Yermín Mercedes personally introduced himself to White Sox fans with a 485-foot homerun in the first inning of Thursday’s rain-soaked home opener against Kansas City, a team they defeated 6 rounds, 0.
Mercedes’ hit on Brad Keller is the third longest home run by a White Sox player in the history of the field, behind only Joe Borchard (504 feet against the Phillies on August 30, 2004) and Frank Thomas (150 feet). Against the Twins). July 23, 2002).
Mercedes’ explosion represented Chicago’s second-longest home run, followed by Statcast (including postseason) behind Luis Robert’s 487-foot hit at Oakland in Game 3 of last season’s American League Wild Card Series.
Thursday’s homerun, which was the longest of the year to date to date, was also the longest regular season shot for the White Sox in the Statcast era (since 2015), surpassing Avisaíl’s 481-meter ball. Garcia in 2018.
All told, Mercedes was 4-2 and hit one. By Kansas Carlos Santana 4-0.
GEMINI 10
SAILERS 2
(AP) Minnesota
Mitch Garver, Byron Buxton and Luis Arráez each had homeruns to support another good start for José Berríos, and the Minnesota Twins defeated the Seattle Mariners 10-2 on Thursday-evening.
When they returned to Target Field for the first time since the pandemic, Minnesota fans had every reason to be excited.
Berríos (2-0), who gave up Milwaukee no hit for six innings in his first start, covered two more innings without a hit. In the third act, he accepted his first race of the season.
The Puerto Rican was eliminated in the sixth inning, with two outs and a comfortable lead. He took off his hat to thank the 9,675 fans.
Garver hit a three-run homer that led the Twins to victory in its first game of the season at home. The ball went over the central pasture fence and landed in the bushes to make it 3-1 in the third act off starter Marco Gonzales (0-1).
For the Twins, Dominicans were Jorge Polanco 4-1 with a run scored, Nelson Cruz 4-1 with a run scored, Miguel Sanó 4-1 with a run-run and an RBI. Venezuelans Willians Astudillo 1-1, Arráez 3-1 with one run scored and three RBI’s.
BOSTON 7
ORIOLES 3
(AP) Baltimore
Eduardo Rodríguez returned triumphantly after the myocarditis caused by the coronavirus that sidelined him from the 2020 season, and the Boston Red Sox on Thursday defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3, who lost at home in their opening game of the season.
Dominican Rafael Devers and Puerto Rican Kiké Hernández each hit home runs for the Red Sox, who have won four consecutive games, something they have not achieved since August 14-18, 2019.
Boston has scored 33 points combined in four wins. He had only scored five and was swept by the Orioles during a run of three games at Fenway Park.
A day after his 28th birthday, Rodriguez first appeared in the majors since September 29, 2019, when he faced the Orioles themselves at Fenway Park.
The Venezuelan started on the injured list last season after feeling sedated during the preseason.
Rodriguez (1-0) gave up three runs in five innings. He gave up four basehits, including two-run homers by Ryan Mountcastle in the first inning and Pedro Severino in the fourth.
He retired seven opponents and walked one batter. His fastball even reached 94.7 mph. The loss went to Matt Harvey (0-1).
For the Red Sox, Puerto Rican Hernández produced 5-1 with one scored and one, Christian Vázquez 5-3 with one scored. Mexican Alex Verdugo 5-2 with two runs scored. The Dominicans Devers 3-2 with two runs scored and two RBI’s, Franchy Cordero 4-1 with one RBI. Venezuelan Marwin González 3-1 with an RBI.
For the Orioles, Venezuelans Anthony Santander 4-0, Freddy Galvis 4-0. The Dominicans Maikel Franco 4-0, Severino 4-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
CARDINALS 3
BREWERS 1
(AP) San Luis
Nolan Arenado broke the tie with a two-run homer in the eighth inning of the game that marked his debut at his new home, and the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Thursday.
It was the Cardinals’ first meeting at Busch Stadium since 2019.
Arenado, a five-time All-Star, was acquired from Colorado on February 1 after eight seasons with the Rockies.
With the score at 1-1, Austin Dean walked. Against a Drew Rasmussen (0-1) fastball at 96.6 mph, Arenado hit a hit that landed the ball 373 feet from home plate, behind the left field wall, to hit two homers so far.
Arenado pointed to the San Luis dug-out before running around the bases. He cheered as he helped the Cardinals take their fourth victory.
It received cheers from an audience limited to 13,328 people because of the pandemic.
Mexican Giovanny Gallegos (2-0) gave the Cardinals its third inning followed by relief without accepting a hit, after Ryan Helsley and Andrew Miller did the same. The starter was Adam Wainwright.
Alex Reyes made his third save.
For the Brewers, Venezuelan Omar Narváez 3-1. The Mexican Luis Urías 3-0.
For the Cardinals, Puerto Rican Yadier Molina was 4-1 with a run scored.
