First Pitch - April 23rd, 2026

⚾ Welcome to First Pitch - Today is Thursday, April 23rd.

WHEW! What a Wednesday.

Full recap below as always, but if you watch anything today, make sure it’s this homer from Oneil Cruz in Texas. I have to put this up top because any lower in the newsletter wouldn’t do it justice. He literally hit the ball off the top of the foul pole. I’ve never seen anything like it, just insane:

Have a great Thursday! As always, be kind out there and make sure to tell a friend or family member you love them. Cheers!

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🔥 Mets snap 12-game skid behind Vientos’ clutch late hit

🚶‍♂️ Naylor walks it off as Mariners rally late to avoid sweep

📈 Cubs stay red-hot, extend win streak to 8 with balanced attack

💪 Fried dominates again as Yankees ride elite pitching surge

🚀 Murakami homers in 5th straight, Bailey delivers big for Giants

💥 Bailey Breaks It Open: 3-Run Shot vs. Dodgers

LET’S F***ING GO PATRICK!!!!!!! Patrick Bailey unloads with a massive three-run homer to crack the game open and lead the Giants to a 3-0 win vs LAD.

🤨 Wait… That’s a Hit? Gilbert Gets Burned by Weird Play

Logan Gilbert snags a comebacker in his jersey… and somehow it’s ruled a base hit. Yeah, still trying to figure that one out.

🔥 Murakami Madness: 5 Straight Games with a Homer

At this point, just give him a permanent spot here on 3 Up 3 Down. Murakami homers for the fifth straight game and somehow keeps getting better.

Mets 3, Twins 2 — Vientos delivers late as Mets snap 12-game skid

After two weeks of frustration, the Mets finally got back in the win column, grinding out a much-needed victory behind a clutch late hit from Mark Vientos.

New York struck first in the opening inning as Francisco Lindor lined an RBI single to give the Mets an early lead. They added on in the fourth when Francisco Alvarez ripped a double to right-center, bringing Lindor home to make it 2-1.

Minnesota responded in the sixth, as Byron Buxton launched a solo homer to tie the game at 2-2 and shift momentum back toward the Twins.

The game hung in the balance until the eighth inning, when the Mets found their breakthrough. After Luke Weaver escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top half, Vientos came through in the bottom half with a two-out bloop single that dropped in right field, scoring Brett Baty for the go-ahead run.

Weaver then shut the door in the ninth, striking out the side to seal the win and finally end New York’s 12-game losing streak.

📊 Notable Stats

Mets

Francisco Lindor: 2-2, RBI, R
Francisco Alvarez: 1-3, RBI
Mark Vientos: 1-3, RBI
Bo Bichette: 1-4, R
Clay Holmes: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Luke Weaver: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Twins

Byron Buxton: 1-5, HR, RBI
Trevor Larnach: 1-3, R
Josh Bell: 1-4
Royce Lewis: 1-4
Connor Prielipp: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 K

Mariners 5, Athletics 4 — Naylor walks it off as Seattle’s core finally delivers

The Mariners finally got a breakthrough from the heart of their lineup, as Josh Naylor delivered a walk-off single to cap a dramatic 9th-inning rally and avoid the sweep.

Seattle fell behind early, with the Athletics jumping out to a 3-1 lead behind a sacrifice fly from Tyler Soderstrom and an RBI double from Jacob Wilson. But Cal Raleigh got the Mariners back in it with a solo homer in the third.

The Mariners chipped away and eventually took the lead in the seventh. Raleigh doubled to spark the inning, and Julio Rodríguez brought home the go-ahead run with a groundout to make it 4-3.

That lead didn’t last long, as Nick Kurtz crushed a game-tying homer in the ninth to even things at 4-4.

In the bottom half, Seattle looked like it might waste the opportunity after a double play erased a baserunner. But with two outs, the top of the order came through. Raleigh singled, Rodríguez followed with another hit, and Naylor lined a walk-off single to left to bring home the winning run.

📊 Notable Stats

Mariners

Cal Raleigh: 3-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
Julio Rodríguez: 2-5, RBI
Josh Naylor: 3-5, RBI, R (walk-off)
J.P. Crawford: 2-5, 2 R
Randy Arozarena: 2-3, RBI
Logan Gilbert: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Athletics

Nick Kurtz: 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB
Carlos Cortes: 2-5, R
Shea Langeliers: 1-5, R
Jacob Wilson: 2-4, RBI
Jeff McNeil: 1-3, RBI
Aaron Civale: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Cubs 7, Phillies 2 — Chicago stays hot with balanced attack, extends win streak to 8

The Cubs continued their dominant stretch, using contributions up and down the lineup to roll past the Phillies and extend their winning streak to eight games.

Chicago struck first on an RBI groundout from Ian Happ, but Philadelphia answered with two runs in the second to briefly take the lead. The Cubs quickly responded, tying the game on an RBI double from Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In the third, Alex Bregman sparked the offense with a triple before Happ delivered again with an RBI single to put Chicago ahead. Moments later, Michael Busch launched his first homer of the season to extend the lead.

The Cubs kept the pressure on in the fifth when Seiya Suzuki crushed a two-run homer, creating separation and putting the game out of reach.

On the mound, Matthew Boyd provided a solid return, allowing two runs over 4.2 innings, while Ben Brown dominated in relief with 2.1 scoreless innings and five strikeouts to shut the door.

📊 Notable Stats

Cubs

Alex Bregman: 3-5, 3B, R
Ian Happ: 1-4, 2 RBI, R
Seiya Suzuki: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R
Michael Busch: 2-4, HR, RBI, R
Pete Crow-Armstrong: 3-4, 2 RBI
Matthew Boyd: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 K
Ben Brown: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 5 K

Phillies

Edmundo Sosa: 2-2, RBI
Alec Bohm: 2-4, R
Justin Crawford: 1-4, RBI
Felix Reyes: 1-4, R
Kyle Backhus: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K
Taijuan Walker: 4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Yankees 4, Red Sox 1
New York Yankees rode another dominant outing from Max Fried, who spun eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts as New York extended its win streak to five. They came within one out of a third straight shutout, something the franchise hasn’t done since 1962, continuing to lean heavily on elite starting pitching early this season.

Braves 8, Nationals 6
Atlanta Braves powered through a chaotic night behind four home runs, including two from Michael Harris II and a go-ahead blast from Matt Olson. Despite early pitching struggles, Atlanta’s offense continues to carry them, leading the league in runs while bailing out an overworked staff.

Astros 2, Guardians 0
Houston Astros stayed hot behind Yordan Alvarez, who launched his 11th homer and is putting together one of the most dominant starts in baseball. A combined five-hit shutout on the mound backed him up, as Houston took the series and continues to trend upward.

Angels 7, Blue Jays 3
Los Angeles Angels may have something special in José Soriano, who extended his historic start to the season with five more scoreless innings. His absurd 0.24 ERA through six starts is the lowest in over a century, and even on a “grind it out” day, he continues to look nearly unhittable.