It’s been a part of the Yankee Stadium experience for years. The Bombers have runners on base, the visiting manager makes the slow walk out to the mound, and signals to the bullpen in left field. Immediately, the door in the left-field fence opens up, the new reliever steps onto the field, and immediately the Yankee Stadium scoreboard begins to play a rally video, intended to intimidate the new pitcher and pump up the crowd.

Over the last few years, the Yankees have experimented quite a bit with the in-game stadium experience, bringing in a DJ to blast music and sound effects between pitches and implementing various closer entrances for Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, and David Bednar. Accordingly, the organization has experimented with these rally hype videos. Last summer, for example, they engaged in some subtle advertising with a Jurassic World-themed vide of Yankees batters stalking pitchers like prey, conveniently introduced a few weeks before Jurassic World Rebirth premiered in theaters. Then, as the old scoreboard gave them fits late last season (in fact, I saw the system crash so often I almost wrote an article last year about it), they shifted to a light-centered video, cutting almost all the lights in the stadium and putting a “Public Service Announcement: Yankees Rally Incoming” emergency alert on all functioning screens.

After making a big deal about the new scoreboard installation, it should not be surprising then that the Yankees revamped their rally hype video again. When a new pitcher came into the game this week, the lights in the Stadium were dimmed, and a QR code was put on the screen. This QR code linked to a light show website, which took over the flashlight of each participating cell phone and incorporated them into a stadium-wide light show.

From a technical standpoint, the effect was incredibly cool — thousands upon thousands of lights flashing throughout Yankee Stadium in the night, taking over for the Stadium lights and supplementing the scoreboards and screens as the pitcher reached the mound in preparation for his warmup pitches. And it’s thematically appropriate, too, as between the increased prominence of the DJ and the amount of music played before the game and between innings, it’s clear to me that the team is intent on giving Yankee Stadium a bit of a club vibe this season. These cell phone light shows really help contribute to that atmosphere. And the effect has done its job — many in the crowd used the QR code, and the energy in the Stadium, even on the cold nights when the Yankees were losing to the Athletics, skyrocketed for that short minute.

There’s just one problem: Because of it, Yankee Stadium now needs a strobe warning.

The human body doesn’t always respond well to flashing lights. For many people, looking at it for too long can cause headaches and migraines. For people with photosensitive epilepsy, even a brief exposure to flashes and strobes can cause seizures. These effects are common enough that, when I was the lighting designer of an amateur theatre group back in college, we felt compelled to post strobe warnings outside the theatre even when the show’s most intense light cue was the LEDs changing color a couple of times — after all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Now, you might say, wouldn’t someone who has such sensitivity to light know not to put themselves in this kind of position? Obviously, the answer is yes — but for the most part that involves avoiding concerts with big light shows, fast-paced videogames, or movies with a lot of on-screen explosions. It didn’t used to mean baseball games. But now, suddenly, it does — and people need to be made aware.

Cincinnati Reds 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes is off to a 3 for 34 start to the 2026 season. In 215 PA since coming over to the Reds from the Pittsburgh Pirates last summer, he’s the owner of a combined .208/.288/.297 (.585 OPS, 60 OPS+) line, and that was enough to make me dive back into the performances of some other notable Reds during their tenures with the club as comparison.

Jack Hannahan (2013-2014)

Hannahan, like Hayes, was primarily a 3B, though he did at least bounce around to other positions on the infield where he also couldn’t hit.

In 212 PA with the Reds across two seasons, he memorably hit .209/.294/.278 (.572 OPS). That was good for an OPS+ of 60 in that era.

Corey Patterson (2008)

Patterson came to the Reds after a stint with the Baltimore Orioles after having also been a half-decent player for the Chicago Cubs for a time. In 2008, he logged 392 PA with the Reds – many in the leadoff spot – and hit a whopping .205/.238/.344 (.582 OPS). In that particular offensive environment, that was good for an OPS+ of just 50.

