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Davey Lopes, the best second baseman in Los Angeles Dodgers history, died on Wednesday at age 80, the team announced.

Lopes was the oldest member of the Dodgers’ famed infield — the quartet of Lopes, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Bill Russell were regulars for 8 1/2 years, the longest-running infield in major league history — and the latest of the four to debut, but Lopes remained a force atop the Dodgers lineup and one of the best leadoff men in the sport during the 1970s.

“If we weren’t the best infield of all time, we were the most successful,” Cey wrote in his autobiography ‘Penguin Power,’ written with Ken Gurnick. “Every member was a multi-year All-Star, we appeared in more World Series than any infield, and we won a world championship.”

In Lopes’ first seven seasons, from 1973-79, he ranked sixth in the majors in runs scored (639, averaging 91 per season) and was second in stolen bases (371, only two behind Lou Brock; averaging 53 steals per year). He led the majors with 77 steals in 1975, and paced the National League with 63 steals in 1976.

Lopes even stole 47 bases in 1985 with the Astros in the year he turned 40, still the record for any major league player that old in one season, 10 more than Rickey Henderson. Lopes and Henderson are the only players to steal more than 26 bases in a season at age 40 or older. And when Lopes stole 47 bases in 1985, he was only caught four times.

Efficiency was the name of the game for Lopes, too, stealing bases at an 83-percent clip throughout his career, the 12th-best in MLB history for anyone with at least 200 attempts. His 418 stolen bases with the Dodgers are second only to Maury Wills, and Lopes’ 83.1-percent success rate in tops in franchise history.

“A guy that’s a base stealer, he disrupts the crowd, he disrupts the team that he’s playing against, and he can set the tone for the game,” Lopes said in an interview with MASN Sports in 2017 when he coached for the Nationals. “I studied it, from the standpoint of picking up on idiosyncrasies that the pitcher had when he threw to first compared to when he threw to home. The sooner you can pick that up, the quicker you can get out of the box.

“I always talk about quickness, and as soon as I say that most people think of a body movement, but it’s not. It’s what you can recognize with your eyes. The quicker you can recognize a key, the first key that a pitcher is telling you he’s coming over to first or going home, the bigger the jump you’re going to get.”

That wisdom served Lopes well in his three decades of coaching after his playing career ended in 1987. He managed the Brewers from 2000-02, but was otherwise a first base coach from 1988 through 2017 for the Rangers, Orioles, Padres, Nationals, Phillies, and Dodgers, including multiple stints in San Diego and Washington.

In addition to coaching first base, Lopes would often be in charge of coaching baserunning, as he did with the Dodgers from 2011-15, including tutoring a young Dee Gordon. In his first year back in Los Angeles in 2011, the Dodgers stole bases at a 75.9-percent clip, at the time the second-highest clip in franchise history. Three of Lopes’ five years on the Dodgers coaching staff (2011, 2013-14) produced top-14 stolen base success rates in club history.

Lopes was never shy about speaking his mind, both as a player and coach, sometimes in blunt fashion, and suffered no fools. He is the last Dodger to hold official captain status, doing so in 1978 and into 1979, when he resigned from the position midseason as the two-time-defending pennant winners were mired under .500.

“I felt [resigning as captain] was the best thing for myself and the team,” Lopes told Associated Press in June 1979. “This way, we’re all equal. I have no title. Nothing more will be expected of me than anyone else.”

Lopes in 1979 had his best season at the plate, hitting .265/.372/.464, setting career highs in runs scored (109), runs batted in (73), slugging percentage, OPS (.836), and wRC+ (133). His 28 home runs that season were 11 more than he hit in any other year, and coupled with his 44 stolen bases Lopes delivered the first season in Dodgers history with at least 22 home runs and 22 steals.

Those 28 home runs in 1979 still stand as a record by a Dodgers second baseman in a season, tied with Jeff Kent’s 2005 campaign.

