Category: Sports News

The gates to Dodger Stadium haven’t even opened yet, and the market has already spoken. 

Ticket prices are surging for the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday night game against the Cleveland Guardians. 

Sure, two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is making his 2026 pitching debut and batting leadoff, but that’s not the biggest reason fans are lining up to get into Chavez Ravine. It’s because somewhere between the mound and a movie screen a cultural event is about to take place. 

The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a “Yoshi” bobblehead as part of a crossover promotion between the adorable Nintendo star and 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. 

Yoshinobu, meet Yoshi.

Join us at Dodger Stadium on 3/31 for the collab we’ve all been waiting for! Get your Yoshi Bobblehead presented by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Tickets are available now at https://t.co/DZQkfNeXIj. pic.twitter.com/wlfyVxn4lY

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 6, 2026

The promotion is ahead of the release of the upcoming “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” that hits theaters on Wednesday April 1st, and the bobblehead features the beloved green dinosaur wearing a Yamamoto Dodgers uniform. The Japanese pitcher is also nicknamed “Yoshi.”

Yes, it’s clever, but it’s also driving ticket prices into the stratosphere.  

A month ago, this was just another ticket. An average price of $75 and that was for a good seat. The get-in price was far cheaper. Now? The cheapest seat on secondary ticket reseller TIckPick ballooned to $172 on Tuesday morning with an average hovering near $289. That’s not inflation—that’s obsession.

Dodgers fans Stanley and Ana Leighton told The California Post they paid $160 each for spots in the reserve level and arrived at Dodger Stadium nearly three hours before first pitch in order to get their hands on the coveted Yamamoto bobblehead.

While Stanley, who donned a Yoshi cap on his head and a tattoo of an NES controller on his forearm, admitted the price was steep, he said he simply “had to be here for this night.”

“I’m a huge Nintendo fan,” he said. “Mainly grew up playing the Super Nintendo games, all those Marios and Zeldas — all that stuff. Definitely Yoshi bobblehead night got me coming out here.”

Jose Godoy brought his little ones to Chavez Ravine specifically to get the collectible Yamamoto item, and even though he said paid “average price” for the tickets, he did note he and his family had to arrive at the ballpark far earlier than usual.

“We knew it was going to be crazy,” he said.

Just a few miles away, at Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Lakers are hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luka Doncic is back after a one-game suspension in the Lakers win against the Wizards. LeBron James—perhaps for the final time against his former team, perhaps flirting with the idea of returning to it next season—is sure to be the star of the show. 

And yet, you can get into that game for $117.

Read that again.

A Lakers game featuring generational stars is cheaper than a Tuesday night baseball game in March. Cheaper than the bobblehead, even. Because on resale markets, the Yoshi-Yamamoto collectible is already listing north of $230, with

Just arrived at Dodger Stadium some two and a half hours before first pitch. Lines at every entrance are massive. Fans desperately trying to get their hands on the Yoshinobu Yamamoto “Yoshi” bobblehead. pic.twitter.com/unyal8Fwx7

— Edward Lewis (@Edward__Lewis) March 31, 2026

Even stranger, Dodger Stadium holds a capacity of 56,000 people. Crypto.com Arena holds just over 19,000. The supply and demands alone should be enough to make the Lakers more expensive, but it’s the mass-produced bobblehead that is the real prize, and it’s skyrocketing prices.

I guess we know who the Dodgers Player of the Game will be on Tuesday.

---

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The Yankees are hoping to get Carlos Rodon back soon, but the southpaw suffered an injury down in Tampa.

Manager Aaron Boone delivered an update on Rodon to the media ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mariners and said that the lefty experienced right hamstring tightness after running on Monday and felt it today.

While the Yankees skipper doesn't think it's a big deal -- Boone added that Rodon still did his throwing program on Tuesday -- the team will have to monitor whether Rodon will be able to take the next step in his rehab. Rodon was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment soon, but now the organization will have to wait and see if the 33-year-old bounces back.

According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Rodon's most recent live BP had been three "ups" and 50 pitches. Rodon was scheduled to head to Double-A Somerset. 

