Mar 28, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Chase DeLauter (24) celegbrates with centerfielder Steven Kwan (38) after hitting a two-run home run during the tenth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
I think we can officially call Chase DeLauter a phenom at this point.
Be sure to read Zach’s recap of last night’s exciting win. Seattle is a very good team. To secure a split and have a shot at winning a series in their home ballpark is pretty impressive.
Also, impressive, of course, is Chase DeLauter having a horrible game and still managing to get to 97 mph up and away for a home run. It’s remarkable how much an actual hitter being in the 2-hole changes this team.
I do hope last night was enough incentive for Vogt to tell batters to only challenge calls when given a signal to do so from the dugout. And to make sure that signal is only given on 2-2 or 3-2 counts. It’s just not worth it, otherwise. Batters are too emotional as are pitchers. Catchers are the only ones to be given carte de blanche to challenge as they see fit.
Tanner Bibee threw a bullpen yesterday and said he felt great. As long as he feels good today, it may be possible that first game exit was just a scare and he can make his next start. Let’s hope so.
Hunter Gaddis’s velo was down a bit, but he had a scoreless inning for Columbus yesterday in rehab.
AROUNDMLB:
The Twins won, but the Tigers, Royals and White Sox all lost.
Mar 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) in the dugout before a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Saturday was quite an unforgettable birthday for Will Smith.
Not only did his two daughters throw out the first pitch and not only was Saturday Smith’s bobblehead commemorating his go-ahead home run from Game 7 last year, but he also drilled a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to mark three consecutive come-from-behind victories and seal a series sweep for the Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks. That might not have happened at all, as Dave Roberts noted during his post-game media presser that he initially had Smith out of the starting lineup.
“Actually I didn’t have him in there tonight, and he really wanted to be in there tonight on his bobblehead night. He said he felt good, and so that proved to be the right decision.”
Smith spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following the ending of Saturday’s contest, noting how this Dodgers team never truly feels out of the game even when down in late innings, and there is always someone in the lineup to hand the baton to when needing a clutch moment.
“There’s nothing better than playing in front of our home fans here at Dodger Stadium. Late in innings, we never feel like we’re out of the game. It always feels like someone is going to come up with a big hit. We keep applying pressure. Mookie got on right before me, and tonight it was me that got the big hit.”
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Entering Saturday, Freddie Freeman was the only starter over the first two games of the season who had not yet recorded a hit. That all changed on Saturday as Freeman connected for three hits, including an opposite field RBI double to put the Dodgers on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Freeman’s lack of contribution over the first two games was a result of pure happenstance— including three deep fly ball outs on Friday— rather than a regression in his game, as he noted to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following Saturday’s game he’s been swinging well at the plate since spring training.
“I had been feeling good all spring training and even the last couple of games, even though I had nothing to show for it. Definitely nice to get it off the barrel in the first [at-bat] and hit a flare up the middle. Obviously, once you get one, you can just kinda rest easy… There’s a lot of things that happened for me tonight that was very positive.”
Tyler Glasnow followed up Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan with six strikeouts in his first outing of the year on Saturday, tossing a quality start over six full innings but ultimately having his performance result in a no-decision.
Glasnow spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about getting back into a nice rhythm on the mound after getting scored on early, a running theme that persisted in the opening series for Dodgers starting pitchers.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: A general view of fans in the stands with Opening Day bunting during the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
Now that we’re getting back into the swing of the regular season, it’s time to find out what everyone’s favorite highlights of the week were!
I am, once again, at a distinct disadvantage because as of the time this is being written there has only been one game played this week, in which they lost 7-0 so the pickings are slim. And I already picked Aaron Judge’s golden sombrero for yesterday’s BP.
So I’m going to have to let you all do the heavy lifting this week. What were your favorite highlights of the week this week? Or if things have not improved since Wednesday’s loss, feel free to share the low-lights too!
I admit that I have my PCA jersey on. We had Chicago dogs for lunch and I have one Old Style left from a trip to Rocco’s a bit ago. Much more noise has been made about his deal than Nico Hoerner’s, as Pete has been anointed the new ‘face’. I suspect PCA is equal to the task. He seems to welcome the challenge and I look forward to when the young faces take over. George Gervin is right but the example of White Castle comes to mind.
