Category: MLB

Free of charge for the discerning reader.Charlie Lau passes, and other stories.Welcome to the Tokyo Dome.

Today in baseball history:

• 1886 – The New York State League admits clubs from Buffalo, Toronto and Hamilton. The inclusion of the Canadian teams causes the league to change its name to the International League.
• 1942 – Two black players, Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland, request a tryout with the Chicago White Sox during spring training in Pasadena, California. Sox manager Jimmie Dykes allows the two to work out but later dismisses them. Robinson will have to wait five years before making his major league debut.
• 1943 – Due to wartime travel restrictions, spring training camps begin opening in northern locations. Some of the locales include Bear Mountain, New York (Brooklyn Dodgers), French Lick Springs, Indiana (Cubs and White Sox), Asbury Park, New Jersey (Yankees), Medford, Massachusetts (Boston Red Sox) and Wallingford, Connecticut (Boston Braves).
• 1953 – The Milwaukee Braves become the first franchise to move since 1903, when the Baltimore Orioles became the New York Highlanders. The Braves have been in Boston, MA for 77 years. In a related move, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers move to Toledo, Ohio, where they become the latest incarnation of the Toledo Mud Hens.
• 1970 – The Cleveland Indians and Seattle Pilots play an exhibition game with the experimental X-5 ball, which is reported to be five per cent livelier than a regulation ball. The Pilots beat the Indians, 19-14. One week later, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders the livelier ball to be discontinued.
• 1984 – Charlie Lau, renowned batting instructor, dies in Key Colony Beach, FL, at age 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau, whose major league career batting average was .255, earned his fame as the Kansas City Royals batting coach from 1971 to 1978, where his star pupil was George Brett. Lau also served as a batting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox and wrote a book called The Art of Hitting .300. 
• 1985 – Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstates Hall of Fame members Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, who had been banned from association with organized baseball by former commissioner Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos. Ueberroth’s ruling will allow both men to pursue employment with major league teams.
• 1990 – Major league players and owners reach a new collective bargaining agreement that will end the 32-day lockout of spring training camps. Highlights of the deal include increasing the clubs’ contributions to the players’ pension fund, raising the major league minimum salary to $100,000, and a compromise on salary arbitration that leaves 17 percent of players with between two and three years of major league experience eligible.
• 2009 – The Chicago Cubs announce that they will retire number 31 on May 3rd in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux. 
• 2025 – The first game of the 2025 MLB season features the Cubs playing the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome, with both teams starting a Japanese pitcher – Shota Imanaga* for Chicago and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles. Both pitchers do well, but it’s Shohei Ohtani who plays local hero with two hits and two runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4-1 win.

Cubs Birthdays: Jimmy Callahan, Hiram Bithorn, Dick Littlefield, Fernando Rodney, Trey Mancini.

Today in history:

• 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula = Little Boots) emperor.
• 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake by King Philip IV of France.
• 1662 – First public bus service begins, promoted by Blaise Pascal, operates in Paris as the “Carosses a Cinq Sous” until 1675.
• 1881 – Barnum & Bailey Circus, traveling as “The Greatest Show on Earth”, debuts at Madison Square Garden in New York City following the merger of two existing circus groups.
• 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov leaves his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes and becomes the first person to conduct a spacewalk.

*pictured.

1901
After two seasons with Boston in the National League and ready to take on a bigger role at catcher, Billy Sullivan joined the exodus of players moving from the Senior Circuit to Junior by signing with the White Sox. Sullivan would play with the White Sox for the rest of his career, spanning 13 seasons. The first 12 was as a regular on the roster, with a 13th coming with a one-game cameo in 1914 after sitting out for a year. His career with the White Sox remained the longest in team history for a player until 1925, when fellow catcher Ray Schalk played his 14th (of 17) seasons with the team. Interestingly, it was Schalk, a teammate of Sullivan, who supplanted the senior player as Chicago’s starting catcher. And like his mentor, who managed the team in 1909, Schalk would eventually manage the White Sox as well.

1938
It was a challenge trade of first basemen that ended up as a win for the White Sox.

Chicago sent 29-year-old Zeke Bonura to Washington for 31-year-old Joe Kuhel. Bonura’s first four MLB seasons, all on the South Side, earned MVP votes in 1935 and 1936 and amassed 15.5 WAR and a slash of .317/.396/.487. Kuhel earned MVP votes in 1933 and 1936, but had suffered some pitfall seasons as well.

Neither player was any good in 1938, and both bounced back in 1939 (Bonura having moved on to the New York Giants and a 3.5 WAR, Kuhel a 3.2 WAR and 21st in MVP voting), but Kuhel also was a start in 1940 (3.7 WAR, 13th in MVP voting). Bonura continued to slump and was out of the majors by 1941, while Kuhel (flip-flopping once more to Washington and the White Sox again) would play until age 41. Over 18 seasons in the game, Kuhel put up 30.5 WAR and is regarded by JAWS as the 84th-best first baseman ever.

