Cody Bellinger finally played in a baseball game, this time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday night, his first rehab start since landing on the IL in July.
The Yankees outfielder batted second and served as the DH for the Rail Riders. He went 1-for-3 on the evening.
In his first at-bat, Bellinger hit a 96 mph sinker in on his hands through the right side and underneath the Charlotte shortstop's glove. Bellinger flied out to right field in his second at-bat and popped out to the shortstop in his third at-bat.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the media earlier this week that Bellinger is expected to play two rehab games -- likely Thursday and Friday -- before the team decides whether to bring back the outfielder. The Yankees skipper said that Bellinger could be activated as soon as Sunday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In 102 games before his hamstring injury, Bellinger slashed .259/.350/.420 with 11 home runs and 53 RBI.
Sammy Stafura struggles at High-A Brooklyn in suspended game
Before the game was suspended in the eighth inning due to inclement weather - with the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones trailing the Asheville Tourists by seven runs - Sammy Stafura had already struck out twice.
Stafura, who played shortstop and batted leadoff tonight, did draw a walk as the first batter of the ballgame.
Rojas, Reimer, and Suero feature for Double-A Binghamton
In the Binghamton Rumble Ponies' 7-5 loss against the Altoona Curve on Thursday evening, Mets top overall prospect Jefferson Rojas batted leadoff, while 22-year-old third baseman James Reimer batted second and served as the designated hitter.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Rojas hit a one-out opposite-field (right field) double. He moved up to third base on a passed ball, and came home to score tagging up on Reimer's sacrifice fly.
Rojas now sports a very impressive .822 OPS at Double-A. His OPS was .800 at the time of the trade, which sent him from the Chicago Cubs' farm system to that of the Mets in exchange for Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor.
Elsewhere in this game, CF Chris Suero singled on a groundball up the middle, but also struck out twice.
Infield prospect Mitch Voit was hit by a pitch on Tuesday, Aug. 18, and did not feature in Thursday's game as a precaution.
Top of the lineup shows out at Triple-A Syracuse
A trio of top 30 prospects - LF Nick Morabito, 2B Émilien Pitre, and 3B Billy Amick - all tallied base hits in the Syracuse Mets' 5-0 win over the Worcester Red Sox on Thursday night.
In the bottom of the first inning, Morabito led off the game with a walk before promptly stealing second base.
Pitre drew a walk after Morabito's stolen base, and legged out an infield single in the seventh inning.
Amick hit a solo shot in the fourth inning off highly rated right-handed pitching prospect Gage Ziehl.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 20: Jacob deGrom #48 of the Texas Rangers acknowledges fans following career strikeout number 2000 against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Globe Life Field on August 20, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers scored two runs but the Washington Nationals did not score any runs.
The Rangers didn’t have a hit with RISP all evening despite ten chances and they also left eight on base, signifying ample opportunities that did not bear fruit. Were it any other night, we would perhaps be bemoaning these facts.
The Rangers have lost dozens upon dozens of games this season in situations where the offense puckered their butt holes with prime occasions to break open games. Tonight, however, they had Jacob deGrom looking like he had spent a few days doggy paddling in the Fountain of Youth to render the ineptness with the lumber practically moot.
Despite the misfiring with men on base, all deGrom and the high leverage arms of the bullpen ultimately needed was one tally. They got that run when Corey Seager smacked a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning.
A couple of innings before Seager’s oppo dong, deGrom struck out former Rangers farmhand Abi Ortiz for his second K of the night which gave him 2,000 for his career. deGrom became the 95th pitcher in big league history to strike out 2,000 batters and the second quickest to reach the mark in both appearances (272, behind Randy Johnson’s 262) and innings (1,660 1/3, behind Chris Sale’s 1,626 IPs).
With runs at a premium, the Rangers needed deGrom to do more than just reach personal milestones, and the veteran delivered with one of his best outings with Texas spanning six shutout frames.