Rodon had his best season as a Yankee a year ago. He pitched to an 18-9 record and a 3.09 ERA, en route to his third All-Star selection. 

However, Rodon revealed during camp in February that he was managing pain in his elbow throughout the season. And when the season was over, he underwent surgery to shave down a bone spur and remove loose bodies. 

Rodon did not travel with the Yankees to Arizona when they played a couple of exhibition games with the Cubs before the season began. Instead, he stayed in Tampa to continue his progression, which the team hopes leads to an April return. 

Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo are talking real baseball on an all-new episode of The Mets Pod!

The guys take a look at Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, Carson Benge, and all the other new Mets through the first few games of the schedule, go Down on the Farm to ponder contract extensions for prospects, and launch a new season of the Scoreboard with new twists, turns, and stakes!

Later, Connor and Joe open the Mailbag to answer questions about a role for Mark Vientos and the overall state of the bullpen.

Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Mets have hired J.D. Martinez as a special advisor, a role that will see him working with players in the organization in a similar way that Carlos Beltrán has in recent years, according to Tim Healey.

One of the best hitters of his generation, Martinez spent his final major league season with the Mets in 2024 and was repeatedly referenced as a positive influence on his teammates as he shared his hitting expertise. He hit .235/.320/.406 that year with just a 107 wRC+ and 16 home runs, but considering how hard it is to do that at all, that wasn’t bad by any stretch for a player in his age-36 season.

Over the course of his major league career, Martinez hit .283/.348/.516 with a 130 wRC+. But his peak was even better, as he hit .293/.359/.549 with 291 home runs and a 140 wRC+ from his breakout 2014 campaign with the Tigers through the end of the 2023 season, which he spent with the Dodgers.

The St. Louis Cardinals are back at Busch Stadium Tuesday night for game 5 of the 2026 season with the New York Mets still in town. According to MLB.com, Andre Pallante will make the start for St. Louis while New York will put Kodai Senga on the mound for another 6:45pm start.

The Houston Astros (3-2) host the Boston Red Sox (1-3) tonight at Daikin Park in the second game of a three game series.

Astros Opening Day starter RHP Hunter Brown will make his second start of the season for the Astros, this time opposite RHP Brayan Bello and the Red Sox.

TUESDAY’S TILT: The Astros and Red Sox will play the middle game of their three-game series tonight as Houston goes for their fourth straight win and a series victory.

ON THE HUNT: RHP Hunter Brown is making his second start of the season after tossing 4.2 scoreless innings against the Angels on Opening Day.

A 2025 All-Star, Brown finished third in the AL in Cy Young voting last season after turning in the best year of his career with a 12-9 record, a 2.43 ERA (50ER/185.1IP) and posting a 1.03 WHIP. He held opponents to a career-low .201 average and posted 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings pitched.

ASTROS VS. BELLO: The Astros are seeing RHP Brayan Bello tonight for the first time since facing him in back-to-back starts on Aug. 24 and Aug. 29, 2023. A couple Astros have career homers opposite Bello in LF Yordan Alvarez (3×5, HR, RBI) and IF Isaac Paredes (2×7, HR, 2RBI).

RIVALRY VS. THE RED SOX: The Astros and Red Sox have developed a nice rivalry over the last 10 years, as the two clubs have seen each other in three different postseason series since the 2017 season. The Astros won two of those three series, winning the 2017 ALDS and 2021 ALCS, while the Red Sox took the 2018 ALCS.

YORDAN AND THE BABE: LF Yordan Alvarez has played 30 career games against the Red Sox, including six in the postseason, combining for a .404 (44×109) average with 11 doubles, nine homers, 29 RBI, a .481 OBP and a .771 SLG. Among all Major League players with at least 125 regular season and postseason plate appearances against the Red Sox, Alvarez leads all in batting average, OBP and SLG. The lists below include the postseason.

