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CLEVELAND — Mishits by most players end up being outs.

For Shohei Ohtani, they can result in home runs.

The Japanese star became the third player in Dodgers history to reach 20 homers in the team’s first 55 games with a two-run towering drive during the fourth inning Tuesday night against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Japanese star joined Gil Hodges (21 in 1951) and Cody Bellinger (20 in 2019) as Dodgers with at least 20 homers in the first 55 games. It is the 64th time a player in the majors did it in the same span, the first since the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso in 2023.

“It’s really cool. A little bit jealousy probably. You know, he basically mishits a fly ball today and it still goes out,” said Max Muncy, who added a three-run homer in the Dodgers’ 9-5 victory. “It’s just one of those things where he does that stuff that no normal human beings can do. It’s really fun to watch and see it.”

Ohtani — a three-time MVP who leads the major leagues in homers — drove a cutter from Tanner Bibee into the left-field stands for a 4-0 lead. It was the fourth time this season Ohtani has gone deep to the opposite side.

“It wasn’t flushed, but it was spun the right way. It was just one of those balls that when he hit it, it just kept going like a helium ball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It is true that he has a lot more margin for error than everyone else on the planet. Maybe him and (New York Yankees slugger Aaron) Judge.”

Bibee struck out Ohtani in the first inning and issued an intentional walk in the second. The right-hander thought he got out of the fourth inning when he saw Ohtani hit it, only to see it keep carrying.

“I think a lot of people thought it was a popup. I mean, I did too. It was definitely crazy seeing that go up,” Bibee said.

It was the second time this season and 10th since Ohtani came to the majors from Japan for the 2018 season he has homered in three straight games. That also includes a stretch of eight in the past 13 games.

Prior to Tuesday night, the fastest Ohtani had gone deep 20 times in a season was 70 games into the Angels’ season in 2021.

It is the third time the four-time All-Star has had at least 12 homers in a month since joining the Dodgers. He did it in June and August last season.

The most homers Ohtani has hit in a month was 15 with the Los Angeles Angels in June 2023.

Of Ohtani’s 245 big league homers, 37 have gone to left field.

“He’s just been much more disciplined in the strike zone,” Roberts said. “He’s swinging at his strikes and he’s taking balls that are not in the hitting zone. And I think that if you look at that stretch, he’s walking a lot more too. When he’s willing to take the walk and be ready to hit the balls in his hitting zone, that’s where you see kind of the slug and when he gets on a tear.”

The New York Yankees have long been stymied by Kyle Gibson’s unique brand of nonsense. Any start against Gibson’s speed-changing whirling dervishes is a coin flip; either he’s going seven of the most effortless innings of all time, or he’s battling from the start and exiting early.

Tuesday was Gibson’s 2025 debut, and it went just about as swimmingly as Nestor Cortes’ reckoning with the torpedo bats in the Bronx at the tail end of March.

Trent Grisham started things off at Camden Yards with a blast – as he’s wont to do. That’s kind of just how he handles his business these days. Then Aaron Judge followed, giving the Yankees a modest lead – nice, but not completely out of character.

Then, uh, things got strange, in much the same way they did when Cortes returned to the Bronx for the first time after he was traded and got immediately walloped.

Cortes hit the 60-Day injured list shortly after that start, falling victim to a flexor strain after Appearance No. 2. Hopefully, Gibson doesn’t fall victim to the same fate, though he’s checked the first box on Cortes’ timeline. Two of the next three batters, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, also homered. Four solo shots on 12 pitches to five batters. Chaos. Madness.

Belli Bomb 💣 pic.twitter.com/ThK0IsVJzY — New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 29, 2025

Yankees’ lineup adjustment vs. Kyle Gibson pays off, as Cody Bellinger hits fourth home run of first inning

Bumping Bellinger out of the No. 3 spot behind Aaron Judge appears to have paid early dividends!

Stay tuned in this one. It’s only the first inning. This roller coaster ride has a long way to go. Last time the Yankees teed off in similar fashion, they put up 20 runs, won 20-9, Pablo Reyes made a metric ton of errors, and Carlos Carrasco, ostensibly a member of the rotation, made his pinstripe debut in relief.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of the first frame, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hurt himself on an awkward swing? He drilled a triple later in the at-bat, but exited swiftly. There’s always something to dampen the party, after all (though what a wild party we seem to have unfolding at OPACY).