Following deGrom was the trio you want from the ‘pen. Jakob Junis worked around a couple of baserunners with a big double play in a scoreless seventh. Deadline acquisition Chase Silseth struck out two in a scoreless eighth. And then Jacob Latz earned his 25th save of the season with a scoreless ninth after Nicky Lopez gave the closer a cushion with a sacrifice fly insurance run in the top of the ninth.
Overall, the quartet of pitchers combined to allow just one hit as the Rangers to claimed the series with a couple of shutouts bookending their own shutout defeat.
Player of the Game: deGrom went six innings on 94 pitches. He allowed just one second inning single, walked one batter, and struck out ten. He looked ten years younger right when the Rangers really needed an outing like that from the veteran.
Congrats on 2,000 Ks!
Up Next: The Rangers will see the hated Angels arrive in Arlington for a series where LHP MacKenzie Gore will make the start for Texas opposite LHP Reid Detmers for Anaheim.
The Friday evening first pitch from The Shed is scheduled for 7:05 pm CDT and you can borrow someone’s login to watch it on Apple TV.
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 20: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, August 20, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Olivia Vega/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
In their current state with the injuries and the offense struggling, almost every game the Yankees play ends up being a close one. Despite it often feeling like a grind just to get a couple runs, they still have managed to put up a not terrible record in recent weeks. However, actually stringing multiple wins together in a row has proven a tough task.
Well on Thursday night against the Orioles, the Yankees actually did a couple things they hadn’t in a little while. For one, they got the win to finish off a sweep. It was the Yankees’ first sweep in over a month, with their last coming July 10-12 over the Nationals. Also, the five-run margin matched a 10-5 win over the Mariners back on August 12th, and those games mark the largest victories the Yankees have had in some time.
On the mound in this one, Gerrit Cole looked very good. He ended up going six innings, allowing one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out eight batters, taking him to the century mark for the year. That’s extra impressive considering that he missed the start of the year while still recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Meanwhile, a balanced offensive display helped the Yankees give him a solid amount of run support, allowing the Yankees to actually win in a semi-comfortable manner, beating the Orioles 6-1.
The Yankees struck first, picking up a couple runs off Bradish in the third. After Spencer Jones and Austin Wells started off the inning with single, the O’s gave them a gift, when Gunnar Henderson failed to catch the throw to second on a possible double play ball. Jones was at third and would’ve scored on that play no matter what, but the error allowed the Yankees to put up a crooked number. Trent Grisham then did ground into a double play, but it put Wells at third, from which he scored on a Ben Rice single. Heliot Ramos then showed some signs of life with a long double off the right field wall, narrowly missing a homer.
Rice chugged all the way around to score the third run of the inning.
Cole worked in and out of some trouble in the first inning but then cruised through the next couple. Baltimore did eventually get on the board in the fifth, though. Dylan Beavers took Cole deep for the O’s first run of the game.
However, the Yankees immediately answered that run and added on more. Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones both crushed deep shots in the sixth for solo homers to give the Yankees that breathing room back.
Hoping to get through the last couple innings drama-free considering the well-used bullpen, the Yankees picked up some insurance in the eighth. With García on after a single, Jazz Chisholm Jr. got a hit deep into the right field corner. García scored as Chisholm raced all the way to third with a triple. The offense could’ve added a little more breathing room, but the contact play felled them again. Before the night ended, Jones did pick up his third hit in a nice little day for him.
The Yankees ended up going to the bullpen after the sixth, wrapping up Cole’s strong day. Ryan Yarbrough came in for the seventh, with the Yankees hoping he could eat up a good chunk of the remaining innings to help that bullpen. In the end, he ate all of them. Yarbrough went nine up, nine down, recording the save to finish off the sweep.
Having wrapped up their road trip on a good note, the Yankees will now return home this weekend. Starting tomorrow night at 7:05 pm ET, the Yankees will open up a three-game set against the Blue Jays. Cam Schlittler is expected to go for the Yankees, while Toronto has not announced their starter as of yet.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 14: Jake McCarthy #31 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates with Cole Carrigg #16 and Mickey Moniak #22 after defeating the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Friday, August 14, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
There are just 35 games remaining in the 2026 season, if you can believe that! The Colorado Rockies are sitting at 50-77 after an unfortunate sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They need 13 more wins to avoid 100 losses for the fourth straight year, and the overwhelming majority of Rockies fans believe they will do it.
