Saturday’s Major League Baseball schedule featured 17 games, with doubleheaders between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. Pete Crow-Armstrong produced one of the biggest individual performances of the day with three home runs for the Chicago Cubs, while the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals earned dramatic walk-off victories and the Philadelphia Phillies needed extra innings to beat the Los Angeles Angels.
Boston Red Sox 6, New York Yankees 0 — Game 1
Boston opened its doubleheader in the Bronx with a shutout victory behind an impressive performance from Jake Bennett. The left-hander allowed only three hits over six scoreless innings, struck out seven and did not issue a walk. Wilyer Abreu gave Boston an early lead with his career-high 23rd home run, and the Red Sox broke the game open with four runs in the ninth. Andruw Monasterio delivered a two-run single before Nick Sogard and Ceddanne Rafaela added RBI hits.
Detroit Tigers 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
Kevin McGonigle delivered a bases-loaded walk-off single in the ninth inning as Detroit edged Los Angeles. Javier Báez scored both Detroit runs and also made an important catch in left field in the top of the ninth to keep the game tied. Dodgers starter Blake Snell struck out 10 while allowing one run over five innings, but Los Angeles fell for the fourth time in five games.
Chicago White Sox 3, Minnesota Twins 2
Andrew Benintendi was essentially Chicago’s entire offense, collecting all three White Sox hits. His sixth-inning home run broke a 2-2 tie and ultimately provided the winning run. Erick Fedde allowed two runs over five innings before the Chicago bullpen worked four scoreless frames. The White Sox won their fourth straight game, while Minnesota dropped its seventh in eight.
Pittsburgh Pirates 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Pittsburgh collected 11 hits and used a three-run fifth inning to take control against St. Louis. Carmen Mlodzinski played an important role out of the bullpen, throwing 3⅓ scoreless innings and earning the victory. The Cardinals managed only three hits despite Pittsburgh committing three errors.
Chicago Cubs 17, Cincinnati Reds 5
Pete Crow-Armstrong turned Wrigley Field into his personal launching pad, hitting three home runs as the Cubs overwhelmed Cincinnati 17-5. Crow-Armstrong also singled during his four-hit performance and recorded the first three-homer game of his career. Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and Seiya Suzuki also homered as Chicago piled up 19 hits and scored in six different innings. The Cubs scored four runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to turn the game into a rout.
Toronto Blue Jays 4, Seattle Mariners 3
Toronto erased an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Seattle. Cal Raleigh homered for the Mariners, and Taylor Ward drove in two runs, but the Blue Jays began their comeback with two runs in the fifth. Alejandro Kirk's RBI single in the sixth put Toronto ahead for good. José Soriano worked seven innings and struck out six, while Louis Varland recorded his 31st save.
Arizona Diamondbacks 7, San Francisco Giants 1 — Game 1
Lars Nootbaar delivered the decisive blow with a pinch-hit grand slam in the seventh inning as Arizona took the opener of its doubleheader. Merrill Kelly was excellent on the mound, limiting San Francisco to two hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out seven. Giants rookie Matt Wilkinson had kept Arizona scoreless through six before the Diamondbacks broke through against the bullpen.
Washington Nationals 5, Miami Marlins 4 — 10 Innings
Dylan Crews gave Washington its first walk-off victory of the season with a two-out RBI single in the 10th. The Nationals built a 4-0 lead in the third inning, but Miami answered with four runs in the seventh, including a two-run double from Kyle Stowers and a two-run homer from Heriberto Hernández. Washington starter Cade Cavalli threw four hitless innings before leaving after being struck by a comebacker. Crews eventually ended the game by bringing automatic runner Nasim Nuñez home from third.
Atlanta Braves 2, Colorado Rockies 1
Michael Harris II came through with two outs in the eighth inning, lining a two-run double that turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Atlanta lead. Didier Fuentes escaped trouble in the ninth to record his third save as the Braves extended their winning streak to six games. Martin Pérez allowed one run across 5⅔ innings for Atlanta.
