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There are landmark moments in the histories of baseball teams that signal the shift in the organization’s trajectory. Years of poorly-assembled starting rotations squandered the primes of Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson, contributing to a 17-year World Series drought and multiples seasons of playoff-less baseball in the Bronx.

The 1990s brought a renewed focus on returning the franchise to respectability. The fab-five core of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettitte were still several years away from truly stamping their mark on the major league team, but you could feel that the front office sensed a shift in the tides. They therefore looked toward the 1993 class of free agents and trade candidates to add several experienced veterans on the roster in advance of the arrival of the youth movement. Paul O’Neill and Wade Boggs joined on the position player side, but it was the arrival of starting pitcher Jimmy Key who truly signaled the opening of a new era.

James Edward “Jimmy” Key
Born: April 22, 1961 (Huntsville, AL)
Yankees Tenure: 1993-96

James Edward “Jimmy” Key was born April 22, 1961, in Huntsville, Alabama to Carol — a 30-year employee for NASA — and Ray Key, a US Army Engineer for 35 years. He inherited his father’s avid baseball fandom, and by high school he was the ace of the pitching staff. As a senior, Key went 10-0 with nine shutouts and a 0.30 ERA while also batting .410 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI as the team’s DH.

Though the White Sox selected Key in the 10th round of the 1979 amateur draft, Key honored his commitment to play for National College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Bill Wilhelm at Clemson University. As a sophomore, Key pitched seven complete games and logged a 2.79 ERA while also batting .359 with a then-school record 21 doubles along with four home runs, 49 RBI, and eight stolen bases to become the first Clemson player to be receive All-ACC first-team honors at two positions: pitcher and DH.

This performance earned him a much higher draft position, the Blue Jays selecting him in the third round of the 1982 amateur draft, one round after they selected David Wells. After just two seasons in the minors, Key was handed his major league debut on on April 6, 1984, after breaking spring camp with the major league team — 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to close out an 11-5 victory over the Angels.

Despite finishing the year with a 4.65 ERA in 63 appearances, Key did enough in the eyes of manager Bobby Cox to earn a spot in the starting rotation. There, he joined a unit led by veterans Dave Steib and Doyle Alexander — the perfect environment for a young pitcher to gain experience. In that debut season as a starter, Key went 14-6 in 32 starts, with a 3.00 ERA (141 ERA+) and 85 strikeouts in 212.2 innings to earn the first of his five All-Star selections. The season ended on a sour note, however, as Key gave up five runs on 15 hits across his Game 2 and Game 5 starts in the ALCS, the Blue Jays squandering a 3-1 lead in the series to the eventual World Series champion Royals.

After a decent showing in 1986, Key authored his best season in the big leagues. He went 17-8 in 36 starts, striking out 161 and posting 5.6 fWAR in 261 innings while posting the best ERA (2.76 ERA (164 ERA+)) and WHIP (1.057) in the majors to finish runner-up in AL Cy Young voting behind Roger Clemens. The effort would prove for naught, Toronto suffering a seven game losing streak to narrowly miss out on the playoffs.

Key remained consistent over the next five seasons, making his second postseason appearance in 1989. His second All-Star nod came in 1991, Key going 16-12 in 33 starts with a 3.05 ERA (139 ERA+), 125 strikeouts, and 5.3 fWAR in 209.1 innings. Toronto won its third AL East crown, but Key gave up two runs in Game 3 of the ALCS, the Blue Jays losing, 3-2, in extras and getting eliminated by the eventual World Series champion Twins.

Tired of narrowly missing out on a Fall Classic appearance, the Blue Jays were aggressive that offseason and Trade Deadline, adding World Series winners Jack Morris and David Cone to form a formidable postseason rotation. Key made just one relief appearance in the ALCS, but Toronto advanced to the World Series in six games over the A’s to face the Braves. Key out-dueled Tom Glavine — winner of the previous year’s NL Cy Young Award — in Game 4, twirling 7.2 innings of one-run ball to put his team on the cusp of its first World Series title. After the Braves stayed alive with a Game 5 victory, Key completed a scoreless tenth inning to become the pitcher of record in Game 6, Winfield’s two-run double in the 11th making Key the winning pitcher of the Blue Jays’ first championship.

These gutsy performances by Key caught the attention of George Steinbrenner, determined after years of mediocrity to restore the Yankees to respectability. He missed out on his top targets — Barry Bonds spurning New York for San Francisco, Greg Maddux taking a $6 million discount to pitch for Atlanta, and Cone returning to Kansas City. Steinbrenner had to pivot, and on the advice of general manager Gene “Stick” Michael, made an offer of four years and $16 million to Key. New York’s offer was an improvement on Toronto’s strict policy of never offering more than three years to a pitcher, and after Key requested an extra $1 million in the third year of his contract, the deal was finalized on December 10, 1992.

“Michael called Key, ‘The best control pitcher in the game. When you think about an artist painting a picture or a genius on the mound, he is it. Obviously, he’s smarter than the hitters’”

His debut season in pinstripes was his best on an individual basis, Key establishing himself as the ace of Buck Showalter’s staff by going 18-6 in 34 starts with a 3.00 ERA (139 ERA+), 5.2 fWAR, and AL-best marks in walks per nine (1.6) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (173:43) across 236.2 innings — good for a third All-Star appearance and fourth place finish in AL Cy Young voting. The only downside was that, after a second-place finish, he had to watch his old team become the first franchise to secure consecutive World Series titles since the 1977-78 Yankees.

He followed it up with more of the same in 1994, pitching to a 3.27 ERA (140 ERA+) with 97 strikeouts, 4.0 fWAR, and an AL-best 25 starts, 17 wins and 0.5 home runs per nine in 168 innings to finish runner-up again for the AL Cy Young — this time behind Cone — and sixth in the AL MVP race. However, the next 12 months were full adversity, the Yankees first missing out on their best shot at a World Series appearance under Mattingly’s captaincy and Key making just five starts in 1995 before his season was ended by left rotator cuff surgery.