Do you still think they’ll do it? Let us know in the comments!
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 20: Orioles left fielder Dylan Beavers (12) crashes into the left field padded wall but can't make a catch in foul territory during the New York Yankees versus Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball (MLB) game on August 20, 2026 at Orioles Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Orioles were swept away tonight, ruining every bit of goodwill and excitement they had built up with their series against the Rays last weekend. Tonight’s game, a 6-1 loss to the Yankees, had a little bit of everything bad. The offense could not solve Gerrit Cole. One big error cost the team a couple runs. And Kyle Bradish struggled for his second straight start. It was not an uplifting game, to say the least.
Let’s start with Bradish. He faced just three batters in the first inning, but there was foreshadowing for the rest of his game. He walked leadoff batter Trent Grisham on six pitches. To make matters worse, Carlos Narváez challenged ball four and lost. On the first batter of the game. Bradish then went 3-2 to Ben Rice, but Rice bailed him out by swinging at ball four and popping out. Heliot Ramos grounded into the first of three Yankees double plays to end the inning.
The third inning was the worst one for Bradish, with an assist to Gunnar Henderson. Back-to-back singles put runners on the corners with no outs. José Caballero hit a groundball to Jackson Holliday, who fired to Henderson to start the double play, but Henderson missed the catch. No outs were recorded and a run scored. The next batter did hit into a double play, but Bradish couldn’t close out the inning. Three batters and three hits later, the Orioles were down 3-0.
Bradish allowed two more baserunners in the fifth inning but was once again saved by a double play ball. He ended the fifth inning with 89 pitches. After his struggles, I thought that might be the end of his night. Unfortunately for him, he went back out for the sixth. He faced four batters and retired two of them. The other two hit home runs. Whoops! He was pulled after the second one. His final pitching line: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Henderson’s error led to the unearned runs, but Bradish did allow three more hits in the inning after that play. Not great.
The way that the Orioles’ offense played, Bradish could have been a lot better and it wouldn’t have mattered. They looked like they might have something cooking in the first inning with Pete Alonso singled and Gunnar Henderson walked, but they were stranded.
In fact, starting with Samuel Basallo’s strikeout that followed the Henderson walk, Cole retired 11 Orioles in a row. It was not fun. That took him through the end of the fourth inning. Dylan Beavers came up first in the fifth inning and ended the hit drought in style. He took a 97 mph fastball up and into the flag court. It got the Orioles on the board, at the time cutting the lead to 3-1. Cole retired the next three.
The seventh inning was Cole’s last and he ended his outing almost exactly like he started it. After a Holliday strikeout, Alonso and Henderson reached base. Basallo struck out again, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand flew out to end the inning.
Grant Wolfram replaced Bradish and looked good. He retired all four batters he faced on 17 pitches and struck out two. But Albert Suárez wasn’t quite as good. He allowed a run on three hits in the eighth, but pitched a perfect ninth.
Soft-tossing Ryan Yarbrough replaced Cole after six innings, and the Orioles could do nothing with him. They went nine-up, nine-down against him to close out the game. Yarbrough picked up the rare three-inning save for his efforts.
Orioles lose, 6-1. It’s their fourth loss in a row. Tomorrow they being a three-game series with the Rays. They have proven they can beat the Rays this year, so I’d like to sign up for a couple or three wins.
After a 20-minute delay at Camden Yards due to rain, the Yankees beat the Orioles, 6-1, the final score, completing the road series sweep.
The Yankees improve to 41-28 on the road this season, the best road record of any AL ballclub.
Here are the takeaways...
-Gerrit Cole and Kyle Bradish squared off as the evening's pitching matchup, and Cole was undoubtedly the better pitcher on the night. Bradish lasted 5.2 innings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits. In contrast, Cole pitched six full innings, allowed just one earned run on four hits, and struck out eight Orioles batters across 93 pitches.