1942
White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes granted Black players Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland a tryout with the White Sox, while the Pale Hose conducted spring training in Pasadena, Calif. Neither player made the cut.

After also failing to make the Boston Red Sox after a tryout, Robinson was signed to play for the Kansas City Monarchs three years later, becoming an All-Star as a rookie and breaking the color barrier in MLB in 1947. Moreland had pitched in 15 games for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro Leagues in 1940, but would pitch in just one more Negro League game after his tryout with Chicago.

Interestingly, the White Sox were on the brink of a trade to bring Robinson to the White Sox in 1955, but the Cincinnati Reds claimed him on trade waivers, nixing the deal.

1964
The White Sox purchased the contract of veteran pitcher Don Mossi from the Tigers for $20,000. Mossi would have a spectacular season for the White Sox — who lost the pennant by one game — going 3-1 with seven saves and an ERA of 2.92. Mossi teamed up with Hoyt Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher to give the club the best bullpen in the league.

At the end of the year, however, Mossi was released.

1981
Carlton Fisk officially and finally signed a free agent deal with the White Sox, beginning the process of turning a purse-string organization into a competitive major league franchise. The All-Star catcher and future Hall-of-Famer got his free agency after the Red Sox did not tender him a contract by the CBA’s required date. Immediately, White Sox co-owner Eddie Einhorn and GM Roland Hemond jumped at the chance to get a player of Fisk’s caliber on to the team. For more than a week Fisk’s five-year, $2.9 million contract went unsigned, as minor tweaks to the deal continued.

Fisk would play 13 years on the South Side, make four All-Star teams as a member of the White Sox, and have his No. 72 retired in 1997. At the time he retired, he also held the team record for most home runs, as well as most home runs in MLB history hit by a catcher. His two best seasons were in 1983 (when he rebounded from a very slow start to hit .289 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs for the Western Division champions, finishing third in the MVP voting) and 1985, his career season (Fisk hit only .238, but blasted 37 home runs with 107 RBIs). 

2016
The ongoing embarrassment that surrounded the retirement of Adam LaRoche ended, at least officially, with a statement released by the player explaining his side of the story.

Just hours earlier, Chris Sale had kicked off what would be an utterly bizarre year for him by speaking out in support of LaRoche — and against his own GM, Ken Williams. As South Side Sox’s Josh Nelson wrote in his story on Sale, collectively “the White Sox unlocked a new level of awkwardness by making a dumb situation even dumber.”

The crux of the biscuit came down to LaRoche claiming that, contrary to what was promised when he signed with the White Sox, his son Drake recently had been completely banned from spring training — on-field, in locker room, full stop. Williams proffered that he’d spoken to Adam about lessening Drake’s constant presence with the team (as prompted by players like Jimmy Rollins, who talked to the GM about this strange, unprofessional and intrusive arrangement), lost his cool when after that he saw Drake on the pitcher’s mound during infield practice and issued a complete ban, then subsequently walked that back somewhat.

The 2016 season would end up fairly tainted by the incident, as White Sox stars Sale and Adam Eaton lined up in loony support of the LaRoches. Sale saved his greatest embarrassment for later in the year, however, when on July 23 he shredded 1976 throwback jerseys in the clubhouse with a knife before his scheduled start.

The Yankees entered the offseason with a hole in center field, but it was one that was filled pretty promptly. They extended the qualifying offer to Trent Grisham, and Grisham accepted it, setting him up to start in center in the Bronx on Opening Day.

But Grisham will be a free agent again after 2026, and the Yankees will have another choice to make. That choice stands out; other than second base, center field is the only position where the Yankees’ current projected starter isn’t under control for multiple years. It begs the question: who is the Yankees’ center fielder of the future?

As it stands, there seem to be four primary options, and the one that will fill the role in 2026 might be the least likely of them all. Grisham turned in a fantastic 2025 campaign, and the Yankees should be pleased to have him back for another year at a $22-million rate. But with Grisham set to hit free agency again, it’s easy to envision one of two scenarios: him either repeating his breakout 2025 and signing a long-term contract somewhere else, or Grisham regressing, leaving the Yankees uninterested in further retaining his services.

Should Grisham leave, could the team turn back to Cody Bellinger? The 30-year-old was actually the team’s starter in center on Opening Day last year, but quickly ceded the role to Grisham once the latter started raking. Bellinger is an excellent athlete who has played center field at a high level at various points in his career, but he’s entering his 30’s, and rated as just passable in center in a small sample last year. Would the Yankees entrust the position to him as he enters or nears his decline phase?

Then, there are the youthful options. Jasson Domínguez once looked ticketed for the role, an uber athlete that, coming up through the minors, looked like a good bet to remain in center. Yet Domínguez has found himself in left in recent years, and has largely looked like a liability. Spencer Jones actually seems like the more likely option to be able to handle center in the medium-term, with scouts putting average-to-plus grades on each of Jones’ speed, arm, and fielding. Jones, though, comes with more questions regarding his bat, as it’s anyone’s guess at this point whether Jones will limit swings and misses enough at the big league level to access his mammoth raw power.