Key returned from his fourth major arm injury and had to take over as veteran leader of the staff after Cone’s season was cut short by an emergency surgery to remove a right arm aneurysm. He was so-so on the mound — 12-11 with a 4.68 ERA (107 ERA+) in 30 starts totaling 169.1 innings — but far more important in the clubhouse, mentoring a young Pettitte on his pickoff move. Powered by their young, explosive offense, the Yankees won 92 games to secure their first division title in 15 years.

In Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rangers, Key dueled with Darren Oliver, tossing five innings of two-run ball as his offense rallied in the ninth to take a 2-1 series lead. His next appearance was against the Orioles in Game 3 of the ALCS with the series knotted at a game apiece. Squaring off against the AL’s best pitcher in Mike Mussina, Key completed eight innings allowing two runs on two hits to stake his team a 2-1 lead, New York going on to sweep Baltimore in the three games at Camden to advance to their first World Series since 1978.

It would be a different test against the juggernaut Braves in the Fall Classic. After getting blasted in Game 1, 12-1, Key coughed up four runs on ten hits in six innings in Game 2 while Maddux twirled eight shutout innings to seemingly put the Bombers in an unsurmountable hole, down 0-2, with the next three games in Atlanta. The Bombers somehow rallied to win all three games, setting up Key’s seminal moment in pinstripes and indeed his entire 15-year career.

Handed the ball for the potentially decisive Game 6, Key opened the game with three scoreless innings before facing a huge jam in the fourth. However, he got Terry Pendleton to roll over an inning-ending double play to leave the bases loaded. Key made it into the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead intact, Torre then calling on David Weathers, Graeme Lloyd, Mariano Rivera, and John Wetteland to toss a scoreless final 3.2 innings to secure the Yankees’ 23rd World Series title.

Upon the expiry of his Yankees contract, Key signed a two-year deal with the Orioles, with whom he would go 22-13 with a 3.64 ERA (122 ERA+) in 59 appearances (45 starts) totaling 291.2 innings. He came within two games of returning to the World Series in his first season while arm injuries limited him to 79.1 innings in 1998, convincing the 37-year-old southpaw to hang up his cleats.

Key was by no means the splashiest addition to nor the best pitcher on the Yankees squads of the mid-90s. However, his arrival signaled the dawning of an era that would blossom into a dynasty. His professionalism, routine, and precision pitching set an invaluable example for a team full of young players. He may have only been around for the first of an eventual trio of titles, but his legacy remains as one of the foundational pieces needed to launch that dynasty.

References

Jimmy Key. Baseball-Reference.

Jimmy Key. Baseball Almanac.

Addis, Sean. “Jimmy Key.” SABR.

Curry, Jack. “Yankees Finally Get it Right and Land a Lefty.” New York Times, December 11, 1992.

Curry, Jack. “Jimmy and Cindy Key Are Co-Stars in ‘Honey, I Blew Up Your Salary’.” New York Times, January 24, 1993.

Curry, Jack. “Jimmy Key: The Man in Control.” New York Times, June 26, 1994.

Heyman, Jon. “While Key Pitches, His Wife Controls Money in Family.” Los Angeles Times, August 4, 1993.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Most baseball fans expect to see their team boost its offensive numbers when playing the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. That was the expectation of many San Diego Padres fans as well when the Padres opened their three-game set on the road against the Rockies on Tuesday night. That was not the case as Randy Vasquez, and for the majority of the time, Chase Dollander engaged in a pitcher’s duel. Vasquez struggle in his last outing allowing four runs over four innings, but the right-hander returned to form in Colorado. Vasquez pitched seven shutout innings, allowing just three hits and did not allow a walk while recording five strikeouts en route to a 1-0 win. It would make sense that with a pitching performance like that, San Diego would have rolled to an easy win, but that was not the case. The Padres were held to just six hits and their only run was scored when Manny Machado drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning. The bullpen arms of Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon pitched two scoreless innings and Morejon earned the save to preserve the win for San Diego.

Padres News:

• Michael King has not found his rhythm to the season, but he has been effective and has looked like the ace pitcher the Padres thought he could be when he joined San Diego in the trade with the New York Yankees. The good thing is King looks to be getting better with each outing.

• Ryan Wideman powered Lake Elsinore to a win over Visalia.

• There has been a lot of discussion about Fernando Tatis Jr. and his offensive performance this season. He has not been bad at the plate, but he has yet to hit a home run this season. The numbers show it is not for a lack of hitting the ball hard and with time, his home run stroke should return.

• Dennis Lin and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic say the potential ownership stake for Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, could be as much as 40 percent with other investors making up the remaining ownership group.

Baseball News:

• Munetaka Murakami homered in his fourth straight game to help the Chicago White Sox offense get going in win.

• The New York Mets saw their losing streak extend to 12 games with a loss to the Minnesota Twins.

• Shohei Ohtani has the longest on-base streak in Los Angeles Dodgers history, reaching for the 53rd game in a row, but it was not enough to lift the Dodgers over Landon Roupp and the San Francisco Giants.

It seems that Chris Sale’s next start will be pushed to Friday after all. The NL East leading Atlanta Braves, who are five games clear in the Division, have made a roster move before tonight’s game with the Washington Nationals.

The Braves have added 20-year-old Didier Fuentes to the active roster. He will be starting tonight’s game. Martin Perez was scheduled to start tonight previously. His start and Chris Sale’s start will be pushed back a day. Didier Fuentes has already made one appearance this year on March 29th. That appearance worked out to be a rare Braves split start, as Grant Holmes pitched five innings, while Fuentes pitched the remaining four with a 4/1 K/BB ratio. This is what we’ve been waiting for since he left. Didier has been tormenting AAA the last two years to the tune of a 11.21 and 10.80 strikeout rate.

