A ninth inning that included both an unbelievable home run robbery and a go-ahead grand slam. An emotional return to Detroit for Tarik Skubal. The Yankees squeaked past the Red Sox. Friday’s MLB action provided all that and much more.
Here are all the best moments from last night in Major League Baseball:
A Remarkable 9th Inning
This was one of the games of the year literally based on a mere half-inning.
With the Los Angeles Angels leading 3-1 in the top of the ninth inning, the Philadelphia Phillies put runners on first and second base with one out when third baseman Bryson Stott appeared to have given the Phillies the lead with a go-ahead, three-run home run to right field.
But not so fast.
Angels right fielder Wade Meckler leaped over the wall, corralled and kept the ball in his glove and got back in the field of play for a home run robbery. One of the best catches you’ll ever see.
But there was one more out to get.
And the Angels couldn’t get it, as Sammy Peralta walked catcher J.T. Realmuto and then pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa launched a go-ahead, grand slam to center field. Los Angeles would get a runner on the basepath in the bottom of the ninth but was unable to level the score, losing 5-3.
The Phillies have won 11 of their last 13 games, while the Angels have dropped five consecutive games.
Dodgers Win In Skubal’s Return To Detroit
It wasn’t pretty for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Tarik Skubal’s return to Motown ended with a win.
After an emotional pregame scene, Skubal posted seven strikeouts and surrendered just one run and four baserunners (four hits) over six innings against the Detroit Tigers, who traded the two-time Cy Young Award winner to the Dodgers at the MLB trade deadline; Skubal was pulled after throwing 83 pitches.
As for the bats, center fielder Max Clark broke the ice for the Tigers with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth, but Miguel Rojas got that run back for the Dodgers on an RBI single in the top of the sixth. Later, first baseman Freddie Freeman put the Dodgers up for good with an RBI single in the eighth. Los Angeles won, 2-1, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Over his five starts with the Dodgers, Skubal has posted a 3.00 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, 37 strikeouts and a 137 ERA+ across 30.0 innings pitched.
Reds Outslug Cubs
After the two teams combined for 18 runs, 26 hits and six home runs, it was the Cincinnati Reds coming out on top against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs got out to 3-0 lead, highlighted by a two-run home run from first baseman Michael Busch in the bottom of the third, but then the Reds scored in four consecutive innings from the fourth inning-on. In what was the first of four home runs on the day for Cincinnati, first baseman Sal Stewart hit a solo homer in the fifth. Later, catcher Jose Trevino hit a solo homer as part of a five-run sixth inning, which also saw designated hitter Tyler Stephenson hit a three-run long ball and Stewart single home a run.
Later, shortstop Elly De La Cruz ripped a two-run single in the eighth and outfielder TJ Friedl hit a solo home run to right field, giving Cincinnati a needed run after Chicago scored four runs in the eighth. Emilio Pagán then shut the door with a one-two-three ninth inning for a 10-8 Reds win.
The Reds have scored 10 runs in back-to-back games, with them previously scoring seven runs in the top of the ninth to pull off a comeback victory on the road over the San Francisco Giants; it marked the biggest ninth-inning comeback in franchise history since 1958.
Think Fast!
“Would you rather get a bullet to the head or five to the chest and bleed to death?”
The San Francisco Giants chose the first option.
On the first pitch of the game, Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder Lars Nootbaar — who had a game-high three hits — took Blade Tidwell over the center field wall in what would be a glimpse of what was to come the rest of the game. Now, the Giants did score six runs, highlighted by home runs from Bryce Eldridge and Christian Koss, but 12 hits and three home runs from the D-backs would overwhelm San Francisco’s pitching staff.
Arizona struck for five runs in the top of the third, with right fielder Corbin Carroll blasting a two-run home run and first baseman Tim Tawa later hitting a three-run homer. In the sixth, second baseman Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-run single and Carroll brought home a run on a sacrifice fly, with catcher James McCann driving in the team’s 10th run on an RBI single in the seventh.
The Diamondbacks (72-64) have won three of their last four games but are a half-game behind the San Diego Padres for the third National League wild-card seed.
That’s How You Say ‘Goodnight’
Ozzie Albies has always flashed leather at second base, and the Atlanta Braves infielder did so in timely fashion on Friday night.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Albies made a diving catch to his left off the bat of Colorado Rockies third baseman Willi Castro to secure a 6-4 victory for Atlanta.
Albies, a two-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star, has posted three defensive saved at second base this season. Meanwhile, the switch-hitter has totaled 20 home runs and 67 RBIs over 576 plate appearances.
As for how the Braves plated six runs, they got RBI doubles from center fielder Michael Harris II and catcher Sean Murphy and an RBI single from designated hitter Drake Baldwin in the second and an RBI single from second baseman Mauricio Dubón in the third. Later, Harris hit a two-run home run in the fifth.
The Braves (80-55) have won their last five games, which includes a three-game sweep of the Dodgers, and are a half-game behind Los Angeles for the second seed in the NL playoffs.
Wacha Wacha
Michael Wacha pitched a gem for the Kansas City Royals.
