NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani homered on the 100th anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium, following Babe Ruth’s example with a loud two-run drive in the first inning that started the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-2 win over New York on Tuesday night.

In a starry matchup that included three AL MVPs, Ohtani turned on a 88.7 mph sweeper from Clarke Schmidt (0-1) and hit a 116.7 mph shot into the Yankees bullpen in right-center, 391 feet from home plate. After his fourth home run this season and eighth in 18 games against the Yankees, Ohtani celebrated with teammates in the dugout with a kabuto helmet modeled on one used by ancient Japanese warriors.

When the original Yankee Stadium opened across 161st St. on April 18, 1923, Ruth capped a four-run third inning with a three-run homer off Boston’s Howard Ehmke in New York’s 4-1 win to inaugurate America’s first three-deck stadium.

Ohtani took a rare round of on-field batting practice in nearly empty Yankee Stadium, a more modern version that replaced the old ballpark in 2009. The 2021 AL MVP is baseball’s most famous two-way player since Ruth, and has bettered the Bambino by simultaneously starring as a full-time pitcher and hitter.

TIGERS SWEEP GUARDIANS: Riley Greene hit a sixth-inning homer and Eduardo Rodriguez pitched eight scoreless innings, helping Detroit beat visting Cleveland to sweep a doubleheader.

Rodriguez (1-2) allowed four hits, no walks and struck out 10 while matching the longest outing of his career. The left-hander lasted eight innings for the first time since 2017 when he played for the Boston Red Sox.

Jason Foley pitched the ninth for his first save, sealing Detroit’s fifth straight win. The Tigers won their previous three games with walk-off hits.

Detroit had a pair of key defensive plays to earn the latest victory. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop made a diving stop up the middle to take a potential single away from pinch-hitter Steven Kwan in the eighth inning with a runner on second. In the fifth, Tigers right fielder Matt Vierling leaped to catch Josh Naylor’s drive that cleared the right-field wall.

Cleveland’s Peyton Battenfield (0-1) gave up three hits, including Greene’s opposite-field homer to left field, and three walks in six innings.

Kerry Carpenter hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth of the opener, lifting the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Guardians.

RANGERS 12, ROYALS 2: Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer during a five-run sixth inning, Adolis Garcia added another three-run homer in the eighth, and Texas pounced on some poor Kansas City pitching in a victory in Kansas City, Missouri.

Sandy León also drove in a pair of runs, and three Rangers that reached base on walks from erratic Royals starter Brad Keller also scored, as Texas (11-6) improved to five games over .500 for the first time since July 16, 2019.

The Rangers also dealt the Royals their fifth straight loss. They are 1-11 at home this season.

INTERLEAGUE

RAYS 10, REDS 0: Taylor Walls homered twice and drove in four runs and rookie right-hander Taj Bradley dazzled in his second start as Tampa Bay won in Cincinnati.

Yandy Diaz hit a three-run homer, and Randy Arozarena also went deep as the Rays handed Reds lefty Nick Lodolo his first loss of the season.

The Rays have homered in each of their first 18 games this season, the second-longest home run streak to begin a campaign since the 2019 Mariners went deep in 20 straight games.

ORIOLES 1, NATIONALS 0: Dean Kremer pitched impressively into the seventh inning and Austin Hays singled home the game’s only run in the fourth to lift Baltimore to a win in Washington.

Kremer (1-0) worked out of a second-and-third, nobody-out jam in the third, and that was as close as the Nationals came to scoring on the right-hander. He allowed only four hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out six without a walk.

Danny Coulombe got the final out of the seventh, Yennier Cano breezed through the eighth and Félix Bautista pitched the ninth for his fifth save. The Nationals had the tying run on second when Bautista retired Keibert Ruiz on a groundout to end it.

WHITE SOX, PHILLIES SPLIT: Lucas Giolito and four relievers combined on a one-hitter, and Chicago beat visiting Philadelphia to split a doubleheader.

Brandon Marsh had Philadelphia’s only hit, an opposite-field double to left on reliever Aaron Bummer’s first pitch of the eighth inning.

Giolito was pulled after throwing 102 pitches in six innings. He struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter. Kendall Graveman retired the side on eight pitches in the seventh, Bummer got two outs in the eighth and Reynaldo Lopez set down the last four batters, striking out three, to earn his third save.

Jake Burger hit his fourth homer in five games, a three-run shot to left field in the first inning off left-hander Bailey Falter (1-2).

In the first game, Philadelphia’s Josh Harrison homered among his three hits and drove in four runs, and four relievers combined for four perfect innings as the Phillies won 7-4.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

MARLINS 4, GIANTS 2: Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a go-ahead three-run homer and Miami won at home.

Jorge Soler had three hits and Luis Arraez singled twice for the Marlins, who have won six of seven.