Ian (don’t call me Anderson, bro) Hamilton has been designated for assignment. The Braves allowed 12 walks last night, and two of those were Ian’s. He also allowed three earned runs. Last night was the display of the Braves losing-side of the bullpen, and boy howdy was it ever a display. Hamilton was cut loose, but he will likely be back.

By no means has the Washington Nationals rotation been great, but it feels like Foster Griffin is keeping the group above water right now. Last night he had a quality start and went six innings for the first time this season. He did not put up sexy strikeout numbers, but he did his job. That is what we have come to expect from Foster Griffin.

Last night, Foster Griffin had a tough task in front of him. He was tasked with slowing down a Braves lineup that had been on a roll lately. A cerebral pitcher, Griffin knew the challenges that confronted him. However, he made a key adjustment early in the game that let him keep Braves hitters off balance.

While Griffin has a 7 pitch mix, when the chips are down, he usually goes to his cutter. That is his bread and butter, and the pitch he is most comfortable with. However, Braves hitters also knew this, so Griffin had to make an adjustment. For the season, Griffin throws his cutter 30% of the time, but last night, he was only throwing it 22% of the time. He threw 6 pitches at least 10% of the time last night, which is rare to see.

After the game, Griffin told me that he thought the Braves were sitting on the cutter inside early in the game. The way he saw this was that Braves hitters were hitting the ball hard even on cutters off the plate inside. When Griffin saw that, he knew he needed to adjust and become less predictable. 

As the game progressed, Griffin truly gave Braves hitters the kitchen sink. I was impressed by how he was using his changeup and splitter. Seeing guys with two offspeed pitches is rare, and it can be a weapon. In pitching, weird is good, and having those two pitches working at the same time is weird.

As Griffin acknowledged, this Braves lineup is really good, so things were not perfect. He allowed a couple solo shots, on pitches that were not even terrible mistakes. I still cannot believe that the ball Eli White hit left the yard. Drake Baldwin also hit a homer on a pitch at his ankles.

However, Griffin was able to complete six innings. That was only the second time all season that a Nats starter went six and the first time since Cade Cavalli did it on April 1st. As the season goes on, I would expect starters to go deeper into games. You cannot overwork the bullpen, so when guys are throwing the ball well, Blake Butera is likely to ride them longer.

As the season progresses, I expect Griffin in particular to go six on a fairly regular basis. He has established himself as the Nats best starting pitcher. With that distinction under his belt, he will have more trust from Butera. He can also change how he attacks pitchers as he gets deeper into games with his deep mix.

Butera showed Griffin a lot of trust last night. After Griffin walked Austin Riley, Maurico Dubon, who had gone 2/2 came to the plate. Blake Butera came to the mound, and almost everyone thought Griffin was done. I say almost everyone because Luis Garcia Jr. said he could tell by Butera’s walk that Griffin was staying in. 

Before this, whenever Butera went to the mound, it meant the pitcher was done. However, Butera was undecided when he went to the mound. When Griffin told him emphatically that he felt good, that was all Butera needed to hear.

Ironically, Dubon going 2/2 seemed to help Griffin in a way. He told reporters that Dubon’s success gave him an idea of how he was being attacked. Dubon had gotten two hits on two pitches down in the zone. Using that information, Griffin perfectly placed a cutter on the inside corner and got the ground ball he was looking for.

That cerebral sequence is what makes Foster Griffin effective. He may not have one elite pitch, but he has so many different weapons he can use in different situations. While the Braves may have been sitting on the cutter inside early in the game, he had shown them enough of his mix to come back to that pitch when it mattered most.

With the way Griffin is pitching, he could be in demand at this deadline. I am just going to enjoy him as long as I can as a Nat. He is such a smart pitcher and a student of the game. It is refreshing to see a guy excel while not throwing upper 90’s gas. Sometimes a good game plan and a bunch of different weapons is enough to get the job done.

You also have to credit Paul Toboni for taking a chance on a 30 year old who had spent the last three seasons in Japan. He thought Griffin’s deep mix and pitching IQ would translate, and so far it has in a big way. While Griffin is not an ace, you know that he will be solid every time he takes the mound.

Good morning everyone!

The Mariners fell yet again to the A’s last night, dropping the contest 6-2 as the offense struggles to find its footing.

Where is your level of concern as we enter the late stages of April? Do you still think the team can turn it around and return to the caliber of play we expected them to during the preseason, or have you adjusted your expectations?

In Mariners news…

• ICYMI: The Mariners called up right-handed reliever Alex Hoppe for his big league debut. The team DFA’d Casey Legumina in a corresponding move. We wish you all the best, Bean Man!
• We also say farewell to righty Blas Castaño, who was claimed off waivers by the Rockies.
• Cal Raleigh maintains faith in the Mariners after a rough 25 games to open the season.
• Eric Sanford ranked all of your hot takes for his first-ever Lookout Landing reverse mailbag. Keep your eyes on The Feed for the next call for submissions!
• The Lookout Landing staff debated the Mariners’ decision to call up Will Wilson to replace Brendan Donovan instead of Colt Emerson.
• Eva Walker at The Stranger wrote about falling in love with the Mariners again.
• Make sure to get yours!

Around the league…

• The stumbling Mets lost their 12th ballgame in a row last night, but at least they’re expected to reinstate star outfielder Juan Soto from the injured list today.
• The Phillies, who are also struggling mightily, will welcome Zack Wheeler back from the injured list on Saturday.
• Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford will undergo an MRI on his forearm after he was removed from last night’s game against the Pirates.
• The Braves placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the injured list with shoulder inflammation — an ailment he seemingly exacerbated by sleeping on it wrong.
• The Phillies unveiled the All-Star weekend schedule of festivities for 2026.
• Joshua Rodrigues wrote about how runners are getting bigger leads than before, and how first basemen have made the adjustment.
• Bradley Woodrum at Baseball Prospectus explained what makes Padres closer Mason Miller so dominant. ($)

The week started off with a wild set of games on the Atlanta Braves farm system. The Gwinnett Stripers, led by the rehabbing Spencer Strider, managed to get no-hit but still come out with a win in the game. Meanwhile Rome took the opposite path, obliterating a good Greensboro pitching staff with six home runs on the way to a blowout win. Leading the charge there was Eric Hartman, who broke a streak of games without an extra base hit by totalling three home runs as part of a 5-5 performance.

