Worldwide Sports News

2.8 Inches

JJ Wetherholt’s Opening Day home run could end up being the signature moment of the 2026 season for the Cardinals. All the expectations coming into the game combined with the excitement of Opening Day, and JJ delivered. Here it is one more time.

Watching it live, I thought there was no way it would go out simply because of how far off the plate it was, 2.8 inches, to be exact. 

 Here it is in our gameday snapshot.

That is just absurd. I certainly don’t remember seeing a Cardinals  batter take a pitch that far off the plate for a bomb. I checked the logs and sure enough, the Cardinals had exactly zero home runs in 2025 from left-handed batters on pitches off the outside corner. The furthest outside pitch a lefty hit all year was from Lars Nootbaar against the Phillies on May 14th.

Not only is this feat rare for the Cardinals, it is quite rare across baseball. Only 30 pitches off the plate outside were hit for home runs by lefties in 2025. Of those 30 home runs, only three were further outside than JJ’s blast. These three were hit by Oneil Cruz, Jason Heyward, and Riley Greene, all standing at 6’2” or above. The fact that Wetherholt, standing at 5’9” and listed at 190 pounds, was able to drive this type of pitch illustrates his plus bat control and opposite field power. 

95.2 MPH

The Cardinals staff has not yet started generating the strikeouts that they have long chased, but you can see signs of the improved stuff in the average fastball velocity. The staff as a whole is averaging 95.2 MPH on four-seam fastballs, which is up from 94.3 MPH last season. For context, that moves them from 18th in baseball last year to 7th so far this season. Most of this increase is coming from the starting rotation, but the average bullpen fastball is up 0.5 MPH as well. Outside of suppressing home runs, the pitching has been pretty bad so far, but the increased velo is a nice silver lining. 

.327 xwOBA

While the pitching looks a little lucky so far, the hitters have underperformed their expected production based on batted ball data. The Cardinals rank 21st in team wRC+ through 225 plate appearances, but their xwOBA of .327 is tied for seventh. This is still an extremely small sample size, but after facing some great pitchers in the first two series, it is hard not to be encouraged by the offense thus far. 

25% Chase Rate

Jordan Walker has certainly looked different to start the season. His 25% chase rate is a big reason why he has kept the strikeouts in check thus far. He has also done a better job elevating the ball with an increased average launch angle and launch angle sweet-spot %. It is certainly too early to start jumping to any conclusions, but Walker looks more comfortable at the plate than at any time in my memory of him. 

27,409 Average Attendance

Average attendance through the first homestand has been almost identical to the 2025 season through the first six games (27,975). I will be interested to check in on this periodically to get a sense of the broader fan sentiment. With all the (relative) optimism at VEB, this will be a good sanity check on the perception of the team from the general public. I think the Cardinals have to be happy with the numbers thus far given the winter selloff. 

10-1 Minor League Record

Wins and losses at the minor league level don’t matter… But, for a team focused on restocking the system, it is comforting to see the excellent start down on the farm. Memphis has played the most games, starting off 7-0. The offense has been driven by scalding hot starts from Jimmy Crooks, Blaze Jordan, and Cesar Prieto all posting OPS north of 1.300. Leo Bernal and Joshua Baez have held their own in the early going but are still looking for the power to take off. 

Springfield opened the season Friday night with a win behind 5 ⅔ scoreless innings from Jurrangelo Cijntje in his Cardinals debut. He struck out seven and walked two while allowing only one hit.

The Peoria Chiefs stole the show in their opener on Friday winning behind Ryan Franklin’s nine strikeouts in just 3 ⅔ innings. Franklin touched 100 MPH and sat in the mid-to-upper 90s. He generated gobs of swings and misses with all of his offerings. Rainiel Rodriguez and Tai Peete hit home runs to start their campaigns off on the right foot. 

Palm Beach split their first two games of the season without any major fireworks to report.

Gabe wrote an excellent guide to the minor leagues earlier this week, so check that out to get fully hyped for the baby birds now that all the full season affiliates are underway. 

