WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Carson Kelly hit for the cycle and drove in five runs, Michael Busch hit a two-run homer on the way to a career-high four RBIs, and Chicago pounded the Athletics 18-3 on Monday night to spoil their first game in their new Northern California home.
Busch connected in the first inning and Dansby Swanson followed with a solo drive on a night the wind carried the ball over the fences just as Cubs manager Craig Counsell predicted on a blustery, cold night in California’s capital region for an offensive show in the first major league game at Sutter Health Park.
With 21 hits, the Cubs amply backed right-hander Ben Brown (1-1) in his second career victory featuring five strikeouts over five innings. They scored their most runs since an 18-8 victory at Pittsburgh last Aug. 26.
The 18 runs allowed by the A’s were the most by any team in a home opener in 100 years, per Sportradar. The Browns allowed 21 to the Indians in 1925.
WHITE SOX 9, TWINS 0
CHICAGO (AP) — Martín Pérez threw six hitless innings in a sparkling debut as Chicago beats Minnesota.
Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi hit three-run homers in the first and second innings. Michael A. Taylor made it 9-0 with a two-run drive in the third against Twins starter Chris Paddock (0-1), sending the White Sox to an easy win after they lost two of three in their season-opening series against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Twins’ only hits were singles by Willi Castro in the seventh against Mike Vasil and Ryan Jeffers in the eighth. They fell to 0-4 following a sweep at St. Louis, their worst start since the 2016 team dropped its first nine games.
Pérez (1-0) threw 93 pitches while tying a career high with nine strikeouts and walking three. The left-hander retired the first 11 batters before walking Jeffers.
Pérez, who turns 34 on Friday, was an All-Star with Texas in 2022 and helped the Rangers win the World Series the following year. He pitched for Pittsburgh and San Diego last season before signing a $5 million, one-year contract with Chicago in January.
Vasil retired the first two batters in the seventh before Castro singled.
Paddack got tagged for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings.
ROYALS 11, BREWERS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Kris Bubic struck out eight in six shutout innings in his first start in nearly two years, and Kansas City spoiled Milwaukee’s home opener with a victory over the winless Brewers.
Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez homered for the Royals. Jonathan India had three hits and drove in two runs one day after on the left side of his face by a 98.9-mph pitch from Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase.
Bubic (1-0) allowed three hits and walked two in his first start since The 27-year-old left-hander had later that month, and he filled a relief role in all 27 of his appearances last season, going 1-1 with a 2.67 ERA.
The two-time Brewers are 0-4 for the first time since 2015, when they finished 68-94.
Garcia connected for a 428-foot drive to center on a 2-1 fastball from Elvin Rodriguez (0-1) in the second. Perez went deep on a 2-2 slider from Elvis Peguero in the seventh, sending a 418-foot drive just inside the left-field foul pole.
Brewers associate manager Rickie Weeks was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Brennan Miller after arguing a ball-strike call from the dugout in the seventh.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 5
BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler O’Neill had four hits in his home debut for Baltimore, and the Orioles used a pair of big offensive innings to beat Boston.
Baltimore scored four runs in the first and four more in the eighth in its home opener, and the Orioles’ bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings. Matt Bowman, Seranthony Domínguez (1-0), Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano blanked Boston in relief. Then Félix Bautista came on for the ninth to a big ovation — the big closer missed all of last season because of Tommy John surgery.
Bautista allowed two runs and had to face Alex Bregman as the tying run with two on. Bregman hit a game-ending popup.
Orioles starter Cade Povich allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings but struck out eight. Sean Newcomb (0-1) threw three shutout innings after allowing four runs in the first in his Boston debut.
Baltimore began the bottom of the first with four straight singles, including RBI hits by O’Neill and Ryan Mountcastle. Cedric Mullins added a two-out, two-run double to make it 4-0.
O’Neill, who signed with the Orioles in the offseason, had three singles and a double.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run triple in the second for Boston, and the Red Sox scored again in the third, but the Orioles pulled away in the eighth. Heston Kjerstad singled home a run, Mullins drove in two more with a bases-loaded single, and Jackson Holliday hit an RBI single.
PHILLIES 6, ROCKIES 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Edmundo Sosa ripped a two-out, go-ahead two-RBI double in the seventh inning and Kyle Schwarber followed with a mammoth homer to center field to rally Philadelphia to a win over Colorado.
Philadelphia Eagles and Saquon Barkley surprised the roaring crowd with a pair of first pitches. With two runners on base in the seventh and two out, the Phillies put Graham on the big screen and he raised his arms exhorting the crowd to get loud.
Sosa delivered for the just-retired Graham. He lashed his second double of the game, this one to right-center off Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik to score Bryson Stott and Trea Turner for a 2-1 lead.
Schwarber then connected for his of the season, a 434-foot blast that made it 4-1.
Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos hit back-to-back homers in the eighth.
José Alvarado and Jordan Romano each worked a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the win.
REDS 14, RANGERS 3
CINCINNATI (AP) — Elly De La Cruz had a single, double and two home runs for a career-high seven RBIs, Brady Singer pitched seven scoreless innings in his Cincinnati debut, and the Reds routed Texas.
Singer, who was acquired in November from the Kansas City Royals, became the first Reds pitcher with seven-plus scoreless innings in a debut since Tom Seaver on June 18, 1977, against Montreal. The 28-year-old right-hander struck out eight, walked two and allowed one hit.
to center for a 6-0 lead in the second inning. It was his first homer of the season. He added .
The Reds (2-2) batted around in the sixth to double their lead to 12-0. The 14 runs were Cincinnati’s most since a 19-2 victory over St. Louis on Sept. 29, 2023.