-In the top of the third inning, back-to-back singles by Spencer Jones and Austin Wells put runners on the corners for the Yankees with nobody out. Jose Caballero hit a hard grounder to Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday, but Holliday's on-target throw to second base ahead of Wells was dropped by Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Later in the inning, Ben Rice laced a two-out opposite-field line drive to left field to score Wells from third. Heliot Ramos stepped up next and clobbered a hanging sinker the other way for a stand-up double, which scored Rice all the way from first. Bradish finally got out of the inning with the Yankees leading 3-0.
-Dylan Beavers was the Oriole who finally got to Cole, taking him over the right-field fence for a solo shot in the fifth inning.
-In the top of the sixth, the Yankeesresponded by padding the lead to 5-1 with two solo homers of their own, both hit by lefties. Luis Garcia Jr. got things going with a moonshot to the pull-side, before Jones knocked Bradish out of the game with a 398-foot monster mash into the left-center field bleachers.
-Jazz Chisholm Jr. may still be battling through a slump, but his one hit tonight was a big one. In the eighth inning, Jazz roped a line drive into the right-field corner, a triple which scored Garcia from first base. Garcia and Jones each notched their third hit of the game in the inning as the Yanks further extended their lead to 6-1.
-Ryan Yarbrough pitched three perfect innings after relieving Cole, striking out three and facing the minimum nine batters. His performance is noteworthy, as the Yanks' bullpen budget had been stretched quite thin headed into tonight's game. On Thursday, Yarbrough ensured that every other member of the New York bullpen enters the weekend series against the Blue Jays with at least one full day of rest.
Game MVP: Gerrit Cole
Of the 23 batters he faced, Cole threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of them. He has been pounding the zone with his fastball as of late and is still able to touch 97 miles per hour.
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom reached 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings pitched in major league history when the Texas Rangers right-hander fanned the first two batters against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night.
DeGrom struck out Daylen Lile and Abimelec Ortiz, both chasing strike three on sliders below the zone. He received a standing ovation and acknowledged the applause by tapping his cap over his heart.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner made his 272nd career start and went into the game having pitched 1,660 1/3 innings since his big league debut with the New York Mets in 2014.
Hall of Famer Randy Johnson got his 2,000th strikeout in his 262nd appearance for the fewest games, ahead of Clayton Kershaw’s 277. Chris Sale holds the record for fewest innings at 1,626.
At 38, deGrom is the ninth active player and 95th in history to reach the milestone. He is the fourth this season, following Kevin Gausman, Sonny Gray and Aaron Nola.
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 21: Jackson Chourio #11 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring off a three-run home run hit by William Contreras in the second inning during the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, June 21, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kathryn Skeean/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are set to host the Atlanta Braves for a pair of (oddly timed) games this weekend before taking them on in MLB’s Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday night. The Brewers are in possession of the best record in baseball, will be looking for their 80th win of the season this weekend. On the other side, the Braves sit atop the NL East with the third-best record in the National League, behind only Milwaukee and the Dodgers.
After Cooper Pratt returned this week, the lone position player left on Milwaukee’s IL is outfielder Sal Frelick, who could be back this weekend. On the pitching side, the Brewers are without relievers Abner Uribe (late August), JoJo Romero (late August), Rob Zastryzny (TBD), Joel Kuhnel (late August), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). Starters Quinn Priester and Brandon Woodruff are also out for the year.
Atlanta is without pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach (September at earliest), Robert Suarez (TBD), Spencer Strider (TBD), Hurston Waldrep (TBD), Reynaldo López (late August), Joe Jiménez (September), and Joey Wentz (out for season). They currently have no position players on the IL.
Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, Brice Turang, and Joey Ortiz have led the Brewer offense over the last few weeks. Bauers leads the team with 22 homers, while Ortiz is now hitting .252/.317/.381 for the season after an absolutely dismal first two months. Mitchell is hitting .261/.356/.421, and Turang is hitting .262/.356/.439 with 16 homers. Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn have also been consistent pieces offensively, with William Contreras, Gary Sánchez, Christian Yelich, David Hamilton, Cooper Pratt, Luis Lara, and Jonathan Ornelas all in the mix. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .253/.337/.397 (.734 OPS ranks seventh), with 642 runs (fourth), 119 homers (last), and 129 steals (third).