Popular culture has claimed that name, as the boys from Wichita didn’t. Caleb Williams would have to go some to match Gervin’s accomplishments but the matter is for trademark attorneys to work out now. I would think some kind of settlement could be reached. Because Luther Burden III was also right.
Williams and PCA will not be denied. /narrative
Anyway, Pete had a good game, going 2 for 3, with 2 stolen bases, a walk, and a little glovework. Nico did well, as well, going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks, an RBI double, and a stolen base. Miguel Amaya clobbered a solo homer and an RBI single. Ian Happ unloaded for three. The Cubs had seven two-out RBI.
Cade Horton was Cade Horton. He threw strike after strike, with ground balls aplenty. Caleb Thielbar was just fine. Cubs win, 10-2. Rubber game today. Shota Imanaga and James Irvin on the hill.
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Kyle Williams (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs’ Matt Shaw won’t have long runway in right field. “Before the game, I said this is not the ideal day to make your debut in right field with how the weather was today, but [Shaw] did a nice job,” manager Craig Counsell said.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 27: A detailed view of the MLB debut jersey patch worn TJ Rumfield #7 of the Colorado Rockies in the first inning against the Miami Marlins by at loanDepot park on March 27, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Rockies played their last two spring training games and their first two regular season games this week. So far in the regular season, they’re 0-2 but there have been some moments of brightness. TJ Rumfield made his MLB debut, knocked his first MLB hit and launched his first MLB home run in his first two games. Ezequiel Tovar hit his first home run in 2025, and there were some excellent defensive plays made throughout the games. The baserunning game, though, still needs some work.
Additionally, on the farm, Charlie Condon hit two home runs (likely revenge homers for starting the year in Triple-A). Maybe we’ll see him sooner than we thought…
That all said, here’s what our staff had to write about during this busy week!
For the second time in as many days, Syracuse scored three runs, but this time, they surrendered five and suffered their first loss of the 2026 campaign. Joander Suarez gave up the first couple of those runs in his first start of the year, and Jonathan Pintaro and Alex Carrillo—both of whom made appearances for the big league Mets last year—gave up two runs and one run, respectively, to swing the game in Worcester’s favor.
BALTIMORE, MD - MARCH 26: Shane Baz #34 of the Baltimore Orioles takes the floor before the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Hello, friends.
The Orioles just can’t let us feel good about them for long, huh? The vibes were great yesterday afternoon around the Shane Baz contract extension, with excitement for the near future of the team from the front office and from a good number of the players. If only they could have sustained those good vibes through even one more game after that. Instead, the Orioles turned in a stinker of a 4-1 loss to the Twins to fall to 1-1 on the year. Check out my recap of the game for more of the not-so-lovely totals.
Anybody who is my age or younger has been prepared for this kind of thing by a lifetime of being Orioles fans. Nothing good lasts for long and plenty of times things have come along within 24 hours to squash fun vibes. This is only the latest example. Baz has the opportunity to bring the good vibes back here this afternoon, if he can turn in a good outing in his first game in an Orioles uniform.
It’s still kind of wild for me to think about, but Baz got that contract extension before ever throwing a pitch for the team. Mike Elias really likes this guy. This is not a guarantee of success. Sometimes Elias likes guys based on thinking they’ll be better than they have been and it doesn’t work out that way. Sometimes he likes guys based on thinking they’ll be about what they have been in the past and that doesn’t work out either. The guy has a solid track record overall, but there are glaring gaps and one of those is building a quality starting rotation.
Getting Baz locked up could be the first sign of starting to bring some stability into that group. Getting way ahead of ourselves, just based on who has major league experience and will still be available to the Orioles next year, they’ve got Kyle Bradish, Baz, and Dean Kremer. That’s potentially not a bad 60% of a rotation. If one of the team’s pitching prospects can fill a spot better than the previous wave’s guys like Cade Povich and Brandon Young did, then there’s only one hole to fill. That’s a whole lot better than having to sign two guys and trade for a third guy every winter.
Of course, two games into this 2026 season, there hasn’t been too much cause for worrying about the rotation yet. It’s an offense that’s not looking like much has changed from the last season and a half worth of Orioles baseball that feels like a problem. You can make excuses for this if you want, particularly yesterday when it was the 10th-coldest game start temperature in Oriole Park at Camden Yards history. Warmer weather is coming as soon as today, so this excuse pretty much expired already. Until they do enough to change the story, it’s the same story.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
You know who wants to talk some about the Shane Baz press conference? Everybody whose job it is to cover the Orioles on a regular basis.