Life of the Marte

Noelvi Marte (CIN): 5-7, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 7 RBI.

Noelvi Marte, have a day! In fact, Cincinnati Reds, have a day! The Reds beat up on the Baltimore Orioles 24-2, scoring the most runs in a game since 1999, with Marte being one of the two Reds’ Bash Brothers who did most of the damage (see below for his partner in crime). Marte went 5-for-7 with a home run, seven RBI, and three runs. Marte Like It’s 1999, ammirite? I could do this all day.

Many will be wondering if Marte is worth a waiver wire pickup. Some will point to his prospect pedigree and his hot start to his big-league career in late 2023, slashing a cool .316/.366/.456 in 35 games to finish out the season, including three home runs, seven doubles, 15 RBI, and six steals. But just as soon as his fantasy stock was soaring, everything came crashing back to earth.

Marte was suspended 80 games in March 2024 for a PED violation, and when he returned, he was a shell of his 2023 self, hitting only .210/.248/.301 over 66 games. Things got so bad that the former top prospect began the 2025 season in the minors, partly due to performance, but partly because Marte is blocked on a crowded Reds’ major-league roster. It took a couple of injuries to starters, first to Matt McLain, and now to Christian Encarnacion-Strand, for Marte to be called up, even though his Triple-A numbers have been solid to start the season, albeit without a homer.

So, is this the breakout performance of a top prospect that the fantasy community has been waiting for? Unfortunately, no. Marte will likely be an everyday MLB player in the future. But let’s enjoy Sunday’s game for what it was: a hitter’s version of a Birthday Party (Birthday Marte?) – a fun, one-day blip performance where a bench bat hitting in the eight-spot hit a grand slam off one position player (Jorge Mateo) in the eighth inning, and an RBI double off another one (Gary Sánchez) in the ninth. The last two innings were basically batting practice for the Reds.

Marte came into the day with a .083 batting average after going 0-for-5 in his last game, and he struck out the two times he didn’t reach base on Sunday. Let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that Marte will be a fantasy asset for our rosters because of his name, pedigree, and Sunday’s stat line. Do not jump on the Marte Bus – it will not be a fun ride.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:

Austin Wynns (CIN): 6-7, HR, 2 R, 6 RBI.

All this man does is Wynn. Well, at least yesterday. There was another Birthday Party in Camden Yards on Sunday, with nine-hole backup catcher Austin Wynns collecting six hits and six RBIs, including a three-run HR off Gary Sánchez in the ninth inning. Enjoy the day, Austin!

Javier Sanoja (MIA): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI.

Another day, another big performance from a Miami Marlins player you probably never heard of. Down two runs in the eighth inning, rookie utilityman Javier Sanoja hit a huge three-run HR, his first of his career, to put the Marlins up on the Phillies. Later in the game, up one run in the 10th inning, Sanoja hit an RBI single to score an insurance run for Miami. Nothing to see here for fantasy value, but another fun stat line from a wild Sunday in the bigs.

Rhys Hoskins (MIL): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, SB.

We started today’s Batters Box with seven RBI, then six, then five, and now we get to a four-RBI game, thankfully from a player who carries some fantasy value! Rhys Hoskins hit his third home run in five games and had a monster week at the plate for the Brewers. Gone are the days of Hoskins being a starting 1B for your fantasy teams, but he’s a better player than his 2024 slash line indicates (.214/.303/.419). His 2025 22.7 K% and 12.1 BB% are already markedly better than his 28.8 K% and 10.3 BB% in 2024. Hoskins is a decent CI option in 12-teamers this year, especially for those in OBP leagues if his walk rate stays up.

Zach Neto (LAA): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Check your waiver wires, people! Zach Neto returned from the IL this weekend and hit his first bomb in his third game back. This former first-round pick, who hit 23 home runs and stole 30 bases in 2024, might still be on waivers in your leagues, and if he is, rectify that situation right away. Neto is only 24, and his power/speed profile has 25/25 upside for the rest of the season, even while hitting seventh (for now) on the lowly Angels.