(14-8) Gwinnett Stripers 2, (11-11) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 0

Box Score

Statcast

• Jim Jarvis, SS: 0-2, HBP, BB, .380/.495/.532
• Nacho Alvarez, DH: 0-2, RBI, .204/.313/.241
• Spencer Strider, SP: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 0.00 ERA
• Rolddy Munoz, RP: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.00 ERA

Miami’s Braxton Garrett is still looking to earn his way back into the Marlins rotation after missing all of last season, and so far in four Triple-A games he has been making his best case. He carried early season dominance into another ridiculous start against the Gwinnett Stripers, throwing a complete game with no hits allowed. However, Garrett had a single rough inning where he got wild and as a result took the loss despite eight brilliant frames. Gwinnett had no real answer for the entire game on offense, but Brewer Hicklen and Kim Jarvis were both hit by pitches to open up the sixth inning, and that opened a narrow opportunity in a game that scoreless. Garrett then uncorked a slider that somehow narrowly missed hitting Sean Murphy, but did skip all the way to the backstop for a wild pitch. As the ball settled near the wall Garrett failed to cover home, and Hicklen never stopped running and was able to sprint home and score from second base for the first run of the game. Garrett would fight back to strike Murphy out, but in that time also made an errant throw to second base on a pickoff attempt that allowed Jarvis to move to third. This gave just enough opportunity for a Nacho Alvarez sacrifice fly to bring home a second run, and the Gwinnett pitching staff dominated en route to a one-hit shutout. This was helped by having Sean Murphy behind the dish, who caught six innings and went 0-3 at the plate.

For as good as Garrett was he was matched by the output of the Gwinnett Stripers staff, especially Spencer Strider who turned in a terrific rehab outing. Strider dominated with 15 whiffs and eight strikeouts on 44 swings, and save for a single in the fourth inning he was untouchable. The Jumbo Shrimp were aggressive out of the zone in this game and Strider made them pay for that, and though his command wasn’t pinpoint he did a solid job of elevating his fastball and keeping his slider down and glove side. He checked all of the boxes for this stage of his rehab assignment until his velocity started to slip a bit in his final inning of work.

Following Strider’s outing the rest of the bullpen was just a shade short of perfection. Victor Mederos walked the first batter he faced in relief, then he and the rest of the bullpen retired 14 of the last 15 hitters with only an error allowing another runner to reach base. Rolddy Munoz kept his sensational start to the season with his first save, striking out the side in order in a perfect ninth. It’s only been seven outings but Munoz has thrown more strikes during this stretch of play than he has in nearly any other span of his career, and hitters are not able to handle his plus slider. He got whiffs on all four swings at the slider in this outing, and was helped by the Jumbo Shrimp continuing to go after breaking balls below the zone.

Swing and Misses

Spencer Strider – 15

Rolddy Munoz – 4

Victor Mederos – 4

Javy Guerra – 1

(9-7) Columbus Clingstones 5, (7-9) Birmingham Barons 8

Box Score

• Patrick Clohisy, LF-CF: 3-5, 2B, 3B, .348/.400/.565
• David McCabe, DH: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, .265/.419/.653
• Owen Murphy, SP: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 7/31 ERA
• Luis Vargas, RP: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3.38 ERA

It’s been two very disappointing starts out of the past three for Owen Murphy this season as he has not been able to command the ball well. Between 2024 and 2025 Murphy walked only 18 batters in 71 1/3 innings, but has now walked 14 in 16 innings this season. This has come with a small boom in home runs — he allowed two in this game — and he seems to be in need of a reset already. All of his pitches are all over the place, and though he shows flashes of hitting the top of the zone with his fastball he is just not consistent enough to get outs. On the positive end of the spectrum his breaking balls are showing improved shape and bite over last season on the occasions he does land them, and if/when he can dial in his location they should add more dimension to what was an extreme fastball-heavy approach in prior seasons.

David McCabe continued his insane production this season with another long ball, tagging a fastball the opposite way for a two run home run. McCabe was a bit behind the sinker in the bottom of the zone, but had the pure pop to muscle one out for his third home run in the past four games and sixth overall this season. All six of McCabe’s home runs this season have come from the left side, continuing the trend of power output that matches his swing characteristics.

We’ve also seen great play from Patrick Clohisy since missing a couple of series early in the season. He has hit safely in all five games since returning to the lineup last series, and had by far his best game of the season with a couple of extra base hits and three total in this game. Clohisy has really turned into an interesting player to watch since his swing adjustments last season, showing much more gap power in his time in Double-A while also not seeing a significant increase in swing-and-miss. He is another in a line of outfielders the Braves have done a great job scouting and developing as defensive center fielders, and so far has hit all of the markers to trend towards a bench bat ceiling. A few extra walks would really help the profile out at the moment, though it’s still just a 46 game sample at Double-A split across an offseason. Lizandro Espinoza suffered an injury early in this game, and though he stayed in on the defensive end he would eventually have to leave the game. Espinoza made a great play to track down a fly ball near the wall, but crashed hard into the padding and appeared to injure his right leg in the process. He was slow and limped away from the wall, allowing the tagging runner to score from second base, and went down on the outfield grass holding that leg. While he did finish out the inning defensively he did not come out in the third inning, and his status moving forward is unclear. While it’s never good to see a player injured it would be especially unfortunate for Espinoza, who has really come into his own this season. His contact and approach is finally catching up to the athletic attributes and he has been fantastic at the plate this season, showing off with power, speed, and defense to put himself in some real prospect conversations. He’ll be one to keep a close eye on whether he hits the injured list or stays active to see how the injury affects what has been great progress over the last season and some change since the Braves grab him in the Rule 5 draft.

