It’s May 1, and that means it’s time for Baseball Roundtable’s March/April Wrap up – a look at the stats and stories that caught The Roundtable’s attention over the past month (in this case a bit more than a month), as well as The Roundtable’s Players and Pitchers of the Month, Trot Index and more. As you might expect, given the state of the game, the highlights include a lot of home runs and a heavy dose of strikeouts. Just a few of this month’s highlights that you will find in this post:
- a player (Ildemaro Vargas) who collected a hit in every one of the 23 March/April games he played;
- A pitching staff (Brewers) who fanned a record 20 opposing hitters on Opening Day;
- 2026’s first Immaculate Inning (Mike Soroka);
- One player (Jo Adell) making three homer-robbing catches in a single game, earning his glove a trip to Cooperstown;
- Kenley Jansen climbing to number-three on the all-time saves list;
- A player (JJ Wetherholt) being hit by a pitch in five straight games;
- A manager (Alex Cora) fired after a 17-1 win;;
- A hot line drive hit, literally, into a pitcher’s (Logan Gilbert) shirt; and
- Much more.
Go the highlights and statistics sections section for all the stories.
Baseball Roundtable March/April Players and Pitchers of the Month
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Player of the Month … Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
Drake Baldwin, the Braves’ 25-year-old C/DH, in just his second MLB season, has opened some eyes in Atlanta and around MLB. Baldwin put up a .308-7-25 line in March/April and also tied for the NL lead in runs scored (30) and for the lead in base hits (40). He was, in fact, one of only three MLB players with 25 or more run scored and 25 or more RBI for March/April. A “25-25” start to the season is quite an accomplishment. In fact, if you lower the bar to 20+ runs and 20+ RBI, you still find only 16 2026 qualifiers.
Baldwin, in fact, scored in 24 of 20 March/April games and had two four-RBI contests. He collected hits in 25 March/April games and had multiple in 13. Baldwin, in fact, never went two consecutive games without a hit.
Baldwin was a third-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, out of Missouri State University, where he hit .317-24-105 in three seasons (120 games). In three minor-league seasons, he went .272-32-158 in 257 games and, in 2025, he hit .274-19-80 in 124 games for the Braves.
Honorable Mentions: Reds’ 22-year-old 1B Sal Stewart (like Baldwin in his MLB second season) got out the blocks fast, with a .281-9-29, line (with 20 runs scored). His 29 RBI led MLB. Reds’ SS Elly De La Cruz cruised in at .282-10-24, with 26 runs and the added bonus of eight steals. Miami C Liam Hicks put up a .315-7-28 line (second only to Stewart in RBI) and Braves’ veteran 1B Matt Olson went .296-9-28, with 27 runs scored. Finally, there is Diamondbacks’ 1B Ildemaro Vargas, who went .378-6-20 in 23 games (his .378 average leading all players with at least 75 at bats.) Vargas, notably, had at least one hit in every March/April game he played. More on Vargas in the Surprise Player of the Month section.
Pitcher of the Month … Shohei Ohtani, RHP, Dodgers
This was a tough one. You had the likes of the Braves’ Chris Sale and Giant’s Landen Roupp, each with an NL-topping five March/April wins, the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski with a NL-leading 51 strikeouts in just 32 2/3 innings; the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani with an MLB-lowest (among pitchers with at least 25 March/April innings) 0.60 earned run average; and the Padres’ Mason Miller with an MLB-topping ten saves (in ten opportunities) and 29 punchouts in 15 1/3 innings.
Wow! Where to go with this one.? I went with Ohtani.
Consider, while Ohtani was only 2-1, you can’t ignore his MLB-best (among pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched) 0.60 earned run average. The guy gave up just two runs in five starts (30 innings) and he fanned 34 batters (nine walks). His 0.87 WHIP was fourth in the NL (among pitchers with at least 25 innings) and his .160 average against third. As far as the lack of wins, you can’t blame Ohtani. In his five starts, the Dodgers plated just six runs while he was in the game. (I gave him extra credit for pitching under pressure.)
The fact is, you can make a strong case for any of the Honorable Mentions as well.
Honorable Mentions: Already mentioned these near misses in the first paragraph: the Padres’ Mason Miller, who could easily have been part of a three-way tie (1-0, 1.17 with ten saves in ten opportunities and 29 strikeouts versus just three walks, in 15 1/3 innings); Giants’ Landen Roupp (5-1, 2.55 in six starts); Dodgers’ Jason Wrobleski, a surprise 4-0, 1.50 in five appearances/four starts; and Braves’ veteran Chris Sale, 5-1, 2.31 in six starts, who gave up more than one run in only one of his six outings and who fanned 38 batters and walked just nine (35 innings).
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Pitcher of the Month – Jose Soriano, RHP, Angels
Photo: Sewageboy, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
This was a bit easier the the NL considerations. Earned Run Average is that bright and shiny thing that always gets The Roundtable’s attention. Couple it with victories and you have a Pitcher of the Month formula. Angels’ righty Jose Soriano’s March/April performance fit that twin bill. Soriano put up a 5-1 in seven March/April starts – tying for the most wins in MLB. And, his stingy 0.84 ERA was lowest among AL pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched (second only to Shohei Ohtani in MLB.). In 42 2/3 innings (fifth-most in the AL), he gave up just 24 hits and 16 walks, while fanning 49 batters (tied for second-best in the AL). Among pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched, His WHIP of 0.94 was fifth-best in the AL and he held batters to a .164 average (second-lowest among AL pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched). The 27-year-old’s emergence is a bit of a surprise. In three previous MLB seasons (91 appearances/51 starts), he had been 17-21, 3.89.
In his seven starts this season, Soriano has given up zero earned runs in five. His best game came on April 6 versus the tough Atlanta Braves, as Soriano went eight innings, giving up three hits and no runs, while fanning ten and walking none. (Extra credit here, in that he went 5-1 for a Angels’ squad that went 12-20.)
Soriano is also a “good story,” given the challenges he has faced in his pro career. He was signed as an International Free Agent, out of the Dominican Republic, in March of 2016. After showing some promise, but not rising above A-Ball, he underwent Tommy John Surgery in February of 2020 and was later taken (from the Angels) by the Pirates in the 2020 Rule Five Draft. In the Pirates’ system, he pitched just two games (High-A) before suffering another injury and undergoing his second Tommy John Surgery (June of 2021). In November of 2021, he was returned to the Angels and, after a rehab period, resumed his career at Single-A. Shortening up a long story, Soriano showed swing-and-miss stuff and was promoted to the Angels – as a reliever – in June of 2023 (3.64 ERA and 56K in 42 innings in 38 appearances for the Halos). He was back in a starting role with the Angels in 2024 and was 6-7, 3.42 (22 games/20 starts/97K in 113 innings) before being put on the 60-day IL in early September. He had a less eventful 2025, going 10-11, 4.26 in 31 starts (152K in 158 innings). And that brings us to his remarkable 2026 early-season performance
Honorable Mentions: Gotta like Yankees‘ 25-year-old righty Cam Schlittler, 4-1, 1.51 (ERA second only to Soriano among AL pitchers with 25 innings). In seven starts, he fanned 49 and walked just six in 41 2/3 innings. His 0.74 WHIP is the lowest among AL pitchers with at least 25 March/April innings and he held hitters to a .168 average. A shoutout also goes to Peter Messick of the Guardians, 3-0, 1.73 with 38K in 36 1/3 innings; the Guardians’ Gavin Williams (5-1, 2.70 in seven starts, with a league-leading 53 strikeouts; and the Yankees’ Max Fried, 4-1, 2.09 in seven starts, with a league-topping 47 1/3 innings pitched (0.80 WHIP, .161 average against).