What do you think? Is the Yankees’ center fielder of the future on the active roster right now, or somewhere down on the farm? Or, is he not even in the organization yet?

On the site today, Andrés previews an interesting figure in the Yankees organization, that of Dax Kilby, the club’s 2025 first-round pick. We’ll also see Michael look over the Cubs as part of our MLB Preview, while Jeff wishes a happy birthday to Brian Fisher. And be sure to catch the start of today’s spring training game, as it will be Gerrit Cole’s first live action since 2024.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: YES, MLBN (out-of-market only), NESN, Gotham Sports App

Venue: George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

MIAMI — They sat in the clubhouse late Tuesday evening still numb, with several stars so distraught that tears streamed down their faces.

Team USA spent only two weeks together, but they bonded quickly in Arizona, hung out for 10 days in Houston, and by the time they reached Miami, it felt like they’ve been teammates their entire careers.

This is why it stung so badly, losing 3-2 to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic title game. Several players were so angry that when they were given their silver medals on the field, they yanked them off their neck before even getting back to the locker room at loanDepot Park.

“It hurts, it really hurts," said USA designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who struck out three times. “I always say you expect to win a baseball game when you walk out of the room, and to not have that to have that happen? It hurts.

“But give credit to Venezuela."

The USA players conceded afterwards that as badly as they wanted to win, they didn’t deserve to.

They produced just three hits against six different Venezuelan pitchers night.

They scored just four runs in the last 21 innings of the tournament.

They didn’t even have a single runner in scoring position for the last 14 innings.

Sure, it’s not like the grief of losing the final game of a World Series or postseason game, saying good-bye to your teammates that you’ve been with for six months and won’t see again until spring training. But it’s pretty damn close. Pitchers like Matthew Boyd of the Chicago Cubs, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Clay Holmes even left their spring-training camps to return to the USA team, wanting to be together one final time.

“Obviously, disappointment," said USA captain Aaron Judge, who thanked his teammates in a clubhouse speech. “You know, hats off to Venezuela for going out there, doing their thing, playing a great, clean ball game, and coming away with the win. But obviously you're disappointed.

“We came here, all of us put on this uniform, signed up to go out there and get a gold medal, and we fell short of that."

Fans have been wondering, with bated breath and bitten nails, whether Jacob Lopez is fully healthy following his season-ending IL stint from the dreaded “forearm tightness”. Turns out fans weren’t the only one expelling bricks though orifices.

I sat down with Lopez on Monday, March 16th, for what turned out to be an abbreviated interview because after 5 minutes I could see him looking out at the field anxiously even though he never said he needed to go. Clearly he did and so I did a shorter interview than usual — but still was able to cover the key topics that had made him one of my requested targets this spring.

Nico: So first of all, you’re coming off a great outing on Saturday. You’ve been through injuries and rehabs before, and then you had a scare at the end of last year, or maybe more than a scare, because you were on the IL. But can you talk a bit first about what happened at the end of last year, what it felt like, how it felt compared to what you had been through before (TJS)?

Lopez: Yeah, it was pretty scary that day in Seattle, because I felt a little bit of tightness in the bullpen, but I didn’t think much of it because you know, later in the year you feel a lot of things. But I think once I started doing arm care after my outing, I really flared up and I was like, “Oh no, this feels worse than when I did have TJ” and it was, it was in that scary spot, you know? So I was just thinking all the worst things, but luckily it ended up just being like some kind of soft tissue thing where my ulnar nerve used to be before they moved it back in 2021. So it ended up being something that could heal on its own. So that’s what it did this off season and I feel pretty good.

Nico: I feel like pitchers have this constant difficult decision to make where they do feel something — they feel soreness, they feel tightness, they feel something that’s kind of like pain or that reminds them of an injury that was serious. And then they have to decide, do I go out and throw anyway? Do I say something? What do I do? So can you kind of walk us through that experience as a pitcher trying to figure out like what to make of something?

Lopez: Yeah, I think once I went through the TJ process, I really learned what’s actual pain and what is something that you can kind of toughen out and push through. So for me personally, there’s probably only three or four starts last year where I felt 100%, probably June through July, my whole, I don’t know, I had some upper back problems that wouldn’t go away. And I think adrenaline helps take over, but in between starts, it’s like, “All right, what can we do every day in the training room and the strength room to really figure it out and get back out there in five days?” So I think that’s the most important thing for the starting pitcher.

Nico: Now, that outing in Seattle, fans are watching, and you’ve had such a great year. And obviously, you’re having a rough outing. What are you feeling out on the mound? Do you think you should have gone out there?

Lopez: Yeah, there is no doubt. If you tell the coaches you’re good, you’ve got to be fully confident. And it’s one of those things like, I can’t just stop in the middle of the first inning or something and leave the rest of my team out to dry. So no, when I’m out there I don’t think anything. I just believe in the full confidence and compete as best as I can.

