Game Notes – 07/03/2025

I wonder, in whatever realm franchises possess some sort of collective consciousness, if the Expos still have nightmares about the Barry Bonds experience from 2000.  In nine games that season, Montreal pitchers were tagged for eight doubles and seven homers by the Giants’ left fielder.  There were also two singles among the 30 at-bats, computing to a .567 batting average and a mountainous, volcanic 1.533 slugging percentage.  No player in the modern era has ever produced a higher mark against an opponent in a single year (with a minimum of 30 plate appearances).

This was Barry Bonds, so sure, no surprise.  The owner of the second highest slugging mark might cause a few wide eyes and even skeptical eyebrow lifts, unless you have distinct memories of the Tigers’ sufferings in 2008.  Then, a recollection of Melvin Mora – he of the 1.393 slugging percentage against Detroit – might shimmer its way into the imagery, 

George Springer has come to the plate 30 times against the Yankees this season and has damaged them to the tune of a .960 slugging percentage.  Nice work, but well short of what Bonds or Mora did when unleashing their most destructive impulses against one opponent.  But, in what’s shaped into a battle for AL East supremacy, Springer’s slugging against New York will be an intriguing, evolving plot.

George Springer’s two homers propelled the Blue Jays to an 8-5 win against the Yankees that concluded a four-game sweep and moved Toronto to a one-game lead over New York (and Tampa Bay) for first in the AL East.  Springer’s pop was a large part of the four-game exhibition, as he powered the team to a 12-5 win in the second contest, homering twice and driving in seven.  

~In seven games against the Yankees this season, Springer has four homers and 11 RBI.  Hank Greenberg’s 11 longballs against New York in 1938 stands as the most bombs anyone has had against the Bronx Bombers in a season.  Goose Goslin (1930) and Jimmie Foxx (1933) share the high mark for RBI against the Yankees in a season, with 35.  If the sample size is limited to just the 21st century, José Cruz (2001) and Evan Longoria (2013) share the crown for homers (nine) and Trot Nixon has the title belt in RBI, with 23 in 2005.

~Springer is the 43rd player with multiple multi-homer games against the Yankees in a season, and the first to do this since another Blue Jay, Bo Bichette, had two in 2021.  Other Blue Jays to do this:  Randal Grichuk in 2019, Josh Donaldson in 2017, Rusell Martin in 2016, José Bautista in 2010 and George Bell in 1990.  Hank Greenberg (1938) and Mark Reynolds (2012) share the high mark, with three multi-homer games in one year against New York.

Aaron Judge drew his 23rd intentional walk of the season.  The tally ties Judge with Mickey Mantle (23 in 1957) for the most in a season for a Yankee since 1955 (when this event was first officially tracked).  Judge’s 23 before the All-Star break are the most seen in the Majors since 2010 when Albert Pujols received 23.  

Jasson Domínguez singled twice, doubled and tripled in the Yankees’ loss.  The 22-year-old has a pair of four-hit games this season (both occurring in his past seven games).  He’s one of seven Yankees to have multiple four-hit games in a season while being as young as he is (22 years and 146 days old for this game on Thursday).  Here’s the full list.

5     Joe DiMaggio (1936)

3     Bill Dickey (1929), Mickey Mantle (1952)

2     Mark Koenig (1926), Ben Chapman (1930), Derek Jeter (1996), Jasson Domínguez (2025)  

Agustín Ramírez delivered a two-run homer to aid in the Marlins’ 4-1 win over the Twins.  The 23-year-old has 13 home runs on the season, tying Dan Uggla (2006) for the most ever by a Marlins first-year player in the first half of a season.  

James Wood went 5-for-5 with his 23rd homer of the season in a Nationals 11-7 win against the Tigers.  

~At 22 years and 289 days old, Wood is the youngest Expo/National to produce a five-hit game, this left fielder nudging aside left fielder Tim Raines for the honor.  On August 5, 1982, Raines was 22 years and 323 days old in a 5-for-6 effort.  