Player of the Month… Yordan Alvarez, DH, Astros
Flickr user thatlostdog–, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
It’s rare that the Roundtable picks a primary DH as Player of the Month, but the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez earned it with a truly a dominant March/April at the plate. Alvarez had the second-highest batting average among MLB players with at least 25 March/April at bats at .356. He led MLB in hits (42); was tied for first in home runs (12); was fourth in RBI (27); and scored 25 runs. Alvarez led all MLB players with at least 75 at bats in slugging percentage (.737) and was first in on-base percentage (.462). Alvarez drew 21 walks (versus just 14 strikeouts. His month included a 13-game hitting streak (April 14-28), during which he hit .389-5-12. Overall, he collected hits in 25 of 31 games; and multiple hits in 14.
Honorable Mentions: Diamondbacks’ Ildemaro Vargas, a lot more on Vargas in the Surprise Player of the Month section. Suffice here to just to say he posted .378-6-20 line, with a 23-game hitting streak. Vargas was edged out by Alvarez due the latter’s HR, RBI and runs scored advantage. Also recognized zed are Yankee 1B Ben Rice, who went .327-10-23, with 26 runs scored; and the Angels’ Mike Trout, who hit just .248, but drew 32 walks (.431 OBP), smacked ten homers, drove in 21 runs and scored an 29.
Surprise Player of the Month … Ildemaro Vargas, 2B/3B/SS, Diamondbacks
This one should be subtitled “For The Love Of The Game.
Ildemaro Vargas is a true journeyman, utility player, in his first nine MLB seasons 2017-25 … Diamondback, Nationals, Cubs, Twins , Pirates), he appeared in 174 games at 3B, 145 at 2B, 48 at SS, 29 in LF, five on the mound and two in RF; plus 104 games as a pinch-hitter, 14 as a pinch-runner and seven as a DH. In 2021 alone, he took the field for the Cubs, Pirates and Diamondbacks.
In those first nine MLB seasons, he appeared in an average of 51 MLB games per season, never reaching 100 games. (In seven of those nine, he also spent time in the minors). Over those nine seasons, Vargas hit .249-20-145 over 458 games. Side Note: Vargas also has a dozen seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League on his baseball resume.
This season, Vargas is off to a .378-6-20 start (with his average leading all MLB qualifiers).
Further, he has yet to go a game without a hit. Let me key that again, he has played 23 games in March/April and has at least one hit in each of them. He also collected hits in his last three games of 2025, giving him an active 26-game hitting streak. And, true to his history, this season, he has appeared at 1B, 2B, 3B,SS, LF and DH. DH
This is a true surprise and a great feel-good story. (Oh, for those who like to know such things, the longest season-opening hitting streak belongs to the Tigers Ron LeFlore at 30 (1976).
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THE TROT INDEX … A REGULAR BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE FEATURE
Through April 30, 35.8% of the MLB season’s 35,655 plate appearances ended in a trot (back to the dugout, around the bases, to first base). We’re talking about strikeouts, home runs, walks, hit by pitch and catcher’s interference – all outcomes that are, basically, devoid of action on the base paths or in the field. Here’s the breakout: strikeouts (22.2%); walks (9.6%); HR (2.8%); HBP (1.1%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%).
The 35.8% is up slightly from the 35.0% through April in 2025, when the figure were: strikeouts (22.1%); walks (9.0%); home runs (2.8%); HBP (1.0%); catcher’s interference (less than 1%). I’ve also looked into full-year Trot Index figures for the years I have been a fan: 30.3% in 2010; 29.9% in 2000; 31.7% in 1990; 23.1% in 1980; 27.0% in 1970; 25.1% in 1960; and 22.8% in 1950.
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If the season ended May 30, your playoff teams would have been:
AL: Yankees, Athletics, Guardians. WC: Rays, Mariners, Tigers.
NL: Braves, Dodgers, Reds. WC: Padres, Cubs, Cardinals.
A few observations:
- As of close of play April 30, the AL Central, without a single team over .500, would have two teams in the post-season; the same number as the NL Central, which did not have a single team under .500.
- The Dodgers, with MLB’s highest payroll (per Sports Illustrated) are 20-11, in first place in the NL West. The Mets, with MLB’s second-highest payroll, are 10-21 (MLB’s worst through April).
- Four teams had at least 20 wins through April 30.The Yankees, Braves, Dodgers and Reds. The first three are in the top nine in terms of salaries (third, eighth and first, respectively), the Reds are number-19.
- The Reds lead the NL Central with a 20-11 record, despite a negative-three run differential, having been outscored 136-133 in March/April. Three of the seven division leaders (one tie) have a negative run differentials: Guardians (-8); Athletics (-5); Reds (-3).
- The largest positive run differential is a plus-66, by both the Dodges and Braves, The largest negative run differential belongs to Phillies at minus-45.
- The Nationals are not keeping the home crowds happy. There are 12-7 on the road, but 3-10 at home.
- The Astros lead the AL in runs scored, but are 12-20 on the season.
Seeing Red, Rooting Red
Of special interest to me are the Reds, with a negative-three run differential, but a 20-11 record. The three other teams with 20 or more wius have run differentials of +66 (Dodgers and Braves) and +47 (Yankees). How are the Reds doing it – and can it be sustained? First thing I noticed is that they have MLB’s best record in one-run games – a clean 7-0, as well as in extra-innings (3-0). They also have played just three games against teams over .500, 18 games against AL teams and only three games within their own division. It looks like a challenge, but they have some interesting pieces and I’ll be rooting for them.
The offense, so far, has really gone through SS Elly De La Cruz (.282-10-24, with eight steals) and C Sal Stewart (.281-9-29). Those two have driven in 39 percent of the Reds’ runs, scored 38 percent and knocked 45 percent of the team’s home runs. They can expect some help from DH Nathan Lowe (thus far .288-5-12) and LF Spencer Steer (.237-5-10), but they will need more balance on offense. DH/3B Eugenio Suarez – sidelined with an oblique issue – has 328 homers on his resume (13 seasons) and, if he returns and heats up, it could add depth to the lineup.