METS 10, MARLINS 4
MIAMI (AP) — Pete Alonso hit a grand slam and New York beat Miami.
Starling Marte, Luis Torrens and Brandon Nimmo also went deep for the Mets, who finished with 11 hits in the opener of a three-game series. Every starter in the lineup had at least one.
New York left-hander David Peterson gave up two runs and five hits in six innings. Peterson (1-0) struck out nine and walked three.
Alonso’s drive chased Miami starter Cal Quantrill (0-1) and highlighted a seven-run fifth. Torrens capped the outburst when he connected for a two-run shot off reliever George Soriano to put the Mets ahead 8-1.
RAYS 6, PIRATES 1
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Mangum got two hits from each side of the plate to finish 4 for 4 in his second major league game, and Tampa Bay beat Pittsburgh in their first game under the lights at Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays had just four players with a four-hit game all of last season.
The 29-year-old Mangum, who made his big league debut on Sunday, got his first career hit in the third inning and then stole his first base. He finished with a double, three singles and two RBIs.
Tampa Bay took control after sending 10 men to the plate in a four-run fourth that Mangum capped with a single up the middle, scoring two.
Four Tampa Bay pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts and no walks. Drew Rasmussen (1-0), coming back from his third elbow procedure, rejoined the starting rotation and allowed two hits in five scoreless innings, while striking out four.
Pittsburgh starter Carmen Mlodzinski (0-1) allowed four runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
BLUE JAYS 5, NATIONALS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Andrés Giménez homered and scored three runs, Bowden Francis pitched six innings to win his first start of the season and Toronto beat Washington.
Giménez reached base four times. He homered in the second inning, walked and scored in the fourth, was hit by a pitch in the sixth and doubled and scored in the eighth.
Francis (1-0) didn’t allow a base hit until CJ Abrams and James Wood hit back-to-back homers with one out in the sixth.
Francis allowed two runs and two hits. He walked three and struck out four.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk both contributed RBI doubles as the Blue Jays won back-to-back games for the first time.
ANGELS 5, CARDINALS 4, 10 INNINGS
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Kyren Paris hit a tying triple in the seventh inning, Nolan Schanuel gave Los Angeles its first lead with a grounder in the 10th and the Angels held off St. Louis.
Mike Trout had two RBIs for the Angels, who scored three runs on sacrifice flies and finally went ahead in the 10th without a hit. After two walks loaded the bases, Schanuel sent a chopper to second baseman Brendan Donovan, whose throw home was late as Luis Rengifo scored for a 4-3 lead.
Trout added a deep sac fly to center that scored Paris.
The Cardinals got a run in the bottom of the 10th when Victor Scott II hit a sacrifice fly. Los Angeles reliever Ryan Johnson, making his second major league appearance, earned his first save after striking out Masyn Winn.
Brock Burke (1-0) threw one inning of scoreless relief for the win. JoJo Romero (0-1) took the loss.
GIANTS 7, ASTROS 2
HOUSTON (AP) — Wilmer Flores hit his third homer of the season and drove in four runs to lead San Francisco over Houston.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks (1-0), who grew up in suburban Houston, allowed only a first-inning single and struck out six in six innings.
There were two on with two outs in the sixth when Flores sent a slider from Luis Contreras into the left-field seats to make it 5-0. The homer came after Flores hit an RBI single in the second to give San Francisco an early lead.
The Astros had managed just one hit and had a runner on second when Jose Altuve singled off Spencer Bivens with two outs in the eighth. Isaac Paredes then smacked a double off the wall in left field to score two runs and cut it to 5-2. Erik Miller took over and struck out Yordan Alvarez to end the inning.
Matt Chapman drove in two runs with a single in the ninth that made it 7-2.
PADRES 7, GUARDIANS 2
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Kyle Hart earned his first big league win, Gavin Sheets had a pair of two-run doubles among his three hits and San Diego beat Cleveland to start 5-0 for the first time in their 57-season history.
The Padres’ previous best start was 4-0 in 1984, when they went to their first World Series.
Hart (1-0) returned to the big leagues five seasons after his only other stint, when he made four appearances and three starts for Boston during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, going 0-1 with a 15.55 ERA. He spent 2024 with the NC Dinos, where he led the Korean Baseball Organization with 182 strikeouts and won the Choi Dong-won Award as its top starter.
The 32-year-old left-hander allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, including home runs by José Ramírez with one out in the first and Austin Hedges leading off the third. They were the first for both players. Hart struck out four and walked one.
The Padres roughed up Luis Ortiz (0-1) in his Guardians debut after he was obtained in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh. He allowed seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
TIGERS 9, MARINERS 6
SEATTLE (AP) — Riley Greene homered and Javier Báez hit a two-run double in Detroit’s six-run first inning, helping the Tigers beat Seattle for their first victory of the season.
Báez, Dillon Dingler and Trey Sweeney each had three of Detroit’s 18 hits. Kerry Carpenter had two hits and two RBIs.
The Tigers were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in their season-opening series.
Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley homered for Seattle. Julio Rodríguez had two hits and scored two runs.
Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock (0-1) recorded just two outs before he was pulled.
DODGERS 6, BRAVES 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Glasnow tossed five shutout innings in his season debut, Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer and Los Angeles beat Atlanta.
The defending champions are 6-0 for their best start since 1981, when they won the World Series. Atlanta fell to 0-5.
Glasnow (1-0) gave up singles to Jarred Kelenic and Michael Harris II in the fifth — and that was it. The right-hander struck out eight and walked three in a series opener between perennial National League pennant contenders.
Hernández’s 436-foot shot to center field in the first scored Shohei Ohtani, who walked. Ohtani has scored in all six games this season.