In 10 seasons with the Dodgers, Lopes was a part of four pennant-winning teams, and started at second base and batted leadoff in all 45 postseason games for Los Angeles during that stretch. He hit .242/.332/.393 and scored 28 runs in those 45 games, a 101-run pace over a full year. Lopes’ 19 stolen bases still stand as the Dodgers postseason record.

Lopes made four All-Star teams, the last coming in 1981, when the team finally broke through to beat the Yankees in the World Series. But that was his age-36 season, and with second baseman Steve Sax the most ready among the next crop of Dodgers prospects, Lopes was the first member of The Infield to depart. The Dodgers traded Lopes for 20-year-old minor league infielder Lance Hudson in February 1982.

“I think a lot of individuals would like to get through their whole career and stay with one team,” Lopes said after the trade, per the Los Angeles Times. “But there’ll be a time in their careers when everyone is rejected.”

Three quarters of The Infield started their careers at different positions, including Lopes and Russell in the outfield to start their professional careers. Lopes was part of the Dodgers’ legendary 1968 draft hall, long considered the best draft year by a team in major league history. Lopes was taken in the second round of the January draft, and spent the first three-plus seasons in the minors in the outfield before switching to second base.

His 1,150 games at second base are the most in Dodgers franchise history.

Lopes after leaving the Dodgers found new life as a utility man, mixing in time at all three outfield positions in a addition to third base aside from his duties at second. That allowed him to play through his age-42 season for the A’s, Cubs, and Astros. He posted above-average years offensively in each of his last five seasons, and overall hit .265/.348/.410 with a 112 wRC+ after leaving Los Angeles.

In addition to his 30 years of coaching, Lopes played 16 years in the majors, the first 10 of which were with the Dodgers. He hit .263/.349/.388 with 155 home runs, a 111 wRC+, 557 stolen bases, and scored 1,023 runs.

The Dodgers say Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas revealed on Instagram that his father, Miguel Rojas Sr., died unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 7.

The Dodgers are currently playing a series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the team they beat in last year's World Series. Rojas played a starring role in the decisive Game 7 by hitting a game-tying home run in the ninth inning.

After missing Tuesday's game, Rojas is back in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale in Toronto, playing shortstop and batting ninth.

“To feel like he can go out there and play in a big league ball game, whether it's a distraction, doing it in honor of his father, whatever reason, I heard that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters before the game.

Roberts said Rojas would likely take a leave of absence, but he wanted to play today.

Rojas, 37, broke into the majors with the Dodgers in 2014, was traded to the Miami Marlins at the end of the season before returning to L.A. in another trade in 2023. He re-signed with the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason.

Rojas has a career slash line of .260/.313/.362 with 57 home runs and 67 stolen bases in 13 major league seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miguel Rojas in Dodgers lineup, day after father's unexpected death

Mets lineup

1. Francisco Lindor – SS
2. Bo Bichette – 3B
3. Jorge Polanco – DH
4. Luis Robert – CF
5. Brett Baty – RF
6. Mark Vientos – 1B
7. Marcus Semien – 2B
8. Carson Benge – LF
9. Francisco Alvarez – C

SP: David Peterson – LHP

Diamondbacks lineup

1. Ketel Marte – DH
2. Corbin Carroll – RF
3. Geraldo Perdomo – SS
4. Gabriel Moreno – C
5. Nolan Arenado – 3B
6. Ildemaro Vargas – 2B
7. Jose Fernandez – 1B
8. Tim Tawa – LF
9. Jorge Barrosa – CF

SP: Ryne Nelson – RHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 4:10 PM ET
TV: SNY
Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2

J.D. Martinez wrapped up his 14-year playing career in 2024 with the Mets. 

The two sides have kept in close contact since then, though, and New York’s higher-ups began pitching the idea of him joining reuniting with them in a front office role as early as this winter. 

Martinez had other offers, but after evaluating his options he decided that this was where he wanted to be.