The Reds are missing sidelined starters Hunter Greene (elbow surgery) and Nick Lodolo (blister). To this point, Chase Burns (3-1, 2.65) in six starts and Rhett Lowder (3-1, 3.18 in six starts) are leading the pitching, but the remainder of the rotation – Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer and Brandon Williamson have ERAs of 5.97, 4.97 and 6.11 as we enter May. (Williamson is now also on the IL). Lodolo (9-8, 3.33 a year ago) is expected back soon and should strengthen the rotation. The bullpen has been a strength – particularly Graham Ashcraft (1.20 ERA in 15 games), Connor Phillips (2.04 in 16 games) and Brock Burke (0.63 in 15 games) and has played a major role in the Reds’ ability to win close games. Closer Emilio Pagan has had some early struggles, perhaps tied to hamstring issue. If he ends up on the IL, Reds fans will likely see some new arms from Triple-A.
Overall, a lot will have to go right and some players will have to get healthy for the Reds to remain “in the hunt.” Probably not in the cards over the long seasons, but hey have shown some grit to this point and they should be exciting/interesting to watch (think Elly De La Cruz).
——-Team Statistical Leaders March/April 2026 ———-
RUNS SCORED
National League – Braves (177); Nationals (175); Cubs (169)
American League – Astros (168); Twins (154); Yankees (153)
The fewest runs in March/April were scored by the Giants (104). In the American League, it was the Rangers (120).
AVERAGE
National League – Dodgers (.273); Braves (.271); Cubs (.261)
American League – Astros (.265); Rays (.250); Tigers (.250)
The lowest team average for March/April belonged to the Reds at .220 – the White Sox were at the bottom of the NL at .225.
HOME RUNS
National League – Dodgers (45); Braves (43); Cubs (42); Reds (42)
American League – Yankees (48); Angels (42); Astros (40)
The fewest home runs in March/April were hit by the Giants (19). In the American League, it was the Red Sox, at 21.
TOTAL BASES
National League – Braves (495); Dodgers (474) ; Cubs (457)
American League – Astros (482); Tigers (438); Yankees (430)
The Dodgers led MLB in March/April Slugging Percentage at .452. The Astros led the AL (.438)
DOUBLES
National League – Braves (61); Rockies (61); Diamondbacks (55)
American League – Astros (66); Tigers (62); Guardians (54)
TRIPLES
National League – D-backs (10); Marlins (8); Phillies (7)
American League – White Sox (6); Rays (5); Royals (5); Tigers (5)
STOLEN BASES
National League – Brewers (36); Marlins (36); Nationals (32)
American League – Rays (34); Yankees (32); Rays (29); Twins (26)
The Giants stole the fewest sacks in March/April at eight – in 12 attempts. The Tigers stole the fewest bags in the AL – nine in 13 attempts.
WALKS DRAWN
National League – Brewers (142); Cubs (141); Reds (128)
American League – Yankees (138); Angels (135); Twins (134)
The Cubs led MLB in March/April on-base percentage at .353. The Astros led the AL at .346. The Mets had MLB’s lowest March/April OBP at .289. The Red Sox anchored the AL at .309.
BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS
National League – Pirates (306); Rockies (304); Reds (286)
American League – Angels (314); White Sox (290); Mariners (288)
Blue Jays’ batters fanned the fewest times in March/April (210). The D-backs fanned the fewest times in the NL at 240.
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EARNED RUN AVERAGE
National League – Braves (3.12); Dodgers (3.19); Brewers (3.74)
American League – Yankees (3.11); Rangers (3.47); Mariners (3.67)
The Astros had the highest March/April ERA at 6.08. The Nationals had the highest ERA in the NL at 5.08.
STRIKEOUTS
National League – Pirates (301); Phillies (291); Mets (289)
American League – Guardians (297); Blue Jays (294); Astros (293);
The Blue Jays averaged an MLB-best 9.60 strikeouts per nine innings in March/April. The Phillies averaged an NL-best 9.51. Eight teams averaged nine whiffs per nine or better.
FEWEST WALKS SURRENDERED
National League – Cubs (94); Dodgers (97); Phillies (98)
American League – Mariners (80); Yankees (85); Rangers (96)
The Mariners walked an MLB-lowest 2.53 batters per nine innings in March/April. The Astros walked an MLB-worst 5.66 batters per nine frames.
SAVES
National League – Padres (12); Braves (11); Cardinals (11)
American League – Rays (12); Athletics (11); Orioles (10); White Sox (10)
The Nationals blew the most saves in March/April – ten (in 17 opportunities). The Astros had just one blown save in 7 opportunities.
Walks + Hits/Innings Pitched (WHIP)
National League – Dodgers (1.12); Braves (1.16); Cubs (1.19)
American League: Yankees (1.14); Rangers (1.21); Guardians (1.23)
Bonus Stats:
- The Nationals gave up an MLB-high 52 home runs in March/April. The Padres gave up an MLB-low 35 home runs.
- Dodgers’ pitchers held opponents to an MLB-low .210 average in March/April. The Phillies’ staff was touched for an MLB-high .280 average.
- The Mariners’ strikeouts-to-walks ratio for March/April topped MLB at 3.23. The Astros had MLB’s worst ratio at 1.67.
—–2026 MARCH/APRIL HIGHLIGHTS—–
A “Home “Opener
The 2026 MLB season opened at 5:05 p.m., Wednesday, March 26 in front of approximately 41,000 fans in San Francisco’s Oracle Park. March still seems a tad early, but there were some positives for me. I was happy to see the National Pastime open with a game that took place in a true “home” ballpark. As regular readers know, The Roundtable has never been fond of those “overseas” season openers, held in sports facilities where neither team is really the “home” squad and usually several days before the rest of MLB starts playing games that count. Score one for MLB (with me) on this one.
A few highlights and lowlights. The Yankees rocked the hometown Giants 7-0 (a highlight or lowlight depending on your allegiance). The first strikeout of the season can be credited to the first batter of the season. Giants’ starter Logan Webb fanned Yankee leadoff hitter CF Trent Grisham to open the game. (Webb also fanned Yankee number-two hitter RF Aaron Judge, which proved to be more of a sign for what Judge would do than what Webb would accomplish. (After his 1-2-3, two-strikeout first inning of the season, Giants’ ace Webb went on to last just five innings and gave up nine hits and seven runs – six earned – although he did fan seven.) Yankee slugger Judge struck out four times before putting the ball in play for a ninth-inning 5-3 groundout.)
Aaron Judge was the only member of the Yankee lineup to go hitless on Day One.
The first hit of 2026 went to Giants’ DH Rafael Devers (first-inning single); the first run scored to Yankees’ DH Giancarlo Stanton in the second inning (when the Bronx Bombers plated five runs versus Webb); the first RBI to Yankees’ SS Jose Caballero, who plated Stanton with a second-inning single. There were no home runs in the game. In fact, 12 of the games’ combined 13 hits were singles (Grisham had a second-inning, two-run triple.) Webb of course, took the first loss of the season. Max Fried, who went 6 1/3 scoreless frames got the first win, and there was no save.
Let’s Get This Party Started … Two-for Two
In the season’s first week, we saw a pair players go deep twice in their first-ever MLB regular-season game.