ALL-TIME LEADERS VS. BOS (MIN. 125 PA)

Batting Average

1. Yordan Alvarez: .404

2. Will Clark: .403

3. Lyman Bostick: .467

SLG

1. Yordan Alvarez: .771

2. Babe Ruth: .683

3. Wander Franco: .659

LEAGUE LEADERS: The Astros lead the Majors in doubles (14) and total bases (73), while ranking second in hits (44) and walks (25). Individually, 1B Christian Walker leads the Majors in doubles (4), while 2B Jose Altuve owns a share for the MLB lead with six runs scored.

JOSE, JOSE, JOSE, JOSE!: 2B Jose Altuve went 4×4 with four runs scored and a pair of homers last night, giving him 42 four-hit games since he debuted in 2011, which are by far the most in the Majors in that time frame (1B Freddie Freeman ranks second with 31). Altuve’s four runs scored matched his career high, which he’s accomplished seven times, most recently on July 4, 2025 at LAD.

YORDAN’S UPCOMING MILESTONES: LF Yordan Alvarez (497 RBI) is three RBI shy of reaching 500 career RBI, a mark only 14 players in franchise history have reached. Alvarez also checks in with 172 career homers, which makes him just two homers shy of matching franchise icon OF George Springer (174HR) for seventh on the Astros all-time list.

GOIN’ DEEP:LF Brice Matthews hit his first homer of the season last night, a 434’ shot to left-center field. Matthews’ homer was the longest of his career, the longest by an Astro this season (by 40 feet) and the fifth-longest in the Majors in 2026.

COLE SIDELINED:OF Zach Cole will be placed on the minor league IL today with a fifth toe fracture on his right foot. Cole began the season at Triple A Sugar Land, where he sustained the injury on a HBP on Sunday vs. Round Rock.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, March 31, 7:10 p.m. CST

Location: Daikin Park, Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KTRH 740 AM; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Keep it rolling.

⚾️: 7:10pm
🏟️: Closed
📺: @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: 740 AM | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/wKTWu3OGYh

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 31, 2026

Bello bump day in Houston. pic.twitter.com/0d4kdJBRlZ

— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 31, 2026

Following their first loss of the season last night, the Brewers have their first chance to bounce back. They will look to do that tonight in their second game against the Rays.

Prior to tonight’s game, the Brewers made a few roster moves and provided some injury updates. First, Luis Matos was officially added to the active roster. In a corresponding move, Jeferson Quero was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville. Steward Berroa and Rob Zastryzny were also sent to Nashville on rehab assignments. Zastryzny is expected to pitch an inning tonight.

In other injury news (from Dave Gasper), Andrew Vaughn underwent hand surgery today and is expected to return in mid-May. Quinn Priester is scheduled to throw a bullpen today with “two ups” — meaning he will warm up and start two simulated innings. Craig Yoho is also scheduled to throw a bullpen on Thursday.

The Brewers finish their first turn through the rotation as Brandon Woodruff takes the mound tonight. He’s been building up through the spring and is ready to go to start the season, despite some concerns in spring training if he would be stretched out enough. According to Pat Murphy, “we could see six ‘ups’ for Woodruff tonight”. which could mean we see Woodruff pitch into the sixth inning. In his final start of the spring, he threw 62 pitches in a three-inning start against the Rangers. He allowed three runs, four hits, and one walk while striking out four. Last season, he had a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts. Over his last 24 starts at American Family Field, he’s posted a 14-1 record and a 2.10 ERA, and the Brewers are 21-3 in those starts.

For the Rays, Shane McClanahan will make the start. This is his first regular-season MLB start since 2023. In the last two years, he underwent Tommy John surgery, then a nerve issue in his elbow kept him out in 2025. Before that, he received votes for AL Rookie of the Year in 2021 and AL Cy Young in 2022. This spring, he made four starts and posted a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings, with 15 strikeouts and five walks. The Brewers faced him once back in 2023, and he pitched seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts.

The Brewers are shuffling the lineup a little tonight. Brice Turang remains the leadoff hitter, but Luis Rengifo will move up into the second slot. This slides William Contreras back to third, and Christian Yelich — who will make the start in left field tonight — bats fourth. Gary Sánchez gets the start at DH and bats fifth, with Jake Bauers at first base batting sixth. Brandon Lockridge moves over to center field and bats seventh. Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz round out the lineup in their usual positions.