The slugger signed on as a special advisor to baseball operations last week.

“I’ve always built a good relationship with everybody here,” he said Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field. “It was just one of those things where I was like, you know what, this could be fun.

“I like what they are doing here. I like the team they’ve built here. I had a great experience here with the front office, the ownership, the clubhouse, everything -- it was just a really fun place to come so I said why not, let’s do it.”

Martinez is only planning on attending home games here and there as he eases back into baseball, but plans on being in contact with players and the front office consistently.

With all of his knowledge and experience, he’s just looking to be a resource for this group. 

“I had quite a roller coaster throughout my career," Martinez said. "From getting released, to being a top prospect, to my rise, then going and retiring -- I think there’s a lot of things I’ve experienced where I can relate to a lot of the guys.

“So it's just my knowledge and just helping in anyway I can -- anything I see whether it’s the offense, whether it’s the strategy, whether it’s the mentorship, I’m just here to help them out in anyway that I can.”

As far as this year’s Mets team, Martinez sees a really talented group. 

He even went as far as saying this team is by far "more talented" than the 2024 squad that went on a miraculous run before falling to the Dodgers in six games in the NLCS. 

“It’s a really good group,” Martinez said. “I’ve played with and against a lot of these guys, I have a ton of respect from them -- Bo [Bichette], Marcus [Semien], and Juan [Soto], bringing those guys over, those are big bats and difference-makers.

“At the beginning of the year they weren’t really scoring, they are starting to score more now. Adding Freddy [Peralta] too is huge with the pitching staff they’ve added -- they’re a threat,  this is a really good baseball team.”

Davey Lopes, the no-nonsense, base-swiping second baseman on a historic Dodgers infield that played together for a record 8½ seasons, died Wednesday at age 80, the Dodgers announced.

The first 10 years of Lopes' 16-year major league career were spent with the Dodgers, and he returned to the organization in 2011 to serve as first-base coach for five years. Lopes was a four-time All-Star who won two stolen base titles, one Gold Glove and helped the Dodgers to four World Series, including the championship in 1981.

Taken in the second round of a 1968 Dodgers draft haul considered the most talented in baseball history, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lopes rose from a rough-and-tumble Rhode Island upbringing to become the team's everyday second baseman and leadoff batter by 1973.

Lopes played outfield in the minor leagues but became part of a bold move by Dodgers manager Walter Alston before the 1973 season: Lopes would move to second base, Bill Russell from center field to shortstop and Steve Garvey from third to first base. Ron Cey would be installed at third. The Dodgers moved longtime coach and scout Monty Basgall — known as an exceptional infield instructor — from the front office to the field to help the players adjust to their new roles.

Read more:Yoshinobu Yamamoto dazzles in his Toronto return as Dodgers extend their win streak

The quartet took the infield together for the first time in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in a sold-out Dodger Stadium on June 23, 1973. They stuck together through their 1981 World Series championship season, after which Lopes was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Lance Hudson, a utility player who never reached the major leagues.

Lopes continued to play well, not retiring until 1987 at age 42. He stole 557 bases and was successful in 83% of his attempts, one of the best rates in major league history. He also displayed power for a leadoff batter, hitting 155 home runs, including a career high of 28 for the Dodgers in 1979.

Although Lopes' lifetime batting average was .263, he had an excellent eye, walking nearly as many times as he struck out and logging an excellent .349 on-base percentage. He scored 1,023 runs in 1,812 career games.

As games progressed, Lopes typically batted after the pitcher, who was at the bottom of the order. He became adept at stalling tactics that gave pitchers ample rest if they'd just returned to the dugout after running the bases.

Times assistant sports editor Houston Mitchell, a lifelong Dodgers follower, described what happened next: "Lopes was a magician at wasting time to give the pitcher a chance to towel off and cool down a bit. Especially if there were two out. Lopes would spend an extra moment or two in the on-deck circle. He'd take his time getting the round weight off his bat. Then he would slowly walk to the batter’s box."