There really is a lot to digest about it. Yes, it’s a further sign that something different is happening now than we got accustomed to with contracts before Rubenstein took over. It shows that the Orioles might actually invest in their rotation. There is hope for extensions for any non-Boras client who the O’s deem worth it. It seems like there is excitement both in the Orioles clubhouse and front office for these things happening. That’s all cool. It would just be a lot more cool if they built on these good feelings with how they played on the field yesterday.
Joseph Dzierwa headlines the Orioles next wave of pitching prospects (Baseball America) Subscription required for this one. The pitcher had a phenomenal appearance in the Spring Breakout game and if he carries that forward into the minor league season, that’s going to get mighty interesting in a hurry.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
The Orioles last won a game on this day just last year, when they beat the Blue Jays, 9-5, to improve to 2-1 for the season. Just four of the seventeen players who appeared for the Orioles that day are on the 26-man roster right now. Jordan Westburg had four hits, including a pair of homers.
One lone former Oriole was born on this day: 1989-91 infielder Juan Bell. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 48.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: 10th president John Tyler (1790), baseball Hall of Famer Cy Young (1867), actress Amy Sedaris (1961), model Elle Macpherson (1964), and actress Lucy Lawless (1968).
On this day in history…
In 1461, the two sides of England’s Wars of the Roses fought the Battle of Towton. The York contingent, led by Edward, defeated the Lancastrian force of Queen Margaret, leading to Edward being crowned as Edward IV and the wars being interrupted for nine years.
In 1847, during the Mexican-American War, American military forces captured the city of Veracruz following a siege.
In 1961, upon ratification by the state of Ohio, the Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution, which grants electoral votes to the District of Columbia, took effect. Maryland was seventh to ratify, about two months earlier.
In 1971, Lt. William Calley was convicted of 22 counts of premeditated murder for his role in the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam three years earlier. He served three days in prison before being released to house arrest under order of President Nixon, and ultimately served three years of house arrest for these murders.
In 1984, the Mayflower vans pulled out from the Baltimore Colts facility, marking the end of the Baltimore Colts and the beginning of the Indianapolis team that bears the same name.
A random Orioles trivia question
I received a random book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask a question each time it’s my turn in this space until I run out of questions or forget. It’s probably going to be run out of questions. Since I’m skipping stupid questions, repeat questions, and questions about the St. Louis Browns (it’s not a good book of trivia), we’re already up to 77, which is this:
Who had the lowest earned run average on the 1970 Orioles staff?
I will add the hint that this is inclusive of relievers.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 29. Have a safe Sunday. Go O’s!
Mar 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Somewhere, at some point, Bob Uecker would have been proud of that game yesterday.
Except for that whole getting a second hit thing in the ninth inning. Thanks, Alec, for ruining my joke for today. And, you know, the rest of the team for making it a ballgame.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees embraces Austin Wells #28 and Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning on Opening Day at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Three games, three wins! It’s hard to do much better than that, the Yankees starting off their season with a sweep for the second year in a row. The shape of the sweep was much different this time around though, as this season’s Yankees have used phenomenal pitching to quell the Giants, while the 2025 squad absolutely pummeled the Brewers into submission. The team is in a groove, but the thing about the early season is that it can take a moment for the schedule to get rolling; the Yankees have their second off-day of the year today, and they’ll have three breathers interspersed through the first six days of the season. So rest up, before we head to Seattle for a few late nights with the Mariners.
On the site today, Peter has you handled for the Rivalry Roundup, and he also has the next entry in our Yankees Birthday series, profiling pitcher Herb McQuaid. Also, in the afternoon John spins around opening week on Yankees social media.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: Austin Wells #28 high-fives Camilo Doval #75 of the New York Yankees to celebrate a win after the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kavin Mistry/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: The streak came to an end after the Giants scored in the third inning on Saturday, but the Yankees opened the season with 20 consecutive scoreless innings, including two shutouts in the first two games. Even missing some of the most important pieces through injury, Yankees’ pitching — from Max Fried and Cam Schlittler to the bullpen — made a historic start to the 2026 season.
Newsday | Erik Boland: Camilo Doval was one of a couple relievers acquired by the Yankees at the trade deadline in 2025, as they tried to remake a struggling bullpen. He was a bit of a disappointment on that front last year, but so far this year, he’s looked the pitcher the Yankees were looking to acquire.