Nico: There was a moment in Saturday’s start where you threw a pitch, you thought it was a strike. It was called a ball and you challenged and I saw you walk off to the back of the mound and the way that you got into it and you kind of let out a grunt I thought “Oh no he’s hurt,” you know, but it was all over a ball-strike call and it was a called third strike so it sounds to me like even in a spring training game the competitive juices are really flowing.

Lopez: Oh, no, I mean, yeah I’m just a really competitive guy. I mean, when I was younger, I was way more emotional, so hopefully it doesn’t show too much. That Shea challenge nailed it for the strikeout, so that was huge. I think it’s kind of fun. I loved it in AAA, the ABS, so it just helps keep the game smooth. But yeah, I’m an emotional guy, so I try to be as professional as I can out there. You know, my first live ABs this spring training, over at Fitch on the backfield felt the same as my MLB debut. So I guess that’s a good thing. I get a bunch of butterflies, so I just kind of learned how to control those.

Nico: So I guess the question that’s probably on every fan’s mind right now is how you’re feeling physically and where you are in terms of injury and health at this very moment going forward.

Lopez: Yeah, I just feel 100 % and I felt like that really the whole off season. So yeah, I feel really confident to help this team. We have some pretty high goals and we’re gonna do our best as a team to fulfill those goals.

Nico: Now, you have an unusual motion. You know, you have a very deceptive delivery. {Here Jacob starts looking antsy and keeps monitoring the field} Can you just talk about that and then I’ll let you go. How did you develop that?

Lopez: I just, that’s how I’ve always thrown. It was worse in college and stuff, then my pitching coach in college is really the first person to really help control that. But no, I haven’t really worked ever, even in pro ball with pitching coaches, too much with my mechanics. Which has been a good thing to be as natural as I can.

And with that Lopez, who was apparently due on the field with a pre-game group, exhaled and sprinted out to the infield even quicker than his best fastball.

Next up: Pitching coach Scott Emerson discusses the “kick change,” Jack Perkins’ role, and how he feels about Trainman (well, maybe only 2 of those 3)…

It was a tough night offensively for Team USA in Tuesday night's World Baseball Classic Championship game.

Going up against Venezuela, the high-powered USA lineup just did not show up in their 3-2 loss, and that includes Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Judge, who was captain of this iteration of Team USA, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. However, it was not just Judge's results that were disappointing for Team USA, but the timing.

In the first, Judge struck out looking on a questionable third-strike call to end the inning. He struck out swinging in his second at-bat with the bases empty and Team USA down 1-0. 

Judge's third at-bat saw the two-time AL MVP come up as the tying run. Team USA was down 2-0 and they had a runner on first base with two outs. Judge grounded out to third base to end the inning. 

"Surprised because of the names on the back," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa answered when asked if he was surprised by his team's lack of offense. "Not surprised because where they’re at at spring training... That’s my answer. I don’t really have a rhyme or reason as to why. You’re either hot or not in a seven-game blast like this."

“They made their pitches, worked the corners on both sides. When we did get a pitch we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can’t happen," Judge said. "When you get a pitch to hit, you have to be able to drive. Even if you get one pitch in a game, you got to do something with it. They executed their pitches and their gameplan. And we just couldn’t get rolling offensively."

Aaron Judge on facing Venezuela:

"When we did get a pitch we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can't happen. When you get a pitch to hit, you gotta be able to drive it" pic.twitter.com/7CDVFKoEzJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) March 18, 2026

Judge wasn't the only superstar who had a bad offensive night. Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed just two baserunners (one hit and one walk) in his 4.1 innings pitched, and Team USA never had a runner get into scoring position once. Even when Bryce Harper tied the game in the eighth with a two-run bomb, it was with a runner on first base.

After the homer, Judge came up for his fourth at-bat as the potential go-ahead run. Judge was called out on strikes to end the eighth, in what would be his final AB.

"Pitching wins championships," Harper said of the lack of offense. "Roddy threw the ball great tonight, kept everyone off balance. I was happy when they took him out of the game…sometimes that’s going to happen, that’s part of the game, that’s part of baseball. Pitching wins, they had timely hitting tonight and they made things happen."

In total, Team USA had three hits and Harper had two of them. The other came from Brice Turang in the third inning.

Three of Team USA's top four batters (Bobby Witt Jr., Judge and Kyle Schwarber) combined to go 0-for-10 with two walks and six strikeouts. DeRosa credited Venezuela's pitching for keeping Team USA's bats at bay, but the manager said his team's lack of baserunners just allowed Venezuela to keep the momentum for most of the game.

"We didn’t put any pressure on them offensively," DeRosa said of the game. "There was a passed ball there early, they got a sac fly, grabbed the lead and keep the fans involved. It wasn’t a mistake on our end. We just never put any pressure on them."

The Mariners played their first split-squad game of the spring this season now that they finally have enough players back from the WBC and split the games, losing at home against the Padres and winning on the road against the Rockies.