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera limited San Francisco to two runs and six hits over six innings. Cabrera (1-1) walked two and struck out eight.

NOTES

YANKEES: Giancarlo Stanton is likely to be sidelined for six weeks because of a strained left hamstring, the latest in a string of injuries for New York slugger.

Stanton has not played a full season since 2018, the first year after the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins.

He was hurt Saturday while running out a two-run double in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees placed him on the injured list the following day, his seventh trip to the injured list/disabled list in five seasons with the Yankees and 11th in 14 major league seasons.

ANGELS: Shohei Ohtani will make his next mound start for Los Angeles in Friday night’s homestand opener against the Kansas City Royals.

The two-way Japanese star threw just two innings and 31 pitches in Monday’s start at Boston before his outing was cut short by an 85-minute rain delay.

“We kind of look at this as a lengthy bullpen,” Angels Manager Phil Nevin said. “Just get him right back out there. And it makes sense if you line it up with some travel days.”

Ohtani is 2-0 with a 0.86 ERA in four starts, striking out 27 and walking 13 in 21 innings. He entered a series opener at Yankee Stadium with a .298 batting average, three homers and nine RBI.

RAYS: Left-hander Jeffrey Springs was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow flexor strain that may require Tommy John surgery.

The 30-year-old Springs, a breakout star during the Rays’ 13-0 start to the season, met Tuesday with Dr. Keith Meister, who specializes in the elbow ligament replacement procedure.

“Obviously, he’s going on the IL with an elbow issue,” Manager Kevin Cash said before Tampa Bay’s game at Cincinnati. “I think in fairness to Jeff, he’s still processing the information that he’s gotten. He met with the doctor. So I think we’re a day or two from him coming up with a decision on what is ideal for him and then a timetable from there.”

Tommy John surgery would end Springs’ season.

Springs left after throwing two pitches in the fourth inning Thursday against Boston. He threw a 79.8 mph changeup and a 83.5 mph slider to Justin Turner, then looked at his hand and elbow. His injury was initially diagnosed as ulnar nerve inflammation.

METS: New York is down another starting pitcher after placing right-hander Carlos Carrasco on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation.

Right-handed reliever Jeff Brigham was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.

Carrasco joins right-hander Justin Verlander (upper back) and left-hander José Quintana (ribs) among Mets starters on the IL. Tylor Megill and David Peterson have been filling in since the start of the season, and José Butto was called up from the minors to make a spot start Sunday in Oakland.

Verlander is expected to throw live batting practice Sunday and could make a rehab start as soon as April 28, according to manager Buck Showalter. Verlander threw a bullpen on Tuesday.

PHILLIES: All-Star slugger Bryce Harper faced a left-hander for the first time in his quest to return sooner from Tommy John surgery.

“I’m going to keep pushing the envelope and trying to do everything I can to be ready,” Harper said after facing Ranger Suarez prior to Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox.

This marked only the second time Harper has faced live pitching, and he admitted “I still need to get into the grind of things.”

Harper saw 16 pitches, and he hit a fly to center, grounded to second base, fouled three pitches and swung and missed three times against Suarez.

REDS: Right-hander Hunter Greene agree to a six-year, $53 million contract extension, the club announced.

The contract is guaranteed through the 2028 season and includes a $21 million club option, with a $2 million buyout, for 2029.

Greene, 23, became the first Reds pitcher age 25 or younger to start on Opening Day since 1980.

Greene started Monday night and left after three innings after being struck on the right leg by a comebacker. X-rays were negative, and he is expected to make his next start.

In his big-league career, Greene has produced 188 strikeouts while allowing just 124 hits in 142 2/3 innings. Last season, he became the only major-league rookie since 1900 to have at least three appearances in which he threw six or more innings and had eight or more strikeouts.

RULES: Major League Baseball isn’t done tinkering with potential rule changes for the sport.

The league announced a series of experimental rules that will be used in the Atlantic League this season, including a designated pinch runner, “double-hook” designated hitter rule and further limitations on a pitcher’s ability to make pickoff moves.

The designated pinch runner rule allows a player who is not in the starting lineup to be used at any point of the game as a substitute baserunner. The player who was subbed out, as well as the pinch runner, would still be able to return to the game.

The “double-hook” designated hitter rule allows teams to use the DH throughout the game as long as the starting pitcher throws at least five innings. If that doesn’t occur, the team loses its DH and the pitcher’s spot would bat for the remainder of the game. The rule was also used in the Atlantic League last season.

There’s also a single disengagement rule, which means pitchers can only take their foot off the rubber once per at-bat to attempt a pickoff or reset the pitch clock.

Copy the Story Link

« Previous

NHL roundup: Shesterkin, Kreider help Rangers rip Devils 5-1 in Game 1

Next »

NBA roundup: Cavs dominate Knicks 107-90 to even series