FanGraphs has a unique process of ranking farm systems in which they tie a specific dollar value to each prospect based on grade and position (pitcher vs. batter). I was curious how the talent distribution looks across levels now that all of the minor league rosters are set. In the table below, you can see the aggregate amount of prospect value and total prospects by level. 

The top four levels are remarkably balanced driven by a good distribution of the top prospects. While the Palm Beach Cardinals (A) and short-season leagues don’t grade out as highly according to FanGraphs, there are still plenty of high upside guys at the lower levels who should  improve their stock as the year goes on.

The Detroit Tigers were victorious in their 2026 home opener on Friday, snapping a four-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. They look to secure their second series win of the season on Saturday in another early duel starting at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Next up in the rotation is Jack Flaherty, who hit a rough patch in his debut against the San Diego Padres. The right-hander started strong, seeing just seven batters through the first two innings, but became flustered in the third when the Padres plated a pair. His teammates did him no favors, failing to score in the 3-0 loss.

Starting opposite him is fellow righty Dustin May, who comes into the matchup with an ERA that is 11.10 runs higher than his FIP. More fun with early-season sample sizes!

So how do the two match up? Take a look below at a preview of what both pitchers have to offer — assuming the game is played on Saturday.

Detroit Tigers (3-4) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (4-3)

Time (ET): 1:10 p.m. ET
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Viva El Birdos
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 7: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-1, 4.15 ERA) vs. RHP Dustin May (0-1, 13.50 ERA)

FLAHERTY

MAY

On Friday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves announced that they had acquired right-hander Victor Mederos from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for international bonus pool money. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, and to make room on the roster, fellow righty AJ Smith-Shawver was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Mederos only has 12 big league games under his belt, each with the Angels. In those 12 games, he’s given up 24 runs, issued 21 walks, and struck out 22. Though not a blockbuster move for Atlanta, Mederos can provide some depth, should the pitching staff continue to be riddled with injury. 

As for Smith-Shawver, the move was expected as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in June 2025.

More Braves News:

Grant Holmes turned in a spectacular start Friday night as the Braves defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0.

Spencer Strider got some action in a bullpen session on Friday, but there is still no timetable for his return. 

John Gil launched a homer in his debut with the Rome Emperors on Thursday. More in the minor league recap.

The Automated Ball-Strike System truly is a game changer, and here’s why.

MLB News:

San Francisco Giants reliever Jose Butto has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his throwing arm and underwent a procedure to remove it. There’s not yet a timeline for his return.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton exited Friday’s start with wrist discomfort and will be placed on the injured list. He is headed for imaging. 

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jordan Lawlar will miss six to eight weeks with a wrist fracture. He has been placed on the 10-day IL.

The Boston Red Sox placed righty John Oviedo on the 15-day injured list with an elbow strain. Tyler Urberstine has been recalled to make his major league debut. 

The Angels celebrated their 2026 home opener on Friday, and the fans booed the ceremonial first pitch.

Magic Johnson, the Dodgers’ co-owner and the foremost winner in Los Angeles sports history, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Dodgers’ opener. Jeff Kent, just elected to the Hall of Fame, did the honors for the San Francisco Giants.

In Anaheim, John Carpino tossed the first pitch, even with popular alumni such as Torii Hunter and Tim Salmon in the house. Carpino is the Angels’ president, retiring Monday after 16 years in that role and 23 years in all as a loyal executive under Angels owner Arte Moreno.

Moreno thought it would be lovely for Carpino to throw out the first pitch and, under different circumstances, it would have been.

Read more:Angels muster only one hit in extra-innings loss to Seattle in home opener

The fans can deal with the aging stadium, the recent lack of marquee signings and the longest playoff drought in the major leagues, but not with Moreno’s spring comment to the Orange County Register that surveys show affordability is the fans’ top priority and “believe it or not, winning is not in their top five.”

So Carpino, as a proxy for Moreno, was booed loudly. Then a few modest choruses of “sell the team” broke out.

