The Buzz — Saturday, August 15

Christian Walker

The take Viral praise for the three-run walk-off blast off Seattle's closer

The 10th inning had already cost Houston the lead — Seattle pushed two across in the top half — and a season-high three-game edge in the AL West was slipping toward two. What Walker did with Andrés Muñoz's off-speed pitch dismissed the closer brought in to stop him. The ball left at 108.2 mph and traveled 405 feet to the train tracks in left, his 23rd of the year and third career walk-off.

The standings absorbed the swing: Houston up three, Seattle six back, and the AL West looking like it belongs to one team now. The viral clip was the moment. The division gap is what it cost Seattle.

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Jacob Misiorowski

The take Strikeout leader on historic pace, the clear Cy Young favorite

He reached 200 strikeouts in 129 1/3 innings, finishing that August 9 start with nine strikeouts in six innings — the second-fewest innings to 200 Ks in major-league history. He is at 133 innings now, and he is still pitching.

The pace frames the rest. He leads the National League in ERA at 1.76, in strikeouts with 204, in WHIP at 0.74, and in batting average against at .147. That is not a pitcher leading one category while coasting on volume — it is a pitcher who has been the best in his league at preventing runs, preventing baserunners, and preventing contact, all at once, across 22 starts.

The stuff underneath says none of this is a hot streak. His fastball averages 100.6 mph and touches 105.5. ESPN ranked him No. 4 in the sport. In MLB.com's July Cy Young poll, 33 experts gave him 30 first-place votes. The consensus is chasing the numbers, and the numbers keep pulling away.

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Shohei Ohtani

The take First bullpen in weeks plus topping the player rankings

Ohtani threw 34 pitches in Friday's bullpen — his first session in over three weeks — and the knee that has kept him off the mound since July 3 is the only thing between him and the line that earned him ESPN's No. 1 ranking: a 1.79 ERA and 27.9% strikeout rate. The ranking is a bet on what he is when whole. The bullpen is the first step toward getting there. Thirty-four pitches in a controlled setting is progress, pointed at an October the Dodgers have been planning for.

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The take Exits after collision, enters concussion protocol — scary moment

Lombard Jr.'s left knee caught Guerrero flush on the left side of the face — the helmet came off, and Guerrero scored the tying run before the daze caught up with him at the plate. This was a 3-1 game the Blue Jays would go on to win, which softens the immediate cost. The club pulled him, and John Schneider called it precautionary, citing a bit of a headache and pending overnight testing.

The protocol exists because the brain does not always tell you the truth in the first hour, and the Blue Jays will know more Saturday morning. What we know now: the contact was direct, the symptoms are mild, and the removal was immediate. Guerrero's availability depends on how he wakes up, which is exactly the standard the protocol is built around.

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Munetaka Murakami

The take No-doubt homer gave the White Sox the lead for good

Murakami got the green light on a 3-0 count Friday and did what a green light is for — a 392-foot drive to right that broke a 3-3 tie in the fourth and gave Chicago a lead they kept in a 9-5 win. His 27th of the year and first career homer on a 3-0 count, it put a division leader in firmer control. The rookie record for single-season homers by a Japanese-born player already belongs to him.

Munetaka Murakami cards on eBay →(paid link)