METS 3
MARLINS 2
Javy Báez hit a two-run homerun that marked the lead in the sixth inning, and the batter of the Chicago Cubs got out of their quagmire on Thursday in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo each hit homeruns for the Cubs, who had 11 hits, their most so far this early season, off Tyler Anderson (0-2) and four relievers.
Baez, Rizzo, Bryant and Jake Marisnick each had two hits for Chicago, slightly increasing the league’s worst batting average from .143 to .157.
Jake Arrieta (2-0) survived a sometimes wobbly performance to cover six innings and improved to 14-6 against the Pirates. Arrieta gave up two runs and seven hits, in addition to giving up three walks and four strikeouts. Craig Kimbrel retired five for his second save.
Adam Frazier and Gregory Polanco each had two basehits for the Pirates, but couldn’t stop Pittsburgh from losing its sixth game in a row.
The Pirates hosted 7,784 fans in PNC Park. The team is in a different situation from the end of the 2019 regular season, when it fell 3-1 hours after ousting manager Clint Hurdle.
Pittsburgh is in the midst of reconstruction, more focused on the future than the present. A year after finishing with the worst record in the majors, the Pirates have a shaky start with sophomore manager Derek Shelton.
For the Cubs, Willson Contreras 4-1. Puerto Rican Baez 3-2, with one run scored and two RBI’s.
For the Pirates, Gregory Polanco 3-2 with a run scored; his fellow countryman Erik González 1-0 and Wilmer Difo 1-0.
METS 3
MARLINS 2
(AP) Miami
The New York Mets were credited with the winning run on a controversial pitch by beating the Miami Marlins 3-2 on Thursday-evening when they played in front of the public at Citi Field for the first time in 557 days.
On the day he turned 29, Jeff McNeil tied the game by hitting a solo homerun in the bottom of the ninth. After New York got the bases loaded with one out, Michael Conforto appeared to move his right elbow pad close enough to the strike zone to be brushed off by a breaking pitch on a 1-2 score from closer Anthony Bass.
Plate umpire Ron Kulpa, who also heads the umpire group, ruled that Conforto was hit by the pitch and the batter was on his way to first base while Luis Guillorme scored the run that led to the Mets party.
Marlins players Don Mattingly had a falling out with Kulpa before an appeal was made against a play review. The review lasted 58 games, confirming the decision.
Under the rules, if a batter is hit by a pitch in the strike zone, the pitch must be called as a strike.
The judgment can be used to determine that a pitch has hit a batter, but whether the ball has hit the batter in or out of the strike area is a decision left to the umpire and not a video judgment.
Mattingly noted that the referees explained to him that the ball that hit Conforto was in the strike zone could not be searched – only to determine that Conforto was hit by a pitch.
The official explanation from the replays supervisor in Manhattan went as follows: “After looking at all the relevant angles, the review definitively determined that the ball hit the batter. The decision has been confirmed, it was a bull’s eye ”.
“A victory is a victory. It’s over, but I’d like to use the bat next time, ”Conforto said.
Puerto Rican Edwin Díaz (1-0) scored the win by taking a hitless inning in his first appearance of the season.
Bass (0-2) has ruined both his save possibilities with the Marlins (1-6) and lost in both games.
McNeil homered in the opening of the ninth and placed a 3-1 second tier bid from the right field grandstand.
For the Marlins, Venezuelans Jesús Aguilar 4-1, an RBI; and Miguel Rojas 4-0. The Dominican Starling Marte 3-0.
For the Mets, Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor 3-1, scored one. The Dominican Jonathan Villar 4-0.
COLORADO 7
ARIZONA 3
(AP) Denver
Jon Gray didn’t give up a hit until the seventh inning to score his first win of the season, and the Colorado Rockies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-3 on Thursday-evening.
Gray (1-0) allowed three opponents to reach base in six innings. Third baseman Ryan McMahon helped him by catching a groundout from Tim Locastro without a glove and knocking out the quick hitter with a half step.
In his second start of the season, Gray threw 83 pitches. He was looking for the second Colorado pitcher to get a no-hitter – the first was Ubaldo Jiménez, on April 17, 2010, against Atlanta.
Venezuelan David Peralta hit a hat-trick in the beginning of the seventh inning when he found a slider and placed the ball between left and midfield. Pavin Smith hit an RBI-single on the next pitch.
The 10,836 spectators at Coors Field cheered Gray after Peralta cut him off without hitting. With two outs, the pitcher walked Venezuelan pinch-hitter Asdrúbal Cabrera and gave up the mound to Yency Almonte.
Daniel Bard replaced with two on board in the ninth and got two outs for his second save. The loss went to Merrill Kelly.
For the Diamondbacks, Venezuelans Peralta 4-1 with a run scored, Eduardo Escobar 2-1 with a run scored and two RBI’s. The Dominican Geraldo Perdomo 1-0.
For the Rockies, Raimel Tapia 4-1 with a run scored.