NJ.com | Randy Miller: The Yankees’ opening series of the season against the Giants brought a reunion with the team’s former center fielder Harrison Bader. Despite a solid playoff run in 2022, Bader’s stint in the Bronx did not go as he or the team wanted, leading to them eventually waiving him in 2023. However, Bader still carries with him lessons he learned in the Bronx, specifically from captain Aaron Judge.
New York Post | Joel Sherman: Heading into the 2026 season — barring horrible injuries or unforeseen sudden dropoffs — Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt seem like the only future Hall of Fame locks on the 2026 Yankees. However, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole are knocking on the door too, and then could improve their cases with good seasons and a ring in 2026.
SAN FRANCISCO — Through the first three games of this season, only last year’s home run champ, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, struck out more times than Aaron Judge.
“It’s early in the season,’’ Aaron Boone said. “He’s kind of finding it. He’s not like anyone else. His hits have been two big home runs. Like I’ve said, he’s playing a different game.”
One that’s seen him now hit 370 home runs in his career, tied for 83rd all-time with Gil Hodges.
He also passed another New York home run legend on Saturday, Ralph Kiner, who hit 369 homers in his career.
The next on the list is — oddly enough — Judge’s current teammate, Paul Goldschmidt, with 372 and counting.
But regardless of how many home runs Judge hits or awards he earns, the right fielder is interested in only one number: one.
He’s still waiting for his first World Series title and that remains at the forefront of his mind, as he explained before Saturday’s victory.
Aaron Judge is all smiles after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Giants at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco. Getty Images
“My job is not to win MVPs,” Judge said. “It’s to win games. The MVPs and other things are cool and when I’m done playing, I’ll think about that. But now, doing that takes away from the ultimate goal of putting the Yankees back on top. Counting those other things and worrying about that doesn’t help.”
Instead, Judge focuses on what’s left for him to accomplish.
“I only think about the stuff I’ve missed out on,’’ Judge said. “That’s all that matters every year. It’s not All-Star games or MVPs. It’s ‘Did you win it all or not?’ And not getting that always eats at you.”
And that won’t change during the regular season, regardless of the numbers Judge puts up.
Aaron Judge belts a solo homer in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ road win over the Giants. AP
A few wins in March won’t change it, either, though it’s better than the alternative, especially with the Yankees now 6-0 in Judge’s career at his hometown ballpark.
“The good stuff is fine, but the disappointments are what drive you,’’ Judge said.
He insisted that remains the case in his 11th major league season.
“I’ve been the same when it comes to that since my rookie year and we lost the ALCS,’’ Judge said. “A loss is a loss, regardless of where you are in your career. It doesn’t matter what happened during the regular season. I’m here to finally punch the ticket and finish it off.”
So the fact that Judge’s fifth-inning homer against lefty Ryan Borucki was followed by the Yankees fans in attendance chanting “MVP’’ isn’t especially relevant.
Instead, he’s already focused on October and what he can do there.
“The regular season is spring training at this point,’’ Judge said. “It’s practice for the real test so we can get the kinks out before the games that matter when we need to take care of business.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Before the automated ball-strike system came into play in real games that counted, the Yankees spent plenty of mornings this spring talking about it.
“We had too many meetings about it, in my opinion,” Aaron Judge said with a grin.
Judge was at least partly joking — “It’s all good stuff,” he later added — but the early returns have been strong.
In their season-opening sweep of the Giants, the Yankees went 5-for-6 in ABS challenges, including 3-for-3 on Saturday, with each of them coming in key moments in a 3-1 win at Oracle Park.
The first came in Trent Grisham’s at-bat with one out in the third inning, when Tyler Mahle threw a 2-2 pitch that home plate umpire Chad Whitson called strike three.
But Grisham challenged the pitch and it proved to be high, turning into ball three on the way to a walk, allowing him to later score on Ben Rice’s two-out, two-run double.
“That sets up a lot right there,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Austin Wells was responsible for the other two, helping out his relievers. In the seventh inning of a 3-1 game, Jake Bird threw an 0-1 pitch to Casey Schmitt that Whitson called a ball. But Wells challenged it, turning it into a strike and one pitch later, Schmitt struck out.