Swing and Misses

Owen Murphy – 8

Samuel Strickland – 5

(7-9) Rome Emperors 15, (11-5) Greensboro Grasshoppers 6

Box Score

• Isaiah Drake, LF: 2-4, HR, 2 BB, .233/.324/.400
• John Gil, SS: 3-6, HR, .208/.317/.377
• Eric Hartman, CF: 5-5, 3 HR, BB, 5 RBI, .310/.365/.724
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 5.84 ERA
• Logan Samuels, RP, 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 5.87 ERA

It’s hard to have a much better evening than Eric Hartman had on Tuesday. In the top of the first inning Hartman hit a tank down the right field line, turning on an high fastball and crushing one that just snuck fair down the line for his fourth home run of the year. This gave Rome an early lead, but the offense was not even close to slowing down for Hartman. The next prospect to make an impact was John Gil, who led off in the third inning with a missile of a home run to center field. Gil got a sinker right over the heart of the plate on the very first pitch and was sitting back on it, and he made ear-rattling contact on the ball as it got way out of the park in a hurry. One pitch later and Hartman was right back up to his old tricks. He saw another sinker out over the plate and it took about three steps for the right fielder to give up on the ball. With that hit Hartman tied his 2025 total with his fifth home run in only 14 games, but with an entire game left to go there was no reason for him or the Emperors to slow down their production. The Emperors really put it away with a five run explosion in the fourth inning, an inning led off by the fifth team home run of the game.

Isaiah Drake turned on a high fastball and launched another home run out to left field, breaking up a rough stretch at the plate for him. Since hitting two home runs in the opening series Drake has only gotten one extra base hit in the past two weeks, and was 2 for his last 16 at the plate entering this game. He put the slump to bed with two hits and two walks in this game, and turned around after a really disappointing end to last week’s games. He has been cutting back slowly on the strikeouts and if he can make more impact with his contact like he did in this game the path back to a great numbers is well in play. His swing this season has continued to improve and the pop on the pull side is coming along nicely, making him one of the breakout players to watch as the season drifts towards May. Hartman didn’t have another nuke up his sleeve for his third at bat, but he did sneak a single into center field which was followed by another hit from Dixon Williams. Cody Miller officially made it a route with an opposite field bomb off of the scoreboard, his second home run of the season, driving in three runs and making it 10-3 in favor of the Emperors. The offense slowed down quite significantly after that point, with the next big inning resulting from a bevy of walks to the top of the order, until Hartman got one more turn at the dish in the ninth inning. To this point Hartman had put up an incredible statline with four hits, two home runs, and a walk, but just for kicks he had one more exciting moment up his sleeve. This time Hartman got a slider in the strike zone, and even though he was a bit out on his front foot he showed off his tremendous strength. He turned it around and carried it out to right center field and just over the top of the wall for his third home run of the game and now career high sixth of the season.

An up and down start to the season for Cedric De Grandpre continued as he failed to get out of the first inning in this game. He really struggled to command the ball and walked three batters, eventually eclipsing the 30 pitch mark and getting yanked with the bases loaded. Jacob Kroeger had the task of escaping the trouble and he immediately issued a walk, though he was able to get a strikeout to keep the game tied. Kroeger had a solid outing, but it was really Logan Samuels who was the active pitcher in getting Rome over the hump. Samuels pitched three brilliant innings in the middle frames with four strikeouts and no walks or runs allowed, allowing the Emperors to cruise down the stretch and never worry about their big early lead.

Swing and Misses 

Isaac Gallegos – 9

Logan Samuels – 7

Cedric De Grandpre – 5

(10-6) Augusta GreenJackets 7, (8-8) Columbia Fireflies 6

Box Score

• Tate Southisene, 2B: 1-3, 2B, 3 BB, .246/.434/.456
• Nick Montgomery, C: 0-3, 2 BB, .323/.463/.581
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 2-4, RBI, .357/.371/.536
• Logan Forsythe, SP: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1.08 ERA
• Aiven Cabral, RP: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3.21 ERA

Augusta and Columbia played tug-of-war in this game, trading the lead back and forth until the GreenJackets were able to lock up in extra innings. They trailed 2-0 and didn’t have a hit after three innings, but in the fourth inning had the top of the lineup up to bat with a chance to get things started. Tate Southisene jumped on a first pitch fastball and hit a liner down into the left field corner for a leadoff double, sparking the first scoring chance for Augusta. Luis Guanipa turned the opportunity dial up with one out, waiting out a slow breaking ball and shooting it the other way for a base hit. Guanipa got picked off at first base, but stayed alive on the bases long enough for Southisene to score from third base and cut the deficit in half. The next inning Dalton McIntyre and Juan Mateo led off with singles, and while Augusta couldn’t turn that into a bigger inning they did manage a run on a fielder’s choice. Southisene was once again a spark for the offense in the sixth inning when he led off the inning by drawing a walk. He stole second base and advanced on a wild pitch, putting him in position to come home to score on a sacrifice fly from Guanipa.

Augusta had their first lead of the game, but it was a short-lived experience for them. The pitching staff had an unspectacular day, starting with Logan Forsythe on the mound. While Forsythe managed to limit damage to one earned run on a home run thanks to him getting five ground outs, overall he had a bit of a busy day allowing baserunners and his control never quite settled in. Aiven Cabral had an opportunity for a long relief appearance and he did cover five innings for Augusta, but he didn’t miss bats and a lot of the contact against him turned into hits and runs. He allowed a tying home run to the first batter he faced after getting the lead, and he settled into a pattern of never managing that shutdown inning. Augusta was gifted a run in the top of the seventh thanks to poor control from Fireflies reliever Kyle DeGroat, but Cabral came right back and allowed three hits and two runs in the bottom of the inning to swing the lead over to the home side. Dalton McIntyre’s two run home run in the eighth inning was a huge boost that swung the momentum over to the Augusta side, but Cabral gave up a leadoff single in the next inning.

