August 13th, 2025

⚾ Headlines Around the League

Brewers 14, Pirates 0 — Milwaukee Mashes Skenes, Extends Streak to 11

Angels 7, Dodgers 6 — Triple Play Sparks Halos’ Extra-Inning Walk-Off

Mets 13, Braves 5 — Alonso’s Record-Breaking Night Ignites Mets Power Surge

Red Sox 14, Astros 1 — May Mows Down Houston as Boston Bats Erupt

Blue Jays 5, Cubs 1 — Clement’s Blast, Varsho’s Insurance Lift Toronto

Happy Wednesday!

We had a wild day of baseball yesterday as the Brewers extended their winning streak to 11 games. They’re playing incredible baseball right now and just handled Paul Skenes who is arguably the best pitcher in the league.

We’ve got a lot more to cover today, but first, a quick shoutout to the sponsor for this edition of First Pitch. If you enjoy getting quick to read news updates in your inbox every morning, check out Morning Brew. It’s one of my go-to reads, and I think you’ll like it too.

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Late night drama out on the West Coast as the Dodgers and Angels went back and forth in a must-watch game. Tied 5–5 in the 6th, Ohtani stepped up against his former team with two on and nobody out, looking to blow it open. You’ve got to see what happened next in that at-bat:

For me, this was the game of the night. If you want the full highlights I’ve linked the video here.

We also had some long-awaited history in Queens. Pete Alonso etched his name into the Mets record books, passing the great Darryl Strawberry for most home runs in franchise history. Alonso has been one of the Mets’ brightest stars since his 2019 debut (holy shit, I’m getting old), and it’s awesome to see a homegrown player shine under the biggest lights. Check out the homer here:

And lastly, check out this must watch defensive gem from Bo and Vladdy. Absolute wizardry on both sides of the ball. I’ve watched this about 50 times already as usual and it never gets old:

Hope you all have a fantastic Wednesday, see you tomorrow for the next edition of First Pitch!
- Ryan

🔥 Notable Performances

Hitting

Pitching

📊 Final Scores and Highlights

Brewers 14, Pirates 0

The Brewers erupted for five homers and chased Paul Skenes in the fourth inning, rolling to a 14-0 rout and matching their second 11-game win streak in just over a month. Freddy Peralta tossed six scoreless frames to notch his MLB-best 14th win.

🔑 Key Moments

• Sal Frelick wasted no time setting the tone, drilling a leadoff homer to right — the first first-inning run allowed by Paul Skenes all season — igniting a fired-up Milwaukee dugout.

• With two outs in the third, William Contreras lined a double into center to score Frelick, who had singled earlier, doubling the Brewers’ lead and putting more heat on Skenes.

• The Pirates threatened in the fourth, but Caleb Durbin, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn turned a sharp 5-4-3 double play to snuff out the rally and keep Peralta’s shutout intact.

• Brice Turang delivered a towering solo blast to straightaway center in the fourth, his fourth consecutive start with a homer, as the Brewers’ lead swelled.

• In the fifth, Christian Yelich crushed a two-run shot to left-center, sending Skenes to the showers and Milwaukee’s offense into overdrive.

• The onslaught continued in the sixth when Andrew Vaughn launched a three-run homer deep to left, pushing the score into double digits and all but sealing the game.

• Even in the late innings, Milwaukee didn’t let up — Caleb Durbin capped the night with a two-run homer to center in the eighth, punctuating the Brewers’ most lopsided win of the season.

📊 Notable Stats

Brewers

• Sal Frelick: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 BB

• William Contreras: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB

• Christian Yelich: 3-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB

• Andrew Vaughn: 1-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR

• Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR

• Brice Turang: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR

• Freddy Peralta: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Pirates

• Spencer Horwitz: 1-for-4

• Nick Gonzales: 1-for-4

• Bryan Reynolds: 1-for-3

• Isiah Kiner-Falefa: 1-for-3, 2B

Angels 7, Dodgers 6

The Angels turned a rare triple play, tied the game in the ninth on a Nolan Schanuel sac fly, and walked it off in the 10th when Jo Adell’s chopper sailed over Max Muncy’s head to score Taylor Ward, giving the Halos their sixth straight Freeway Series win.

🔑 Key Moments

• Taylor Ward ripped an RBI single in the first, then doubled the lead with a solo shot in the third — his 28th homer — moving into second in the AL with 89 RBIs.

• Bryce Teodosio picked up his first career RBI with a fourth-inning double to make it 5-3.

• Dalton Rushing tied it for L.A. with a two-run homer in the second, then Teoscar Hernández added two RBI singles.

• In the sixth, the Angels pulled off their eighth triple play in franchise history — Zach Neto to Nolan Schanuel — to erase a big Dodgers threat.

• Shohei Ohtani crushed a go-ahead homer (43) in the ninth, but the Halos answered with a Schanuel sac fly to force extras.

• In the 10th, Christian Moore bunted for a hit before Adell delivered the game-winner.

📊 Notable Stats

Angels

• Taylor Ward: 2-for-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR

• Bryce Teodosio: 1-for-3, RBI, 2B

• Jo Adell: 1-for-5, 2 RBI (walk-off single)

• Luis Rengifo: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB

• Victor Mederos: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Dodgers

• Shohei Ohtani: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, 2 BB

• Teoscar Hernández: 2-for-5, 2 RBI

• Dalton Rushing: 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR

• Freddie Freeman: 2-for-5, R, SB

Mets 13, Braves 5

Pete Alonso etched his name atop Mets history, launching his 253rd and 254th career homers to pass Darryl Strawberry as the franchise’s all-time leader. Citi Field roared as Alonso delivered the milestone shot off Spencer Strider, then added another in a blowout win that snapped New York’s seven-game skid. Six total Mets homers turned the night into a celebration of both history and much-needed momentum.