Skip Schumaker (2014-2015)

Skip was brought in to help anchor the Reds after they’d somehow found a way to twice win 90+ games without him at the early portions of that decade. The veteran veteran hit the ground running in 2014 with a .235/.287/.308 (.595 OPS) in 271 PA in 2014, a mark that was good for a 68 OPS+.

His veteran presence presented the Reds with such a good opportunity that they brought him back for a 2015 season that was significantly better as he hit .242/.306/.336 (.642 OPS). That was a remarkable 76 OPS+!

Paul Janish (2008-2011)

Soft-J was, like Hayes, an incredibly gifted defender, and for that he provided quite the service to the Reds in his time. With the bat, he was – like Hayes – accomplished in the sense that he can actually tell other human beings that he got hits at the Major League level.

In 975 PA across four seasons with the Reds, Paul hit .221/.289/.302 (.591 OPS). That was good for a 59 OPS+.

Shogo Akiyama (2020-2021)

I had actually overlooked that Shogo spent more than just one season with the Reds before the two parted ways. That was a pretty crazy time in the world!

In 366 PA with the Reds after coming to MLB from Japan, Shogo hit .224/.320/.274 (.594 OPS). That was good for a 57 OPS+ in that era.

Doug Flynn (1975-1977)

Flynn, the glue of the Big Red Machine, is notable in that he managed to compile a pretty remarkable -6.9 bWAR for his career spent with 5 franchises across 11 seasons.

With the Reds, though, he swung a mean bat. He hit .275/.310/.341 (.651 OPS) in 411 PA across a trio of seasons. That was good for an OPS+ 0f 82, which was way better than the .238/.266/.294 line he compiled in 4085 career PA at the big league level. That career mark was good for a 58 OPS+.

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The Texas Rangers face the best offense in MLB in game two of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, and it looks like they'll be doing it without a key component of their offense.

An advantage in the starting pitching matchup gives Texas its best chance of the weekend at a win, but our Rangers vs. Dodgers predictions and MLB picks still have the Dodgers covering the run line.

Who will win Rangers vs Dodgers tonight: Dodgers -1.5 (+110)

The Los Angeles Dodgers lead MLB in home runs, hits, and batting. At a time when no one hits .300 anymore, the entire Dodger team is batting a combined .297.

In addition to the MVPs at the top of the lineup, Los Angeles has Andy Pages, the hottest hitter in baseball to start the year, and Max Muncy, whose three homers Friday beat Texas, at the bottom.

The Texas Rangers will likely be without Wyatt Langford, who left Friday with quad tightness after apparently hurting himself homering. He is doubtful, handicapping a lineup that has scored three or fewer in seven of eight.

COVERS INTEL:Sheehan's fastball is down from 95.6 mph last year to 93.9. Batters are hitting .545 against it with a 1.273 slugging percentage.

Rangers vs Dodgers Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-114)

The Dodgers' 8-7 win over Texas was their fifth time scoring eight or more in the last seven games, including three double-digit scoring outbursts.

L.A. is starting Emmet Sheehan, which could give the Rangers a chance to contribute to the scoring. Through two starts, Sheehan has as many runs allowed as strikeouts (8). His hit, home run, and walk rates are all nearly double last season's.

Texas starter Jack Leiter has struck out 17 batters in 11 dominant innings. He'll be facing a Dodgers lineup that is in the bottom 10 in MLB in strikeouts.

Rangers vs Dodgers odds

• Moneyline: Rangers +165 | Dodgers -200
• Run line: Rangers +1.5 (-130) | Dodgers -1.5 (+110)
• Over/Under: Over 9 (-115) | Under 9 (-125)

Rangers vs Dodgers trend

The Texas Rangers have hit the Game Total Over in 30 of their last 45 away games (+14.65 Units / 30% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Rangers vs. Dodgers.