Matt Olson and Wisconsin native Drake Baldwin lead the Atlanta offense, as Olson has slugged 36 homers and 31 doubles, and Baldwin has 21 homers as he’s hitting .272/.354/.449. Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Mauricio Dubón, Dominic Smith, Lane Thomas, and Mike Yastrzemski are among the other regulars on offense. Ha-Seong Kim, Jim Jarvis, and Sean Murphy round things out. As a team, the Braves are hitting .246/.310/.413 (.723 OPS ranks 14th), with 608 runs (seventh), 167 homers (tied for fourth), and 62 steals (25th).
Aaron Ashby leads the Milwaukee bullpen with 59 appearances (71 innings) this year, with Trevor Megill closing things out, as he has a 2.39 ERA and 23 saves. With Uribe injured, Chad Patrick and DL Hall have also worked as high-leverage arms, with Antonio Senzatela, Bryse Wilson, and Grant Anderson rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.46 team ERA (second), including a 3.53 starter ERA (fourth) and a 3.37 bullpen ERA (third). They’ve struck out 1,245 batters (second) over 1,144 1/3 innings.
Dylan Lee has anchored the Braves bullpen with a team-high 60 appearances, pitching to a strong 2.02 ERA over 58 frames. Raisel Iglesias has a 3.09 ERA and leads the squad with 26 saves, while Didier Fuentes (2.60 ERA over 55 1/3 IP), Dylan Dodd (2.27 ERA over 39 2/3 IP), and former Brewer favorite Brent Suter (2.25 ERA over 8 IP since being acquired at the deadline) also figure prominently. Ray Kerr (0.00 ERA over 2 1/3 IP) and Victor Mederos (3.68 ERA over 22 IP) round things out. As a staff, the Braves have a 3.64 team ERA (fifth), including a 3.75 starter ERA (seventh) and a 3.49 bullpen ERA (fourth). They’ve struck out 1,092 batters (11th) over 1,137 innings.
Probable Pitchers
Friday, August 21 @ 3:10 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (12-5, 1.75 ERA, 2.14 FIP) vs. LHP Chris Sale (12-8, 2.16 ERA, 2.30 FIP)
Miz will go head-to-head with yet another ace in Friday’s series opener, as he gets the start opposite Chris Sale. The big right-hander is 12-5 this season and remains atop the majors in ERA (1.75), FIP (2.14), strikeouts (210), and WHIP (0.748). He turned in six solid frames to pick up the win over the Dodgers in his last outing, allowing one run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Misiorowski took a loss against the Braves back in June, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, striking out seven across six innings.
Sale, 37, is in his 16th MLB season and third with the Braves, and he’s still just as dominant as ever. After winning the NL Cy Young with Atlanta in 2024, he’s been arguably even better this year, with a 2.16 ERA, 2.30 FIP, and 160 strikeouts across 129 innings. He took a tough loss in his last outing against the D-backs, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks while striking out nine as Atlanta lost 2-0. Sale has made six career starts against Milwaukee, with a 2-0 record, 1.62 ERA, and 52 strikeouts over 39 innings. That includes 5 2/3 innings back in June, when he allowed a pair of unearned runs and struck out seven.
Henderson continues to impress as a major leaguer. His ERA is down to 2.70 to go along with a 3.39 FIP and 75 strikeouts across 63 1/3 innings, and he was fantastic in his last outing against the Dodgers. He went a career-high seven frames on a career-high 93 pitches, allowing one run on three hits and a walk, striking out six. This marks Henderson’s first career start against Atlanta.
Pérez, 35, is another long-time lefty veteran, as he’s in his 15th season with his seventh team. He’s made 24 appearances (20 starts) for Atlanta this year, with an 8-7 record, 3.15 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 83 strikeouts over 111 1/3 innings. Pérez got roughed up a bit against the Twins in his last outing, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks, striking out three over five frames. Pérez has made six career appearances (five starts) against Milwaukee, with a 1-3 record, 7.24 ERA, and 21 strikeouts over 32 1/3 innings, though that lone victory came this year, as he went six frames with one run allowed and five strikeouts.