Wacha pitched eight scoreless innings on the road against the Cleveland Guardians, posting 10 strikeouts and surrendering just four baserunners (four hits). It was the second time this season Wacha pitched eight scoreless innings and his fourth shutout of the year. Steven Cruz put two runners on the basepath in the bottom of the ninth, but he got the save for the Royals without giving up a run, sealing a 3-0 win.
Kansas City’s three runs came on a fifth-inning RBI ground out from designated hitter Salvador Perez and a ninth-inning two-run home run from catcher Carter Jensen, his 19th of the year.
In what has been a brutal season for the Royals, who are 13th in the American League at 61-75, Wacha is having arguably the best season of his MLB career. Through 27 starts, the veteran right-hander has recorded a 3.32 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, a 124 ERA+ and 3.5 wins above replacement over an AL-high 170 ⅔ innings pitched. Wacha earned his second career All-Star nod.
Bonkers 1st Inning
If somebody showed up late to the Chicago White Sox’s Friday night road matchup against the Minnesota Twins, they missed a lot.
Twins starter Dean Kremer got out the first two batters he faced. The rest of the inning was a different story. Following a single and a wild pitch, White Sox designated hitter Andrew Benintendi brought home a run on a single. After another Chicago single, shortstop Colson Montgomery unloaded on a three-run home run to right field, finishing off a four-run opening inning.
The Twins responded in emphatic fashion in the bottom half of the inning, as third baseman Brooks Lee smashed a two-run home run and second baseman Kody Clemens lifted a solo home run. Lee later evened up the scoreboard for the Twins at 4-all with an RBI single in the second, but a third-inning RBI double from Benintendi and a fourth-inning passed ball put Chicago up two runs. Then, the White Sox scored their seventh run in the eighth on another wild pitch.
After right-hander Luis Castillo gave up nine baserunners (eight hits and one walk) and four runs over four innings, the White Sox got a combined five scoreless innings of relief from Hagen Smith, Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson to get a 7-4 win.
Chicago has won four of its last five games, scoring 28 runs over its last three games.
The Summer Of George
Okay, it was really “The Friday Night of George.” Nevertheless, George Springer raked against the Seattle Mariners.
The Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter finished the night 4 for 4 with a solo home run, a double and two singles. Over his last 10 games, Springer has racked up 16 hits, two home runs and driven in seven runs, while boasting a .500/.529/.781 slash line over that span.
Designated hitter Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run in the second at-bat of the game, but that would be the only run Seattle would score, as Toronto got an 8-1 win.
As for the rest of the Blue Jays’ offense, they scored three runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI double from first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., an RBI single from shortstop Andrés Giménez and a sacrifice fly from third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. Two batters prior to Springer’s fifth-inning home run, right fielder Nathan Lukes hit a solo homer, with Okamoto hitting a solo home run of his own in the sixth and hitting an RBI single in the seventh; outfielder Myles Straw also singled home a run in the seventh.
Right-hander Dylan Cease recorded eight strikeouts over six innings for the Blue Jays, giving up one run and five baserunners (four hits and one walk).
Baltimore Wins In Extras
Nine innings couldn’t settle a late-night bout between the Baltimore Orioles and Athletics.
With the game tied at 2-all in the top of the 10th, Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo brought home the ghost runner on a single, with third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand immediately following with an RBI single, which would be just enough for Baltimore to get a 4-3 win.
The Orioles got a potent outing from right-hander Brandon Young, who gave up just one run over seven innings. That one run was a solo home run by Athletics catcher Jonah Heim, with reliever Rico Garcia giving up a game-tying RBI single to right fielder Lawrence Butler in the eighth. Earlier in the game, left fielder Dylan Beavers hit an RBI single in the second, with an error by A’s starting pitcher Jacob Lopez off the bat of catcher Carlos Narváez giving the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the second.
Back to Young, who’s in his first full season at the MLB level and second season altogether, he’s in the midst of an eye-opening 2026 campaign. Through 23 starts, Young has posted a 3.38 ERA, a 122 ERA+ and 2.1 wins above replacement. Friday night was the fourth time Young has pitched through the seventh inning this season.
The Power Of 1
One swing was enough for the New York Yankees to get a win. By the way, it feels like this happens a lot with the Yankees.
In the bottom of the third, Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt crushed a fastball from Red Sox left-hander Patrick Sandoval into the left field bleachers, and it would be the only run scored in the game. It was Goldschmidt’s 17th home run of the year, with the first baseman sporting a .455 slugging percentage over 91 games.
Cam Schlittler’s pitch count got in the danger zone after 5 ⅔ innings for the Yankees (he left the game at 102 pitches), but he kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard, as did the relief combination of Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar. Boston had plenty of scoring chances, though, as it got 11 runners on the basepath (six walks and five hits), while New York actually tallied just three hits and seven baserunners altogether.
The Yankees (76-58) have a three-game lead on the Red Sox for the first AL wild-card seed. The AL East rivals have a doubleheader on Saturday, with the latter game airing on FOX (7:15 p.m. ET), as part of a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