Read more:1981 Dodgers say they never doubted they would beat the Yankees, win the World Series

David Earl Lopes was born May 3, 1945, and raised in East Providence, R.I., a town of Irish, Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigrants seeking jobs in factories and along the waterfront. One of 12 children, Lopes was a toddler when his father died. Lopes’ mother, Mary Rose, worked as a domestic.

Lopes often described his upbringing as difficult, referring to his neighborhood as a "ghetto" and describing it to Times columnist Jim Murray as “roaches, rats, poor living conditions, drugs as prevalent as candy."

“If it hadn’t been for sports, there’s no telling what I’d be or where I’d be,” Lopes told The Times' Ross Newhan in 1973. “All I had to do is step off the porch to a choice of all the things you associate with a ghetto."

Long before he became an accomplished base stealer, Lopes said he became an expert at shoplifting. “I never stole anything major, just clothes and baseballs and bats,” he told Murray.

Lopes needed an adult role model and one came along in the coach at an opposing high school, Mike Sarkesian, who grew up in a Providence tenement but became the basketball coach and athletic director at Iowa Wesleyan College the year Lopes graduated from high school.

“Whatever I missed by having not really had a father, Sarkesian provided,” Lopes told Newhan. “He could relate to my problems, my environment. The drive, the determination, not to give in to the ghetto, to make something of my life, stems from my relations with him.”

Sarkesian recruited Lopes to play baseball at Iowa Wesleyan. Two years later, Sarkesian became athletic director at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., Lopes went with him. Lopes was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round of the 1967 MLB draft but opted to return to Washburn, where he played baseball and basketball well enough to be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Dodgers drafted him in the second round a year later and Lopes signed for $10,000. He skipped spring training his first two minor league seasons to complete his classes at Washburn and graduated in 1969 with a degree in elementary education.

Lopes spent the 1968 and 1969 seasons at Class-A Daytona Beach, and married Linda Lee Vandover during his first season. The night before the wedding he broke up no-hitters in both games of a doubleheader with late-inning hits.

A promotion to triple-A Spokane came in 1970. His manager was Tommy Lasorda and the team was exceptional, posting a record of 94-52. Among his teammates were Garvey and Russell as well as other future major leaguers Bill Buckner, Bobby Valentine and Tom Paciorek.

Lasorda recalled Lopes as so shy he wouldn't speak to anyone. “It took two years, but he finally came around,” Lasorda said. “[He] finally got to the point where he felt he belonged.”

Read more:Remembering Dodgers legend Tommy Lasorda

Lopes showed improvement at the plate his second year at Spokane, batting .306 with Cey as a teammate. The Dodgers moved their triple-A affiliate to Albuquerque in 1972 and in his third season at that level Lopes exhibited the blend of power and speed that would be his calling card, posting a slugging percentage of .476 while stealing 48 bases.

Five years in the minor leagues after having attended college meant Lopes was 27 when he made his major league debut that September. He was the opening day second baseman the following year and turned 28 a month into the season.

Lopes quickly made up for lost time, his stolen base totals increasing in each of his first three full seasons from 36 to 59 to 77. On Aug. 24, 1974, he stole five bases in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the first NL player to do so since 1904.

It wasn't long before the best catcher in baseball, the Reds' Johnny Bench, lauded Lopes, saying, "He’s the best there is at stealing. Lopes not only has the knowledge and speed, but also the quick acceleration. He has everything.”

The once reticent Lopes also showed leadership qualities as early as 1976, when a throw by new Dodgers outfielder Dusty Baker had missed the cutoff man.

“We don’t play that way,” Lopes told Baker.

"Hey, I almost threw him out.” the Dodgers newcomer replied.

“We don’t play that way,” Lopes emphasized.