Kansas City Royals 8, Cleveland Guardians 3
Josh Rojas came off the bench and drove in four runs as Kansas City continued one of baseball’s hottest stretches. Rojas entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth and immediately delivered a two-run single before adding a two-run homer in the eighth. Salvador Perez contributed two doubles as the Royals won for the 12th time in 13 games. Cleveland’s Angel Martínez homered and drove in all three Guardians runs.
Tampa Bay Rays 7, San Diego Padres 6
Tampa Bay produced one of Saturday’s best comebacks, scoring four times in the seventh after San Diego had taken a 6-3 lead in the top half of the inning. Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero homered for the Rays, while Chandler Simpson delivered the go-ahead hit during the seventh-inning rally. Bryan Baker protected the one-run lead in the ninth and collected his 39th save.
New York Mets 6, Houston Astros 2
Juan Soto made an immediate impact in his return from the injured list. After fouling a ball off his leg, Soto remained in the game and delivered a go-ahead RBI single during New York’s three-run fifth inning. Jared Young drove in three runs, including two on a triple, while Nolan McLean allowed no earned runs and only two hits over seven innings. Yordan Alvarez hit his 37th homer for Houston in the eighth.
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Texas Rangers 3
Milwaukee struck immediately when Jackson Chourio and William Contreras each homered in the first inning. Chourio’s blast was his 20th of the season and his third homer in three games. Luis Lara added two RBIs, and Shane Drohan struck out six while allowing one run over five innings. Brandon Nimmo hit a two-run homer in the eighth to bring Texas closer, but Milwaukee held on for its fourth consecutive victory.
New York Yankees 9, Boston Red Sox 2 — Game 2
After being shut out in the opener, the Yankees responded with 13 hits — remarkably, all of them singles — to earn a doubleheader split. New York scored three times in the third and put the game away with a five-run eighth inning featuring seven singles. Nick Sogard homered for Boston, while Max Fried allowed one run over 3⅔ innings in his return from a left elbow bone bruise.
San Francisco Giants 7, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 — Game 2
Bryce Eldridge powered the Giants to a doubleheader split with four hits and four RBIs in the nightcap. San Francisco also received an encouraging major-league debut from Yunior Marte, who allowed one run on three hits over 4⅔ innings. Arizona’s Lars Nootbaar, who had hit the grand slam in Game 1, added an RBI double in the second game, but the Giants scored three runs in the fifth and added three more over the final two innings.
Baltimore Orioles 5, Athletics 3
Leody Taveras broke out of an 0-for-12 stretch with two doubles and three RBIs to lead Baltimore past the Athletics. Colton Cowser added his 13th home run, while Shane Baz allowed two runs over 5⅔ innings and finally earned another victory after a lengthy winless stretch. The Athletics had opportunities to rally but stranded 11 runners and were hurt by defensive mistakes.
Philadelphia Phillies 4, Los Angeles Angels 2 — 10 Innings
Philadelphia scored three times in the 10th inning to capture its 12th victory in 14 games. Kyle Schwarber drove in the go-ahead run with a double before Trea Turner followed with a two-run single. Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez was outstanding, pitching seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, but Zach Neto’s homer in the eighth tied the game and prevented Sánchez from earning the win. Jhoan Duran handled the final two innings as the Angels suffered their sixth consecutive loss.
Saturday’s Biggest Highlights
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s three-homer performance stood above the rest of Saturday’s offensive displays, but there was plenty of late drama around baseball. Kevin McGonigle walked off the Dodgers for Detroit, Dylan Crews delivered a 10th-inning winner for Washington, Michael Harris II rescued Atlanta in the eighth, and Philadelphia needed three runs in the 10th to defeat the Angels.
The playoff picture also continued to tighten. Kansas City remained red hot with its 12th victory in 13 games, Atlanta extended its winning streak to six, Milwaukee won its fourth straight, and the Yankees and Red Sox split an important American League doubleheader. Arizona and San Francisco also split their two games, while Tampa Bay overcame a three-run seventh-inning deficit to defeat San Diego in another game with potential postseason implications.