Home game: San Diego 9, Mariners 6

It wasn’t as bad as the 27-6 blowout from the other week but San Diego’s offense once again ran roughshod over the Mariners pitching. The Rad Dads dinged Luis Castillo for two solo homers and a boatload of hard contact – although he only surrendered runs on the two solo shots. The rest of the pitchers didn’t fare well, either: Andrés Muñoz gave up a solo homer to new Padre Nick Castellanos [scans headlines urgently] plus another run; Gunner Mayer, a pitcher I hadn’t heard of before today, gave up two homers and three runs in just a third of an inning; and José Ferrer, despite striking out the side, also gave up a two-run homer to the Padres’ second-string catcher. The best pitching performance of the day was turned in by Casey Legumina, who pitched two perfect innings behind Castillo.

The Mariners offense made a steady effort, holding a slender 4-2 lead through the sixth thanks to Legumina’s effort, with the runs coming on this Luke Raley opposite field shot:

And this Colt Emerson homer, his second of the spring:

Emerson was also involved in the Mariners’ go-ahead score in the fifth; he made a gutsy challenge on a called strike three and instead got it called a ball for a walk. Luis Suisbel then doubled, and Brendan Donovan sacrificed him home to give the Mariners the go-ahead run.

Another young player helped the Mariners pad their lead in the sixth, with Cole Young continuing his strong spring with an RBI single scoring Luke Raley, who had singled and moved to second on a wild pitch.

San Diego opened up the scoring after that, beating up on the Mariners bullpen, but the young kids did claw back another pair of runs late, with Felnin Celesten coming through with a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh and Austin St. Laurent adding one last run in the ninth on an RBI single scoring Colt Emerson, who had doubled for his second hit of the day in a nine-inning effort.

Away Game: Mariners 10, Rockies 6

Cooper Criswell turned in a solid effort, albeit with some loud contact: a 114 mph EV single in the first, and back-to-back 100 mph+ EV doubles in the second that led to two runs for Colorado, tying the game after the Mariners had struck first. He wasn’t especially efficient, needing 61 pitches to clear his three innings of work and giving up five hits, but he also struck out five, working out of jams by enscorcelling the Rockies with a beautiful changeup and a devilish cutter. The loud contact is worrisome, but Criswell has enough craft in his arsenal to be able to survive a lineup at least once through.

Meanwhile, the Mariners “B” offense went to work on the Rockies tandem of Ryan Feltner and Chase Dollander, who are fighting it out for the fifth rotation spot like George Kirby and Matt Brash back in 2022, but like, badly. The Mariners hitters tagged Feltner for three runs over 3.1 innings, taking advantage of some poor command – four walks – and then beat up on Dollander for another five runs over 3.2 innings, again taking advantage of three walks, although Dollander struck out four. The big blows came off Dollander in the sixth, who gave up three doubles in a row to Rhylan Thomas, Connor Joe, and Carson Taylor, giving the Mariners an 8-5 lead

The Mariners got another pair of runs in the top of the ninth on a homer by prospect Colin Davis, scoring J.T. Arruda, who I am embarrassed to say I’ve never heard of before today. So we’re at that point of spring training. That would give the Mariners a 10-6 lead they would not relinquish, securing a split in today’s split-squad action.

With the news that Joe Musgrove will start the season on the injured list, the San Diego Padres now have two rotation spots available instead of just one. 

Germán Márquez was lined up to take the fifth spot due to his big-league contract, but now there’s room for one more. One name has continued to come up this spring for San Diego: Walker Buehler

An inconsistent career

The Los Angeles Dodgers mainstay has struggled since having the best year of his career in 2021, with a 4.83 ERA from 2022-25. But in ‘21 he dominated the league with a 2.47 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.

Toward the end of the ‘22 season, Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery and was out for the entire 2023 season. Since then, he has been largely ineffective outside of a dominant postseason run in ‘24.

In 2025, Buehler put up a 5.45 ERA while on a prove-it deal with the Boston Red Sox to bolster their rotation depth. Suffice it to say, he did not prove it. He was released by the club in August before being picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Through three games in Philly, Buehler dominated. It’s obviously a small sample size, but a 0.66 ERA down the stretch is nothing to sneeze at. It pointed to a possible return to the success that had eluded him the last few years.

Fighting for rotation spots in San Diego

The Padres’ rotation has been a thing of immense scrutiny this offseason. With Musgrove now out of the group due to injury, there are two spots remaining behind Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez. 

Buehler has been fighting for his life in Cactus League play. He was signed by the Friars to a minor-league contract with an invite to Spring Training. Since joining the club, he’s put up a 3.09 ERA in 11 ⅔ innings. 

Monday’s dominant outing

Prior to Monday, Buehler had a 5.40 ERA this spring. He’s made two solid starts but nothing awe-inspiring, giving up four runs in 6 ⅔ innings. 

But against the San Francisco Giants, Buehler dominated. Pitching five full innings in a spring game and striking out seven, he allowed only three hits and two walks without allowing a run.

The even greater thing of note was his pitch count. Buehler only threw 77 pitches through five innings, meaning he could have likely gone deeper if this were a regular season game. But this has been a winning formula for San Diego: starter goes six innings, relievers pick up one apiece to close it out. 