~Wood is at 23 homers and 67 RBI for the season (both figures are in the top four in the NL).   In the All-Star era, he is the sixth player in an age-22 or younger campaign to put up those numbers (or better ones) in a season’s first half.  By year, the list now looks like this:

1953    Eddie Mathews (27 & 75)

1970    Johnny Bench (28 & 79)

1986    José Canseco (23 & 78)

1998    Álex Rodríguez (27 & 70)

2021    Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (28 & 73)

2025    James Wood (23 & 67)

~Wood’s OPS+ now stands at 171.  This century has seen eight players in an age-22 or younger season qualify for the batting title and conclude the year with a mark of at least 160.  In chronological order, the list begins with Mike Trout, who did this in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  The next year, the Nationals Bryce Harper did this and then another National – Juan Soto – joined the pack in 2020 and 2021.  2021 also witnessed Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Fernando Tatis, Jr. making the grade.  Before Trout, Álex Rodríguez (1996) had been the last to do this; before him, it was César Cedeño in 1972.  

Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo hit his 17th home run of the year to tie Francico Lindor for third on the team, behind Pete Alonso’s 18 and Juan Soto’s 20.  Before 2025, the Mets had never had four players with as many as 17 longballs in a season’s first half.  They are the only team in the Majors right now with at least four players at this level.  

Matt Olson went 1-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 33 games, tying Freddie Freeman (2020) for the eighth longest for Atlanta in the 21st century.  At 34 straight, Andruw Jones (2003) and Dan Uggla (2011) establish the next target.

Robbie Ray went the distance on a three-hitter and his Giants got a 7-2 win against the Diamondbacks.  The lefty, who is tied for the NL lead with his nine wins, is the 65th Giant in the San Francisco era to have least that many victories before the All-Star break.  By ERA, Ray (2.68)  is tied with Gaylord Perry (1969) and Anthony DeSclafani (2021) for the 27th lowest among these 65; Juan Marichal’s 1.55 in 1965 is the lowest ERA.  

Cade Horton (7.0 IP, 5 H) and four Cubs relievers limited Guardians batters to seven singles in a 10-inning, 1-0 win.  The team had last posted an extra-inning shutout with no extra-base hits allowed on April 18, 2011 when they edged the Padres 1-0 in 10 innings.  That evening, Carlos Zambrano went the first eight and allowed three hits with 10 strikeouts and a walk.  

The Cubs’ 1-0 victory came with a box score that featured no extra-base hits for the winning team, also something that doesn’t happen every day for the franchise.  The Cubs’ last 1-0, extra-inning win featuring no extra-base hits came back in the early days of the 1969 season, when they defeated the Expos in 12 frames at Wrigley Field.  Whereas Matt Shaw’s walk-off sac fly ended things in this 2025 contest, Billy Williams’ single wrapped it up in ’69.  

Freddie Freeman doubled twice and drove in three runs as his Dodgers defeated the White Sox, 6-2. 

~Freeman’s pair of two-base hits gave him 531 in his career, breaking him out of the tie he was in with Al Oliver for the 43rd most in history.  The Dodgers first baseman is now three behind a rather famous Yankees first baseman, Lou Gehrig.  

~There’s certainly a lot of attention paid to multi-homer games, but little, if any, time spent on multi-double efforts.  Well, here’s what the box scores since 1901 say:  

*Tris Speaker owns the most games with at least two doubles (91), with Pete Rose (67), Charlie Gehringer (66), Ty Cobb (65) and Stan Musial/David Ortiz (64) rounding out the top five.  Freeman has 56, tied with Paul Waner, Joe Cronin and Nick Markakis for the 17th most and the most among active players (Paul Goldschmidt’s 48 are the second most among the guys presently in the game).  

~Freeman’s career OPS+ sits at 142.  There are 47 players in history, including Freeman (playing in his age-35 campaign in 2025) to have amassed at least 1,500 games at first base through their age-35 season.  Freeman’s 142 is the same as Paul Goldschmidt’s mark through his age-35 campaign (that came in 2023).  The 142 is the seventh highest mark among the 47 players, behind Lou Gehrig’s 179, the 164 from Jimmie Foxx and Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols’ 160, Jeff Bagwell’s 153 and Joey Votto’s 150.  Freeman’s 4,009 total bases at this stage of his career are the sixth most among the same 47 players:

All-Time, Most TB For a Player Through His Age-35 Season (min. 1,500 Games at First Base)

5,056    Lou Gehrig

4,961    Albert Pujols

4,860    Jimmie Foxx

4,181    Eddie Murray

4,048    Rafael Palmeiro

4,009    Freddie Freeman

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