Behind the Angels' dugout, Dave and Chris Bloye of Upland wore red T-shirts. His shirt listed five priorities, in order: Affordability, good experience, safety, peanuts, fan surveys. Her shirt listed five priorities too, starting with “sell the team.” The Bloyes said they have had season tickets for more than 20 years.

“We’ve never had a survey,” Chris Bloye said.

Moreno is competitive, a hardcore fan who regularly attends even spring training games. Perhaps he did not mean his words to come out the way they did.

Moreno declined an interview request from The Times at the owners’ meetings in February. A team spokesman said last week that Moreno would pass on an opportunity to clarify his remarks about fan priorities.

But, if those were indeed the priorities, they would have been reflected by the fans that showed up more than six hours before game time for the free fan festival the Angels throw before the home opener every year.

Surely, the man in the jersey that read “FAN SINCE 81” and the Angels tattoo on his left leg would be here win or lose.

Yes, Jose Bocanegra of Chino said, he would be. But for Moreno to say winning was not a top fan priority?

“That’s crazy,” Bocanegra said. “If you’re not in it to win it, then what are we doing?”

How about the fan in the Nolan Ryan jersey? He held his 7-year-old daughter atop his shoulders. She wore a Mike Trout jersey, smiled broadly, and clutched a cup of ice cream.

His name was Nate Ryan, from Hemet. He and his daughter attend Dodgers and Angels games, but they particularly like visits to Angel Stadium. His daughter loves the rally monkey and the free games in the Pac-Man arcade, and he appreciates Moreno’s focus on affordability.

“The Angels are more economical,” Ryan said. “We have a good time.”

At Angel Stadium, $44 gets you four tickets, four hot dogs, and four drinks. At Dodger Stadium, $45 gets you a parking space.

Ryan had one more thing to say.

“I’d like to see a new owner,” Ryan said.

Jarod Venegas of Corona dressed in a white wrap, wearing a red cap topped by a gold halo. He was about to spend nine innings as — you guessed it — an angel in the outfield.

Read more:Shaikin: The Angels ran L.A. early this century. The Dodgers do now. Our all quarter-century teams!

“I believe we have a team that can be the best,” he said.

What exactly do you mean by best?

“I mean World Series champions,” he said.

Venegas had something to say about fan priorities.

“Winning is our No. 2 priority,” he said. “No. 1 is getting a new owner.”

Johnny Estrada of Corona wore a T-shirt with eight lines on the back. All eight lines read the same: “Sell the team.”

He said he loves the team, supports the players, and does not believe Moreno chose his words poorly.

“I don’t necessarily feel it came out wrong,” Estrada said. “I feel he hasn’t cared for a while.”

Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, who remains irked by Moreno branding the team with a Los Angeles name, has been a season-ticket holder far longer than she has been mayor. She’ll give Moreno a pass on his comments.

“I think it was a misstep,” Aitken said. “I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He knows that winning, for a true fan, is one of the most important things. Winning is a priority for our players. Winning is a priority to the loyal fan base.”

Even more so, perhaps, to the casual fans, the ones that determine whether the Angels sell three million tickets in any given year.

The Angels sold 2.6 million tickets last year, a testament to the strength of the market amid a second consecutive last-place finish.

However, attendance has fallen 20% over the past 20 years, a span that includes one postseason series victory and the current streaks of 10 seasons with losing records and 11 seasons without a playoff appearance.

Friday’s home opener was sold out. However, as of Friday afternoon, resale markets listed tickets for as little as $7 for Saturday’s game and $4 for Sunday’s game.

This is a great fan base, to me much more frustrated than angry, waiting to erupt in joy. The fan festival was dominated by fans wearing “sell” jerseys but a variety of Trout jerseys — home white, road gray, alternate red, City Connect, All-Star, World Baseball Classic, even one from the Salt Lake Bees.

Trout’s loyalty has been reciprocated by the fans. Moreno could feel that love too, with a renewed commitment to the excellence the Angels he displayed in his first decade as owner.