"I’d never had a player get in my face like that, and I didn’t like it too much,” Baker recalled of the incident. “I looked up and the whole team was coming over to back up Davey.”

Lopes was popular with fans as well. In 1980, he received 3,862,403 votes to lead all MLB players and start at second base in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. That was his third of four consecutive All-Star appearances.

The Dodgers were consistent winners with Lopes, Garvey, Russell and Cey anchoring the infield, but lost the World Series in 1974 to the Athletics and in 1977 and '78 to the Yankees. In 1981, however, they broke through, winning the Fall Classic for the first time since 1966 by defeating the Yankees in six games.

“They can do anything they want with us now," said Lopes, who set a record by stealing 10 bases in 10 attempts that postseason. "I've got the ring. They can't take that away from me."

Youngster Steve Sax, however, did take his job. Lopes, 36, was traded to the A's during the offseason. He was hardly through, playing another six seasons and even stealing 47 bases in 99 games in 1985 for the Chicago Cubs to become the first 40-year-old player to steal more bases than his age.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Davey Lopes calls it a career

Lopes retired after the 1987 season and spent the next four years as a coach under Valentine with the Texas Rangers. Next he coached for three years under another former teammate, Baltimore Orioles manager Johnny Oates, and for four years with the San Diego Padres under Bruce Bochy.

In 2000, Lopes got his shot at managing, signing a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, who posted losing records in his first two seasons. When the Brewers won only three of their first 15 games in 2002, Lopes was fired.

“A lot of people discouraged me from taking [the Brewers job] because they thought I was just setting myself up for failure,” Lopes told The Times' Ross Newhan, sensing the odds were catching up to him, “but I was determined to show them I could do it.”

Lopes returned to the Padres as a first-base coach from 2003-2005. He spent one season as the Washington Nationals’ first-base coach and baserunning adviser, and he served in the same capacity for the Phillies from 2007 to 2010.

The Phillies led the major leagues in stolen base percentage three times during his tenure and won the 2008 World Series championship, but that season began with a serious health issue for Lopes. Days before spring training, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was in remission by opening day.

In 2011, Times columnist Bill Plaschke lobbied for the Dodgers to add Lopes to the coaching staff. General manager Ned Colletti did just that. Lopes displayed an empathy for young players, saying, "I’ve been there, I know what it’s like when you’re young and you need to know somebody is covering your back. Sometimes you feel lost, and you need a coach or manager to alleviate that.”

Read more:Getting Davey Lopes back with the Dodgers would be a steal

Lopes served as Dodgers first-base coach for five years — immediately improving the team's base-stealing prowess — before closing out his five-decade baseball career in 2017 as a coach for the Nationals under his old teammate Baker.

“I’m not doing much. I’m retired, taking it easy,” Lopes said about retirement on a podcast. “It was not a difficult decision to make, but one I was kind of hesitant to make. But it all works out.

"I got the opportunity to play, manage or coach for a long, long time. I’m extremely thankful. I was one of the lucky ones in the big leagues for 45 straight years. That’s a long time. I have no complaints.”

Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers look to end their road trip undefeated as they wrap things up against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Shohei Ohtani makes his first start in Toronto Game 7 of last year’s World Series, and he’ll face right-hander Dylan Cease.

Today’s #Dodgers lineup at Blue Jays: pic.twitter.com/aqv5CO2NSm

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 8, 2026

WEDNESDAY GAME INFO

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Blue Jays,
• Stadium: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
• Time: 12:07 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 (Spanish)

One more game against the Dodgers and then they can get lost. And it is an afternoon game. “Work from Dome”, it says.

If you are interested at all, I’ll be in Takamatsu, Japan today. I know nothing about it, but the pictures are pretty. But, as I write this I’m still getting ready to go. We’ve been told we should learn a few phrases in Japanese and I have the ‘thank you’ (doumo arigatou) and the thing you say before eating down (Itadakimasu). And a few other things.

