MLB Recap: Willy Adames poised to surpass Ken Griffey Jr. in home run milestone, Whit Merrifield slams pitchers after taking HBP to head | September 4
There has been a lot going on in the MLB world with only a month remaining until the postseason. With playoff races heating up, this is one of the most interesting periods of the baseball season. That has resulted in quite a lot of interesting news, of which we will provide your daily recap.
Willy Adames set to pass Ken Griffey Jr.
With another three-run home run on Sunday, Willy Adames tied the MLB record for such hits in a single season. The Milwaukee Brewers shortstop has done it 13 times this year.
This requires some luck with baserunners ahead of him, but with just one more three-run blast, the budding star will pass Ken Griffey Jr. for the most in one season in MLB history.
Whit Merrifield goes off after HBP
Whit Merrifield took a pitch to the back of the helmet in yesterday's game. That didn't sit well with the Atlanta Braves star, who is reportedly planning to try and push for changes in a meeting with the MLB.
"It's happening at an exponential rate," he said via The Score. "Mookie Betts broke a bone in his hand this year. It's just ridiculous, and it has to be adjusted, it has to be fixed.
"Or, you know, God forbid, something terrible's gonna happen. If this hits me in a different spot, I mean - it's just pathetic. It's frankly pathetic that some of the pitchers that we're running out there that don't know where the ball's going at the major-league level."
Merrifield believes pitchers want to throw hard without any care for where the pitch actually ends up, which is dangerous for hitters.
Clay Holmes blows 11th save
With the New York Yankees clinging to a one-run lead in the game and a half-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles, Clay Holmes couldn't get it done.
His 11th blown save last night came on a walk-off grand slam by Wyatt Langford for the Texas Rangers. That's more than any other reliever has this year and it sent the Yanks to second place in the division.
Angels rookie breaks record
There's a new name beside the record for fastest pitch recorded on a strikeout: Los Angeles Angels rookie Ben Joyce. The relief pitcher tossed a stunning 105.5 mile-per-hour pitch to strike out Tommy Edman. It's not the fastest pitch of all time, but it is the fastest to result in a strikeout.
Paul Skenes makes major adjustment
This time of year, Paul Skenes is usually making his transition into fall ball. That's how the college schedule works, but Skenes is now an MLB starter and the presumed NL Rookie of the Year.
“I was thinking about normally what I'd be doing this time of year is starting fall ball. That's what I'm used to. That's kind of the college schedule. So it's definitely something to get used to,” he said via MLB.com.
Skenes pitched five shutout innings, including six strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs in his first September start, earning a win.