On March 26, Guardians 24-year-old rookie RF Chase DeLauter, batting second in his first regular-season MLB appearance (focus on the term “regular-season,” it will come into play), gave the Guardians a quick lead – homering (solo shot off the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert) in the first inning. In the process, he joined the more than 140 players who have gone deep in their first MLB regular-season at bat. Then, in the ninth inning, DeLauter book-ended the game and moved into more rarified air, adding a second solo homer (off Cooper Criswell) to join just six players to homer twice in their debut regular-season game. Overall, DeLauter was three-for-five, with three runs scored and two RBI on the 6-4 Cleveland road win.
Why the regular-season modifier? DeLauter actually made his MLB debut in last season’s AL Wild Card Series, going one-for-six in two games against Detroit (becoming just the seventh player to make his MLB debut in a post-season contest).
DeLauter was a first-round pick (16 overall) in the 2022 MLB Draft, out of James Madison University (where he hit .402-15-70 in three seasons (66 games). In three minor-league campaigns (138 games), he hit .302-20-87 .
Chasing a Good Story
Chase DeLauter hit four home runs in his first three games (March 26-28) – going .357-4-5 in that span – and joining Trevor Story (2016 Rockies) as one of two players to homer four times in their first three MLB regular-season games). DeLauter went one-for-three (a single) in his fourth game. That provided a bit of historic separation for Story, who homered twice in his fourth MLB game (making him the only player with six long balls in his first four MLB games … #InBaseballWeCountEverything.) DeLauter ended April at .257-5-18.
On March 31, Diamondbacks 22-year-old rookie 3B Jose Fernandez (called up to replace and injured Pavin Smith) also went deep twice in his MLB debut. Fernandez, batting in the number-six hole, singled (off the Tigers’ Casey Mize) in the bottom of the second; hit a solo homer to left off Mize in the fourth; struck out (off Drew Anderson) in the seventh; and, in the eighth, hit a three-run homer to left-center (off Tigers’ closer Kenley Jansen) to give Arizona a 7-5 lead (which proved to be the final score).
The other six players to poke a pair of long balls in their first regular-season games were (per Elias Sports Bureau): Charlie Reilly (1889 Columbus Solons); Bob Nieman (1951 St. Louis Browns); Bert Campaneris (1964 Kansas City Athletics); Mark Quinn (1999 Kansas City Royals); J.P. Arencibia (2010 Toronto Blue Jays); and Trevor Story (2016 Colorado Rockies). Story is the only one of those who, like DeLauter, accomplished the feat on Opening Day.
Give Me Five, Mate, Okay, I’ll Take Four
Tigers’ 21-year-old rookie 3B Kevin McGonigle collected four hits in his March 26 (Opening Day) MLB Debut, just one hit shy of the all-time record for an MLB-debut outing and tying the record for an MLB-debut on Opening Day.
McGonigle hit a two-run double on the first major-league pitch he ever saw (from the Padres’ Nick Pivetta in the top of the first). He doubled (again off Pivetta in the third); singled (off Ron Marinaccio) in the fifth; popped out to third (off Bradgley “Yes that how you Spell It” Rodriguez) in the seventh; and singled in the ninth (off Wandy Peralta.)
McGonigle was signed the first Round of the 2013 MLB Draft (37th overall), out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Pennsylvania). In the minor leagues, including Fall League, he hit .313-3-149, with 45 steals (202 games). The 21-year-old ended April at .328-2-13.
Two-for-Five
Two players have collected five hits in their major-league debuts: Fred Clarke of the 1894 Louisville Colonels (nine innings) and Cecil Travis of the 1933 Nationals (12 innings).
One For The Record Books
On March 26, Brewers’ flame-throwing righty Jacob Misiorowski got his first Opening Day Start – and he made the most of it. Misiorowski, popularly called “The Miz”, fanned 11 White Sox batters in just five innings to set a new Brewers’ Opening Day high for Ks. After giving up a home run to the first batter he faced in the 2026 season (White Sox 2B Chase Meidroth), Misiorowski fanned the numbers two, three and four hitters (SS Colson Montgomery, 3B Miguel Vargas and DH Andrew Benintendi) in succession. He fanned two more in the second; two in the third; three in the fourth and one in the fifth.
And The Miz wasn’t the only one having a good day in Milwaukee. The four relievers who followed Misiorowski to the mound added another nine strikeouts in their four innings – tying the MLB record for total strikeouts in a nine-inning game. AND, the Brewers’ lineup contributed 12 hits and 14 runs) as the Brew Crew triumphed 14-2 in front of 43,001 ecstatic fans (at least I think most were ecstatic).
Side Note: One April 25, Misiorowski started against the Pirates (in Milwaukee) and (as Ebby Calvin “Nuke” Laloosh, would have said ) “announced his presence with authority” early on. He fanned the first batter of the game, Pirates’ CF Oneil Cruz, on a 1-2 102.7 MPH four-seam fastball. It was the fastest pitch for a strikeout by a starter since tracking began in 2008. “InBaseballWeTrackEverything.”
Do You Remember?
Jacob Misiorowski made his MLB debut, as a 23-year-old, on June 12, 2025. At the time, he was 4-2, 2.13 at Triple-A Nashville, with 80 strikeouts (31 walks) in 63 1/3 innings. With the Brewers, he immediately began lighting up radar guns. His first two MLB pitches were clocked at 100.5- and 101.8-mph. In his first start, he reached triple-digits (100-mph or better) on 14 pitches. Next time out, he threw 29 triple-digit heaters over six-plus frames (he faced two batters in the seventh) – and he didn’t surrender a hit over his first 11 MLB innings.
In his first five MLB outings, Misiorowski went 4-1, 2.81, with 33 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings. Then came some startling (to some) news. On July 12, MLB announced that Misiorowski was going to join the NL All Star squad (as a replacement for the Cubs’ Matthew Boyd) for the July 15 All Star Game. It was the fewest number of games played ever for an All Star selection … and there were those who maintained the honor should have gone to a more experienced hurler.
The Miz, however, shook it off – and didn’t disappoint. He pitched the eighth inning of the All Star Game, facing four batters (one single, three flyouts) and threw nine of his 18 pitches at 100+mph, the fastest at 103.3-mph. He finished the 2025 season at 5-3, 4.36, with 87 strikeouts (33 walks) in 66 innings pitched.
Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman Rolls an Opening-Day Eleven
The Blue Jays opened the 2016 season at home against the A’s, with ace Kevin Gausman on the mound – and, like Jacob Misiorowski (above), he brought his A-Game to the A’s. Gausman went six innings, giving up one hit and one run (a fourth-inning home run by A’s C Shea Langelier). Over his six frames, he also fanned eleven batters – setting a new Blue Jays’ record for strikeouts on Opening Day., Gausman, however, did not get the win (the Blue Jays triumphed 3-2, on a walk-off RBI single by SS Andres Gimenez with two out in the bottom of the ninth).
Langelier, by the way, drove in (and sored) both A’s runs – on a pair of Opening Day, solo homers; becoming just the fourth A’s player with a multi-homer Opening Day (Jason Giambi, 2000, two homers); Khris Davis, 2017, three homers); Tyler Soderstrom, 2025, two homers). Langeliers is coming off a solid .277-31-72 seasons in 2025 – and was .328-8-15 at the end of April
Mariners Going For a Little Extra
Over their first two games of the 2026 season, the Seattle Mariners collected nine hits and nary a single – becoming the first team in the Modern Era to go through the first two games of the season without a single single, and just the ninth team to have zero singles over any two-game span. Over those two contests (which they split), Mariners’ batters delivered two doubles, one triple and six home runs. The Mariners finally collected their first single of the season on March 28, in the third inning of their third game (Cal Raleigh) … their eleventh hit of the new season.
