MLB News Today: Yankees secures 8-3 win against Blue Jays; Kike Hernandez's in-game heroics help Dodgers win; Shohei Ohtani becomes third Dodger to join historic 30-30 club
A busy Saturday witnessed several MLB teams returning to the diamond with hopes of adding a win to their record. Although the Chicago White Sox's record-breaking losing streak continued, several other teams had positives to take from the matchday. Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories around the MLB:
New York Yankees bounce back in slugfest to tie the series
The New York Yankees bounced back from their disappointing loss in the series opener to pump the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Saturday. Normal service resumed for the NY faithful at Yankee Stadium as captain Aaron Judge smashed a two-run homer in the first inning, his league-leading 42nd of the season.
While Judge once again displayed his MVP caliber on Saturday night, shortstop Anthony Volpe continued his hot streak since the All-Star break. Volpe has accumulated 10 hits over his last five games, along with three home runs. He is heating up for the team just at the right moment.
Kike Hernandez's two-way performance in Dodgers' rout of Oakland
The Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the Oakland A's for a dominant 10-0 win on Saturday. Dodgers third baseman Kike Hernandez had a productive night from the plate as he contributed with two RBIs over three hits while being walked once.
While his at-bats were impressive enough, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts threw him the ball in the final inning of the game to give a rest to his bullpen. Hernandez didn't disappoint as he kept the team's lead intact with a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit. He took the opportunity to throw a subtle jibe towards teammate and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.
Shohei Ohtani reaches another impressive MLB milestone
It's hard to imagine the MLB's $700 million man not grabbing headlines every time he plays. Shohei Ohtani did just that on Saturday after he stole bases three times against the A's to take his tally to 31 for the season.
That stat meant that Ohtani is the first member of the 30-30 club (30 SB & 30 HR) this season. He is also only the third Dodgers player to do so and the first since Matt Kemp in 2021. Raul Mondesi is the only other Dodger to reach the milestone, twice.
Given Ohtani's current form, he is most likely to reach the 40-40 mark this season and with a major chunk of the MLB season still to come who knows what improbable stat is next for baseball's unicorn.