Sunday, August 23 @ 6:10 p.m. (MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA): LHP Shane Drohan (6-4, 3.86 ERA, 3.36 FIP) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (4-10, 4.53 ERA, 4.13 FIP)
Drohan will get the start for the Brewers in Sunday’s showcase, and it’s been a solid year for the left-hander. Across 25 appearances (14 starts), Drohan is 6-4 with a 3.86 ERA, 3.36 FIP, and 99 strikeouts over 100 1/3 innings. He went 5 1/3 innings in his last start against the Dodgers, allowing three runs and striking out five in a no-decision. His last appearance, though, came from the bullpen, as he tossed two scoreless innings with one strikeout in Milwaukee’s 22-0 blowout win over the Mariners on Tuesday night. This marks Drohan’s first career appearance against Atlanta.
Mahle, 31, was acquired by the Braves at the trade deadline in a deal with the Giants. Another veteran, Mahle is in his 10th season with his fifth team. While he had a 5.13 ERA and 4.36 FIP with the Giants across 18 starts, he’s been great with Atlanta, pitching to a 1.45 ERA, 2.93 FIP, and 19 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings in three starts this month. A familiar opponent for Milwaukee, Mahle has made 10 career starts against the Brewers, with a 2-3 record, 4.73 ERA, and 66 strikeouts across 51 1/3 innings. He dominated the Crew in his second-to-last start with the Giants in late July, though, pitching six scoreless innings with three strikeouts as he allowed just three hits and two walks to earn the win.
How to Watch & Listen
Friday, August 14: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, August 15: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, August 16 (MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, PA): Nationally televised on ESPN/ESPN App; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Prediction
This will be a fun series between two of baseball’s best teams, capped off with a showdown in Williamsport on Sunday. Give me the Crew to win two of three.
There are 94 pitchers in major league history with 2,000 strikeouts. Jacob deGrom got there faster than 93 of them.
The Texas Rangers right-hander needed eight pitches Thursday night to reach the moment. He struck out Abimelec Ortiz on a slider Thursday night for No. 2,000, two batters into a game against the Washington Nationals. He reached 2,000 Ks in 1,661 career innings. Only Chris Sale, at 1,626 innings in 2019, needed fewer.
DeGrom passed Yu Darvish (1,697⅓ innings), Pedro Martinez, who got there in 1,711⅓ innings, and Randy Johnson, who needed 1,733⅓, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. If you measure it by games, it is nearly as lopsided. Thursday was deGrom's 272nd big league appearance, all of them starts. Johnson needed 262 games to hit 2,000 strikeouts. Nobody else has done it in fewer than 277.
Sale was 30 at the time he reached 2,000 strikeouts and Clayton Kershaw was 29. DeGrom just turned 38 in June.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner in 2018-19 had a late start. DeGrom was a shortstop the first two years of college and drafted after converting to pitching in 2010. He was a ninth-round pick who blew out his elbow six starts into his professional career. He had Tommy John in 2010 and missed all of 2011. He didn't make it to the majors until a month before his 26th birthday.
He has also been saddled with injuries in MLB. He made 31 or more starts in each season from 2017 through 2019 and pitched to a 2.53 ERA across 622⅓ innings. He made 32 starts in 2018 alone. Then came the injuries, and the Tommy John surgery in June 2023, 13 years after the first one. He made just 35 starts total from 2021-24.
When he was healthy, his strikeout rate was among the tops in the game. His strikeout percentage is 30.5 for his career.
This season has been deGrom's messiest of any "healthy stretch." He entered Thursday night's game at 8-8 with a 3.95 ERA and a 98 ERA+. Both are career worsts. The fastball still averages better than 97 mph.
He's had a left hip and glute issue nagging him since the All-Star break, and it is why manager Skip Schumaker pulled him after five innings and 88 pitches against Baltimore on Aug. 8, a night deGrom still struck out nine and gave up one run. Five days later he left his start in Anaheim after just two innings with what the Rangers labeled triceps fatigue. He had an MRI that came back clean and he threw two bullpens to gear up for this night.