Now don’t immediately go and say that he’s going to dominate every single game. He is far from the pitcher he was in 2021. But he’s beginning to lean into the stuff he now has after his fastball lost velocity. That has given him some new ways to get outs during Cactus League. 

How will it translate to real games?

If anything, Buehler has earned the starter spot head-and-shoulders above Márquez, who has struggled to a 9.26 ERA this spring. But with room in the pitching staff for both now, they’ll each get an opportunity to prove themselves for the big-league club.

If Buehler can continue to build on what he showed against San Francisco, it would go a long way to anchoring a shaky Padres rotation. The pitcher has long struggled with pain in his throwing arm but has said that it disappeared this offseason. 

It’ll be exciting to see what this new form of Buehler looks like in San Diego, and what he can do to add to the Friars’ World Series aspirations.

Venezuela's Daniel Palencia stood on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning and blew a 99.7 mph pitch past USA outfielder Roman Anthony, who whiffed for strike three to seal a 3-2 championship win for Venezuela. Palencia turned to face his teammates, threw his glove in the air and screamed as he stretched his arms out to the sky.

For the first time in the World Baseball Classic's 20-year history, "La Vinotinto" were crowned champions.

Tears streamed down the faces of several players as the celebration ensued.

"This team is awesome," Eugenio Suárez said to Ken Rosenthal on the field. "We're a family here. That's why we play with passion, with love, because we feel this jersey, we feel our country in front of us. That's why this is a lot for us as people, as players, as human beings and as Venezuelans. Now, we are champions."

¡HISTORIA PARA VENEZUELA! 🇻🇪

CAMPEONES DEL WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POR PRIMERA VEZ. pic.twitter.com/WqKZ6ZqseW

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Kansas City Royals breakout star Maikel García was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic after he hit .385 over the tournament with a home run and seven RBIs. He drove in the first run of the final on Tuesday on a sac fly that scored Salvador Perez.

Watch Venezuela's championship celebration from multiple angles below:

¿QUÉ MEJOR FORMA DE CERRAR QUE CON UNOS TAMBORES DE CAMPEÓN? pic.twitter.com/lXMpFi5APG

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

¡El Capitán Salvy! ¡CAMPEÓN! pic.twitter.com/z3308LWby0

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

¡HISTORIA PARA VENEZUELA! 🇻🇪

CAMPEONES DEL WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC POR PRIMERA VEZ. pic.twitter.com/WqKZ6ZqseW

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Hug me, brother!

William and Willson Contreras embrace as #WorldBaseballClassic champions ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pdt45xdHAp

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

Eugenio Suárez: “Este equipo es increíble. ¡Somos una familia! Por eso jugamos con pasión, con amor, porque sentimos la camiseta, sentimos a nuestro país apoyándonos, por eso esto es tan importante para nosotros como personas, como jugadores, como seres humanos y como… pic.twitter.com/mwKUh89aqE

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) March 18, 2026

Tastes like victory 🥇#WorldBaseballClassicpic.twitter.com/DNEnp99mL4

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

¡Campeones! pic.twitter.com/Crgs362JfG

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela WBC celebrations: World Baseball Classic championship 2026

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani isn’t just the best baseball player in the world. He’s also the driving force behind why Japanese fans are watching Major League Baseball.

In a country where baseball already pulses through the culture like oxygen, Ohtani has turned passion into obsession. According to a YouGov Sport survey, nearly 8 in 10 Japanese fans now say he’s one of their favorite MLB players, and more importantly, 79 percent admit he’s the reason their interest in Major League Baseball has grown. 

Ohtani’s current team, the Dodgers, have now become Japan’s team. A commanding 59 percent of the nation said the Dodgers are their favorite MLB team. That’s no coincidence. Ohtani, alongside countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, has turned Dodger Stadium into a second home for millions of fans watching from across the Pacific. 

When the Dodgers reached the 2025 World Series, more than half of Japanese sports fans tuned in—and 86 percent of them weren’t just watching. They were emotionally invested. 

This is the rarest kind of athlete, the kind who doesn’t just dominate a sport but redefines its geography. Ohtani hasn’t simply bridged Japan and America—he’s collapsed the distance between them. Every home run, every splitter, every moment under the lights pulls two baseball worlds closer together.

The Roki Sasaki experiment continued on Tuesday night, with a loss of command coming to be expected from the Dodgers right-hander despite this game taking place in Surprise. Sasaki got through parts of five innings in a 10-4 Kansas City Royals.

Sasaki’s first time through the Royals’ batting order was a pleasant stroll, with three strikeouts with only a double and walk allowed. But then he walked three straight batters in the third inning to load the bases with one out. Manager Dave Roberts removed him from the game to prevent a taxing inning, with the intent of bringing him back in to begin the next frame, which is allowed during spring.

Nick Robertson got the final two outs of the fourth inning, stranding all three of Sasaki’s runners.

