6 teams that need to play well in April

Plus: Alonso's 1st O's HR comes off deGrom

Wednesday, April 01 View In Browser  TOP NEWS Every team wants to start hot. It's especially important for these 6   April can set the tone for a club trying to prove it's a true contender. Win big, and the rest of the season is set up for you. Lose big, and big questions will loom. Ohtani makes it look easy in 2026 pitching debut Rare 2-HR debut ignites D-backs’ comeback Alonso’s 1st O’s homer comes off a 2-time Cy winner he knows quite well Led by Fried, stingy Yanks make history not seen in 80+ years Painter's masterpiece of a debut all the Phils and the fans could have hoped for 41-year-old Scherzer gives Blue Jays just what they need in '26 debut Are players challenging enough ABS calls? It's a work in progress With Cards pitcher in a bind, Gold Glover's hose puts out the fire Getting deGrom (7 K's) back just one positive for a Rangers team flashing its potential McClanahan is the only one not enamored with his performance in long-awaited return MORE TOP NEWS PERSONALIZE STORIES TOP PERFORMANCES Longest Home Run Oneil Cruz   444 ft 4th Inning   Watch   Hardest Base Hit  Giancarlo Stanton   112.8 mph 6th Inning   Watch   Fastest Strikeout Bubba Chandler   100.2 mph 1st Inning   Watch   Decisive Play D-backs   60.1% WPA 8th Inning   Watch   Oneil Cruz 2 homers, one at 444 feet (tied for longest this season) Giancarlo Stanton 4th Yankee with multiple hits in each of first 5 games of a season Andrew Painter Youngest Phillie with 8+ K’s in a game since 2016 (Aaron Nola) Jose Fernandez 8th player in MLB history with two HRs in first regular-season game Shohei Ohtani 6 K’s in first start of ’26; riding 22 2/3 scoreless IP streak PLAY A SPORCLE BASEBALL QUIZ! MORE FREE GAMES AT MLB PLAY MUST-SEE PLAY It's not often an infielder has to worry about the warning track on a fair ball, but Jeimer Candelario nearly found himself there on this play. MORE TOP PLAYS STAFF PICKS Projecting an All-Rookie Team for 2026 We are a whopping four games into the 2026 Major League season, so of course it’s a perfect time to name a year-end team, right? MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo thinks so! Tito's catcher had a special gift to give him. It all went swimmingly Before Tyler Stephenson gave Terry Francona some custom swimwear with the manager's young face plastered all over it, the Reds catcher first had to model the outfit. "I just about had a heart attack," Francona said. Everybody wanted to get Yoshi's autograph. But which Yoshi? It was Yoshi bobblehead night at Dodger Stadium, with fans lining up early to get one of 40,000 giveaways. But the players wanted to get in on the fun, and many of them asked for an autograph from the man (not dinosaur) of the hour. He got to 4 balls before 4 strikes A strikeout and a walk in one plate appearance is something that’s not supposed to happen in baseball. Fortunately for Astros right fielder Cam Smith, only the walk counted. 1 must-visit Minor League spot from every farm system Which Minor League ballparks are worth visiting? The answer, of course, is "all of them." But to narrow it down, we selected one from each organization that shouldn't be missed in 2026. Wednesday tripleheader on MLB Network It’s the Rangers vs. Orioles at 12:30 p.m. ET, Yankees vs. Mariners at 4 and Guardians vs. Dodgers at 8. (Subject to local blackout.) MORE STORIES SCOREBOARD TEX 8 BAL 5 PIT 8 CIN 3 WSH 2 PHI 3 CWS 2 MIA 9 COL 1 TOR 5 ATH 5 ATL 2 LAA 2 CHC 0 TB 2 MIL 6 NYM 0 STL 3 BOS 2 HOU 9 DET 5 AZ 7 SF 9 SD 3 NYY 5 SEA 0 CLE 1 LAD 4 © 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. Please review our Privacy Policy. You (geoffgould.gr8iphone@blogger.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com. Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe  or log in and manage your email subscriptions. Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.