Is he the future NL and fantasy MVP this year? After April 19, it sure looks like it. He’s had a bonkers start to the season, and fantasy owners are reaping the benefits, especially all those who picked him up in the second round during draft season. Check out his deep-red Statcast page and his beautiful skyward Process+ chart below:

Byron Buxton is 31 years old and will never be the fantasy MVP everyone thought he would be, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a solid fantasy asset in your outfield. Buxton had a strong week, hitting his fourth home run of the season and his second since taking over the two-spot in the Twins lineup. He’s still fast (100th percentile sprint speed) and carries some pop (93rd percentile hard hit rate and 91st percentile Bat Speed). Don’t expect All-Star level production, but Buxton can produce for your team in 2025 as long as he stays healthy.

Kyle Manzardo (CLE): 2-4, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Manzardo cooled off earlier this week, going on a nice 2-for-18 run, before hitting a home run on both Saturday and Sunday. His roster rate dipped 13% on Yahoo during his cold streak to just 24% owned, and that’s a big mistake. Like any rookie, Manzardo’s results will run hot and cold, but if you look under the hood using our Process+ metric, you see a player who is putting it all together. Results will follow. Buy and hold.

Cody Bellinger (NYY): 1-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.

It’s been a disastrous start in pinstripes for the former NL MVP, but hopefully Sunday’s sock and shoe is the start of a turnaround that Yankees fans and fantasy owners alike are rooting for. Cody Bellinger’s .192 xBA is in the bottom 10% of the league, and his 26.4 K% is his worst since his forgettable 2021 and 2022 seasons. He is, however, hitting the ball harder than he’s ever done before, with a hard-hit rate of 46.8%. The season is still young, my friends.

Cal Raleigh (SEA): 1-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

I, like many fantasy players, was too scared of Cal Raleigh’s AVG to take a shot on his power during draft season. I, like many fantasy players who don’t own Cal Raleigh in 2025, made a bad decision during draft season and feel dumb about it. Raleigh keeps on blasting home runs and is running away with the No. 1 overall catcher title so far in 2025.

For the third year in a row, New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger has hit a home run on April 20.

While Bellinger is known as one of the better home-run hitters in baseball, his streak is a pretty interesting one.

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Many fans have a running joke about Bellinger, believing that he looks high on a consistent basis. So, for the New York Yankees star to hit a home run once again on the date that’s big in cannabis culture is pretty ironic.

Of course, fans took to social media to let their opinions be known. Below are some of the best ones.

One fan wrote, “4/20/2026 Cody hits 4 homers.”

Another said to make note of this or next year when it comes to betting purposes, “Take this down. The books are watching Gotta keep the trend going”

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One fan couldn’t believe this was real: “Can’t make this up.”

This fan wasn’t shocked at all about the streak from Bellinger, “not shocked. Cody a real one.”

Another fan compared Bellinger to Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos, “The Nick Castellanos of the stoner community.”

Castellanos has become a running joke for many baseball fans to use, so this is certainly a compliment for Bellinger.

Yankees’ Cody Bellinger celebrates hitting a home run.Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

No matter how you slice it, Bellinger’s 4/20 streak is a wild stat. It seems that he improves his game on April 20 each season, but this does have to be a coincidence, right?

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Either way, Bellinger helped the Yankees take down the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0. The veteran’s home run was his first of the season, helping to improve his batting average to .179.

Fans will have to tune in next year to see if Bellinger can keep his streak going.

Related: Vintage Justin Verlander Performance vs Angels Turns Heads

Related: Orioles’ Brandon Hyde Sends Message to Fans After 24-2 Loss to Reds

NEW YORK — One way to describe the New York Yankees’ power surge in the Bronx on Saturday? Historic, and in a couple of ways.

First, they became the first team to hit three home runs on the first three pitches they saw.

Then, they broke a franchise record with nine total home runs. The Yankees ultimately beat the Milwaukee Brewers 20-9.

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“What a performance,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Kind of a weird, crazy game.”

Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge ruined a return to Yankee Stadium for Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. by homering off the first three pitches he threw to start the game. Minutes later, Austin Wells’ home run with two outs was the fourth blast Cortes surrendered in the inning, marking the first time in team history the Yankees hit four home runs in one inning.

Anthony Volpe went deep off Cortes in the second inning before Judge hit a grand slam in the third, followed by a homer from Jazz Chisholm Jr. to give the Yankees seven total.

Judge’s fourth-inning homer helped New York match its previous single-game high of eight, achieved twice in Yankees history. The blast made him the fourth Yankee in franchise history to have at least three career three-homer games, joining Lou Gehrig (who leads with four), Joe DiMaggio and Alex Rodriguez.