A Perfect Ten
Nationals’ outfielder Joey Wiemer (who came into the season with a career .205 MLB batting average … in 448 at bats over three seasons) got off to a pretty good start in 2026.
- On March 26, he went home run, walk, single, single as the Nationals topped the Cubs 10-4;
- On March 27, he did not play, as the Nationals lost to the Cubs 2-10;
- March 28, back in the lineup, Wiemer went home run, triple, walk, single in a Nats’ 6-3 win over the Cubs;
- On March 29, it was single, single, groundout, flyout, walk in a 13-2 win over the Phillies.
If you look closely that those results, you will see that Wiemer reached base safely in his first ten plate appearances of the 2026 season. That tied Carlos Delgado (2002) for the most consecutive plate appearances to reach base safely to start a season in the live-ball ERA (since 1920). Yes, again in baseball we count everything, and also accept many qualifiers.
Celebrating 50 with 50
The Blue Jays are celebrating their franchise’s 50th Anniversary and they got off to a pretty good start. They opened the season, with a three-game, home-field sweep of the A’s (3-2. 8-7 and 5-2 on March 27,28 29). In the process, Blue Jays’ hurlers fanned fifty batters over the three games – the most strikeouts recorded by an MLB team in its first three games of a season EVER. In the first game, four Blue Jays pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts (led by starter Kevin Gausman’s 11 in six innings). In Game Two, an 11-inning affair, eight Blue Jays hurlers recorded 19 strikeouts (led by starter Dylan Cease’s 12 in 5 1/3 innings); In Game Three, five Blue Jays’ moundsmen fanned 15 batters (led by starter Eric Lauer’s nine in 5 1/3 innings).
Happy Birthday To Me
March 28, was Dodgers’ C Will Smith’s 31st birthday. It was also the night the Dodgers were handing out bobbleheads celebrating Smith’s go-ahead homer in Game Seven of the 2025 World Series. Keeping with what seems to be a power theme in 2026 (homers and strikeouts), Smith celebrated in style. Popping an eighth-inning, two-run, go-ahead home run that provided the margin in a 3-2 Dodgers’ win over the Diamondbacks.
2026’s First Immaculate Inning
On March 30, the Diamondbacks picked up their first win of the new season – a 9-6 triumph over the Tigers. In the top of the fifth inning of that game, with the Diamondbacks already up 5-0, D-backs’ starter Mike Soroka gave the fans an extra “treat” – tossing the first Immaculate Inning (three-up, three-down, nine pitches, three strikeouts) of the 2026 season. Soroka’s victims were Tigers’ 9-1-2 hitters (SS Javier Baez, RF Kerry Carpenter, and 2B Gleyber Torres). All three went down swinging. In keeping with 2026’s early theme of strikeouts and home runs, Soroka tied his career high for strikeouts in a game, fanning ten in five innings (four hits, one walk, no runs).
You Fellas Catch On Fast
The first 2026 MLB Player of the Week awards (for March 25-29) went to Guardians’ OF Chase DeLauter and the Reds’ 1B Sal Stewart. Not only were they both from Ohio-based teams, their recognitions marked just the second time that a pair of rookies won a season’s inaugural Player of the Week Awards (after the Rockies’ Trevor Story and Astros’ Tyler White in 2016).
DeLauter went 6-for-17 (.353) with four home runs, five RBI and five runs scored in four games. Stewart went 7-for-10 (.700), with a home run, three doubles, two runs scored and two RBI in three games.
The International Game
From March 30 through April 1, the Dodgers starting pitcher were Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. See a pattern here? Elias Sports Bureau reports that it’s the first time an MLB team has started Japanese-born pitchers in three consecutive games. More #InBasebvallWeCountEverything.
April Fool’s Day, Appropriately
April 1 saw the first MLB game to end on a challenging note – a strikeout produced by the new ABS challenge process. (Fortunately, it was not a one-run ball game.) It happened with the Texas Rangers at bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, no one on base, Texas down 8-3 and Rangers’ CF Evan Carter facing the Orioles’ Albert Suarez. Suarez delivered a high fastball to Carter on a 1-2 count. The pitch was originally called a ball by home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez, but Orioles’ catcher Sam Basallo challenged the call and, upon review, the pitch was ruled not high, but high in the zone, for a game-ending strikeout. Side note: The Roundtable is not a fan of the challenge system.
Wow, I Thought It Would Be Harder Than This
Giants’ 24-year-old rookie catcher Daniel Susac made his first MLB plate appearances on April 2 (he did play three innings behind the plate on April 1). Here’s how his plate appearances on April 2 went: leadoff single in the second; single in the third; walk in the fifth; single in the seventh. His next plate appearances came on April 7, and he delivered another single in the second inning; another single in the fifth. Finally, in the seventh inning of that contest, he flied out to right. But in his first six MLB plate appearances: five singles and a walk. That singles him out for an appearance in these highlights.
Susac finished April at .478-0-5 in 11 games. In 2025, at Triple-A Las Vegas, he was .275-18-68 in 97 games.
The Home run That Was … Three That Weren’t … A Sweet Adell-line
As the Angels faced off against the Mariners (in Seattle) on April 4, Angels’ SS and leadoff hitter Zach Neto got them off to a good start. Neto homered on the third pitch of the game (an 0-2 pitch from Mariners’ starter Emerson Hancock) in the bottom of the first to give LA a 1-0 lead. That lead held up for a 1-0 Angels’ win, thanks to a sweet show by Angels right-fielder Jo Adell. Adell went high above the RF wall – and even into the right field stands to rob the Mariners not just of one, or two, but three home runs.
In the first frame, it was a leaping catch above the home run marker on the right field wall to rob Seattle C Cal Raleigh of a home run. In the eighth, another Adell leaping grab at the limits of the outfield, took a home run away from 1B Josh Naylor. Then, Adell topped it off, with a ninth-inning catch, on a long fly off the bat of SS J.P. Crawford that ended with Adell, ball in glove, clearing the lower wall near the RF foul pole and landing among the fans in the right field seats. Three Adell robberies and — Game, Set , Match.
In an MLB.com article, Jared Greenspan reports that , after the game, Angels’ Manager Kurt Suzuki termed the contest “The Jo Show’ and Angels’ Special Assistant Torii Hunter (himself a nine-time Gold Glover and master of the home-run steal) termed it “the greatest defensive game I’ve ever seen.”
