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There was big news on the field Friday with the season’s first no-hitter and big news off the field with the 324-game suspension of Trevor Bauer. You can read up on the details of Bauer’s penalty and what is next for him here.
Today’s Headlines
Megill, Four Relievers Combine on Mets’ No-Hitter
It wasn’t pretty, but it is still a masterpiece. Tylor Megill pitched five hitless innings, and four relievers followed suit as the New York Mets recorded the season’s first no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Megill walked three and struck out five while throwing 88 pitches. Drew Smith (1⅓ IP, 1 BB, 4 SO), Joely Rodríguez (1 IP, 2 BB, 0 SO), Seth Lugo (⅔ IP, 0 BB, 0 SO), and Edwin Rodriguez (1 IP, 0 BB, 3 SO) finished it off. They needed 159 pitches, the most since they started counting pitches in 1988. It is the second no-no in Mets history, following Johan Santana’s on June 1, 2012.
We did it together! #BlackOut
0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ pic.twitter.com/nwg8xCD6Cr
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 30, 2022
Giants Have COVID Outbreak
While the world has returned to somewhat normal following the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are reminders every now and then that the virus is still lurking. The San Francisco Giants took the unusual step of closing their clubhouse this weekend following two players being placed on the COVID injured list, first baseman Brandon Belt and reliever Dominic Leone. That allowed for a cool thing to happen, which we will address below.
The Giants are going to close their clubhouse to the media this weekend, Farhan Zaidi said. There is additional Covid spread in their clubhouse. Details to be announced officially shortly.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) April 29, 2022
Best Moments From Yesterday
An MLB Debut After an 11-Year Wait
Sometimes there is a bright spot when bad news hits. That was the case for the Giants, who put two players on the COVID IL. That opened up a spot for outfielder Jason Krizan, who was promoted from Triple-A Sacramento to make his major-league debut. Now, this is no normal call-up. Krizan is 32 years old and has played 1,132 minor-league games before finally getting to The Show. He started in left field, batted sixth, and went 0-for-3 in the Giants’ 14-4 loss to the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park. The good news is his family made it to San Francisco.
Jason Krizan’s wife, sister, parents and two-year-old son Carter flew in from Austin this afternoon. They made it in time for his MLB debut pic.twitter.com/fzpuUZM0ua
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) April 29, 2022
Soler Skyrocket
There is little doubt what Miami Marlins slugger Jorge Soler’s superpower is: Hitting home runs. He crushed 48 in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals and 27 more combined between the Royals and Atlanta Braves. He hit three more in the postseason, all in the World Series, as he was named MVP. He flexed his muscles for the second time this season, sending an offering from Seattle Mariners rookie Matt Brash 468 feet in the first inning of the Marlins’ 8-6 victory. It was Miami’s sixth straight win.
Want to see a 4️⃣6️⃣8️⃣ft homer? pic.twitter.com/NqSQMZ1yeA
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 29, 2022
Matheny Gets His Money’s Worth
Various rule changes have eliminated what used to be an art: managers arguing with umpires. Still, every once in a while, a manager has an opportunity to sprint from the dugout and take issue with a call, going face-to-face with an ump. Kansas City Royals manager Mike Matheny had a pretty legitimate gripe when rookie Bobby Witt Jr. got caught off second and went to third, but was called out for oversliding the bag. There is a good argument that New York Yankees‘ second baseman Gleyber Torres helped Witt off the bag. Matheny was ejected for showing his displeasure.
Royals manager Mike Matheny gets ejected arguing that Bobby Witt Jr. was pushed off of third base pic.twitter.com/4yDaKnuyzC
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 30, 2022
Injuries
The Colorado Rockies placed Kris Bryant on the 10-day IL with back soreness.
Articles You Should Read
Like Don Sutton, Clayton Kershaw appreciates significance of Dodgers strikeout record — Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times
The Giants (and Warriors) don’t care about the unwritten rules — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle
Weird and Wild — Jayson Stark, The Athletic
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)