2026 MLB (Non-Tigers) Thread

[monkeytargets39]

RIP Garret Anderson.  Very underrated player in his day.

[Hongbit]

Jose Soriano has entered the conversation with Skenes and Skubal.

Dazzles again tonight.   This has got to be the best 5 game stretch for a pitcher in maybe ever.

32.2 IP

11 H

1 ER

13 BB

39 K

0.22 ERA

A solo HR from Drake Baldwin is the only run he’s given up in 5 starts.  

 

[Tiger337]

9 hours ago, Hongbit said:

Jose Soriano has entered the conversation with Skenes and Skubal.

Dazzles again tonight.   This has got to be the best 5 game stretch for a pitcher in maybe ever.

32.2 IP

11 H

1 ER

13 BB

39 K

0.22 ERA

A solo HR from Drake Baldwin is the only run he’s given up in 5 starts.  

 

He has been awesome, but the best five game stretch ever would have to have more than 32.2 IP.  

Edited April 18 by Tiger337

[gehringer_2]

Don Drysdale says, “Hold my beer”

[Hongbit]

48 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Don Drysdale says, “Hold my beer”

Oral Hershiser says WTF, man.

Fun Fact: He grew up and played Little League in Southfield until he was 12. 

Maybe I got a bit hyperbolic with my Soriano praise but he’s on fire.  His pitch metrics are off the chart too.   His Sinker is right there with Skubal’s Changeup.  

[chasfh]

As of this morning, the NL has a 80-55 against the AL in interleague play. That's the equivalent of a team playing to a 96-66 record, which is three games better than the "juggernaut" 2025 World Champs.

[IdahoBert]

5 hours ago, chasfh said:

As of this morning, the NL has a 80-55 against the AL in interleague play. That's the equivalent of a team playing to a 96-66 record, which is three games better than the "juggernaut" 2025 World Champs.

NL rules. On a more positive note the Mets are 7–16 have lost 12 games in a row and average slightly over three runs a game. On the negative side of things, depending on how many games they’ve played against the AL, the winning percentage you just quoted would’ve been even higher.

[Motor City Sonics]

So Juan Soto, who is injured, has allegedly not even spoken to his teammates during this 12-game skid. 

 

I always kind of wondered what a player's real role is when they are injured.     I remember seeing Casey Mize on the bench when he was on the Injured List.    I've seen other players around teammates when they were not eligible to play.  

 

As far as Soto and the Mets - I feel like that is a team just completely broken on every single level and no amount of money can fix that.    I don't know that the ghost of Billy Martin could get them right for half a season.      He didn't have SOMETHING he could have offered to his mates?       Who was the pitcher who refused to travel or even stay with teammates, ,was that Kevin Brown?     I get it, some guys are assholes, but it seems like if you really want to win, you'd want to be around your teammates through thick and thin,   But Soto got his money, so he's good.   No need to bother.   Says so much about the Mets, doesn't it? 

 

     I don't know what I'd be like if someone paid me ridiculous money to do my job, but I would hope that I'd try to lift everyone up.  

 

I wanted Bo Bichette for the Tigers.........but not for $42 million a year.    That's going gangbusters. 

[GalagaGuy]

Can't say I've seen this before.  

 

[Sports_Freak]

15 hours ago, GalagaGuy said:

Can't say I've seen this before.  

 

The ball never touched the ground. I don't understand/agree with that rule.

[gehringer_2]

1 hour ago, Sports_Freak said:

The ball never touched the ground. I don't understand/agree with that rule.

Yup - The pitcher's uni is not the ground and it's out of play, the batter should be out.

[Sports_Freak]

21 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

Yup - The pitcher's uni is not the ground and it's out of play, the batter should be out.

I'm sure there's some rule we don't know that awards the hitter a single. Which the umps ruled. Gotta assume they got it right.

[Tiger337]

According to rule 5.09(a):

"A catch is the act of a fielder in getting secure possession in his hand or glove of a ball in flight and firmly holding it in his possession; providing he does not use his cap, protector, pocket or any part of his uniform in getting possesion."

It doesn't say he gets a single, but it is not an out.

A related rule:

"When a pitched ball becomes stuck in a catcher’s mask or gear, it is an immediate dead ball. According to MLB Rule 5.06(c)(7), runners are awarded one base, and the batter is awarded first base if it was ball four or strike three. It is not considered a catch if the ball lodges in the mask on a foul tip."

The catcher is not the pitcher, but seems to be very similar to what happened with Gilbert.  

 

[smr-nj]

But the pitcher was in the field of play, which I think in the example you cited, the catcher would not be in the field of play.
 

That’s why I think he’s out.

[Shelton]

It’s not an out. The rule is right there. You can’t use your jersey to make a catch, just you can’t use your hat. It makes no difference that it wasn’t intentional. 
 

And, no, it’s not the same as pinning ball against your chest with your arm or whatever and the ball happens to touch the uniform. 
 

I’m sure there are some borderline cases where the rule could be argued but this wasn’t one of them.

[chasfh]

The rule governing batted balls lodging inside a player’s uniform is not explicitly covered in the Major League Rules document, but in the Major League Baseball Umpire Manual, which offers further interpretation of rules deemed not explicit enough to cover a given situation such as this. That was the case here.

This play was covered in the umpire manual under Rules Interpretation #6, Ball Going Into Player’s Uniform:

If a batted or thrown ball inadvertently goes inside a player or coach’s uni-

form, lodges in the catcher’s face mask or paraphernalia, or is intentionally placed

inside a player’s uniform (e.g., in a pants pocket), the umpire shall call “Time.” The

umpire will, using common sense and fair play, place all runners in such a manner

that, in the umpire’s judgment, will nullify the action of the ball going out of play.

That being said, if the umpire determines that the player placed the ball in his

uniform intentionally for the purpose of deceiving a base runner, the umpire will

place all runners at least one base (or more if warranted, in the umpire’s judgment

in order to nullify the action of the ball being put out of play) from the base they

originally occupied. In no case may any outs be recorded on such play.

For the purposes of stopping play and ruling the ball dead, it doesn’t matter whether the lodging of the ball within the uniform is intentional. The only way intention factors into this interpretation is the decision to move the runners up a base (lodging is intentional: yes; lodging is unintentional: umpire discretion).