How big of a deal was this? The glove Adell used in his Tri-Way Robbery is now at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Bullpen By Committee, Indeed
From April 6 through April 9, the Twins put together a four-game winning streak. Now, that’s not exactly highlight-worthy. What is, however, is the fact that over that time, they recorded four saves – each by a different pitcher (and, in each case, it was their first save of the season). It started with an April 6, 7-3 win over the Tigers (in Minnesota), with Cody Lawyerson going 1 2/3 scoreless innings for his first career save. On April 7, the Twins topped the Tigers 4-2, with the save going to righty Justin Topa (2/3 of an innings, also scoreless). Then, on April 8, the Twins topped Detroit 8-6, with the save going to Kody Funderburk (Topa and Lawyerson also pitched in that game). Funderburk, like Topa, pitched 2/3 of an inning (scoreless). On April 9, it was Eric Orze’s turn, and he pitched one scoreless frame, getting the save, as the Twins topped the Tigers 3-1.
More #InBaseballWeCount(andtrack)Everything
On April 10, the Dodgers’ 3B Max Muncy muscled LA to an 8-7 win over the Rangers (in LA). Muncy went four-for-five, scored four runs and drove in three. His hits included a solo homer in the second inning; a solo home run in the fourth; and a walk-off solo homer, on an 0-2 pitch, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. (That last one had to be a shocker to the Rangers. Reliever Jacob Latz had come in and fanned C Will Smith and 1B Freddie Freeman, before getting Muncy down 0-2.) Post-game reports from the Elias Sports Bureau indicated that only one other Dodger has had a three-homer game that included a walk-off shot: CF Don Demeter, versus the Giants in an April 21, 1959 9-7 Dodger win in LA. In that one, Demeter went three-for-five, with three runs scored and six RBI.
Should Jose Ask For A Trade
On April 11, the Guardian’s Jose Ramirez popped a first-inning solo home run off an 0-2 pitch from Braves’ starter Martin Perez. Not only was it the first run in an eventual 6-0 Cleveland win, it was Ramirez’ first home run off an Atlanta pitcher – and gave Ramirez – who has played all 14 of his MLB seasons for Cleveland, the distinction of being the first player with a regular-season homer against all the other (29) MLB franchises while in a Cleveland uniform (Elias Sports Bureau). For those who are interested in such things, 87 players have homered (regular season) against all thirty franchises in their careers. The first was Ellis Burks, who completed the tour in April of 2000. The most recent was Trevor Story, who put notch number 30 on his belt last September.
Coincidence? The Evidence Says Otherwise.
On April 14, the Cubs topped the Phillies 10-4 in Philadelphia, setting a pair of streaks in motion. The Cubs would not lose another game until April 25, while the Phillies would lose every game until April 25 – a ten-game winning streak for Chicago and a ten-game losing streak for Philadelphia. You can wave off “coincidence” in this one. In the course of the two streaks, the Cubs and Phillies faced each other six times (six wins, of course, for Chicago – six losses for Philadelphia). In those six games, the Cubs outscored the Phillies 48-20.
From April 10 through April 24, in their ten-game losing streak (five home and five road games), the Phillies were outscored 69-26, outhit .298-to-.202, outhomered 17-to-12 and put up a 6.77 earned run average to their opponents’ 2.27. In that same time period, the Cubs ten-game winning streak (seven home and three road games), Chicago outscored their opponents 72-to-21, outhit them .324-to-.220, outhomered them 17-to-10 and put up a 2.93 ERA to the opponents’ 6.91.
Climbing The Ladder … Big Steps Ahead
On April 14, Tigers’ closer Kenley Jansen, picked up his third save of the season, tossing a scoreless ninth (one hit), as Detroit bested Kansas City 2-1. Even more notably, it was his 479th career save, moving him into sole position of third place on the all-time saves list (passing Lee Smith). The next targets for the 38-year-old righty are off in the distance. Ahead of Jansen on the saves list are: Mariano Rivera (652 saves) and Trevor Hoffman (601 saves). Jansen has, as of late, become a bit of a traveling savesman. After saving 350 games for the Dodgers from 2010 through 2022, he has found himself closing out games for the Braves (2022), Red Sox (2023-24), Angels (2025) and Tigers.
Trout Take A Bite Out Of The Big Apple
As the Yankees and Angels split a four-game series in New York (April 13-16), the Angels’ Mike Trout wrote a new chapter in Yankee Stadium history – becoming just the second visiting player to homer in four straight games in Yankee Stadium (tying John Mayberry Sr., 1972) . Over the four-game series, Trout went six-for-sixteen (.375) with five home runs and nine RBI. His five homers were also the most ever in a regular-season series against the Yankees in New York. George Bell (1990), Darrell Evans (1985) and Jimmie Fox (1933) also hit five homers in a series against the Bronx Bombers, but those were Toronto, Detroit and Philadelphia, respectively.
Hang The Bunting, It’s a Win
Op April 16, the Brewers took “small ball” to a new level. Tied with the Blue Jays 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Brewers’ PH Garrett Mitchell drew an inning opening walk on a 3-2 pitch from Tommy Nance. Greg Jones then bunted, sacrificing Mitchell to second. Joe Mantiply came in to pitch and, on his first pitch, David Hamilton laid down a beautiful bunt (for a base hit), moving Mitchell to third. SS Joey Ortiz next bunted (a sacrifice) scoring Mitchell, before Brandon Lockridge struck out to end the inning – and Milwaukee made that run (scored on a walk and three consecutive bunts) hold up for a 2-1 win. That’s small ball.
Worth The Wait … A Feel-Good Story
After toiling seven years and 700 games in the minors, Ryan Ward finally got his call to “The Show.” He started at first base in his first MLB game on April 19 (for the Dodgers versus the Rockies) and went two-for-five with one RBI. An eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Bryant University (where he hit .383-23-111 in 124 games over three seasons), Ward hit .266-154-524 over seven minor-league campaigns.
Let’s Get This Party Started
On April 20, as the Dodgers crushed the Rockies 12-3, Dodgers’ 1B (he also plays catcher) Dalton Rushing went 2-for-5, with two runs scored and three RBI – bringing his stat line to .444-7-13 over his first eight games of 2026. That put Rushing in a tie (with Trevor Story, 2016) for the second-most long balls in a player’s first eight games of a season (one behind Mike Schmidt, 1976). Just a bit more of #InBaseballWeCountEverything. Rushing – a 2022 second-round draft pick out of the University of a Louisville – made his MLB debut in 2025, going .204—2-24 on 53 games for LA.
Ha! Ya Missed Me!
Cardinals’ second baseman JJ Weatherholt was probably happy to avoid a “hit” on April 21. The game saw an end to his streak of getting hit by a pitch. From April 15 through April 19, he was nailed in five consecutive games … one game short of the Modern-Era record (Carlos Quentin, 2008 White Sox). Over his streak, Wetherholt hit .214 (3-for-14), but had a .500 on-base percentage, thanks to four walks and his five HBP.
Will April Never Be Over?
On April 22, the Mets had cause for celebration, after squeaking out a 3-2 win in front of 32.665 fan at Citi Field. It marked the Mets’ first victory since April 7 – a 12-game losing streak in which the Mets – with a payroll second in MLB only to the Dodgers – looked absolutely lost (pun intended). Over that 12-game span, the Mets were outscored 67-21; outhit .257-to-.194; outhomered 15-to-8; and put up a 6.22 earned run average to their opponents’ 1.65. The losing streak included six home and six road games; three one-run games (one in extra frames); three shutouts; and eight games in which the Mets scored two or fewer runs.