“Anytime you get mentioned with those guys and what they’ve done in the game, and the careers they’ve had, it’s pretty special,” Judge said. “Story’s not done yet. Going to keep adding to those lists.”

In the seventh, pinch hitter Oswald Peraza homered to set the record. The Yankees became the third team in MLB history to hit nine homers in a game. The Toronto Blue Jays set the MLB record in 1987, becoming the only team to hit 10 in a game.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy called it an “old-fashioned ass whooping.”

“You think you’ve seen it all in baseball, and you haven’t because we saw it today — three pitches, three homers,” Murphy said. “Usually, you wake up from that. You go, ‘Wow. God. That can’t ever happen.’ It just did.”

Cortes left Yankee Stadium without talking to the media, according to a Brewers official. A Brewers spokesperson said there had been a miscommunication and that Cortes planned to speak to reporters Sunday morning.

Despite the offensive barrage, it wasn’t the cleanest game for the Yankees. One of their main priorities this offseason was improving the defense. The Yankees committed five errors in Saturday’s win, their most since May 29, 2018.

WHAT A START FOR THE @YANKEES!!! 3 pitches, 3 home runs!! pic.twitter.com/xWqAqH9X0y — MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2025

Judge notches third three-homer game

Judge took 16 games to hit his third home run of the 2024 season. In 2025, Judge needed just 13 innings.

Judge’s first homer Saturday traveled 468 feet off Cortes. His second was a grand slam off reliever Connor Thomas. The Yankee Stadium crowd called for a curtain call, but Judge’s day wasn’t over. In the fourth inning, he hit a two-run home run off Thomas, tying the club record at eight.

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The Yankees completely revamped their lineup in the second game of the season because they were up against Cortes, a left-handed pitcher. At least in the early part of the year, Boone plans to construct his lineups to counteract the platoon advantages that an opposing starter might possess.

The Yankees concluded at the end of spring training that they lacked a right-handed bat to assist them against left-handed pitching, but in the second game of the 2025 season, that was not a concern.

Brewers first baseman and outfielder Jake Bauers, a former Yankee, was on the mound in the eighth when Judge went up for his possible fourth homer (Judge lined out instead). “I was joking with him when he was on deck — I told him I was going to him in the ribs,” Bauers said about Judge. “I gave him the best curveball I had. He still hit it pretty good.”

Cortes returns to New York

Cortes pitched parts of five seasons with the Yankees, including the last four in a row, and he was an All-Star in 2022. In the winter, the Yankees traded the fan-favorite Cortes to the Brewers in exchange for closer Devin Williams, who earned the save in the Yankees’ 4-2 win over the Brewers on Opening Day on Thursday.

“I want to see where I line up with those guys and hopefully go out there and throw five shutout (innings),” Cortes said Thursday about his upcoming start Saturday.

Judge said it didn’t hurt that the Yankees were plenty familiar with Cortes.

“We know Nestor,” he said. “Nestor (had) been here for years. He’s one of the best lefty pitchers in the game. He’s going to go out there and throw strikes and attack you. We just tried to go out there and be aggressive in our zone. Goldy and Belli, they were aggressive and got things going there. This place was rocking once I got up there.”

On Wednesday, Cortes bleached his hair in what he called “platinum with a hint of purple.” Cortes was facing off against the Yankees’ newest big-ticket item, lefty Max Fried, who took a $218-million, eight-year deal to join the pinstripes in the winter.

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Fried went 4 2/3 innings, needing 94 pitches. He gave up two earned runs while striking out four, walking two and giving up seven hits. He also made a throwing error.

Boone said the Yankees still had nothing but love for Cortes just hours before New York began bludgeoning Cortes’ pitches.

“He became very popular for good reason,” the manager said. “A great story. I remember him kind of not being that big prospect, being that up-and-down guy, but always impressed us, even in the early days, and then earned his way into the rotation and became an All-Star and is turning into having a really good career. But somebody that’s beloved by us and certainly our fan base. Hopefully we can make it tough on him today and we can go off can have a good season.”

Cortes finished the game in the third inning, having surrendered seven earned runs, throwing 64 pitches. The crowd cheered as he walked off the mound.

(Photo Mike Stobe / Getty Images)