The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have both launched their seasons with strong 7-2 records, and their superstar players are beginning to find their offensive groove.
Shohei Ohtani struggled to produce RBIs early on but broke through on Friday with his first run driven in, followed by home runs in that contest and again on Sunday. Both he and Aaron Judge are now riding three-game streaks with multiple hits.
Judge hasn’t been required to single-handedly power the Yankees’ success, as the team had surrendered just 15 runs all season before Sunday’s 7-6 defeat to Miami. Cam Schlittler has delivered two shutout performances, and New York displayed aggressive baserunning against the Marlins, including a stolen base by Giancarlo Stanton.
Los Angeles initially saw struggles from their power-hitting foursome of Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman during the opening week. However, they exploded offensively during their Washington series, combining for 31 runs across three contests. With Andy Pages delivering an impressive 16-for-34 performance to start the year, the Dodgers can remain patient with their established stars.
This patience extends to Betts, who was placed on the injured list due to an oblique strain.
The Dodgers will now travel to Toronto for a three-game set, marking the first encounter between these clubs since Los Angeles defeated the Blue Jays in Game 7 of last year’s World Series on Canadian soil.
Speaking of teams thriving while waiting for stars to find form, Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore to reach 6-3. The Pirates have won five consecutive games despite Paul Skenes allowing six earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in his first two outings.
Top prospect Konnor Griffin hasn’t contributed much offensively either, going 1-for-9 since his call-up, though he remains undefeated in games he’s appeared in. Pittsburgh will play 10 of their next 13 contests at home, with Skenes scheduled to start Tuesday against San Diego.
Jo Adell managed just one hit in three at-bats on Saturday, but his defensive heroics proved game-changing. The Angels outfielder made three spectacular home run-saving catches to preserve a 1-0 victory over Seattle.
Adell’s most dramatic grab came when he crashed into the stands while robbing J.P. Crawford of a potential leadoff homer in the ninth inning. He also denied Cal Raleigh what would have been the catcher’s first long ball of the season.
Arizona overcame a four-run deficit on Tuesday night, rallying for six runs in the eighth inning to defeat Detroit 7-5. The Tigers held a 96.4% win probability after seven innings, according to Baseball Savant.
Corbin Carroll delivered a bases-loaded double that brought home two runs, while Jose Fernandez connected for a three-run homer. It marked Fernandez’s second home run of the contest in his major league debut.
Regarding an interesting sports trivia question about when the same state produced both NCAA basketball and World Series champions in the same year: UCLA captured the national title while the Oakland Athletics won the World Series in 1973. That same pairing also occurred in 1972.
A recent close call happened in 2021 when Baylor claimed the NCAA Tournament while the Houston Astros fell to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The only possibility for this rare double this year would require Michigan winning in basketball and the Tigers capturing the World Series.