In 2002, the year before Moreno bought the team, the stadium was rocking with thunder sticks as the Angels won the World Series. Thunder sticks are so loud that they were banned at the World Baseball Classic finals, even as drums, trumpets and cowbells were permitted.

In Anaheim, the thunder sticks were glorious. Moreno does not want to sell at the moment, so best to demonstrate a dedication to returning October to the Angels’ schedule, lest their fans take home their giveaway calendars from the home opener and start the countdown to “wait ‘til next year.”

Read more:In Anaheim and Sacramento, a two-front challenge to the Angels' Los Angeles name

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.

When you’re going good, you’re going good. The Yankees got more great pitching and a home run from their captain in an easy win in the home opener, running their record to 6-1 on this young season. The season is oh-so-long, and the nature of baseball will ensure that the Yankees will have to take their lumps eventually, perhaps even soon. But for now, bask in the pleasure that is good, clean, winning baseball every day, and hope that the run continues tonight, as the Yankees play a rare Saturday night game at the Stadium.

On the site today, John praises Ben Rice’s defense in the early going, and Matt remembers Cameron Maybin’s wonderful 2019 campaign on the occasion of the former outfielder’s birthday. We’ll also get the day’s Rivalry Roundup from Andrew, and Kento performs a dangerous experiment.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins

Time: 7:15 p.m. EST

Video: YES Network, Marlins.tv

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Questions/Prompts:

1. Does Ryan Weathers keep up this streak of great starting pitching today?

2. It’s only been seven games of course, but are you feeling a little more optimistic about the underbelly of the Yankees’ bullpen after seeing some quality performances from the likes of Jake Bird, Fernando Cruz, and Brent Headrick?

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (3 – 4)

TOLEDO 7, SYRACUSE 1 (BOX)

Christian Scott got rocked by the Mud Hens in his three and a third innings of work, giving up runs in almost every way you can imagine: a balk, home runs, poor defense, doubles, and a sac fly. If there’s some good news from the pitching side of things, it is that the bullpen of Joe Jacques, Tanner Witt, and Nick Burdi threw five and two-thirds hitless ball, striking out six an walking two.

MJ Melendez was the lone bright spot, offensively, for the Mets, hitting a solo home run for their only sliver of offense.

• LF MJ Melendez: 2-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K, E
• DH Nick Morabito: 2-4, 2B
• 3B Ronny Mauricio: 2-5, K
• RF Ryan Clifford: 1-4, BB, K
• 1B Jose Rojas: 1-5, K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 0-4, K, E
• C Ben Rortvedt: 0-4, E
• CF Ji Hwan Bae: 3-4, K
• 2B Jackson Cluff: 1-4, 2B, 2 K
• P Christian Scott: 3.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• P Joe Jacques: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• P Tanner Witt: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
• P Nick Burdi: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (1 – 0)

BINGHAMTON 10, NEW HAMPSHIRE 9 (BOX)

The Rumble Ponies won their inaugural game of the season, wringing every ounce of offense out of their starting nine, with all but Jose Ramos contributing a hit, a run, a walk, or an RBI. Will Watson and Saul Garcia were the main offenders on the pitching side, each surrendering three earned runs in their appearances.

The Ponies won in that most classic of ways, by a fielder’s choice leading to a run scoring. How can you not be romantic about baseball? Also very normal was Chris Suero’s 1-5 with two runs scored and FIVE RBI performance. A grand slam and a sac fly will do that for you.

• CF A.J. Ewing: 3-6, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, 2 SB
• SS Marco Vargas: 0-5, R, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
• 3B Jacob Reimer: 1-6, R, 2B, BB, 2 K, E
• C Chris Suero: 1-5, 2 R, HR, 5 RBI, 4 K
• LF Eli Serrano III: 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K
• RF Jose Ramos: 0-6, 2 K
• DH Kevin Parada: 1-5, R, RBI, BB, K
• 2B D’Andre Smith: 2-6, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K
• 1B JT Schwartz: 1-6, R, 2B, 2 K
• P Will Watson: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
• P Matt Turner: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
• P Kevin Gowdy: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• P Jefry Yan: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
• P Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• P Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Zach Peek: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Gabriel Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Douglas Orellana: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

High A: Brooklyn Cyclones (0 – 1)

HUDSON VALLEY 3, BROOKLYN 1 (BOX)

John Bay homered and singled for Brooklyn, but otherwise the team could muster just two hits against the Renegades. Noah Hall went the deepest of any Mets’ minor league starters, tossing four and a third innings. The eight walks as a staff is not great.

