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What’s Happening in Baseball Today
The First Pitch: May 14, 2026
The Yankees get no runs—and almost no hits—at Baltimore, and may have no Max Fried for a while. In a 7-0 loss at Baltimore, Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s fifth-inning double off of Orioles starter Kyle Bradish is New York’s only hit of the game, while Fried makes a beeline to the clubhouse after allowing three runs in three innings with was is believed to be a hyperextended elbow. Tests are to be performed today to determine the extent of the injury—and the extent of the Yankee ace’s potential absence.
The one-hit shutout for the Orioles, courtesy of Bradish (six innings) and three relievers each pitching a hitless inning, is their first blanking of the year. They’re one of two teams—the Twins being the other—who have yet to be shut out in 2026.
Shohei Ohtani makes it look easy again on the mound—though to be fair, it’s actually easy for almost any pitcher when facing the punchless Giants. In a 4-0 win at Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ two-way star tosses seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts to lower his season ERA to 0.82—the second-lowest figure by a Dodgers pitcher after the first seven starts of a season, after Fernando Valenzuela’s incomparable 1981 start (0.29).
In five career starts against San Francisco, Ohtani has authored a 0.32 ERA—the lowest by any pitcher against the Giants through the first five starts of one’s career.
It’s the eighth time this year that the Giants have been shut out. No other team has been blanked more than five times.
So many things are happening in threes for the Padres’ Gavin Sheets. At Milwaukee, the 30-year-old first baseman punches out a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to erase a 1-0 Brewers lead; Mason Miller takes it from there, closing out the Brewers in the bottom half of the frame for his MLB-leading 13th save and a 3-1 San Diego win.
Sheets’ three-run, go-ahead blast is already his third in the ninth inning or later this season; no other batter had previously done that more than twice in a full season.
MLB players seem to have a pretty good understanding of the rules regarding the new ABS challenge system; now, if the umpires would just follow suit. At New York, the Mets are trailing Detroit in the sixth inning, 2-1, when Brett Baty takes a Framber Valdez pitch at the knees for a called strike. Baty briefly motions with his right arm held upward toward home plate umpire Junior Valentine, who believes he’s calling for a challenge on the pitch. But Baty challenges the challenge, saying he didn’t do the required double-tap of the top of his helmet (let alone even reach to his helmet) and wasn’t asking for one. Valentine ignores him and calls for the review—which confirms the strike.
Baty ends up striking out, and the Mets are out of challenges for the rest of the game—but manage to come back and overcome the Tigers in 10 innings, 3-2.
Growing pains are expected with the new ABS process—we’re actually surprised that there has yet to be an instance of an umpire mistaking a player’s adjusting his helmet as a double-tap signal for a challenge—but Valentine’s misinterpretation looks pretty bad.
Unassisted double plays by an outfielder were a more common thing back in the deadball era; Tris Speaker had six alone throughout his Hall-of-Fame career. So, it’s something of a big deal when someone in this day and age completes the solo double from the outfield. It happens in Pittsburgh, where Colorado’s Jake McCarthy quickly ends the first inning by snaring a liner from the Pirates’ Kevin Reynolds in left field, then with his momentum jogs to second base and doubles up Oneil Cruz, who was running on contact. McCarthy will also contribute at the plate with an RBI double during the Rockies’ six-run fifth—the big rally in a 10-4 win.
The unassisted double play by McCarthy is the first ever accomplished by a Rockies outfielder, and the first by any major leaguer since Boston’ Jonny Gomes in 2013.
Minnesota slugger Josh Bell steals his first base since 2018, a span of 969 games which, according to baseball-reference.com, is the third longest by a non-pitching major leaguer—trailing Cecil Fielder (1,078) and Tony Clark (973 games). Bell’s theft, the fifth of his 11-year career, isn’t enough as the Twins suffer a 9-5 loss to the visiting Marlins.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Hitters Edition)
5-1-3-5—Mickey Moniak, Colorado
Is Moniak the real thing, or the latest Coors Field stat-padded fraud? The 28-year-old outfielder, who just two years ago was struggling to stay relevant in Anaheim, finished a simple single shy of the cycle—with a three-run homer, his 12th of the year, being the big blow in the Rockies’ six-run rally in the fifth during their 10-4 win at Pittsburgh. As for those fraud accusations, well…Moniak is batting .358 with nine homers and 15 RBIs at Denver; on the road, he’s at .267 with three dingers and 11 RBIs. You be the judge.
Congrats, Your Box Score Line Was the Best (Pitchers Edition)
7-4-0-0-0-10—Jason Misiorowski, Milwaukee
The über-powered pitcher wasn’t at his jaw-dropping peak of his previous start, when it seemed every other delivery he threw was over 103 MPH. But he was still danged impressive against the Padres, hitting 100 or higher on 40 of his pitches—the fifth highest number by a starting pitcher since in the pitch-tracking (since 2008) era. If only Misiorowski could just start working on his leg strength; the 6’7”pitcher had to depart for the second time in three starts with cramps in his right leg area. He left the game with the Brewers holding to a 1-0 lead over the visiting Padres; they lost it in the ninth, 3-1.
It Was Whatever-Something Years Ago Today
1927: Tragedy strikes Philadelphia’s Baker Bowl for the second time in 25 years. A covered grandstand gives way after fans had flocked for cover during a cloudburst; one is killed from an ensuing stampede to escape the wreckage, and as many as 100 others are injured, though none seriously. The game between the Phillies and Cardinals is halted with Philadelphia ahead, 12-4; the Phillies will play their next 12 home games at Shibe Park before returning to the patched-up ballpark.
1972: In his first game as a New York Met after being traded by the Giants, 41-year-old Willie Mays homers against his former team at Shea Stadium. The solo shot is the eventual winning score in a 5-4 New York victory.
You Say It’s Your Birthday
Happy birthday to:
Brenton Doyle (28), Colorado center fielder and recipient of Gold Gloves in his first two seasons
Colorado pitcher Kyle Freeland (33), who experienced one of the best years by a Rockies pitcher in 2018 with a 17-7 record and 2.85 ERA
2010s reliever Luke Gregerson (42), who appeared in 646 games with 66 saves
Dennis Martinez (72), 23-year pitcher whose career started well, slumped midway through due to alcoholism, then rebounded with a stifling third act that included four All-Star appearances, 1991 NL ERA title and perfect game; 245 career wins
Dave LaRoche (78), 1970s reliever/closer who saved 126 games; two-time All-Star (1976-77)
Tony Perez (84), Cuban-born Hall of Famer who made seven All-Star teams as first baseman for the Reds; 379 career home runs; seven-time collector of 100+ RBIs
Born on this date:
Roy Halladay (1977), Hall-of-Fame workhorse who compiled 67 career complete games; two-time Cy Young winner; top pitcher of the 2000s; threw both a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter for 2010 Phillies; died at age 40 in bizarre airplane crash
Dick Tidrow (1947), winner of 100 games; early career starter, converted to reliever; led majors with 84 appearances for 1980 Cubs
Dick Hoswer (1936), 1960s infielder who made bigger mark as manager of 1985 champion Royals; died shortly afterward from brain tumor complications
Earle Combs (1899), Hall-of-Fame center fielder/sparkplug for Yankees from 1924-35; eight times scored 100+ runs; led majors three times in triples, with career-high 23 in 1927; hit .350 in 16 World Series games
Shameless Link of the Day
What was happening in the 1971 baseball season? Find out here.
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