That turned into a stolen base and a game-tying single, and the 6-6 score would last for both sides until extra innings. Caden Merritt was the hero for Augusta as he netted a go-ahead single in the top of the tenth inning, but Augusta was once again in need of a shutdown inning with Jaylen Paden relieving Cabral. Paden made things tighter immediately by issuing a walk, putting the winning run on with no outs in the inning. Paden gave up a grounder over to first base, too slow for Cooper McMurray to turn it into a double play, and the tying run moved over to third base with two chances for Columbia to tie the game. Paden gave up a sharp liner to right field that was medium deep, a position that should have allowed the speedy pinch runner at third base to score, but the runner made a mistake and didn’t tag properly, rescuing the GreenJackets for the moment. Paden forced a lazy fly out to right field from the next hitter, and Augusta escaped with a narrow win in extra innings.

Swing and Misses

Logan Forsythe – 7

Aiven Cabral – 5

Happy Wednesday A’s fans! Today the team vies for the sweep against the Seattle Mariners, aiming to extend its road winning streak to eight games.

Entering this season, the Athletics offense was expected to be a potent bunch capable of striking for multiple runs at any point in the game and erasing early deficits created by bad pitching performances. Through 23 games, that has been the case, especially late in games. In the team’s lone victory in its three-game series this past weekend against the Chicago White Sox, the A’s fell behind 5-0 early only to chip away with a run every inning and eventually tie the game on first baseman Nick Kurtz’s two-run home run in the seventh inning. The A’s wound up completing the comeback and winning that dramatic game in the 11th inning on Max Muncy’s game-winning sacrifice fly.

Following a loss on Sunday, the team regrouped and opened its three-game series at the Seattle Mariners with another comeback victory on Monday night. Once again, the team fell behind early, yet did not panic. They hit three solo home runs to tie the game and then took the lead for good with a three-run eighth inning.

If the A’s are able to complete the road sweep today, that would send a loud early-season statement to the defending American League West champions.

Kurtz is starting to heat up at the plate when he gets the chance to hit. The reigning American League Rookie of the Year has recorded a walk in 12-straight games. He is three games shy of tying all-time great Rickey Henderson atop that team record. Shortstop Jacob Wilson is also starting to collect more hits, although he still gets himself out too much by attempting to hit every pitch he sees whether it’s above his head or below his knees.

In the bullpen, relievers Joel Kuhnel and Jack Perkins have performed well since their call-ups. Given Perkins’ injury history and the team’s multitude of young pitchers and nearly MLB ready top prospects, it may behoove the team to keep him in relief, possibly as the A’s new closer. Escaping that 11th inning bases-loaded no-outs situation against the White Sox on Saturday and then his two-inning save yesterday against the Mariners shows that Perkins has the stuff and moxie to succeed in this stressful role.

What do you want to see out of the Athletics during the last week of April? What does the team have to do to continue this early-season success into May?

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics take down Mariners 5-2
• It Might Be Time For Some Crosby Love
• Lawrence Butler’s Rough Start Comes With a Big Asterisk
• Lawrence Butler Says He Wants Mariners Fans to “Go Home Sad”
• A’s roster moves: Basso recalled, Barnett optioned
• Do-Overs For (Almost) Everyone In The AL West
• Today Is A Day Of Special Meaning — For More Than One Reason
• A’s Top Pitching Prospects Are Dominating to Start 2026
• A’s top prospect Leo De Vries pops his first two homers of the season at Double-A
• Armchair 101: The Challenge Of Judging Decisions In Real Time
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Observes The Wild Denzelope In Its Natural Habitat
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Toes The Rubber With Pitching Coach Scott Emerson
• AN Exclusive: Blogfather Catches Up With Starting Pitcher Jacob Lopez

MLB News and Interest:

• Early MLB 2026 trade deadline preview for all 30 teams
• Former Ohio substitute teacher makes first appearance in front of hometown crowd
• Taiwanese fans go out of their way to thank Fairchild for epic Classic
• 2026 MLB draft rankings: Top 85 prospects, mini-mock draft
• MLB 2026: Inside the rise of 100 mph pitching velocity
• Small market MLB teams are outperforming big payrolls
• Giants place red-hot rookie Susac on IL with elbow injury
• Ohtani extends on-base streak to 53, tying for longest in LA history
• Cubs’ Craig Counsell Calls Out ‘Bizarre’ MLB Rule That Helps Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers
• Phillies’ Zack Wheeler set to return Saturday vs. Braves
• To the moon! Murakami homers in 4th straight game in historic start
• Aaron Boone: Cole needs more rehab outings
• Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier Projected To Return In 5-7 Weeks
• Guardians’ Austin Hedges gets engaged on field following game
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Athletics prospects Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Jamie Arnold played well with the Double-A Midland Rockhounds last night. Flashing more power potential has Kuroda-Grauer’s stock on the rise within the team’s farm system.

Meanwhile, Arnold may earn a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas sooner than later if the left-hander continues pitching as well as he did yesterday.

The A’s ability to continue their road success could prove pivotal given how challenging it is to win games at the hitter’s paradise that is Sutter Health Park.

Morning, all!

Jordan Montgomery is throwing bullpen sessions and is on pace to return to the rotation in July after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Cody Bradford, on the other hand, hasn’t thrown in two weeks after experiencing tightness in his surgically repaired elbow.

Wyatt Langford left yesterday’s game against the Pirates in the fifth with a forearm strain.

Langford will be getting an MRI after he described what he felt as something he’s never felt before.

