Jackson Chourio kept the Brewers moving in the right direction yesterday, and he did it with another milestone swing. In Milwaukee’s 5-3 win over the Rangers, the left fielder reached 20 home runs for the third straight season. He got there in the bottom of the first against Cal Quantrill, turning an 89 mph cutter into a solo homer to right center and putting the Brewers on the board first.
That kind of power production at his age puts Chourio in rare company. He’s one of only 17 players in history to post at least three 20-homer seasons by age 22, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. The group includes several active stars, among them Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Carlos Correa, and Juan Soto.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had the loudest night of anyone on the slate. The Cubs outfielder went 4-for-6 and drove in six runs, and every RBI came on a home run in Chicago’s 17-5 rout of the Reds.
He started the game with a solo blast off Andrew Abbott in the first, then followed with a two-run homer in the second that helped put the Cubs in full control early. After a single in the fourth and a popout in the fifth, PCA came back up in the seventh and launched his third homer of the night, a three-run shot.
The performance pushed him to 9.1 fWAR on the season and added another big argument to his push to unseat Shohei Ohtani as the National League’s MVP.
Detroit had the day’s tightest finish, and the Tigers made it count. They beat the Dodgers 2-1 on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth after a game shaped by strong pitching on both sides.
Keider Montero and Blake Snell each delivered quality starts, and Snell struck out ten over five innings. The bullpens then kept the score locked at 1-1 until the Tigers got their chance against Jack Dreyer.
Javier Báez opened the ninth with a double to left, Max Clark bunted him to third, and after two walks loaded the bases, Kevin McGonigle ended it with a walk-off single that brought Báez home from third. A few days ago, MLBTR’s Leo Morgenstern examined McGonigle’s Rookie of the Year case in the American League, and two-thirds of MLBTR readers picked him to win the award.
The Yankees and Red Sox split their doubleheader, setting up today’s game as the one that matters most in the season series. Boston took the opener 6-0 behind a shutout, but New York answered in the nightcap with a 9-2 win.
Max Fried, back on the mound for the Yankees, worked 3 2/3 innings, and the bullpen followed with 5 1/3 innings while allowing only one earned run. New York’s lineup also got to Boston’s Brayan Bello and Raymond Burgos.
With the split, the two clubs are now tied at six wins apiece in the season series, and the winner today will hold the tiebreaker if the teams finish with identical records. The Red Sox will turn to Ranger Suarez, while the Yankees will counter with Will Warren.
In Other News...
Yankees Push Back After Red Sox Comments Crossed A Dangerous Line
Carlos Rodn was among the Yankees voices reacting after Red Sox broadcaster Will Flemming crossed a line with remarks suggesting Boston pitcher Jovani Morn should throw at Yankees players to spark a fight. Flemming later apologized, but the damage was done, with Yankees players, including Aaron Judge, making clear they did not view the comment as harmless banter.
Aaron Boone also weighed in from the Yankees side, tying the wider tension around the matchup to a baserunning situation involving Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Red Sox. It was the latest reminder that even in a rivalry built on edge and emotion, New York sees a difference between competitive heat and language that can turn a game into something uglier. [Read more 🡒]
Spencer Jones Is Forcing A Yankees Decision Trent Grisham Wont Like
Spencer Jones keeps turning his chances into something harder to ignore. In a recent loss to the Angels, he supplied the Yankees only home run, and it came in the same stretch where he has continued getting starts in center field even after Cody Bellinger returned. For a team trying to sort out its outfield mix, Jones has done more than just hold his own - he has made the conversation unavoidable.
The pressure on that spot only grows with Aaron Judges return approaching, because playing time in center field is no longer a simple veteran decision. Trent Grisham has struggled at the plate and in the field, and every strong night from Jones makes it tougher for the Yankees to justify a clean hierarchy. The front office and coaching staff now have a real choice to make, and Jones is the one forcing it. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Fans Just Got Pulled Into Ketel Martes Strangest Story Yet
Ketel Marte has become one of the more curious names on the Diamondbacks roster not because of a hot streak or a postseason push, but because of the way he keeps disappearing from the lineup. Over multiple seasons, his absences have piled up enough to draw attention, including a recent stretch that sent him to the restricted and injured lists before he worked his way back onto the roster. For Yankees fans, the oddest footnote may be that one of those missed games came at Yankee Stadium, when a mistaken assumption about a rainout kept him out of action.
Marte is still under contract through 2030 with a player option for 2031, so this is not a case of a looming free agent trying to reset his market. Even so, the broader picture around him is getting harder to ignore, because the pattern of missed time dates back to 2023 and has only made his trade value look shakier. For a player with his talent, the intrigue is obvious, but so is the uncertainty that now hangs over how teams view him. [Read more 🡒]