How to watch Rangers vs Dodgers and game info

Rangers vs Dodgers latest injuries

Rangers vs Dodgers weather

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Not just that they started out 3-7, but the way they did it, made it seem like .500 was at the top of the Eiffel Tower while the elevator was being renovated. 3 days later here are the A’s at 6-7 with their pitchers riding a remarkable 26 inning scoreless streak ready to take a shot at .500 this afternoon.

That’s the present. There’s also the past and the future…

Mason Miller & Leo De Vries

Two names that shall be forever intertwined as they swapped organizations in a deal that I loved at the time and still adore. But it’s fair to say that if you were just to zoom in on April 11th, 2026 it’s probably at its zenith.

The trade was not made with the 2026 season in mind but rather the 6 or so years following. But without question the A’s chances of contending right now would be far better with Miller in the bullpen rather that De Vries in AA.

What Miller is doing right now is historical (if not hysterical). He has faced 24 batters this season and struck out 19 of them and now has a scoreless streak of 28.2 IP dating back to last year. His 2026 pitching line reads like a misprint:

7.1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 1 BB, 19 K. He has struck out 17 of the last 18 batters he has faced, including 8 in a row.

Meanwhile, for those who were incensed that De Vries was optioned to AA to start the season after his great showing there late last season and phenomenal spring training, the fact is he’s not off to a fast start. So far De Vries is hitting just .240/.387/.240 in his first 31 PAs, albeit with a solid 6 BB and 6 K (each 19.4 %). A reminder that he is still all of 19.

ST Stats: What Are They Good For?

Not much. Here are some (admittedly cherry-picked) examples from 2026, 13 games in:

Tyler Soderstrom, spring training:.348/.434/.761

Tyler Soderstrom, regular season: .200/.273/.300

Brent Rooker, spring training: .340/.392/.745

Brent Rooker, regular season: .146/.245/.293

Henry Bolte, spring training: .348/.400/.630

Henry Bolte, AAA: .212/.339/.404

Jeffrey Springs: 6.28 ERA, 14.1 IP, 13 hits, 9 BB

Jeffrey Springs, regular season: 1.47 ERA, 18.1 IP, 8 hits, 6 BB

JT Ginn, spring training: 10.20 ERA (15 IP, 17 ER)

JT Ginn, regular season: 3.27 ERA (11 IP, 4 ER)

JT Ginn

Speaking of Ginn, talk about a 180 degree turnaround so far…His cross to bear has been those pesky batters who insist on hitting left-handed. They tattooed Ginn in 2025 to the tune of .340/.416/.630, .440 wOBA.

In 2026, armed with a diving changeup, a cutter boring in on the hands (which I don’t find boring at all), and use of a 4-seamer up in the zone, Ginn has faced 16 LH batters this season and allowed exactly one single and one BB for a .067/.125/.067, .101 wOBA line.

Let’s see if Jacob Lopez can keep the scoreless streak going — or at least not walk 5 batters this time around. Paging the .500 mark: please be on stand-by…

LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy’s first home run on Friday night tied Steve Garvey for sixth on the all-time Dodgers home run list, and third since the team moved to Los Angeles. But that was just the start of the story.

Muncy hit two more home runs in the series opener against the Texas Rangers, including a walk-off shot in the ninth inning to finish off an 8-7 win at Dodger Stadium.

“Garvey is one of those guys, he’s a Dodger icon, the way he carried himself, the way he played the game, just a model of consistency,” Muncy said Friday night. “He really embodied what being a Dodger was, so to pass him is really, really special to me. It means a lot. Hopefully I can keep climbing.”

Many times in recent years, Muncy stated his desire to remain playing in Los Angeles, where he resurrected his career in 2018 and has kept hitting since. To that end, he and the team signed a contract extension in February that will keep the third baseman with the Dodgers through 2027, plus a club option for 2028, the fifth contract extension Muncy has signed here.

