, and the only slight against him was leaking a tired four-seamer out over the plate to the best hitter of the decade.
Back-to-back golden sombreros just wasn’t an option for Aaron Judge, and in a friendly count late in an outing against a pitcher he’s already taken deep three times before, he got a pitch to demolish, and Judge dropped the gavel.
Other than that offering, Ray has got to be pleased with the way he kicked off his season. The slider he tweaked this spring fetched 8 whiffs on 19 swings (42%) including three of his four strikeouts. And what felt nearly as certain as a Judge bomb was a Ray base-on-balls — but the walk never came (though maybe he should’ve given in to Judge in the 6th). Ray stayed aggressive to the plate and did a solid job keeping the count in his favor. He threw 13 first-pitch strikes, and was 10/14 when starting off an at-bat with his fastball. The lefty didn’t fall into a 1-0 count until the seventh batter he faced — which is a minor miracle and major victory for Ray, who spends the majority of the season battling himself through tough counts and stressful frames brought on by his high walk rate.
Tony Vitello got his steps in today, making three mid-inning changes, giving us a glimpse of how aggressive he’s going to be with the bullpen. The swaps worked for the most part, though things certainly got dice-y at times. Jose Buttó promptly gave up a monster solo shot to Giancarlo Stanton in the 6th. Erik Miller replaced a runner on from Buttó in the 7th and induced three consecutive ground-outs. Ryan Borucki inherited a one-out, first-and-third situation from Ryan Walker and made it immediately worse by walking Ryan McMahon on four pitches to load bases, before getting out of trouble by coaxing two ground balls from Yankee hitters.
All in all, it’s nothing. 18 innings. Two games. What’s tough is it’s the first two games. Fans have had a long winter of no baseball, and now we have two days of a different kind of no baseball that has somehow already wrung our souls out like a towel. We know, from an intellectual standpoint, that this line-up is better than the at-bats we’ve witnessed so far in 2026 — we just haven’t seen it yet. We have nothing tangible to grasp and hold tight to. There’s no proof, only mutterings and faint memories that Rafael Devers can, in fact, drive a fastball pumped over the middle of the plate. Little comfort in that hearsay when all we have to go on are the hellacious hacks and fierce uppercuts that have come up empty so far.