DeGrom gave a vintage performance Thursday night. He gave up one hit and held the Nationals scoreless over six innings. He struck out 10, the 64th game of his career he has recorded double-digit strikeouts. The Rangers won 2-0.
Kade Anderson, the left-hander making a mockery of Class AA hitters all season, will be called up to start their Saturday, Aug. 22 game in Seattle against the Chicago Cubs, ESPN first reported.
Anderson, 22, was the third overall pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU, and in his first full professional season has proven almost untouchable. He’s struck out 135 in 93⅓ innings while compiling a 10-1 record and 1.06 ERA in 18 starts.
He will be joining one of the deepest and best rotations in baseball, though one that’s collectively not reached expectations this season. That goes for the team as well: With All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh going from a 60-homer campaign to batting .156 with just 13 homers, the Mariners are 60-68 one year after reaching Game 7 of the ALCS.
Yet they’re still just 4.5 games out of first place in the West and 3 games out of an AL wild card spot. But time is slipping away: They absorbed a 22-0 beatdown at Milwaukee on Tuesday and lost two of three games there.
Anderson can probably help.
“I’m really focused on myself, being patient through this process. I feel like my time will come when it comes,” Anderson told USA TODAY Sports last month at the Futures Game in Philadelphia. “I don’t want to play this game for this season.
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - JUNE 25: Kade Anderson, 2025 College World Series Champs LSU Baseball Star, works celebratory "Shift" at Raising Cane's Baton Rouge on June 25, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Kaitlyn Morris/Getty Images for Raising Cane's) | Getty Images for Raising Cane's
The Seattle Mariners are calling up left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson to make his first big league start on Saturday, August 22nd against the Chicago Cubs. The long awaited debut comes following a road trip where Seattle struggled to contain three potent offenses, scuppering their chances of upsetting a few of the best teams in baseball and making up ground in the American League West.
Anderson has not been merely lights out so much as vantablack with Double-A Arkansas in the Texas League. Anderson is all but universally viewed as the top pitching prospect in baseball due to stellar stuff, plus command, and a dominant résumé from his time on campus at LSU up through this summer with the Travelers. Some evaluators have even placed him as the best prospect in all of baseball, full stop.
His 1.06/1.78/2.67 ERA/FIP/DRA are mildly aided by a very friendly home field for pitchers in Dickey-Stephens Park, but what has aided them more is Anderson being an absolute monster. He has dominated every lineup he has faced, from veteran-filled rosters 4 to 6 years his senior to highly regarded prospect groups, including a star-studded Tulsa Drillers team that features several of the top prospects in baseball as the AA affiliate for the Los Angeles Dodgers. What’s been particularly standout is his consistency – Anderson has allowed more than two runs just once on the year in 18 starts (a five-run outings in mid-May). He’s allowed more than one run just two other times, with two runs in starts against Double-A Amarillo (San Diego’s affiliate) and at the launching pad of Springfield (the Cardinals affiliate). In his 93.1 innings, he’s had 135 strikeouts against just 13 walks and a single hit by pitch.
Anderson utilizes a deep bag of tricks, all of which he commands excellently. His fastball doesn’t explode on the radar gun, but there is some aspect of deception in Anderson’s lanky delivery that lets it get on opposing hitters far quicker than one would expect. He complements those heaters with a nasty mid 80s slider that is his best out pitch, breaking tightly and befuddling hitters of either handedness. Anderson also utilizes a beautiful big curveball which frequently buckles knees and freezes hitters, alongside a firm change up that completes a gorgeous compass rose of movement profiles.
Watching Anderson, it’s been reasonable to say he is one of Seattle’s five best starting pitchers, even in a rotation that for much of the year has been a strength. It’s been defensible to continue letting the existing starters have their run considering each has big league success they can point to, but the timing of Anderson‘s promotion cannot be decoupled from the passing of the recent service time deadline. With under 45 days to go in the service time calendar, Anderson will maintain rookie eligibility in 2027, keeping him eligible for the prospect promotion incentives rewards without risking an additional year of closer proximity to free agency.