Kumar Rocker threw a season high six innings, retiring 12 of 13 batters faced after giving up a run with no outs in the first.

Josh Smith had a decent night at the plate yesterday but those have been few and far between for him this season.

Evan Carter had the play of the game when he robbed the Pirates of a home run in the fifth.

Carter’s highlight reel catch kept three Pirate runs off the board and the Rangers in the lead.

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This afternoon's matchup features the league's ERA leader in Jose Soriano and hits leader in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and I’m expecting the Toronto Blue Jays slugger to win the best-on-best battle.

Read more in my Blue Jays vs. Angels predictions and MLB picks below. 

Blue Jays vs Angels predictions

Blue Jays vs Angels best bet: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases (+135)

You’re getting great value on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at +135 to go Over his bases total tonight against a pitcher with a 0.28 ERA. 

Vladdy is 2-for-2 with a walk in three plate appearances against Jose Soriano, and Soriano's most-used pitch is a sinker-ball, a pitch that Guerrero owns a .444 batting average with a 55% hard-hit rate against.

I’m expecting Guerrero Jr. to continue this trend as he's one of baseball’s best hitters.

Vladdy is hitting an MLB-best .353 this season, while riding a 12-game hitting streak, averaging 2.41 bases per contest in that stretch. 

COVERS INTEL: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. owns a 1.117 OPS during this current 12-game hitting streak.

Blue Jays vs Angels same-game parlay (SGP)

I’ll continue to bank on the Toronto Blue Jays bats this afternoon. For the second leg of my SGP, I’ll take Daulton Varsho to go Over 0.5 hits. He’s 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI against Soriano throughout his career and has recorded a hit in eight of his last 10 games.

Lastly, I’ll also bet on Ernie Clement to record a hit as well. Clement has been a hitting machine, going Over his 0.5 total in 19 of 23 games this season, totaling 29 hits this year, which is only one shy of the league lead.

Additionally, he has recorded one hit against Soriano and three at-bats against him.

Blue Jays vs Angels SGP

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Over 1.5 total bases
• Daulton Varsho Over 0.5 hits
• Ernie Clement Over 0.5 hits

Blue Jays vs Angels home run pick: Daulton Varsho (+510)

I’ll make this a half-unit wager. Varsho brings a lot of pop from the left side of the plate, and Soriano has given up a little bit more power to lefties than righties this season.

Albeit, it’s still not a whole lot of power as Soriano doesn’t slow for hard contact, allowing just one home run on the year.

However, Varsho does seem to see the sinker well out of the pitcher's hand, which is the most used pitch Soriano throws against lefties. The Jays outfielder owns a .438 batting average and a .688 slugging percentage against the pitch.

Blue Jays vs Angels odds

• Moneyline: Toronto +135 | Los Angeles -160
• Run line: Toronto +1.5 (-160) | Los Angeles -1.5 (+135)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Blue Jays vs Angels trend

The Blue Jays have cashed the first five innings team total Under in nine of their last 11 road games for +7.55 units and a 55% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Angels.

How to watch Blue Jays vs Angels and game info

Blue Jays vs Angels latest injuries

Blue Jays vs Angels weather

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The Detroit Tigers returned to Comerica Park — where they had won eight of their first nine games — on Tuesday night to open up a three-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. Unfortunately, things did not go quite as planned, as the visitors spanked the Ole English D to the tune of a 12-4 defeat.

Keider Montero was not awful, but his defense and the bullpen failed him — well, except for Jake Rogers, who was the only hurler to not allow a run. But that game is over and in the books, and it is time for the Tigers to turn the page.

On Wednesday, right-hander Casey Mize will take the mound for the Motor City Kitties while fellow righty Chad Patrick gets the call for the Brew Crew. The former has not faced Milwaukee since 2024, when he nearly matched Montero’s line from last night to take the loss in a 5-4 final; this will be the first time that the latter has ever thrown against Detroit.

Take a look below at how they match up.

Detroit Tigers (12-12) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (13-9)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Brew Crew Ball
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 25: RHP Casey Mize (1-1, 2.78 ERA) vs. RHP Chad Patrick (1-0, 0.95 ERA)

MIZE

PATRICK

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It's a home-run, slump-busting day for me as last week's heater has turned into a cold snap. That's the world of betting on daily home runs, where one multi-hit day changes the tide.

There are 12 starting pitchers today who rank in the Bottom 50 in BlastContact% this year, but with very few great-hitting settings, fading pitchers and bullpens today might be the best approach for MLB player props. 

Despite one run scored last night, I'm going back to Coors and hoping Fernando Tatis can snap his own HR drought, and fading one of the worst BlastCon% pitchers in baseball indoors in Miami for a big price. 

These are my favorite home run props for Wednesday, April 22.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Fernando Tatis Jr.	+400
Otto Lopez	+1120
💲Today's HR parlay	+30863

Fernando Tatis Jr. (+400)

I had this start circled for five days. Tomoyuki Sugano owns a sub-4.00 ERA, but his xERA is closer to 8.00.

He’s been wildly lucky while allowing the eighth-worst BlastCon% among starters, and he’s posted one of the worst HR/9 rates over the last two seasons.

In short, the San Diego Padres lineup is a great place to look for dingers on Wednesday at Coors Field, especially with poor hitting weather elsewhere.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is +400 to go deep with a fair price around +330, per Covers projections powered by THE BAT. He’s the best +EV home run on the board this morning.

It’s surprising he hasn’t gone deep yet, but that’s why the price is discounted. He leads the team with a 27.5% BlastCon% rate, and it feels like a matter of time before that breaks through.

• Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Rockies.TV, Padres.TV

Otto Lopez (+1120)

I’m going four-digit hunting with the No. 2 hitter in the Miami Marlins lineup in a controlled environment with a plus-plus matchup.

