MLB roundup: Aaron Judge homers in Yankees’ opening win
Mar 30, 2023; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a solo home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Judge homered in his first at-bat, Gerrit Cole struck out 11 in six sharp innings and the host New York Yankees beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on the Thursday in the season opener for both teams.
After hitting an AL-record 62 home runs last season to break Roger Maris’ record, Judge homered against the team he grew up rooting for and the team who courted him in free agency.
Article continues after this advertisementIn his first appearance since signing a nine-year, $360 million contract, Judge lifted an 0-1 sinker from Logan Webb over the center field fence atop the netting above Monument Park. The 422-foot drive was Judge’s first career Opening Day homer.
In his fourth straight Opening Day start, Cole (1-0) allowed three hits and surpassed Tim Leary (1991) for the team strikeout record in a season opener. Webb (0-1) allowed four runs on four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out a career-high 12.
Rockies 7, Padres 2
C.J. Cron hit a pair of homers and drove in five runs as Colorado defeated host San Diego.
Article continues after this advertisementRight-hander German Marquez (1-0) allowed two runs on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts over six innings to earn the win for the Rockies.
Padres starter Blake Snell (0-1) took the loss, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
A’s 2, Angels 1
Tony Kemp and Aledmys Diaz spoiled Shohei Ohtani’s impressive season debut with RBI hits in a two-run, eighth-inning rally that delivered host Oakland a victory over Los Angeles.
Ohtani didn’t get a decision in the game despite leaving with a 1-0 lead after six innings, during which he limited the A’s to two hits and three walks. The star right-hander struck out 10, a figure he reached 10 times in 28 starts last season.
Rookie left-hander Kyle Muller, making his A’s debut, kept Oakland within striking distance, allowing just one run in his five innings, setting the stage for his teammates’ late heroics. Angels lefty Aaron Loup (0-1) took the loss while the A’s fourth pitcher, Trevor May (1-0), worked a scoreless eighth for the win.
Mariners 3, Guardians 0
Ty France hit an opposite-field, three-run homer with one out in the eighth inning as Seattle opened the season by beating visiting Cleveland.
Seattle’s Paul Sewald (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and fellow right-hander Andres Munoz worked the ninth for the save.
The starting pitchers, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber and Seattle’s Luis Castillo, battled through six scoreless innings. Castillo allowed one hit and no walks while striking out six. Bieber didn’t walk a batter and fanned three.
Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 2
Will Smith had three hits and drove in four runs, Julio Urias went six innings in his first Opening Day start and Los Angeles defeated visiting Arizona.
Rookie James Outman hit a home run while J.D. Martinez and David Peralta each had RBI singles in their Dodgers debuts. Urias (1-0) gave single runs in each of the first two innings but settled down to yield four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno each drove in a run for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen (0-1) gave up five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and seven strikeouts.
White Sox 3, Astros 2
Mar 30, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Yasmani Grandal slugged a game-tying home run in the eighth inning and Andrew Vaughn delivered a two-run double in the ninth as Chicago beat host Houston.
Vaughn plated Tim Anderson and Luis Robert Jr. with his one-out hit off Astros closer Ryan Pressly (0-1). Grandal struck an inning earlier off Rafael Montero, erasing a one-run deficit with his solo blast to right-center field with two outs.
White Sox starter Dylan Cease allowed one run and fanned 10 in 6 1/3 innings. Astros starter Framber Valdez fired five scoreless innings. Houston had its modern-day record of 10 consecutive Opening Day wins snapped.
Braves 7, Nationals 2
Mar 30, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) at bat during the fifth inning against the Washington Nationals with pitch clock at Nationals Park. Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Travis d’Arnaud had four hits and drove in two runs and Atlanta used six pitchers in a victory at Washington.
The reigning NL East champion Braves were boosted by three-run spots in the second and ninth innings, helping mitigate the impact of leaving 12 runners on base. Braves starter Max Fried left in the fourth inning with hamstring tightness. Atlanta led 4-1 when he exited after working 3 1/3 innings.
Joey Meneses, Kiebert Ruiz and newcomer Dominic Smith all had two hits for the Nationals, who were messy in the field and gave up three unearned runs.
Cubs 4, Brewers 0
Mar 30, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) slides to score against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Marcus Stroman struck out eight over six strong innings and Dansby Swanson had three hits and an RBI as Chicago opened its season with the victory over Milwaukee.
Stroman (1-0) was brilliant to begin his second campaign as a Cub, allowing three of the Brewers’ four hits and walking three on 90 pitches.