“He knows that we believe in him, and we’ve shown that many times over. I think there’s some peace with that,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday night. “That’s kind of the thought behind what Andrew [Friedman, president of baseball operations] and [general manager Brandon] Gomer [Gomes] did, to free his mind up and just let him play baseball. That’s really played out.”

He’s well aware of his place in Dodgers history, which includes two All-Star Game, five pennants, and three championships. He’s the all-time franchise leader in postseason home runs with 16, and he’s moving up the regular season list, too.

Most home runs, Dodgers history

1. Duke Snider 389
2. Gil Hodges 361
3. Eric Karros 270
4. Roy Campanella 242
5. Ron Cey 228
6. Max Muncy 213
7. Steve Garvey 211
8. Matt Kemp 203

The only two Los Angeles Dodgers with more home runs than Muncy are Eric Karros and Ron Cey. Just under 60 percent of Muncy’s home runs with the Dodgers have come at home. His 124 home runs at Dodger Stadium are only six behind Karros for the most in the 65-year history of the stadium.

Muncy on Friday also shared Dodgers lore with outfielder Don Demeter, as the only two Dodgers to finish off a three-home run game with a walk-off home run.

Demeter hit a two-run shot in the 11th inning on April 21, 1959 at the Los Angeles Coliseum to beat the San Francisco Giants, finishing off his three-homer game. Muncy’s final blast was a solo shot, as were all three of his home runs on Friday and all four so far this season.

Muncy has the somewhat-funny early season stat line of four home runs and four runs batted in. Entering Friday he was hitting .216/.326/.297 with a 32.6-percent strikeout rate in all of 43 plate appearances later.

“Even in Toronto, when he wasn’t getting hits, he was telling me numerous times, ‘Doc, I’m really close,’” Roberts said. “I think in years past you see a spike and some anxiousness bleed in. Where now he’s in a place where he’s really confident and trusting the process that if he’s in a good place and not getting results, to kind of stay the course.”

Now, with five more plate appearances under his belt, Muncy is hitting a robust .286/.375/.571, a tidy 323-point jump in OPS in one night. In addition to the home runs, Muncy also singled and reached on a fielder’s choice, and scored five times, setting a new career high.

But the home runs were the thing, with the first and third shots hit to right field, and the middle one to left center.

“His second home run was a short, compact swing, that he carried the left field wall,” Roberts said. “I just think that he’s a mch better hitter now. He’s checking down better because he has more time to see the baseball. His swing’s a little bit shorter. That’s something we always felt that he had in him.”

“When I can drive the ball to left center, that’s when my swing is at its best,” Muncy said. “I don’t know if it’s at its best right now — obviously, it was my best night — but anytime I can drive the ball to the opposite field, that’s telling me that what I’m doing is in a really good spot.”

Muncy also homered three times in a game on May 5, 2024, in a rout of the Atlanta Braves, another game at Dodger Stadium. He’s one of only six players to hit at least three home runs in a game twice for the Dodgers. That includes Shohei Ohtani, whose second three-homer game came in Game 4 of last year’s National League Championship Series, a game in which he also pitched six scoreless innings and struck out 10 to clinch the pennant. Friday night at Dodger Stadium, everyone in attendance got a bobblehead commemorating Ohtani’s three home runs in that NLCS game, then got to see a three-homer game themselves in person.

Dodgers with two 3-homer games

• Duke Snider (1950, 1955)
• Shawn Green (2001, 2002)
• Adrián González (2015, 2016)
• Corey Seager (2016, 2017)
• Shohei Ohtani (2024, 2025 NLCS)
• Max Muncy (2024, 2026)

“Anytime you hit a home run in a big league game is special, let alone three. Its the second time I’ve done that. I still think about the first time I did it,” Muncy said. “It’s just a special night, and to get the win on top of it, it’s great.”

Jesús Luzardo dazzled in the second game of the road trip against the Colorado Rockies, striking out 11 in 6.2 innings of one-run ball. It was a strong bounce back start after struggling against Texas to begin the year.