In the fourth inning, Sasaki struck out a pair, but also allowed a single and a two-run home run. Then he ran a 3-0 count to Jonathan India, slipping on the delivery on one of the pitches, enough to warrant a mound visit from Roberts and a team trainer. Sasaki stayed in and induced an inning-ending groundout that he ran to first base himself, a rare 1u on the scorecard.

Sasaki was also allowed to start the fifth inning, but was pulled when his 71st pitch of the game was smacked by Starling Marte for a leadoff double off the wall. Sasaki is officially credited with 3 1/3 innings though he pitched in parts of five innings, with three runs allowed. He struck out five but walked four, throwing nearly as many balls (33) as strikes (38).

In three Cactus League games this spring, Sasaki has thrown 76 balls and 76 strikes in his 6 2/3 innings, with nine walks and 10 strikeouts.

Notes

• Jack Suwinski has played in two games this spring for the Dodgers, all over the last three days, and he homered in each one. His ninth-inning shot on Tuesday cleared Surprise Stadium, and gave the Dodgers the lead for good in what became a six-run inning.
• Dalton Rushing had an impressive opposite-field home run down the left field line on Tuesday, and caught seven innings before departing.
• Hyeseong Kim played the entire game, playing eight innings at shortstop before finishing up in center field in the ninth. He singled, got hit by a pitch, stole a base, and scored two runs in his third game back from the World Baseball Classic.

Up next

For the first time in a game in 2026, we get to see Shohei Ohtani on the mound on Wednesday afternoon against the Giants (1:05 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network).

Mets rookie Nolan McLean took the mound for Team USA and against Venezuela in the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship on Tuesday night, and gave his team a chance.

It was an inauspicious start for the youngster, as he threw a 98 mph first-pitch fastball to Ronald Acuña Jr., and the former NL MVP laced the pitch up the middle for a leadoff hit. McLean would bounce back, though, getting Maikel Garcia to ground into a double play, erasing Acuña. Luis Arraez then followed up by flying out to center.

McLean's second inning started off great, with the young right-hander striking out Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres.Ezequiel Tovar dumped an opposite-field single before Wilyer Abreu popped out to shortstop to get through two scoreless innings. 

Salvador Perez led off the top of the third with a single, but McLean struck out Jackson Chourio before walking Acuña with one out. The righty shanked a curveball that got past catcher Will Smith, allowing the runners to advance. 

Garcia capitalized by bringing home Perez with a sac fly, but that was the only damage in the inning as McLean induced an inning-ending Arraez groundout. 

Unfortunately for Team USA, that run mattered a lot as the offense just could not get going in the early going. Team Venezuela's starter, Eduardo Rodriguez, allowed just one hit and one walk in his 4.1 innings pitched as he blanked the high-powered US team.

"Nolan McLean pitched his tail off," Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said after the game. "We were not prepared for him to go five. We were thinking he’d give us three, he give us four and we would go right to the bullpen and see where the game is at. That’s a testament to him. He had unbelievable stuff tonight. He matched Eddie."

McLean's fourth inning of work was an easy 1-2-3 while throwing only 51 pitches. 

Abreu, who had arguably Venezuela's biggest home run earlier in the WBC, took McLean deep on a 0-1 fastball that he launched 414 feet over the centerfield wall. That leadoff homer gave Venezuela a 2-0 lead. 

"I could've executed a little bit better," McLean said. "But he's a really good player at the same time. I would love to go back and make a different pitch, obviously."

McLean got the next two batters out before he was pulled after pitching 4.2 innings (63 pitches/44 strikes), allowing two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out four.

After the game, McLean was asked about this game and rated it a seven out of 10, but was generally pleased with it.

"I felt good out there. Proud of the way I competed," McLean said of his outing. "Stuff felt great, filling up the zone, tried to control everything I could."

And although Bryce Harper's two-run shot in the eighth tied the game at 2-2, Venezuela would get the go-ahead run in the ninth to capture their first WBC Championship with a 3-2 win.

But without McLean's start, the game could have gotten away from Team USA.

"Whenever you go down two-nothing, it's tough, but I thought Mac threw the ball great," Harper said of McLean. "He’s a special talent; he’s going to be a special talent for a long time. We got a lot of great young guys in there who are going to play again on this team. Baseball’s in a really good spot." 

Nolan McLean is fired up after inducing a big double play in the first

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/EZ8UvqG4QL

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

Nolan McLean strikes out Eugenio Suarez and Gleyber Torres in the second!

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/BsIirOhgtU

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

Nolan McLean's fourth strikeout of the evening

(via @WBCBaseball) pic.twitter.com/mawEy57gRG

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 18, 2026

New York Post | Joel Sherman: ($) Gerrit Cole will return to the field Wednesday, starting a spring training game against the Red Sox. The Yankees’ ace is scheduled to pitch one inning, marking his first appearance since spring training of last year, when he sustained a UCL injury that required Tommy John surgery. While this development is encouraging, Cole will still begin the year on the IL as he continues to build himself up to full strength, with late April his earliest plausible return window.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: There’s encouraging news on New York’s other injured frontline starter as well. Carlos Rodón is expected to return “at some point in April,” Aaron Boone told the press Tuesday, confirming that the left-hander is still on the same schedule outlined at the start of spring. Boone did not rule out Rodón making a spring training appearance as well, though none are currently scheduled.