Austin Wells (left) celebrates with closer David Bednar after the Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Giants at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco. AP
Tim Hill then entered to face Jung Hoo Lee and threw an 0-2 pitch that Whitson deemed a ball, only for Wells to challenge it and get a called third strike that ended the frame.
“I love what I’m seeing from Austin Wells back there, overturning a couple big calls to shift the momentum onto our side,” Aaron Judge said.
Carlos Rodón is expected to make his next outing back in Tampa on Sunday or Monday, another live batting practice (or extended spring game) as he continues his buildup from October surgery to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies.
The left-hander threw three innings and about 40 pitches on Tuesday, so he could build to about 50 pitches in his next outing.
It seems plausible that his next start after that would be on a rehab assignment, though Boone was not yet ready to make that official on Saturday.
Gerrit Cole is also expected to throw live back in Tampa in the coming days, though he noted after his last start on Tuesday in Arizona that he expects to go through a deload period before starting his own rehab assignment.
The win marked Boone’s 700th as manager, making him the seventh Yankees manager to reach that milestone, joining Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre, Casey Stengel, Miller Huggins, Ralph Houk and Joe Girardi.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Bryan Woo #22 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after getting an out during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Mariners picked up their first singles of the season but couldn’t get much action until too late.
The Mariners entered the ninth inning Saturday with six hits and six walks and just two runs to show for it. They trailed the Guardians 3-2 when Cole Young leadoff the inning by plopping a a soft liner down the left field line for a double. Ryan Bliss tried to bunt him over for some reason but couldn’t get it down and struck out. Cal Raleigh struck out behind him.
That brought Julio Rodríguez to the plate. He fell behind 1-2 against dominant Guardians’ closer Cade Smith. Then he got a fastball up and in and laced his first hit of the season back up the middle to tie the game.
The Mariners would go on to lose 6-5.
Dan Wilson turned to Andrés Muñoz in the 10th to preserve the new tie. Steven Kwan laid down a sacrifice bunt up the third base line; Brendan Donovan charged, scooped, and threw the ball into right field, scoring the Manfred Man from second and allowing Kwan to replace him there. Rookie Chase DeLauter stepped to the plate and crushed his fourth homer of the year the other way, giving the Guardians a 6-3 lead.
Luke Raley answered in the bottom of the inning. With the Manfred Man on and one out, he got a fastball up and away and pulled it into the right-center stands for his third home run of the year, cutting the lead to 6-5.
Leo Rivas and Young each struck out to end the game.
The Mariners lineup entered the day having yet to hit a single — the only team in MLB history without a single through their first two games. That changed Saturday, picking up six singles, two doubles, and the Raley homer to go with seven walks. It was a solid performance overall, but they couldn’t quite string their hits together to capitalize.
In the second, Randy Arozarena struck out looking with a full count. He immediately challenged and began taking off his gear as the T-Mobile Park video board flashed the ABS decision: Ball four. Donovan quickly replaced him at first with a fielder’s choice. Victor Robles, in his first plate appearance of the season, yanked a double down the left field line, scoring Donovan all the way from first. That was all they’d get in the inning.
It was a good sign from Donovan — both beating out the fielder’s choice and coming around to score — as he’d whacked his knees against the left field stands making a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch in the first inning. He appeared to be OK.
The Mariners picked up their first single of 2026 in the third inning. Cal Raleigh, the three true outcome king himself, dunked a soft liner up the middle. He was 0-for-8 on the season with eight strikeouts (and a walk) entering the at bat, and he flashed a big grin after getting to first base. He immediately stole second, and Julio Rodríguez walked behind him, but the Mariners couldn’t cash in.
In the fourth, Arozarena lead off with a single on a dribbler down the third base line that catcher David Fry should have let roll foul but didn’t. Donovan followed with a single to put runners on first and second. Robles advanced Arozarena to third with a fly out to deep right. Leo Rivas worked a long at bat before watching ball four sail to the backstop, allowing Arozarena to trot home. But after chasing Guardians’ starting pitcher Joey Cantillo in the fourth inning at 91 pitches, they couldn’t push across any more.
In the sixth, Donovan and Robles each picked up one-out singles and then advanced on a double steal. But Rivas grounded out to short with the infield drawn in and Donovan was nailed at the plate. In the seventh, they got two on with a pair of walks but couldn’t tie the game. They got another walk in the eighth but again couldn’t tie the game again.
Despite the bizarre sequencing to start to the season, the Mariners have a 126 wRC+ in three games — sixth best in the majors.