• SS Mitch Voit: 0-4, 2 K, E
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, 3 K
• 2B Antonio Jimenez: 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K, SB
• 1B Corey Collins: 0-4, K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 K
• DH Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, BB, K
• 3B Colin Houck: 0-4, 2 K
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-4, 3 K
• LF John Bay: 2-3, R, HR, RBI, K
• P Noah Hall: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
• P Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Parker Carlson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
• P Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• P Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (1 – 1)

ST. LUCIE 8, PALM BEACH 4 (BOX)

St. Lucie took a three run lead in the top of the first and never looked back. Eddison Paulino hit RBI triple in the fifth to put the Mets up by three. Joel Lara walked three in his season debut, including walking in two runs.

• SS Elian Peña: 1-4, R, 2B, RBI, BB
• 2B Eddinson Paulino: 2-5, R, 3B, RBI
• DH Randy Guzman: 1-4, R, 3 K
• C Julio Zayas: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, K
• LF AJ Salgado: 0-3, R
• RF Simon Juan: 2-3, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB
• 1B Chase Meggers: 0-4
• 3B Kevin Villavicencio: 1-4, R, RBI, K, SB
• CF Sam Biller: 2-4, R, RBI
• P Frank Camarillo: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Elwis Mijares: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• P Joel Lara: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
• P Jorge De Leon: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• P Christian Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (0-0)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Chris Suero

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Christian Scott

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: On Thursday night, with the Yankees’ home 0pener looming, the team’s players received a missive from their captain. The message was simple: suits tomorrow. Aaron Judge followed up on his sartorial directive with a booming two-run homer in the first, setting the tone for an eventual 8-2 victory. “That’s what he does best,” first baseman Ben Rice said after the game. “Coming out, swinging out the gate like that for us is huge. It’s just so contagious and got everybody going.” Most importantly, the team dodged a bullet when Judge was hit by a pitch on the forearm in his next at-bat, a type of HBP which once caused the right fielder to break his wrist, and walked away unscathed.

SNY | Garrett Stepien: Another highlight in Friday’s victory was an improbable, juggling grab by Cody Bellinger in the ninth inning to help close the door. After the ball hit off his wrist, the left fielder somehow managed to reach down and grab it before it hit the ground. “I definitely got lucky. I threw my glove out there,” said Bellinger, who was visibly surprised with the recovery. The veteran excelled in left last year in his debut with the Yankees, tying for tops in the AL with five Outs Above Average at the position.

SNY | Ben Krimmel: Yesterday morning, manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts on a few key Yankees topics. After reports that Carlos Rodón suffered a hamstring issue as he works his way back from elbow surgery, Boone expressed confidence the setback would be minor. “He’s able to keep his arm going through this,” the skipper noted, adding that the hamstring issue “is minor enough that that’s the case, so it’s a good thing.” Gerrit Cole is also continuing his progression back from Tommy John, with Boone indicating that his recovery is “going well, he looks great, every bullpen, every live, every game that I’ve seen from him has been really, really encouraging.” The last update on the IL front is that shortstop Anthony Volpe is expected to begin a minor-league rehab start around mid-April if he avoids any setbacks in his recovery.

Boone also sang the praises of Giancarlo Stanton, who started the year a scorching hot 10-for-20. “He’s just kinda been on everything,” Boone said of his DH. “Recognizing pitches well. He’s really good at devising a game plan that he wants to use against a particular pitcher and staying disciplined to that.” He also noted Stanton’s contributions to the clubhouse, calling the veteran “such a stud in our room.”