Boone also confirmed he would be comfortable with playing third baseman Ryan McMahon at shortstop, a development that has ramifications for several players hoping to make the team. With Anthony Volpe starting the season on the IL, McMahon’s ability to serve as a fill-in for starter Jose Caballero would allow the team to carry Randal Grichuk, a right-handed outfielder who fills an area of need, instead of utilityman Max Schuemann or one of the team’s non-roster invitee shortstops.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: ($) A story about the conspicuous lack of stories coming out of Yankees’ spring training camp. Luis Gil, the team’s projected fifth starter, struggling and Cam Schlittler dealing with minor back and lat discomfort have been the closest thing to drama permeating George M. Steinbrenner Field. Jasson Domínguez, the heralded former top prospect who played in 123 games last season, is slated to start the season at Triple-A, but he’s handled the demotion with aplomb, skirting a potential pain point. This type of calm is “very unique for spring,“ said Giancarlo Stanton.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees reassigned non-roster invitee Bradley Hanner to minor-league camp Tuesday morning as the team continues to whittle down its roster. The right-hander had a 9.00 ERA in five appearances in big-league camp after signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees on the heels of a middling campaign last year with the Rockies’ Triple-A team. With this move, New York now needs to clear 20 more roster spots to get down to 26 for Opening Day.

JUPITER, Fla. — Sean Manaea tossed four no-hit innings against the Marlins on Tuesday.

Still, the number that many observers paid attention to was the speed of his four-seam fastball, which remained in the 86-88 mph range, down about 3 mph from a year ago.

“It’s low, but I feel good,” the lefty said after his outing in a 5-5 tie at Roger Dean Stadium. “I’m not concerned about it whatsoever. I’ll get to Citi Field, get the adrenaline going and it will shoot back up.”

Perhaps, but there’s no guarantee of that happening for the 34-year-old who went through a miserable, injury-plagued 2025.

And if his fastball doesn’t get to the 90s, Manaea said he is confident he can get batters out.

“I’ve pitched with 86-87 [mph],’’ Manaea said. “I don’t want to be there, but I still think I’m effective. I’ll fill up the strike zone and mix and match.”

He also believes the cutter he’s working on could help offset a potential loss of velocity.

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But with the regular season quickly approaching, a tick up in velocity would be positive and Carlos Mendoza said he’s not sure that will happen.

“We don’t know,’’ the manager said. “I would say yes, especially with what he went through [physically] last year. It might take some time.”

Mendoza remained pleased that Manaea was able to get swings and misses without his best fastball and that the cutter was effective.

But both he and Manaea would like to see some low-90s on the scoreboard.

“I think it’s in there,’’ Mendoza said. “I think the velo will come.”

Carson Benge’s hot spring has put him in a spot to win a job out of spring training and now MJ Melendez is off to minor league camp.

Melendez, signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, got off to a hot start in Mets camp, but the outfielder’s lack of playing time once he left to play for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC likely ended his chances of making the Opening Day roster.

Mendoza said Tuesday after Melendez was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse — along with right-hander Christian Scott — that the outfielder needed to get more reps at the plate.

“He’s got to get at-bats,’’ the manager said of Melendez, who went 4-for-11 with two homers with the Mets, but then got just six plate appearances in the WBC before Puerto Rico was eliminated.

In Tuesday’s game against the Marlins, Tyrone Taylor got the start in left, with Luis Robert Jr. in center and Brett Baty in right.

Both Benge and Mike Tauchman, another left-handed hitter, have impressed this spring.

Scott was optioned after a fairly encouraging spring, as the 26-year-old right-hander is coming back from 2024 Tommy John surgery.

“He came in in a really good spot,’’ Mendoza said. “He worked hard in his rehab process, especially after getting a taste [of the majors] in 2024.”

He will serve as more rotation depth for the Mets, who have six viable starting pitchers with Opening Day little more than a week away.

In other roster moves Tuesday, right-handers Adbert Alzolay, Nick Burdi and Daniel Duarte and infielders Christian Arroyo and Jose Rojas were reassigned to minor league camp.

Even the avid baseball fan would have acknowledged that were Venezuela to win the World Baseball Classic, Ronald Acuña Jr. would likely be the MVP. 

Maikel Garcia made sure to keep it in the family. 

He's almost better-known as the cousin of the great Atlanta Braves outfielder, but in leading Venezuela to its first World Baseball Classic championship, Garcia forged his own road to stardom. 

Garcia led the WBC with 10 hits in seven games and they came in almost every form: A home run, a bunt single and a pair of doubles as he drove in seven runs and stole three bases – absolute kerosene in Venezuela’s No. 2 hole between Acuña and three-time batting champion Luis Arráez.