The Cubs did all their scoring in the bottom of the third off Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes (0-1), who yielded all four runs and four hits while walking three and striking out just three — after leading the NL with 243 punchouts last season.
Orioles 10, Red Sox 9
Mar 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida (7) makes a hit against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Adley Rutschman’s 5-for-5 Opening Day helped Baltimore to a win over host Boston.
Rutschman set the tone with a first-inning homer as Baltimore logged 15 hits, stole five bases and drew nine walks in the win.
Red Sox left fielder Masataka Yoshida had two hits in his major league debut. Alex Verdugo, Rafael Devers and Justin Turner had two hits and scored two runs apiece for the Red Sox, who trailed 10-4 after seven innings before scoring three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Rays 4, Tigers 0
Shane McClanahan hurled six shutout innings, Jose Siri homered in his first at-bat and Tampa Bay started its campaign with a win over Detroit in St. Petersburg, Fla.
McClanahan (1-0) allowed just four hits and five baserunners in his season debut. He fanned six and walked one. Siri slugged a third-inning homer and Wander Franco went deep leading off the eighth, while Randy Arozarena and pinch hitter Luke Raley notched RBI singles in the sixth.
Tigers starter Eduardo Rodriguez tossed 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits. He struck out five and walked two. Austin Meadows was 3-for-4 with a double.
Rangers 11, Phillies 7
Robbie Grossman and Brad Miller homered and Texas exploded for nine runs in the fourth inning in a victory over visiting Philadelphia at Arlington, Texas.
Grossman went 1-for-3 with a three-run blast and a walk, while Miller’s lone hit in four at-bats was a two-run shot. Adolis Garcia and Jonah Heim each had two hits and two RBIs with Marcus Semien adding two hits and a run for Texas.
Alec Bohm went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double, two runs and three RBIs for the Phillies. J.T Realmuto had three hits and Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh each added two for Philadelphia, which saw Trea Turner go 1-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run in his Phillies debut.
Mets 5, Marlins 3
Brandon Nimmo’s three RBIs backed Max Scherzer’s quality start, leading New York to an Opening Day victory over Miami.
Nimmo lined a sacrifice fly in the third for the Mets’ first run and delivered a go-ahead, two-run double in the seventh. David Robertson, making his Mets debut, earned the save with a scoreless ninth. Scherzer (1-0) did not give up a run before the sixth. He allowed three runs on four hits in six innings.
Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, was left with a no-decision after allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings. Garrett Cooper hit a two-run homer off Scherzer and made two stellar catches, including one that saved a run.
Pirates 5, Reds 4
Ji Hwan Bae went 2-for-3 and started a go-ahead rally with a walk and a stolen base as visiting Pittsburgh edged Cincinnati in the opener for both clubs.
Oneil Cruz, who earlier hit a 425-foot homer, drove a sacrifice fly to deep left in the eighth inning off Buck Farmer (0-1), scoring Bae to snap the 4-4 tie. Rob Zastryzny (1-0) earned the win, coming on to finish the sixth and pitching a perfect seventh. Pirates closer David Bednar pitched around a double in the ninth for the save.
Reds starter Hunter Greene allowed five hits and three runs over 3 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking one. Spencer Steer swatted a 435-foot solo shot and Jason Vosler ripped a two-run triple in front of a Great American Ball Park-record crowd of 44,063.
Twins 2, Royals 0
Pablo Lopez and four relievers combined on an Opening Day two-hitter as visiting Minnesota blanked Kansas City.
Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach and Christian Vazquez each had two hits for Minnesota, which spoiled the managerial debut of Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro. Lopez (1-0) made a strong first impression with his new club, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Minnesota broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the sixth inning. Buxton hit a leadoff triple off Zack Greinke (0-1) and scored on Larnach’s single. After Jose Miranda flied out, Amir Garrett replaced Greinke and walked Kyle Farmer. Pinch hitter Donovan Solano singled home Larnach.
Blue Jays 10, Cardinals 9
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the go-ahead sacrifice fly in a two-run ninth and had three RBIs as visiting Toronto defeated St. Louis.
George Springer had five hits and Bo Bichette added four hits for Toronto. Tyler O’Neill and Brendan Donovan hit two-run home runs for the Cardinals. It was O’Neill’s fourth consecutive Opening Day with a homer, tying a major league record.
Each starter allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings. Toronto’s Alek Manoah gave up nine hits, including two homers, and had three strikeouts. Miles Mikolas yielded 10 hits and struck out six for the Cardinals.
