On April 19, Montreal was riding the kind of high you bottle and save for October. Pedro Martínez threw a no-hitter, the Expos pounded Oakland 11–0, and the whole thing felt like a coronation for a 14–2 club that looked like it had finally found fifth gear. Pedro’s line is the sort of thing you frame: 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 17 K, 138 pitches (90 strikes) — ERA down to 0.28, record 3–0. The A’s never sniffed it. Seven...

By Kate Prescott, The Diamond Chronicle The Oakland Athletics aren’t just losing—they’re compiling a worrying résumé of how to lose. After dropping their 11th straight game, the A’s sit at 5–14 (.263), anchored to the bottom of the United League’s West Division, 5½ games back. It’s not simply the record—it’s the types of games Oakland can’t seem to win. 0–6 at home 0–1 in extra innings 0–5 in one-run games 0–7 vs....

On Tuesday night at RFK Stadium, Vladimir Guerrero put together the cleanest version of star power baseball offers: a true cycle — single, triple, double, and home run — in four plate appearances, driving Washington to a 14–6 win over San Diego. It wasn’t a volume night so much as an efficiency clinic: 4-for-4, 4 RBI, 3 runs, a stolen base, and exit velocities that matched the spectacle. The Sequence (and Why It Mattered) 1st inning —...

If Danny Patterson’s first outing was a stumble, his second was a faceplant. Arizona’s first-round pick—drafted to be the closer of the future—once again found himself in the spotlight, and once again, he couldn’t get the job done. The Diamondbacks dropped a 6–5 heartbreaker to the Washington Senators, and Patterson wore the loss. His line tells the story: 2 innings, 2 runs, 2 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts, and a wild pitch that...

When the Washington Senators assembled their 1996 roster, it was built with the intention of bludgeoning opponents into submission. Names like Albert Belle, Fred McGriff, and the prodigious talents of Alex Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero were supposed to form one of the most intimidating lineups in the United League. Instead, through the first week of the season, the Senators’ bats have looked more like a Triple-A outfit than a major-league...

Projected for a 69–93 season, the Chicago White Sox were expected to be more of a rebuilding story than a contender in 1996. Yet, one week into the season, they’ve delivered one of the league’s most surprising starts, opening with a 4–1 record. It’s not just the wins — it’s how they’ve come. A sweep of the perennial-contending St. Louis Cardinals and a statement victory over the Yankees have put the White Sox on the radar...

The Baltimore Orioles weren’t projected to be a factor in 1996. Coming off a 54–108 season and pegged for a 73–89 finish this year, expectations were modest. This is a franchise still chasing the high of its 1992 World Series title, a peak followed by years of decline and transition. Yet through the opening week of the season, Baltimore sits at 5–0 — an unexpected, undefeated start that’s turned heads across the United League....