Kyle Leahy has the second-worst BlastCon% among MLB starters this year, and it caught up to him last time out when Houston took him deep three times indoors. Among pitchers with at least 10 innings, he ranks dead last in BlastCon%.

Miami isn’t known for home-run power, but Otto Lopez stands out at a massive price. He’s being priced like a No. 8 hitter with no pop, but he’s among the team leaders in power metrics and sits well above league average in key home-run indicators.

This may be the best pitching matchup for dingers on the board. The St. Louis Cardinals could also be without key bullpen arms, and they already rank 29th in xFIP among all MLB bullpens, adding to the appeal.

• Time: 12:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marlins.TV, Cardinals.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Fernando Tatis Jr.	Bet Now +30863
Otto Lopez
Shane Langeliers

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It’s another busy day across the big leagues, with 15 games on the schedule. My MLB player props analysis will include Nico Hoerner, Munetaka Murakami, and Shohei Ohtani. 

Read more in my MLB picks for Wednesday, April 22. 

Best MLB player props today

Player	Pick	Odds
Nico Hoerner	Over 0.5 RBI	+180
Munetaka Murakami	Over 0.5 RBI	+150
Shohei Ohtani	Over 6.5 strikeouts	-122

Nico Hoerner Over 0.5 RBI (+180)

Nico Hoerner has been red-hot lately. The Chicago Cubs infielder is batting .326 overall and .347 in the month of April. He’s logged an RBI in three of his last five contests, driving in four during that span. 

In fact, Hoerner is currently tied for third in the league in that category, registering 22 RBI already.

He’ll face Kyle Backhus tonight after going 2-for-5 with a home run and an RBI last night.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marquee, NBCS-Philadelphia

Munetaka Murakami Over 0.5 RBI (+150)

Hoerner may be hot, but I don’t believe anyone is swinging the bat like Munetaka Murakami is right now. The slugger has eight RBI across his last four games, and he’s also gone deep in four straight appearances. He can't be stopped.

He was 3-for-5 in Tuesday’s series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a home run, an RBI, and three hits. Murakami has six of his 17 RBI against lefties, and Eduardo Rodriguez takes the hill tonight for Arizona.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: CHSN, Dbacks.TV

Shohei Ohtani Over 6.5 strikeouts (-122)

Shohei Ohtani takes the hill tonight against the San Francisco Giants, whom he’s dominated in the past.

They’re hitting just .176 against him, and he’s struck out 18 in 51 at-bats. It’s common knowledge that Ohtani has overpowering stuff, and he racked up 10 Ks in his last start against the Mets. 

While San Fran is around the middle of the pack in team strikeouts, they’re swinging and missing a lot more lately, striking out nearly 10 times per game across their previous three contests. Also, Ohtani has collected 16 Ks in 12 innings of work at Dodger Stadium in 2026.

• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: SportsNet-Los Angeles, NBCS-Bay Area

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Columbus Clippers 5, Buffalo Bisons 2

Clippers improve to 12-10

Petey Halpin and Stuart Fairchild carried the Clippers offense on Tuesday, both garnering a pair of hits including a double.

Travis Bazzana stayed hot as well, going 1-for-2 with three walks and a stolen base to reach base safely four times. Kahlil Watson walked twice and stole a base and Cooper Ingle also went 1-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base to keep his OPS sizzling at 1.357.

The pitching was the real story here. Logan Allen had his best start of the season, allowing one run (zero earned) on two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in 4.2 innings of work.

Steven Perez struck out three in 1.1 scoreless innings. Andrew Walters gave up one run in his inning and Cody Heuer and Franco Aleman locked things down with a scoreless inning apiece. Aleman struck out the side to earn his first save and maintain a 0.00 ERA on the young season.

Akron RubberDucks 0, Bowie Baysox 7

RubberDucks fall to 10-6

Fresh off the heels of throwing a combined no-hitter, Akron almost got no hit on Tuesday. The RubberDucks managed just one hit while being shutout.

Jose Devers had the lone hit for Akron. No one reached base safely twice.

A solid start from Khal Stephen was wasted. Stephen gave up two runs on three hits with two walks in 5.0 innings while striking out five.

Hunter Stanley had a scoreless 1.2 innings and Reid Johnson put the game out of reach by allowing five runs (four earned) in just one inning of relief.

Lake County Captains 4, West Michigan Whitecaps 2

Captains improve to 8-8

Justin Campbell continues to shine brilliantly. The towering right-hander tossed 3.0 shutout, no-hit innings on Tuesday while striking out four and walking one. I can’t imagine he stays in Lake County much longer unless they’re keeping him there to help stretch him out to 5-6 innings.

Melki Hernandez followed Campbell with two runs allowed on four hits in 4.0 innings to earn the win. He impressively struck out eight batters and walked two.

Luis Flores and Izaak Martinez closed out the win with a scoreless inning apiece.

Offensively, the usual suspects led the way for the Captain. Aaron Walton continues to impress, going 2-for-5 with his second home run of the season, an absolute moonshot in the fifth inning.

Bennett Thompson also blasted off, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks.

Luke Hill went 2-for-4 while Jaison Chourio walked three times and stole a base and Jace LaViolette walked twice and was caught stealing.

Hill City Howlers 7, Hickory Crawdads 6

Howlers improve to 10-6

Hill City jumped all over Hickory with four runs in the first inning, then held on to a win Tuesday.

Anthony Martinez led the way, going perfect at the plate, 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple and a walk. He just missed the cycle by a double.

Robert Arias went 2-for-4 with a double, Juneiker Caceres went 2-for-4 with two doubles, Jonathan Martinez went 2-for-4 with a double and Luis De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.

Starting pitcher Cam Major allowed three runs on four hits in 3.2 innings of work. He struck out two and walked three.

Will McCausland faced his first adversity in long relief, allowing two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings. Luke Fernandez added a scoreless 1.1 frames and Angel Perez picked up a heart attack save by allowing one run in the ninth inning.