There is one three-pitch sequence that can tell anyone how dialed in he was in Coors.

Jordan Beck’s first at-bat ended in a pop-out to Bryson Stott, seeing one sinker and two sweepers. He swung and missed at the first sweeper and then hit the pop-up.

JT Realmuto and the club did not think he looked comfortable against the pitch and immediately go back to it to start his second at-bat.

They tested him again on a sweeper, looking for a called strike, but Luzardo missed his spot. It was still a solid pitch (although maybe a bit up if you’re looking for a whiff) and Beck swung over it.

Of the five pitches Beck has seen, four of them have been sweepers and the other was a sinker down and away. It’s now clear that the hitter has the pitch locked into his mind, especially if he sees the ball inside again.

Realmuto knows this and calls for a fastball down and in, perfectly off the expected tunnel of his sweeper that gets chases. Beck was just browsing the store, not looking for anything.

Sometimes it’s cool to show quick sequences because they can capture the kind of rhythm a pitcher and catcher have on a particular night. Everyone was in sync which makes it even harder for a weak Colorado Rockies lineup.

Jonathan Bowlan Tweaks

Jonathan Bowlan has looked like a nice get by the front office. It’s early and the ERA is inflated because of the Nationals but there is a lot to like, especially with what the Phillies have tweaked.

Bowlan is now throwing nearly two ticks harder than in 2025 with the Kansas City Royals, while still maintaining the high ride. 97.5 mph with 17.8 Induced Vertical Break will play like one of the best fastballs in the sport and it has early on. Opponents are hitting just .167 on the offering with a 35.3% whiff rate.

The Phillies also gave Bowlan a sweeper for right handed hitters. Compared to his traditional slider, there is nearly 11 more inches of glove-side movement while maintaining the same drop. At 85 mph with 13.7 inches of glove-side movement and 37 inches of drop, it’s probably the second best pitch in a deep and effective arsenal.

There are now six different pitches in the big right-handers’ arsenal: the four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, sweeper, changeup, and occasional curveball.

The Phillies have been on a big trend of trying to find relievers with already established deep arsenals. Jhoan Duran now throws five different pitches with the addition of his split-change, Brad Keller throws five pitches, Bowlan throws six, and Orion Kerkering is working on a splitter, which would give him four different pitches.

That might be something to watch for in the future when they acquire a right-handed reliever; there have been too many examples over the last year that indicate this is a new part of the front office pitching philosophy.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

As you know, the Cubs have had multiple starting pitcher injuries, including the loss of Cade Horton for the season.

Colin Rea and Javier Assad have stepped up admirably, at least in their first starts of the year, filling in for Horton and Matthew Boyd. And we now know that Boyd will likely head out for a rehab start next week, so hopefully he’ll be back soon.

Earlier this week in the SB Nation Reacts survey, I asked you who the Cubs should call on as a replacement starter if anyone else goes down (and let’s hope the answer to “anyone else” is “no one”!). Here’s who you chose:

Jaxon Wiggins appeared to be on a similar path to the one Horton was on last year. Horton was called up in mid-May and had a spectacular rookie season.

But here’s the thing about Wiggins, that we learned since that survey question: He was scratched from a start. And:

So… that’s not good. Fortunately, as noted, Rea and Assad have stepped up and Boyd will hopefully be back soon. So the Cubs’ starting pitcher depth has been tested and, so far, has held up well.

The national questions asked in the survey this week were about who will win each of the six MLB divisions. Here are the results to those six questions:

There’s a bit of recency bias in some of these results, I think. While it’s true that the Brewers have won the NL Central the last four years, many had picked the Cubs to win the division before the season started. It’s not surprising that the Brewers would come out on top of a survey like this, but the percentage of their vote surprises me a bit. Same for the Yankees over the Blue Jays in the AL East.

That’s why they play the games! I still think the Cubs will win the NL Central. As always, we await developments.

This edition of SB Nation Reacts is sponsored by FanDuel.