Here are the full starting lineups for tonight. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. on Brewers.TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

An absolute legend is back on the mound tonight 👀

📺 : https://t.co/eycfmE2vgm
📻 : WTMJ

→ https://t.co/mvGXoRMTFSpic.twitter.com/MR53mg0Db9

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 31, 2026

How sweet it is 🍬 pic.twitter.com/mVg28xP7vR

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 31, 2026

Kerry Carpenter has been in a pretty rough place this spring. After a fairly good, but again injury plagued 2025 season, the Tigers’ right fielder and designated hitter came into camp looking to put together a more consistent 2026 and hopefully finally banish the back and hamstring injuries that have nagged at him for much of his career. He seems healthy, but he just hasn’t been seeing the ball well this spring. With 10 strikeouts through four games, manager A.J. Hinch has at least temporarily pulled the plug on the leadoff experiment.

The lineup on Tuesday night features Colt Keith leading off and playing third base, and this is a fairly interesting development. Keith has always controlled the strike zone pretty well, taking his share of walks and keeping his strikeouts to league average or better levels. Meanwhile, his contact showed signs of improvement last summer that have carried over in the early going. An estimated 416 foot double off Mike Soroka in Monday night’s game was the latest sign that Keith is seeing the ball well and starting to get off more A-swings to take advantage of his plus raw power.

Meanwhile, teams are already scared of Kevin McGonigle, quickly backing away from throwing him fastballs in the zone, and the rookie now moves to the two-hole in tonight’s lineup. No one is putting together better at-bats in the lineup, and he’s already adapted to the respect he’s being shown by taking his walks. He’ll also make his second start at the shortstop position with Javy Báez getting the night off apart from pinch-hitting duties.

Of course, we’re four games into the season. None of this says anything much about how various hitters will do over the course of the season. Carpenter will be fine as long as he’s healthy. But, while the strategy of putting a legit power hitter atop the order is a good one that has found more favor among managers in recent years, particularly if it’s a hitter with pronounced splits that you may want to pinch-hit for later in games, Carpenter needs to heat up before this is going to work.

In the meantime, while it’s customary to protect a rookie a bit by hitting them down in the order until they’ve settled in, McGonigle isn’t a regular rookie. He’s walking and striking out both at a 17.6 percent clip, and holds a 185 wRC+ in the very early going. Keith runs reasonably well, and McGonigle can challenge Parker Meadows as the fastest guy on the team home to first. So the change gives the Tigers some of their most disciplined hitters atop the order, both with the ability to take the extra base.

who’s staying up?
 
⚾️ 9:40 PM ET
📺 @WatchDSN
📻 @971theticketxyt
🏟️ Chase Field pic.twitter.com/0fr0e1P0ln

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 31, 2026

The Red Sox look to get back in the win column tonight and avoid falling three games under .500 in the first swing through the rotation.

On the mound, they’ll have Brayan Bello, who is very much the definition of Trick or Treat. At times (including much of last summer), he looks like a top of the rotation starter you want out there to end a losing streak. Unfortunately, at other times (like in Game 2 of the Wild Card series last October), he rides the edge of disaster and puts the team behind the 8-ball.

If the Sox are going to win tonight, they’re likely going to need the first guy to show up because the lineup will be facing Hunter Brown who finished third in Cy Young voting last year and didn’t allow a run his first time out.

To try and generate a spark (and also to just rotate guys in there), Alex Cora shook up the lineup in a few spots. Masataka Yoshida is in the third slot, Jaren Duran and Caleb Durbin will start the evening on the bench, and Connor Wong will do the catching instead of Carlos Narvaez.

Perhaps the best thing the Red Sox have going for them in this one is that all the high leverage relievers are rested after the team got their doors blown off yesterday, which means if they can keep it tight in the early innings, they might be able to pull one out late.

⚾️ First Pitch: 8:10 pm – Daikin Park (Formally Minute Maid and Enron Field), Houston, Texas

📺 TV: NESN

📻 Radio: WEEI