Game Notes – 04/22/2025

Over in the NL this season, Chicago’s Kyle Tucker and New York’s Pete Alonso share the league leads in both RBI (with 25) and extra-base hits (17).  One of the two is also pacing the league in runs, hits, total bases, times on base (all Tucker), doubles and OPS+ (Alonso).  But back to those 25 RBI and 17 extra-base hits. There have been other NL seasons to see multiple players stretch so high in the two categories by the time April comes to a close, but not too many.  This first occurred in the 1998 campaign, when Mark McGwire, Chipper Jones and Derek Bell all got there.  Three years later, a trio consisting of Luis Gonzalez, Larry Walker and Albert Pujols did it.  Then in 2008, Nate McLouth and Lance Berkman tag-teamed to the bars.  2017 brought a pair of teammates into the fold:  Washington Nationals Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper.  And then finally, 2019 saw Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich and our very own spotlit celebrity from 2025, Alonso, all reach the qualifications.

Pete Alonso is, in many ways, replicating his 2019 start.  The first baseman, after going 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the Mets’ 5-1 win over the Phillies, has, as mentioned, 17 extra-base hits and 25 RBI.  The only other Met to get to those numbers by the end of April is Pete Alonso in 2019.  That 2019 version had a few more homers as part of the portfolio (nine then, six this year) but this year’s rendition has significantly slashed his strikeouts (15 in 2025 as compared to 35 in 2019).  

Leading off for New York, Francisco Lindor (3-for-5, RBI single) assembled his third straight game with at least two hits and at least one RBI (during this stretch, he is 8-for-13 with six RBI).  There are a pair of Mets leadoff hitters who’ve done this in four straight:  Lenny Dykstra in 1986 and Brandon Nimmo in 2018.  

The Mets improved to 17-7 (tied with the Padres for the best record in the Majors).  The 17 wins through 24 games are the most for the franchise since the 1988 club opened 17-7 (the 1972 team did as well).  Only the eventual World Series champion 1986 team did better, starting 20-4.  Other team-focused superlatives:  through 24 games, this Mets pitching staff has posted the lowest ERA (2.37) since the ’71 club owned a 2.29 and has surrendered only 10 homers – the fewest through 24 games since the 1991 team allowed nine.  Both of these figures are the best in the Majors in 2025.  

Kyle Tucker singled twice, homered and drove in two runs, walked and stole two bases.  The array speaks to his overall fill ‘er up approach this season, where in addition to his 17 extra-base hits and 25 RBI, he’s tallied 65 total bases, 24 runs and 18 walks.  He’s one of six players in the modern era to reach all these numbers before May 1 and the first Cub to do this.  Cody Bellinger and Christian Yelich had been the last to get there, both hitting the lines in 2019.  Before them, Albert Pujols (2006), Bryce Harper (2017) and perhaps the surprise of the bunch, Didi Gregorius in 2018, hit the marks.  Of all these names, only Tucker and Yelich also had as many as six stolen bases.  

A day after celebrating his Major League debut with a multi-hit effort, Miami’s Agustín Ramírez added another three safeties (two doubles and a single).  The 23-year-old catcher is the first Marlin to generate at least five hits through his first two career games.  More broadly, he’s one of 90 to have done this in the World Series era (since 1903), falling two hits shy of the high mark established by Cecil Travis (1933), Coaker Triplett (1938), Nanny Fernandez (1942) and fellow catcher, Wilson Ramos (2010).  Ramírez is the only player in the World Series era to open his career with two straight games featuring multiple hits, at least one going for extra bases and at least one free pass. 

Nick Pivetta allowed a measly two singles in seven scoreless innings to pace the Padres to a 2-0 win over the Tigers.  

~This is the third time in five starts this season Pivetta has authored a line featuring at least seven innings, no runs and no more than three hits allowed.  In the modern era, five other pitchers have a claim of three starts with these aforementioned qualities through their respective teams’ first 24 games:  

Ray Caldwell for the 1914 Yankees

Steve Swetonic for the 1932 Pirates

Bob Feller for the 1947 Indians

Chris Archer for the 2015 Rays

José Berríos for the 2018 Twins

~Pivetta owns a 1.20 ERA and has surrendered 4.80 hits per nine while maintaining a 0.767 WHIP (he leads the NL in each of these two latter categories).  For some perspective, among Padres pitchers with at least five starts by the end of any April:

*Pivetta’s ERA would be the second lowest heading into May, after Dave Dravecky’s 0.75 in 1986.