Side note: The night before, in a Mets 5-3 loss to the Twins, I saw (watched on TV) how truly difficult it can be to play in the Big Apple. In that one, the Mets took a 3-0 lead into the fifth before the Twins mounted the comeback that would eventually lead to their victory. As the Twins clawed their way back in, Mets’ fans – a significant number with brown paper bags over their heads – began booing their home team with an energy I had not before seen directed at a home squad. Noisy displeasure continued – and rose in volume – until the Twins had a two-run lead, with the bases loaded and not outs in the top of the ninth. At that point, Mets’ reliever Austin Warren was brought into the game and, when he struck out the first batter he faced, the fans began a sarcastic chant of “MVP, MVP.” Warren, however, was not rattled, as he fanned three consecutive batters with the sacks full to hold the Twins lead at two.
The Mets, by the way, ended April with a 10-21, the worst record MLB.
Something Weird. Right Off The Bat.
On April 22, in the top of the first inning of an eventual Mariners 5-4 win over the Athletics, the baseball Gods, provided 15,704 fans a play they will never forget, Logan Gilbert was on the mound for the Mariners and had given up a walk to Athletics leadoff hitter Nick Kurtz and a single to C Shea Langeliers (sending Kurtz to third). Next up was Carlos Cortez, who hit a 2-1 pitch right on the button – and right up the middle into Gilbert’s shirt. Gilbert, not knowing exactly where the ball had lodged, search the mound area for the ball, before realizing it was stuck in his shirt. The call? Based on the rule that a batted ball going inside a player’s or coach’s uniform is “out of play,” the batter is credited with a hit and any runners are placed at the umpire’s discretion. So, Cortez was credited with a base hit, Langeliers moved to second, but (via umpire discretion) Kurtz was kept at third. (Both runners eventually scored). I wonder how many fans, fifteen seasons from now, will claim to have been in the stands that day?
Below is a YouTube video from Swing and Miss:
Boomer Murakami … More Home Run Talk
From April 17 through April 22, White Sox 26-year-old rookie 1B Munetaka Murakami (signed by the ChiSox out of Japan, where he was a two-time MVP and four-time All Star) homered in five straight games, going .500 (11-for-22), with five home runs, ten RBI and seven runs scored in that span). In the process, he tied the MLB rookie record for consecutive games with a home run. Murakami ended April at .236-12-23, his 12 omers tying for the MLB lead.
Munetaka Murakami finished April tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 12. Notably, he had just 12 extra-base hits in March April – all, of course, homers.
All Good Things Must Come To An End
On April 22, as the Dodgers lost to the Giants in San Francisco, Shohei Ohtani failed to reach base in a game in which he batted for the first time since August 23, 2025. That’s a pretty good achievement for a guy who can also bring the heat from the mound. The on-base record, by the way, belongs to Ted Williams, who reached base in 84 consecutive games from July 1, 1949 to September 27 1949. During his streak, Williams hit .371-24-80. During nis streak, Ohtani batted .279-16-30.
First, He Didn’t Walk, Then He Had To Run
On April 23, Ranger CF Evan Carter came to the plate in the bottom third inning of a scoreless game against the Pirates with a runner on first and two out. With a three-and-one count, he took what he thought was ball four (as did the ump) and prepared for a leisurely stroll to first base. Just a second there, Bucco! Pirates’ catcher Joey Bart challenged the call and it became strike two. Back at the plate, Carter smacked the next pitch to deep right-center, where it bounced off RF Ryan O’Hearn’s glove, caromed off the centerfield wall and was retrieved by CF Oneil Cruz. Carter, meanwhile, replaced his original stroll to first base with a mad dash around the bases, sliding head first into home plate with the first inside-the-park homer of his career.
April Showers … Birds’ Homers
On April 24, the Orioles gave 26,776 fans at Camden Yards an April treat. No only did they even their record at 13-13 with a 10-3 win over the Red Sox, they delivered an April shower of hits (20) and home runs (six). The game saw two homers by C Adley Rutschman and one each by SS Gunnar Henderson, RF Dylan Beavers, DH Sam Basallo and 3B Coby Mayo – and five Orioles collected three or more base hits.
Not Much Time To Celebrate.
On April 25, the Red Sox – suffering through a rough (9-17) start to the season – exploded for for a 17-1 win over the Orioles in Baltimore. The Sox put an exclamation point on the final inning of the game, scoring ten runs in the ninth frame on ten hits (including a Grand Slam by DH Andruw Monasterio, a two-run shot by 3B Caleb Durbin and a three-run blast by 1B Willson Contreras). It was the first time in team history that the Sox had launched three ninth-inning home runs and just the second time Boston had plated ten ninth-inning runs. Every coin has two sides: The final four runs were charged to infielder Weston Wilson, making his fourth career mound appearance, and the 17 runs also matched the Red Sox’ total scoring over the previous seven games (one win and six losses).
The Red Sox did not have much to celebrate the breakout victory. Later that same day, the last-place Red Sox announced the firing of manager Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff, as well as the reassignment of a sixth coach.
My (Banana) Dreams Are Shattered
April 27, the Guardians announced they were calling up 2B Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, out of Oregon State University – where he hit .360-45-165, with 66 steals in three seasons (184 games). Bazzano was hitting .287-2-10, with eight steals at Triple-A at the time of the announcement. I wish him luck in the majors, but my dream of seeing Travis Bazzana on the field for the Savannah Bananas have been dashed.
Mason Miller Finally Gives One Up
On April 27, Padres’ hard-throwing reliever Mason Miller finally gave up a run, stopping a 34 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings streak that goes back to August 6 of last season – a stretch of 33 games, 34 2/3 innings, 11 walks, 69 strikeouts, one win, 12 saves and nine holds.
Called in for the bottom of the ninth, with his Padres up 9-5 over the Cubs, Mason’s inning went: single; single; single (loading the bases); forceout at second (run scores); wild pitch (another run scores); groundout; strikeout. (In all fairness, the first single was on a slow roller down the third baseline that appeared to roll foul.)
For those who like to know such things, the longest stretch of consecutive scoreless innings by a reliever is 41 (Gregg Olson, Orioles (August 4, 1989-May 4, 1990). For a pitcher, any role, the record is 59 consecutive scoreless innings by Orel Hershiser, Dodgers (August 30-September 28, 1988).
From Both Sides Now
On April 28, White Sox C Drew Romo hit the first two homers of his three-season MLB career (in his 30th career game). They deserve a note here because Romo (batting ninth), homered from the left-handed batter’s box (on an 0-2 pitch from the Angels’ Jose Soriano) in the bottom of the fourth and, in his next at bat, in the bottom of the sixth, from the right-handed batter’s box (on an 0-0 pitch from Brent Suter). Romo is just the seventh player to record their first two home runs, in the same game, from opposite sides of the plate – and one of only three (joining Yasmani Grandal and U.L. Washington) to accomplish the feat in consecutive plate appearances. More #InBaseballWeCountEverything. (The Sox won the game 5-2).