🔑 Key Moments

• With the game tied in the second, Cedric Mullins lined an RBI single to center, setting the stage for Francisco Alvarez, who crushed a two-run blast to right-center to give the Mets a 3-1 lead and fire up the crowd.

• In the third, Pete Alonso turned on a Strider fastball and sent it into the visiting bullpen — his 253rd career homer — officially making him the Mets’ home run king. He grinned around the bases, embraced long-time teammates, and soaked in a deafening curtain call.

• The Braves fought back in the fourth as Nacho Alvarez Jr. roped a two-run double and Matt Olson followed with an RBI double to tie it at 5-5.

• The deadlock didn’t last long — in the bottom half, Brandon Nimmo smashed a tiebreaking three-run homer into the right-center seats, swinging the momentum squarely back to New York.

• Alonso wasn’t done. In the sixth, he crushed a solo shot to center — No. 254 — sending Citi Field into another frenzy and putting the Mets ahead 11-5.

• The seventh brought more fireworks: Alvarez connected for his second homer of the game, and Brett Baty followed with a solo blast, capping a six-homer night that had the scoreboard announcing they’d run out of pyrotechnics.

📊 Notable Stats

Mets

• Pete Alonso: 3-for-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, 2B

• Francisco Alvarez: 3-for-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, 2B

• Brandon Nimmo: 2-for-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR

• Brett Baty: 2-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR

• Cedric Mullins: 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, 2B

• Justin Hagenman: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Braves

• Matt Olson: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 2B

• Nacho Alvarez Jr.: 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B

• Michael Harris II: 2-for-4, R

Red Sox 14, Astros 1

Dustin May was locked in from the start, silencing Houston over six scoreless innings while the Boston lineup delivered three homers and eight walks in a blowout win. The right-hander struck out eight and earned his first victory as a member of the Red Sox, backed by long balls from Carlos Narváez, Alex Bregman, and Roman Anthony.

🔑 Key Moments

• With the bases loaded in the third, Trevor Story took one for the team — literally — getting hit by a pitch to force in Carlos Narváez for the game’s first run. The small-ball tally was enough to give May an early cushion.

• In the sixth, Carlos Narváez broke the game open. With two on and two out, he crushed a three-run blast to left, extending the lead to 5-0 and sending the Boston dugout into celebration.

• Just a few pitches later, Alex Bregman made it back-to-back fireworks, launching a two-run homer to right for his second straight game going deep against his former club.

• In the eighth, Roman Anthony added the exclamation point with a towering solo shot to center — his second homer in as many nights — capping a night where he also drew four walks.

• Left-hander Jovani Morán, pitching in his first MLB game since August 2023, worked the final two frames to seal Boston’s most lopsided win of the season.

📊 Notable Stats

Red Sox

• Roman Anthony: 1-for-2, 4 R, RBI, HR, 4 BB, SB

• Alex Bregman: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, BB

• Trevor Story: 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB

• Carlos Narváez: 2-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR

• Dustin May: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (W, 7-8)

Astros

• Jeremy Peña: 3-for-5, SB

• Yainer Díaz: 2-for-4

Blue Jays 5, Cubs 1

Ernie Clement’s three-run homer and a dominant effort from José Berríos set the tone as the Blue Jays secured a 5-1 win over the Cubs at Rogers Centre. Toronto’s offense delivered timely power, and the bullpen shut the door with eight strikeouts over the final 3 2/3 innings.

🔑 Key Moments

• In the first inning, Alejandro Kirk got Toronto rolling with a sharp ground-ball single up the middle, bringing Bo Bichette home and giving the Jays an early lead.

• With two runners aboard in the fourth, Ernie Clement jumped on a pitch and sent it soaring over the left-field wall, a three-run shot that broke the game wide open and had the crowd roaring.

• In the seventh, the Cubs threatened to chip away, but reliever Brendon Little stepped in and struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong to end the inning, stranding two runners and preserving the lead.

• The eighth inning brought more fireworks when Daulton Varsho crushed a solo homer to right, padding Toronto’s advantage and removing any doubt.

📊 Notable Stats

Blue Jays

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: 3-for-4

• Daulton Varsho: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI

• Ty France: 2-for-3, R, 2B

• Ernie Clement: 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI

• Alejandro Kirk: 1-for-3, RBI

• José Berríos: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K (W)

Cubs

• Michael Busch: 1-for-4, RBI

• Carson Kelly: 1-for-3, BB

• Dansby Swanson: 1-for-3, R, SB

• Pete Crow-Armstrong: (3-for-37 in August, 14 Ks)

Other scores around the league:

Mariners 1, Orioles 0
G. Kirby: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 7 SO
D. Kremer: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB

Guardians 4, Marlins 3
J. Ramirez: 3-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI
C. Smith: 1.1 IP, 1 SO

Reds 6, Phillies 1
B. Singer: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 6 SO
M. Lazar: 2.0 IP, 1 SO

Yankees 9, Twins 1
C. Rodon: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
G. Stanton: 4-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Royals 8, Nationals 5
M. Wacha: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 SO, 2 BB
V. Pasquantino: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI

Rockies 3, Cardinals 0
K. Freeland: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 SO, 2 BB
V. Vodnik: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 SO

Diamondbacks 3, Rangers 2
K. Marte: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
J. Morillo: 1.0 IP

White Sox 9, Tigers 6
Y. Gomez: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB
E. Quero: 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Padres 5, Giants 1
J. Adam: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 SO
R. Laureano: 2-3, 2 R

Athletics 6, Rays 0
J. Lopez: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 9 SO
C. Thomas: 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI

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