A few years ago we hosted Japanese students who came here to learn English and we learned some stuff. I still remember how to say cold and hot (which likely won’t come in that handy). I have never been great at learning other languages. I did ok in high school french until we had to remember if nouns were masculine or feminine. Then I kind of checked out.

Go Jays Go.

Diamondbacks News

Gallen Grinds Through Five in Extra Inning Loss
It wasn’t pretty, but Zac Gallen did what he needed to in order to complete five full innings and keep his club in the game. A successful late-game ABS challenge by ADC allowed the Snakes to score three with two outs to take the lead, but then the bullpen was unable to lock things up.

Three Offseason Moves Already Looking Questionable
We’re going to be hearing about the practical Blaze Alexander trade all year aren’t we?

Eduardo Rodriguez is Looking Like X-Factor for Arizona
Eduardo Rodriguez has picked up right where he left off in the WBC, giving the Diamondbacks two stellar outings in his two turns on the bump so far. The veteran lefty is currently looking very much like the pitcher Arizona thought they were signing three winters ago.

Other Baseball News

Spicy Predictions for the Season After Two Weeks
Some of the eye-popping predictions include Shea Langoliers hitting 50 dingers this season and the Pirates winning the NL Central.

Konnor Griffin Signs Extension with Pittsburgh
The deal is for 9-years/$140 million and includes incentives that could push the total to $150 million.

A Lukewarm Take on Ice-Cold Bats
Strikeouts and walks are both up while BABIP is down. Hitters are having a harder time than ever finding batted ball success, despite MLB’s efforts to stack the deck in their favour.

After splitting the first two games of the three game series against the San Francisco Giants, on Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies will go for the rarest of feats: Winning a series in Oracle Park.

Aaron Nola gets the ball for the Phillies, coming off of a strong start against the Rockies.

Rubber match on deck#RingTheBellpic.twitter.com/lEp1na8HLH

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 8, 2026

He will be opposed by veteran righthander Tyler Mable, off to a shaky start in his first season with the Giants.

Lineup for the series finale 🫡

(➡️ Xfinity) pic.twitter.com/KEKCTBmcvs

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 8, 2026

Game time is 3:45 PM Eastern and will be televised locally on NBCSP.

The Houston Astros (6-6) seek to salvage the finale of this 3-game series with the Colorado Rockies (5-6) in Denver.

RHP Cristian Javier will be on the mound for the Astros opposite RHP Michael Lorenzen and the Rockies.

TODAY’S ASTROS STARTER: RHP Cristian Javier is set to make his third start of the season.

In his last start on April 3 at ATH, he allowed six runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts in 3.2 innings. He

is coming off a strong Spring Training in which he posted 1.69 ERA (2ER/10.2IP) in three official appearances.

Javier, who was limited to just eight starts in 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, is 35-23 in his career with a 3.81 ERA (231ER/546.1IP).

ROAD TRIP: Today is the sixth game of a 10-game road trip for the Astros. After this three-game set at COL, the Astros will travel to Seattle for a four-game series at T-Mobile Park (Fri-Mon.).

The Astros are 1-4 so far on this trip. Houston went 41-40 on the road last season.

AGAINST THE ROCKIES: The Astros and Rockies face each other today for the third of six scheduled matchups in 2026.

The Astros went 4-2 against the Rockies in the in 2025, including a 2-1 record at Coors Field.

The Astros own a 110-89 all-time record against the Rockies. The Rockies will travel to Daikin Park for a three-game series from April 14-16.

LEAGUE LEADERS: The Astros lead the Majors in runs (78), doubles (34) total bases (196), hits (114), walks (65) and OBP (.379).

Individually, LF Yordan Alvarez leads the Majors in walks (13) and ranks second in OBP (.540).

2B Jose Altuve leads the Majors in runs (12) and 1B Christian Walker ranks tied for first in the Majors in doubles (6) and third in RBI (13).