The Mariners were in the game to the end because Bryan Woo picked up right where he left off in his first start of 2026. He gave up two runs and four hits over six innings while striking out nine. He pumped his signature four-seam fastball over and over and over and the Guardians struggled to make solid contact, whiffing 11 times on 37 swings against the fastball. He cruised through the first five innings, as the Mariners held a 2-0 lead.
But he struggled in the sixth. His fastball velocity was down a touch, and his command was just off. He issued a leadoff walk, then after getting two quick outs, appeared to issue another walk to José Ramírez. The Mariners, however, challenged the call. When they were proven correct, Ramírez returned to the box and laced his 400th career double to score the Guardians’ first run. Kyle Manzardo followed with a single to the tie game at two.
Eduard Bazardo allowed the Guardians to break the tie in the seventh with a pair of two-out walks and an RBI single to Kwan to make the game 3-2. Gabe Speier came in to get the final out of the inning and preserve the narrow deficit. Wilson after the game defended his decision to stick with Bazardo against the lefty Kwan even after the two walks.
“Zardo is a guy we really trust, and Kwan was just able to flip that ball into left field and get the big hit. So you’re hoping you can get him through there, and then Gabe has got the next inning. But it was just one of those tough ones tonight.”
Woo was hard on himself after the game, in a way that, if you don’t mind a bit of editorializing, wasn’t quite fair given how well he pitched most of the night.
“I think…just…undisciplined, is the best way I can put it,” he said of his mini-blowup in the sixth. “I have to be better about coming out, especially as you get later into games. You’ve got to up your focus even more, and that just can’t happen.
“Even though a lot of things took place, I still feel like this game was on me. I feel like if I do my job and limit the damage, even if I just give up one in that inning, just to get out of it with a lead…when a team is, when you get them down like that, you’ve got to keep them down. You can’t give them anything, especially a scrappy team like that. You give them any breath of life, they’ll take it and run with it. So I’ve got to do a better job of keeping teams down when they’re down.”
The Guardians were aggressive against Woo, swinging at more than half his pitches. Woo was aggressive right back, pumping heaters in the zone all six innings. He said he doesn’t change his approach between or within games. It’s just a matter of committing to his game plan.
“Teams have come out with different strategies against me, whether it’s being patient and trying to work counts or coming out swinging, it doesn’t really change my plan of attack. I still want to get ahead, I still want to be aggressive. I’m still trying to attack the zone early and stick to my game plan. Worked out in my favor for the majority of the game, but didn’t change what I was doing.”
Woo entered the day with 392 career strikeouts. With his strikeout of DeLauter in the sixth, he picked up career K number 400.
“Hopefully I’ll find the ball somewhere, maybe put it on my wall,” he said, “and then on to 500.”
In the second game of the season, it became obvious that the Mets are starting a third baseman with virtually no experience at third base and a first baseman with virtually no experience at first base.
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Bo Bichette committed an error and Jorge Polanco flirted with two (but was charged with none), the pair of projects looking raw in what became a 4-2 win in 11 innings over the Pirates at Citi Field on Saturday.
A shortstop with the Blue Jays who was generally viewed as a second baseman in free agency, Bichette signed as a third baseman with the Mets and is still mastering throwing across the diamond.
On Thursday, one of his throws pulled Polanco off the base, but Polanco adjusted and recorded the out anyway. On Saturday, another one of Bichette’s throws tailed up the line again, but this time it cost the Mets an out. Polanco came off the base, allowing Bryan Reynolds to reach safely in the fourth inning. David Peterson, who pitched into and out of trouble all day, navigated around the jam.
“We’ve just got to continue to work with him on those routine throws,” said manager Carlos Mendoza, who anticipates that further reps will help.
Bo Bichette catches Brandon Lowe’s foul pop in the second inning of the Mets’ 4-2, 11-inning win over the Pirates at Citi Field on March 28, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Polanco, an infielder who signed with the Mets with one pitch worth of big league experience at first base, did not look smooth on several ground balls.
In the seventh, Ryan O’Hearn grounded softly to Polanco, who fielded and tossed it behind Luke Weaver. The Mets only recorded the out because Weaver, displaying his athleticism, adjusted and slid to touch the base in time.
An inning prior, Nick Gonzales smashed a ground ball to Polanco, who was swallowed up by a bad hop after the ball hit the lip of the grass. Gonzales reached safely on what was ruled a hit, and Peterson and Huascar Brazobán combined to ensure that runner would not score.
