First Pitch - April 21st, 2026

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☝️👇 3 Up, 3 Down
J-Rod makes a ridiculous catch on a dancing liner, tempers flare after another HBP drama in Atlanta, and Elly steals a hit with another absurd defensive play.

🌊 Athletics 6, Mariners 4 — A’s rally from early hole to take opener

🐦 Orioles 7, Royals 5 (F/12) — Basallo comes through twice in wild extras win

🔥 Braves 9, Nationals 4 — Atlanta rolls after Acuña injury scare

⚾➕ Extra Innings

🤯 J-Rod Defies Physics: Knuckleball Liner Snagged

A 107.5 mph liner started dancing midair and Julio Rodríguez somehow tracked it down, adjusting on the fly and making an unreal catch in center.

😬 HBP Drama: Things Get Chippy Fast

Ronald Acuña Jr. exits after getting hit for the second time, and the very next half inning Bryce Elder drills CJ Abrams as tensions boil over.

😳 Are You Kidding?! Elly Steals a Hit from Caminero

A 112.6 mph rocket somehow turns into an out as De La Cruz makes another jaw-dropping play.

Athletics 6, Mariners 4 — A’s erase early three-run hole behind Cortes’ breakout night

The Athletics fell behind 3-0 early, but their offense kept chipping away before breaking through late to take the opener in Seattle.

The Mariners struck first with solo homers from Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone, plus an RBI double from Josh Naylor to grab control in the first two innings.

The comeback started in the fourth when Carlos Cortes launched a solo homer, then the A’s pulled even in the sixth on back-to-back solo shots from Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers.

With the game tied in the eighth, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson helped set the table before Max Muncy brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly. Lawrence Butler followed with a two-run single to give the Athletics the cushion they needed.

J.T. Ginn settled in after the rough start, and the bullpen helped lock it down the rest of the way as the A’s moved into sole possession of first place in the AL West.

📊 Notable Stats

Athletics

Carlos Cortes: 4-5, HR, RBI, R
Nick Kurtz: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
Shea Langeliers: 1-5, HR, RBI, R
Lawrence Butler: 2-4, 2 RBI
Tyler Soderstrom: 2-5, 2B, R
J.T. Ginn: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 K

Mariners

Josh Naylor: 3-4, 2B, RBI
Cal Raleigh: 1-5, HR, RBI, R
Dominic Canzone: 2-4, HR, RBI, R
Julio Rodríguez: 2-4, R
Leo Rivas: 1-4, RBI

Orioles 7, Royals 5 — Basallo comes through twice as O’s outlast Royals in 12

The Orioles looked finished more than once, but Samuel Basallo refused to let them go quietly in a wild extra-inning win over the Royals.

For most of the night, Kansas City controlled the game behind Seth Lugo, who held Baltimore to just one hit through seven innings. The Royals got their only early run on Jac Caglianone’s solo homer in the second, while Kyle Bradish kept the Orioles close by working through constant traffic and multiple jams.

The breakthrough finally came in the ninth, when Basallo delivered a two-out, two-strike RBI single to tie the game and force extras. After the teams traded runs in the 11th, Basallo struck again in the 12th with another go-ahead RBI single to the opposite field.

That opened the floodgates. Leody Taveras followed with a grand slam to center, giving the Orioles the breathing room they needed to survive a late Royals push in the bottom half.

Baltimore’s bullpen did just enough the rest of the way, and the Orioles escaped with one of their wildest wins of the season.

📊 Notable Stats

Orioles

Samuel Basallo: 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R
Leody Taveras: 1-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
Dylan Beavers: 1-5, RBI, R
Kyle Bradish: 5.1 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 7 K
Anthony Nunez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 K

Royals

Maikel Garcia: 3-6
Salvador Perez: 3-6, R
Nick Loftin: 2-2, 2B, 3 RBI
Bobby Witt Jr.: 2-5, RBI
Jac Caglianone: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
Seth Lugo: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K

Braves 9, Nationals 4 — Atlanta pulls away after Acuña injury scare

The Braves overcame an early deficit and another scary moment involving Ronald Acuña Jr. to beat the Nationals and extend their winning streak to six games.

Washington jumped ahead early with a two-run single from Jacob Young in the first, then took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Daylen Lile’s solo homer. But Atlanta answered quickly behind Matt Olson, who crushed a game-tying two-run homer in the fourth.

The game turned in the sixth after Acuña was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game. With the bases loaded, Drake Baldwin ripped a bases-clearing double to put the Braves in front for good. Ozzie Albies followed with an RBI single, and Michael Harris II added another run-scoring hit as Atlanta broke it open.

The biggest relief of the night came after Acuña exited the game. X-rays on his left hand came back negative, sparing the Braves from a much worse outcome as they rolled to another win.

📊 Notable Stats

Braves

Ronald Acuña Jr.: 0-1, R, 2 HBP
Drake Baldwin: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Matt Olson: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
Ozzie Albies: 1-4, RBI, R
Michael Harris II: 1-4, RBI
Bryce Elder: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Nationals

Daylen Lile: 1-3, HR, RBI, R, BB
Jacob Young: 1-4, 2 RBI
Brady House: 1-4, R
CJ Abrams: 0-2, 2 R, BB, HBP
Jake Irvin: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 4 K