WALKER AT COORS: 1B Christian Walker has batted .346 (66×191) with 12 doubles, 15 HR, 40 RBI and a 1.050 OPS in 49 career games at Coors Field. His 1.050 OPS at Coors Field is the highest among active players, directly ahead of PHI IF Bryce Harper (1.036 OPS).

MR. SMITH: RF Cam Smith has recorded a hit in eight consecutive games, which is the longest hitting streak of his career.

He’s batting .407 (11×27) with two doubles, six RBI, four walks, two stolen bases and a 1.299 OPS during the streak. It is also tied for the longest active hitting streak in the Majors.

HOT START: The Astros have scored 78 runs this season, which is the most in the Majors. The 78 runs are also the second-most in the first 12 games to begin a season in franchise history, directly behind the 2004 season, where the Astros scored 84 runs in the first 12 games of the season.

AL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: On Monday, LF Yordan Alvarez was named the American League Player of the Week for the week of March 30-April 5. Alvarez batted .471 (8×17) with two doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, seven walks and a 1.733 OPS for the week. This marked the fourth time that Alvarez has been named the AL Player of the Week.

FUTURE HALL OF FAMER: 2B Jose Altuve recorded his 2,400th career hit on Mon. night at COL on a double in the first inning. He became the second active player to record at least 2,400 hits, joining LAD IF Freddie Freeman.

Altuve also joins IF Craig Biggio as the only two players in franchise history with at least 2,400 hits.

YORDAN’S UPCOMING MILESTONES: LF Yordan Alvarez recorded his 174th career home run on Sunday at ATH.

The home run tied him with franchise icon OF George Springer for seventh on the Astros all-time list. Next up on the Astros all-time list is 3B Alex Bregman (191 HR).

THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER: RF Cam Smith went 2×4 with a home run, double and two runs scored on Mon. night vs. COL. The home run was launched 462 feet, making it the longest home run by any player in the Majors this season. The second longest home run this season was 460 feet by PHI OF Kyle Schwarber.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, April 7, 2:10 p.m. CST

Location: Coors Field, Denver, CO.

TV: Space City Home Network

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM & 94.5 FM HD2; TUDN 102.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Last one in COL.

⚾️: 2:10pm CDT
📺: @SpaceCityHN | @espn (HOU Blackout)
🎙️: @SportsTalk790 | Spanish: 102.9 HD2#ChaseTheFight x @reliantenergypic.twitter.com/Ur7fKyX7w1

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 8, 2026

4/8 ⚾ Rockies Lineup is Out

📊 Live Line: Rockies +129 • O/U 11.5

Full matchup stats, BvP, & umpire ratings:https://t.co/mdzK3mAd0h#Rockies#RockiesLineup#MLBpic.twitter.com/SKB2aPV3uV

— MLB Daily Lineups (@DailyMLBLineups) April 8, 2026

Hang the red, white and blue bunting. Cue the pregame pomp and circumstance.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are coming home for the first time in 2026.

After opening the season with nine games on the road. the RailRiders are set for their home opener at PNC Field against the Durham Bulls, top affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The six-game series was scheduled to begin Tuesday night, but cold temperatures and below-freezing wind chills in northeast Pennsylvania caused the first game to be postponed. The opener is now scheduled for tonight (Wednesday).

It has been a successful start to the season for the 6-3 RailRiders. They took the final four games of the series last week in Rochester, outscoring the Red Wings, 46-22. They had one game where they scored 17 runs and another where they scored 16. They hit 14 home runs, including 11 in the final three games. Yanquiel Fernández accounted for three of them. Paul DeJong, Jasson Domínguez, and Ernesto Martinez Jr. each had two. One of Martinez’s homers was a grand slam. No. 6 prospect Spencer Jones also had a grand slam in the series finale.