Jorge Polanco throws out Ryan O’Hearn at first base during the seventh inning of the Mets’ extra-inning win over the Pirates. AP
“Just a hard ground ball that came up on him,” Mendoza said. “There’s only so much there that you can do.”
The Mets opened their season Thursday. It is likely that Mark Vientos will not start his first game until the following Wednesday.
Barring changes in the Pirates or Cardinals rotations, the Mets will open their season facing five straight righty starting pitchers.
They won’t see a lefty until the final game of their series in St. Louis, where Matthew Liberatore is set to pitch (and the Giants, the Mets’ following opponent, could open their series with lefty Robbie Ray).
That likely will mean Vientos — a righty bat who is expected to see most of his time against lefties — will have to wait his turn. As a pinch-hitter, Vientos’ turn arrived in Saturday’s 10th inning, when he pinch hit for Carson Benge and came through with a single.
Mendoza said he talked with Vientos and righty-hitting fourth outfielder Tyrone Taylor about the situation, and both understood.
In delivering the news to Vientos, Mendoza recalled the 2024 season — when Vientos became a late-camp cut because of the J.D. Martinez signing, was briefly called up to the majors and clubbed a walk-off home run, only to be optioned back to the minors shortly thereafter, before finally running with his chance in mid-May.
The message, essentially: Vientos has to be ready for anything and can overcome frustrations.
“Look, man, two years ago you had your best year here,” Mendoza said he told Vientos. “He understands. He’ll be ready for whenever his name is called.”
Mendoza conceded that this year’s role is “completely different” for Vientos, who will play some first base and generally serve as the designated hitter against lefties. His role has been reduced after a subpar 2025 — both at third base and offensively, his OPS dropping from .837 to .702 — and the active offseason pushing Brett Baty to the team’s DH for the first two games, though the Mets plan to cycle through DHs beginning as soon as Sunday.
Mendoza said Baty — who will see time at first base this season, too, to push Polanco to DH — will see the field soon, in part because Saturday’s game began a run of nine games in nine days for the Mets.
In their season opener, the Mets used three automated ball-strike challenges: two successfully by Francisco Alvarez at catcher — including a helmet tap that turned an Oneil Cruz walk into a strikeout — and one unsuccessfully by Marcus Semien, who appealed a called third strike in the eighth inning.
Mendoza said everybody on the Mets is free to challenge.
“I would say that the situation of the game will dictate when they’re going to be able to challenge or not,” Mendoza said. “The emotions at times will take over. But that’s where you’re going to have to constantly remind those guys of the situation.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates while rounding the bases after hitting a two-run home run to left field in the tenth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Russell Lee Verlinger/Cleveland Guardians/Getty Images) | Getty Images
THE GUARDIANS WIN!!! CHASE DELAUTER DID IT AGAIN!!! HOW FUN IS THIS GUYS???
The Guardians win 6-5 after a truly incredible game. Bryan Woo was shoving all game and it looked like we were never going to get to him, until we did. A key walk from Rocchio and then our GOAT José knocked him in with an RBI double. Then Manzardo came through with an RBI single right after that. The Guardians later took the lead after a Kwan RBI single in the 7th inning. The Mariners wound up getting to Cade Smith in the bottom of the 9th after a double down the left field line from Cole Young and a single from Julio Rodriguez.
Extra innings started with an absolutely beautiful bunt from Steven Kwan that led to Brendan Donovan throwing it away at 1B, which caused Rocchio to score and Kwan to advance to second. Then comes up Chase DeLauter, the man who had already done what no Cleveland player has ever done in hitting three HRs in their first two career games. He was having a rough game, Bryan Woo had his way with him as he does to most hitters. It wasn’t Woo this time, it was Andrés Muñoz, one of the best closers in the league. DeLauter then takes a 97 mph fastball up and outside the zone over the left field wall to take the lead 6-3. Absolute insanity.
What more can be said about this kid? DeLauter is by far the best hitter I have ever watched in the minor leagues, and even I could never have ever expected this. He is such a special hitter that I have learned to not put any ceiling on who he can be as a player. I’m trying not to overreact too much, but he truly is that special. This is some of the most fun I have ever had watching Baseball, and we are only three games into the season. Buckle up you guys, it is going to be a good one.
