New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole threw against outside competition for the first time since the 2024 World Series on Wednesday when he opposed the visiting Boston Red Sox in a spring training game in Tampa.
Cole, who had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2025 season, threw 10 pitches to four Boston reserves and minor leaguers in a scoreless first inning.
The Yankees scored an unearned run in the eighth inning and defeated the Red Sox 1-0. New York managed only one hit off three Boston pitchers.
Cole, who averaged nearly 97 mph on his fastball, allowed a lead-off bunt single and subsequent stolen base to Braiden Ward. But Ward was thrown out trying to steal third, so a Jason Delay single to left was harmless.
Boston starter Connelly Early was extremely impressive, fanning seven Yankees and only allowing one hit and two walks in five innings. Early lowered his ERA to 1.59 in this exhibition season, but the young lefty is expected to begin the season in Triple-A Worcester.
Cardinals 4, Astros 1
Minor leaguers Tai Peete and Ramon Mendoza hit home runs for host St. Louis in the bottom of the eighth to break a 1-1 tie with Houston in Jupiter, Fla.
Peete gave the Cards a 2-1 lead and Mendoza’s long ball plated two runs. Brody Moore staked St. Louis to a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI double. Reliever Kyle Leahy got the start and threw five innings of three-hit scoreless baseball, walking one and striking out six.
The Astros’ only run came across in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Shay Whitcomb. J.P. France got the start and permitted one run on three hits with four strikeouts in four innings.
Braves 3, Phillies 2
Atlanta pushed across three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and rallied past visiting Philadelphia in North Port, Fla.
Michael Harris II and Luke Williams drove in runs with a single and sacrifice fly, but the Phillies aided the cause with two errors in the inning. Right-hander Didier Fuentes, 20, a 2025 mid-season call-up for Atlanta, threw four scoreless relief innings and fanned eight batters, including all three in the eighth.
Right-hander Andrew Painter, one of the Phillies’ top pitching prospects, gave up only one hit and one walk, while fanning three in four scoreless innings as the starter. Dylan Moore drove in both runs with a bases-loaded walk in the first and an RBI single in the fifth.
Orioles 3, Blue Jays 2
Ryan Mountcastle and Blaze Alexander drove in first-inning runs with singles as Baltimore edged host Toronto in Dunedin, Fla.
Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman each collected two hits and Jeremiah Jackson homered in the fourth. Versatile right-hander Albert Suarez started and fanned five in four innings, permitting one run on three hits and two walks.
The Blue Jays’ Addison Barger hit his third homer of the spring, a solo shot in the second. Reliever Louis Varland fanned three of the four Orioles he faced in the fifth and sixth innings.
Dodgers 5, Giants 1
Shohei Ohtani struck out four and allowed just one hit in his Cactus League pitching debut, as Los Angeles defeated San Francisco in Glendale, Ariz.
Freddie Freeman and Nick Senzel went yard, while Teoscar Hernandez and Mookie Betts added one-run singles to give the Dodgers a five-run lead. Ohtani went 4 1/3 innings, and the bullpen allowed just three hits over the rest of the game.
Victor Bericoto hit a solo home run to score the only Giants run in the eighth, and the game was called an inning early due to extreme heat. Landen Roupp gave up five hits and three runs over four innings, striking out five batters.
Rockies 8, Reds 6 (ss)
An eighth inning stampede lifted Colorado to a comeback victory over Cincinnati in Goodyear, Ariz.
Ryan Ritter hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, and the Rockies sent 12 batters to the plate in the six-run eighth, with Vimael Machin’s double the only extra-base hit. Jose Quintana had a rough start, allowing seven hits and four runs in four innings.
Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson and Elly De La Cruz hit run-scoring doubles in the fourth before the offense stalled. Two runs in the seventh gave the Reds a five-run lead, but it wasn’t enough.
Mariners 7, Brewers 3 (ss)
Seattle used the long ball to top Milwaukee in Peoria, Ariz.
Newcomer Brendan Donovan, Luke Raley and Randy Arozarena each went deep and accounted for all seven of Seattle’s runs, as Raley added an RBI double in the fifth. Emerson Hancock allowed eight hits and all three runs in his 3 2/3 inning start.
Tyler Black drove in all three runs for Milwaukee with a sacrifice fly and a two-run triple. Carlos Rodriguez allowed four runs in four innings and struck out three.
Angels 4 (ss), Brewers 3 (ss)
Milwaukee’s attempt to mount a four-run comeback fell short in a loss to Los Angeles in Phoenix.
Denzer Guzman’s solo home run and Jeimer Candelario’s three-run moonshot in the second inning accounted for all of Los Angeles’ scoring. Ryan Johnson delivered a strong five-inning start for Los Angeles, allowing four hits and one run. Johnson struck out four batters during his outing.
Luis Rengifo and Jake Bauers homered for the Brewers, and Kyle Harrison took the loss after just 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (one earned) and four hits.
Angels 7 (ss), Reds 4 (ss)
Josh Lowe hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning to propel Los Angeles over Cincinnati in Tempe, Ariz.
Lowe registered five RBIs, adding an RBI triple to the grand slam. Mike Trout and Yoan Moncada added one-run singles. Jack Kochanowicz struck out six batters and allowed just one run in his five-inning start.
Sal Stewart, JJ Bleday and Rece Hinds each whacked solo home runs for the Reds. Starter Chase Burns went two innings, allowing two runs and three hits. Christopher Cannon took the loss after surrendering four runs in his one inning of work.
Diamondbacks 16, Cubs 8
Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jorge Barrosa went deep as Arizona erupted for 13 runs across the third and fourth innings to blow past Chicago in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Diamondbacks piled up 17 hits and went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Merrill Kelly started for Arizona and allowed two runs on five hits over 2 2/3 innings. Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera was tagged for eight runs (seven earned) in three innings, and the bullpen couldn’t stop the bleeding after that.
The Cubs briefly grabbed control with a five-run third, highlighted by Jefferson Rojas’ grand slam, but Arizona answered immediately. Thomas’ two-run homer sparked a six-run third before a seven-run fourth put it out of reach. Alexander Benua’s two-run double added more in the seventh, and Chicago’s back-to-back eighth-inning homers from Kevin Alcantara and Jonathan Long only trimmed the final margin.
Pirates 3, Tigers 1
Braxton Ashcraft’s 5 1/3 strong innings helped Pittsburgh keep Detroit at bay in a win in Bradenton, Fla.
Ashcraft yielded one unearned run, fanned eight, gave up five hits and didn’t allow any walks to lower his ERA to 2.03. Tyler Callihan went 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the fourth inning. Joey Bart hit an RBI single in the second and Oneil Cruz followed it up with a sacrifice fly to bring Callihan home.
Detroit starter Casey Mize allowed all three runs in his four innings as he walked three and struck out six. Riley Greene brought home the only Tigers run in the fifth with an RBI single, one of only five hits for the visitors.
Rangers 12, Royals 3
Wyatt Langford socked his fifth homer of the spring as host Texas routed Kansas City in Surprise, Ariz.
Josh Jung went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and RBI single for the Rangers, who also got a three-run shot from Andrew McCutchen. Kumar Rocker fanned six in four innings of one-run ball.
Kyle Isbel hit a two-run triple for the Royals, and Abraham Toro, Drew Waters and Isbel collected two hits apiece. Michael Wacha was tagged for five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Marlins-Nationals (canceled)
The game between Washington and Miami in Palm Beach, Fla., was scratched due to inclement weather. There will be no makeup date.
–Field Level Media
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