On the mound, the bullpen was solid, accounting for all four wins. Yovanny Cruz led the way with one win and one save, not allowing a hit, run or walk in 2.1 innings with four strikeouts. Perhaps the one area where the RailRiders could improve is defensively. They’ve committed 13 errors, which are the most in Triple-A.

Now, they head home to face a Durham team that is off to a 2-7 start. The Bulls dropped four of six in their series last week against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Phillies’ Triple-A club.

Durham becomes the 10th opponent Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has faced in a home opener in franchise history. Syracuse is the most at seven times (5-2). Buffalo (4-2) and Tidewater / Norfolk (1-5) are next at six each, followed by Rochester at five (1-4); Pawtucket (2-1), Ottawa (0-3) and Lehigh Valley (3-0) three each; Richmond at two (1-1); and Columbus once (0-1).

Overall, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is 17-19 in home openers. Since becoming a New York Yankees affiliate in 2007, it is 11-7 in home openers — 4-2 as the Yankees (2007-12), 7-5 as the RailRiders (2013-25). They won four straight from 2017-21, and from 2008-10 they won three straight by shutout. They blanked Lehigh Valley in 2008, 4-0, on a combined one-hitter, including six perfect innings from Kei Igawa. In 2009, after starting 8-0 on the road, they came home and blanked Rochester, 11-0, as former AL Rookie of the Year winner Angel Berroa had four hits, including two home runs, and five RBIs. In 2010, four pitchers combined of a six-hit shutout and made David Winfree’s home run hold up for a 1-0 whitewashing of Buffalo.

Here are some other noteworthy home openers in franchise history:

April 26, 1989: Baseball returns to northeast Pennsylvania. After playing its first 16 games of the season on the road, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons christen Lackawanna County Stadium with a 9-2 loss to the Tidewater Tides.

April 7, 1994: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre faces the Columbus Clippers, who were the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate at the time. Dave Silvestri and Chito Martinez each had three hits in the Clippers’ 7-4 win, spoiling future Cubs skipper Mike Quade’s debut as SWB manager. For the Clippers, a little-known catcher named Jorge Posada went 0-for-4.

April 5, 2007: Playing its first home opener as a Yankees affiliate after nearly two decades with the Phillies, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to the Norfolk Tides, 7-5. Norfolk scored five runs in the top of the eighth inning to erase a 4-2 deficit, as the bullpen let down Scranton starter Tyler Clippard, who went on to have a 16-year MLB career and multiple stints with the Yankees.

April 14, 2012: This “home” opener actually was played in Syracuse. This was the season where Scranton/Wilkes-Barre played home games in Rochester, Syracuse, Batavia, and Buffalo (as well as Pawtucket and Allentown) as the unofficial “Empire State Yankees” while PNC Field underwent a reconstruction project. They won, 6-2; familiar starters for the Yankees that day included catcher Francisco Cervelli, first baseman Steve Pearce, shortstop Ramiro Peña, center fielder Dewayne Wise, and pitcher Adam Warren.

April 4, 2013: Playing as the RailRiders for the first time at the renovated PNC Field, Pawtucket spoils the home opener by scoring five runs in the top of the 10th inning for an 8-4 victory. The RailRiders left 17 runners on base in the game. Current Yankees assistant pitching coach Preston Claiborne threw an inning and a third of relief in this one, fanning three, with soon-to-be Yankees backup catcher Austin Romine behind the plate.*

*Editor’s note: And Zoilo Almonte batting third, playing left field. Because I (Andrew) am contractually obligated to reference Zoilo Almonte at all possible times.

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One of the highlights of this year’s home opener will be the unveiling of a massive new video scoreboard that spans nearly 3,000 square feet — 1,876 square feet larger than the previous board. The outfield LED wall and in-park ribbon boards also have been replaced and a new sound system has been installed around PNC Field.

It’s believed to be one of the BIGGEST video boards in @milb … and it’s ready! 🎥🤩👀 pic.twitter.com/hjQnT3FSXq

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) April 6, 2026