*Pivetta’s 4.80 hits per nine leading into May would be the fourth lowest with Chris Paddack’s 3.82 in 2019 the lowest mark.

*Pivetta’s 0.767 WHIP would be the third lowest heading into May, behind Joe Musgrove’s 0.655 in 2021 and Paddack’s 0.697 in ’19.

~The Padres have a Major League-leading seven team shutouts (no other club has more than four).  Those seven through 24 team games tie for the most for any club since 1901.  The others with seven:  the 1909 Athletics, the 1914 Red Sox, the 1945 Tigers, the 1958 Yankees, the 1968 Indians and the 1992 Braves.

~At 17-7, the 2025 Padres have matched the 1998 club for the franchise’s most wins through 24 games.  This club has the lowest ERA (2.77) through 24 games since the 1975 team posted a 2.58.

Fernando Tatis, Jr., went 1-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 23 games. He’s now two games shy of matching  Adrián González in 2015 for the fifth longest to open a Padres season.  

Aaron Judge went 4-for-4 with a double:  the 50th time in his career he’s reached base safely at least four times and had at least one extra-base hit while doing so.  Since 2016 – the year he made his debut – those 50 are the seventh most in the Majors.  The top six looks like this:  Freddie Freeman (73), Mookie Betts (71), José Ramírez (54), Bryce Harper (52), Paul Goldschmidt (52) and Juan Soto (51).

Mitchell Parker spun eight innings of one-hit ball to lead the Nationals to a 7-0 win over the Orioles.  The portsider owns a 1.39 ERA in five starts, with four of those five outings seeing him allow no more than one run.  Among Expos/Nationals pitchers with at least five starts through the club’s first 23 games, Parker’s 1.39 ERA is the fourth lowest:

1.13    Stephen Strasburg in 2012

1.23    Dennis Martínez in 1991

1.36    Max Scherzer in 2018

1.39    Mitchell Parker in 2025

1.42    Ken Hill in 1992

Atlanta’s Sean Murphy hit his sixth home run of the year.  Although he missed the club’s first nine games this season, his six longballs through 23 team games tie for the fifth most for any Braves catcher since 1901 (among others, he’s tied with himself in 2023).  Dale Murphy had the most – eight in 1979.

Luke Keaschall singled, drew two walks, stole two bases and scored two runs in the Twins’ 4-2 win.  The 22-year-old has played four Major League games and has reached safely eight times (via five hits and three walks) and stolen three bases.  No other player in franchise history has reached those two marks through his first four games; there are seven others in the World Series era who have done so, including the Rays’ Jake Mangum this season.  Before these two in this year, Ray Lankford in 1990 had been the last.  Strolling backward, Vince Coleman (1985) appears, as does Milt Thompson (1984) and Bill Bruton (1953).  The other two emerge from the murkiness of the deadball era:  Harry Williams (1913) and Ed Mensor (1912).  

Kris Bubic  worked seven scoreless innings in Kansas City’s extra-inning win on Tuesday.  The lefty has a 1.45 ERA this year – second lowest for any Royals southpaw through 24 games (min. five starts) since the club came to be in 1969.  Only Jason Vargas’ 1.42 in 2017 submerged lower.

Christian Yelich homered with the bases loaded as part of Milwaukee’s 11-3 win – his fifth career slam (all with the Brewers).  The 33-year-old is now tied with Cecil Cooper, John Jaha, and Jeromy Burnitz for second on the franchise list for slams, behind Ryan Braun and his eight.  

Rangers starter Patrick Corbin (5.0 IP, 2 R) picked up the win to improve to 2-0.  The lefty hadn’t been two games over .500 at any point in any season since August of 2020, when he was 2-0.  Since the start of the 2020 campaign, Corbin is 35-70, with those 70 defeats the most by a wide margin (Luis Castillo has the second most, 51).

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.