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto recently stated there was no intention to have Anderson come up and work in relief. Mariners fans should know by now not to take any public comments from Dipoto as gospel, but the level at which Anderson has performed is meritorious of a rotation look. Seattle has been cautious with him in terms of innings, rarely letting Anderson face opponents more than twice through the order, which is a point worth monitoring when considering his numbers. But even in outings frequently kept around five frames for that reason, Anderson has been hilariously efficient and effective.
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 19: Andrés Chaparro #87 of the Washington Nationals celebrates with CJ Abrams #5 in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Washington Nationals and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Courtney Kramer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last night the Nats got carried by their ace Cade Cavalli. They also got enough offense thanks to a monster night from Andres Chaparro. The Nats will look to claim a series win with their second best starter on the mound. After some recent road struggles, a series win would be a nice way to get back on track.
CJ Abrams is out of the lineup in this rubber match with an ankle injury. Nasim Nunez will be playing shortstop while Jose Tena plays second base. Brady House will be at third base for Jorbit Vivas and Dylan Crews is back in the lineup in center field. Andres Chaparro and Abi Ortiz are both in the lineup again. Andrew Pinckney will also get a somewhat rare start. Andrew Alvarez has been excellent lately and will look to keep that up.
With a lefty on the mound, we will see a lot of the faces we saw in game one. Jake Burger, Justin Foscue, Danny Jansen and Cody Freeman all return to the lineup. Most of these guys are short-side platoon bats. The Nats will see an old friend on the mound tonight. Jacob DeGrom dominated them with the Mets for many years, but now he is in Texas and still throws heat.
A series win would be very uplifting for a Nats team that has struggled lately. With Alvarez on the mound, they have one of their hottest arms. Hopefully they can get enough done offensively. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats!
OMAHA, NEBRASKA - JUNE 21: Kade Anderson #32 of the LSU Tigers pitches during the first inning against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Charles Schwab Field on June 21, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LSU’s ace from the 2025 College World Series championship team has finally received his Major League call up. Kade Anderson is on his way to Seattle to make his professional debut on Saturday vs the Chicago Cubs.
BREAKING: The Seattle Mariners plan to call up left-hander Kade Anderson, the top pitching prospect in baseball, to start Saturday, sources tell ESPN. Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft, has a 1.06 ERA over 93.1 innings with 135 strikeouts, 13 walks and 47 hits allowed.
The left-handed stud has been magnificent in his first year of minor league baseball in 2026. He has spent the entire season with Arkansas Travelers, the Mariners AA team.
In 18 starts, Anderson has posted an ERA of 1.06 with a record of 10-1. In 93.1 innings pitched, he’s allowed just 47 hits while striking out 135 and walking just 13.
All of his stats are elite, but having a WHIP of 0.643 and strikeout to walk ratio of 10.38 is absurd. He’s been untouchable, further proved by his .147 batting average against. He leads the minor leagues with a strikeout rate of 40.5%.
Anderson had worked his way up to the #1 overall prospect in Seattle’s organization. As for overall, he ranks #3 in ESPN’s prospect rankings and #5 for MLB Pipeline.
Although he threw 38.1 innings as a true freshman in 2024, he was returning from Tommy John surgery that held him out for his entire senior season at St. Paul’s High School in Covington, Louisiana. He had success in midweek games, but his experience in the SEC was full of trouble.
As a true sophomore, Anderson began the 2025 season as the Tigers ace and never looked back. His 12-1 record helped lead LSU to a National Seed and a national championship. He pitched to a 3.18 ERA through 119.0 innings of work, while leading the entire country in strikeouts with 180 and walking just 35.
Due to his age, Anderson was a draft-eligible sophomore and was selected #3 overall by Seattle in the 2025 MLB Draft.
First pitch for the Mariners-Cubs game on Saturday is 6:15 central and will be nationally televised on FOX.
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 09: Jacob deGrom #48 of the Texas Rangers takes the field during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field on August 09, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Gunnar Word/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