I Walk The Line … A Lot
From April 10 through April 30, A’s 1B Nick Kurtz drew at least one walk in 19 consecutive games – an active streak as he goes into May. His line over that span: (16-for-65) .246-5-13, with 24 walks, 25 strikeouts and a .449 on-base percentage. For those who like to know such things, the record for the most consecutive games drawing a walk (22) belongs to the Tigers’ R0y Cullenbine (1947).
Another Streak
You can read more about tis in the Surprise Player of the Month section near the top of this post, but Red utility player Ildemaro Vargas, closed out April with an active 23-game, season -opoening hnitting streak (and an active 26-game streak darting back to the end of 2025.
Mattingly For The Win
On April 28, the Phillies (with a 9-19 record) parted ways with manager Rob Thomson and brought in interim-manager Don Mattingly. The Philadelphia squad won its first game under Mattingly (April 28) 7-0 over the Giants (in Philadelphia). Then, on April 30, they notched a pair of walk-off wins (3-2 and 6-5 in ten innings) in a split doubleheader, giving Mattingly a 3-0 record at the helm. It marked the first time the Phillies notched two walk-off wins in the same day since 1998 and the first time any team notched two walk-off wins in the same day since the Pirates in 2004.
–INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS FOR March/April—
BATTING AVERAGE (at least 75 at bats)
American League: Jordan Alvarez, Astros (.356); Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (,354); Yandy Diaz, Rays (.330)
National League: Ildemaro Vargas, D-backs (.378); Xavier Edwards, Marlins (.336); Jose Fernandez, D-backs (.325)
The lowest March/April average among players with at least 75 at bats belonged to the Rays’ Cedric Mullins at .126 (12-for-95).
HITS
American League: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (42); Shea Langeliers, Athletics (41); Vlad Guerrero, Jr., Blue Jays (40)
National League: Ozzie Albies, Braves (40); Drake Baldwin, Braves (40); Xavier Edwards, Marlins (38); Otto Lopez, Marlins (38)
The Braves’ Matt Olson led all MLBers in March/April extra-base hits with 22 – 13 doubles and five home runs.
HOME RUNS
American League: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (12); Aaron Judge, Yankees (12); Munetaka Murakami, White Sox (12)
National League: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (10=1); James Wood, Nationals (10); Elly De La Cruz, Reds (10) ;
The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez led all players with at least 75 March/April at bats in slugging percentage at .737. The D-backs Ildemaro Vargas led the NL at .689.
RUNS BATTED IN
American League: Yordan Alvarez, Astros (27); Jonathan Aranda, Rays (25); Christian Walker, Astros (24); Jeremiah Jackson, Orioles (24)
National League: Sal Stewart, Reds (29); Matt Olson, Braves (28); Liam Hicks, Marlins (28)
RUNS SCORED
American League: Mike Trout, Angels (29); Ben Rice, Yankees (26); Yordan Alvarez, Astros (25); Aaron Judge,Yankees (25)
National League: Drake Baldwin, Braves (30); James Wood, Nationals (30); Matt Olson, Braves (27); JJ Wetherholt, Cardinals (27)
DOUBLES
American League: Ernie Clement, Blue Jays (13); Taylor Ward, Orioles (13); Josh Jung, Rangers (11); Kevin McGonigle, Tigers (11)
National League: Matt Olson, Braves (13); Willy Adames, Giants (10); Gavin Sheets, Padres (9)
TRIPLES
American League: Nine with two
National League: Corbin Carroll, D-backs (4); Geraldo Perdomo, D-backs (3); nine with two
STOLEN BASES
American League: Jose Caballero, Yankees (12); Jose Ramirez, Guardians (12); Chandler Simpson, Rays (11)
National League: Nasim Nunez, Nationals (14); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (10); Jakob Marsee, Marlins (10)
The Guardians’ Jose Ramirez stole the most March/April bases without getting caught (12).
BATTER’S STRIKEOUTS
American League: Zack Neto, Angels (47); Munetaka Murakami, White Sox (46); Nick Kurtz, Athletics (45)
National League: James Wood, Nationals (50); Oneil Cruz, Pirates (48); Hunter Goodman, Rockies (46)
WALKS
American League: Nick Kurtz, Athletics (33); Mike Trout, Angels (32); Taylor Ward, Orioles (27)
National League: James Wood, Nationals (31); Ivan Herrera, Cardinals (25); Bryan Reynolds, Pirates (25)
The Highest on-base percentage among players with at least 75 March/April at bats was .462, by the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez. The NL leader was the Marlins’ Xaviere Edwards at .432.
__________________________________
PITCHING VICTORIES
American League: Jose Soriano, Angels (5-1); Gavin Williams, Guardians (5-1); five with 4
National League: Aaron Ashby, Brewers (5-0); Landen Roupp, Giants (5-1); Chris Sale, Braves (5-1)
Twelve MLB pitchers finished March/April with four losses.
EARNED RUN AVERAGE (minimum 25 March/April innings)
American League: Jose Soriano, Angels (0.84); Cam Schlittler, Yankees (1.51); Nick Martinez, Rays (1.70)
National League: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers (0.60); Justin Wrobleski, Dodgers (1.50): Clay Holmes, Mets, 1.75. (1.88)
STRIKEOUTS
American League: Gavin Williams, Guardians (53K / 43 1/3 IP); Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (49K / 31 1/3 IP); Jose Soriano, Angels (49K / 41 2/3 IP); Cam Schlittler, Yankees (49K / 41 2/3 IP)
National League: Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers (51K / 32 2/3 IP); Christopher Sanchez, Phillies (50K / 40 1/3 IP); Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (47K / 38 2/3 IP)
WALKS + HITS/INNINGS PITCHED (at least 25 March/April innings)
American League: Cam Schlittler, Yankees (0.74); Max Fried,m Yankees (0.80); Drew Rasmussen, Rays (0.85)
National League: Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (0.83); Nolan McLean, Mets (0.85); Paul Skenes, Pirates (0.85)
Among pitchers with at least 25 March/April innings, the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow held batters to the lowest average at .146.
SAVES
American League: David Bednar, Yankees (9); five with seven
National League: Mason Miller, Padres (10); Riley O’Brien, Cardinals (8) ; Paul Sewald, D-backs (7)
Mason Miller of the Padres saved the most games without a blown save in March/April (ten).
Bonus:
Among pitchers who faced at least 75 batters in March/April:
- The Blue Jays’ Dylan Cease fanned the most batters per nine innings at 14.07, the Brewers Jacob Misiorowski was right on his tail at 14.05;
- The Yankees’ Cam Schlittler had the best strikeouts-to-walks ratio at 8.17. (He walked six batters and fanned 419 in 41 2/3 innings.)
Zack Littell of the Nationals gave up the most March/April home runs … 13 roundtrippers in 28 2/3 innings.
Primary Resources: MLB.com; Stathead.com; Get To Know D-Backs Top Pick Druw Jones, by Manny Randhawa; Highest Major League Baseball Payrolls and Player Salaries for 2026 Season, by Kyle Koster, Sports Illustrated.
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