Misja Harcksen throws the third perfect game in Hoofdklasse history, 22 years after Eelco Jansen had last done the feat. He blanks his former teammates, the Oosterhout Twins, with 10 whiffs and 97 pitches, as Neptunus wins 4-0.
German Marquez throws the first complete game in the majors this season as he twirls a one-hitter to lead the Rockies to a 4 – 0 win over the Giants, snapping his team’s eight-game losing streak. Evan Longoria has the only hit against him, a single with one out in the 8th. Nolan Arenado hits a three-run homer to lead the offense, his first long ball of the year.
2018 – The Braves experience a bullpen meltdown for the ages against the Cubs as they blow a 10 – 5 lead in the 8th, after being ahead 9 – 1 and 10 – 2 earlier in the game. Chicago manages to score 9 runs on just 3 hits to win the game, 14 – 10; worse, all 9 runs score after two outs. Temperatures at the start of the game at Wrigley Field are at 38 degrees with a 24 mph wind, but it gets steadily colder and the wind grows stronger as the game progresses, making for very uncomfortable playing conditions. Jason Heyward leads off the fateful inning by being hit with a Luke Jackson pitch and pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella adds a single after one out; Jose Ramirez strikes out Efren Navarro for the second out, but then the roof caves in as he plunks Kris Bryant to load the bases and an infield hit and a walk push across a couple of runs. Javier Baez then clears the bases with a double that ties the game, but after an intentional walk to Addison Russell, Sam Freeman walks Heyward to load the bases again, and walks the next two batters to bring in two more scores. Peter Moylan comes in next, but he uncorks a wild pitch scoring run number 8, and a final runner crosses the plate on a throwing error by C Kurt Suzuki.
4/14/2018: In the top of the fourth with runners on first and third, Deven Marrero of the Diamondbacks hit a fly to left center in Dodger Stadium that just cleared the wall. Alex Avila, the runner on first started back to the bag to tag up. Marrero briefly passed behind and beyond Avila and was called out for passing him. The play was first ruled to be a three-run homer, but the replay review reversed the call to a two-run single.
The White Sox start an outfield composed of three players named Garcia: Avisail in right, Leury in center and Willy, making his major league debut, in left. The three are unrelated and it marks the first time a major league team has three outfielders with the same last name in its starting line-up, a quirk caused by Melky Cabrera going on paternity leave before the game. However, it’s P Dylan Covey, also making his debut, who steals the show, with one run allowed in 5 1/3 innings as the Sox defeat the Twins, 2 – 1.
The Braves open their new ballpark, SunTrust Park, with a 5 – 2 win over the Padres before a sellout crowd of 41,149. Ender Inciarte has the first hit and scores the first run in the 1st inning, and hits the first homer at the new park in the 6th. The Braves’ centerfielder already has three homers this year, matching his output for all of 2016.
Hank Aaron, who also did the traditional toss for the Braves in the first and last contests at Turner Field, throws the ceremonial first pitch, with former long-time team manager Bobby Cox serving as the catcher, prior to the inaugural game at SunTrust Park. Atlanta’s center fielder Ender Inciarte records the first out, first hit, first run, and first home run in the team’s 5-2 victory over the Padres at the new ballpark.
The first time in baseball history that a team starts three fly-chasers with the same surname in the same game occurs when left fielder Willy Garcia, center fielder Leury Garcia, and right fielder Avisail Garciaare appear in the Twins’ lineup at Target Field. In the 1960’s, the three Alou brothers, Felipe, Jesus, and Matty, patrolled the same outfield on three occasions, but the trio of siblings never started the contest at the same time.
Bryce Harper makes the 100th home run of his career his first-ever grand slam as the Nationals hand the Braves their 9th straight loss since the start of the season, 6 – 2. At 23 years and 181 days, Harper is the 8th youngest player to hit 100 homers.
There are two great pitching efforts today. Vince Velasquez strikes out 16 batters and pitches a three-hitter and leading the Phillies over the Padres, 3 – 0. The Padres have already been shut out an unprecedented 5 times in 10 games this season. Jaime Garcia of the Cardinals does not fan quite as many, but he pitches a one-hit shutout to defeat the Brewers, 7 – 0. Still, he strikes out a career-high 13 opponents as Domingo Santana has Milwaukee’s lone hit, a single in the 6th.