The Buzz — Saturday, September 5

Brayan Rocchio

The take Rocchio rare slam plus walk-off; Guardians twinbill sweep

Six players in MLB history have hit a grand slam and a walk-off home run in the same game. Rocchio is the sixth, the first since Jack Clark on July 31, 1991, and he did it from both sides of the plate — the slam left-handed off Keider Montero, the walk-off right-handed off Drew Sommers. Cleveland trailed 6-1 before scoring the final six runs, Rocchio tying it in the fourth and ending it in the ninth.

Game 2 went 10 innings, and Travis Bazzana's walk-off single scored Rocchio to complete the sweep — the first doubleheader Cleveland has won with walk-offs in both games since Aug. 19, 1984. The night put him alongside Greenberg and Miñoso on a list with six names across a century. That is the record book.

Brayan Rocchio cards on eBay →(paid link)

Miguel Vargas

The take Vargas hits 30th HR in White Sox win

Thirty home runs. For a player whose career high was 16 last season, the number settles it — Vargas nearly doubled his previous best, and his first-inning solo shot to right-center in a 4-1 win over Minnesota kept the White Sox in first place in the AL Central. The milestone landed alongside Colson Montgomery's 30th in the same game, making them the first teammates in franchise history to reach 30 in the same contest.

He is the fifth primary third baseman in White Sox history to hit 30 home runs in a season, joining Todd Frazier, Robin Ventura, Bill Melton, and Joe Crede — and one of only three, with Ventura and Crede, to pair 30 doubles with 30 homers. The jump from 16 a year ago to 30 now is not a streak. It is a season that changed shape.

Miguel Vargas cards on eBay →(paid link)

Aaron Judge

The take Judge BP progress; Yankees return getting close

Judge took on-field batting practice at Petco Park, his first swings on a big-league diamond since May 31. The stress fracture in his right first rib has healed enough for this step, but he has not faced live pitching, which he said he needs 'a couple of times, at least' before returning. Boone called a return during the homestand starting September 8 'possible.' Judge wants to skip a rehab assignment — 'Why waste at-bats?' — but the remaining steps are baseball ones, not medical ones. Close means next week, not tomorrow.

Aaron Judge cards on eBay →(paid link)

Mickey Gasper

The take Gasper's scorching HR streak draws historic comps

The comparison to Ted Williams is not hyperbole. Gasper is the first player since Williams to hit six home runs, draw 10 walks, and strike out two or fewer times in a 12-game span — Williams did it 29 times, which underscores how rare the company is. Since his mid-August recall, Gasper is 16-for-42 with eight home runs, 11 walks, and six strikeouts. Half his hits have left the yard.

He had two career home runs in 92 games before this stretch. His seven-game OPS of 2.208 ranks sixth all-time — behind Bonds, Green, Harper, Ruth, and Hamilton. The streak is real and historic. The sample is 42 at-bats, and the league has not adjusted yet. What comes next will say whether the barrel keeps finding the ball or the book finds him.

Mickey Gasper cards on eBay →(paid link)

Shohei Ohtani

The take Ohtani first consecutive sits this year; IL talk on multi-nags

Ohtani was out of the Dodgers' lineup Friday, the first time this season he has been absent for back-to-back games. Roberts does not expect him back Saturday either, pending re-evaluation. It is the first time since April 18-19, 2025 — then paternity, not pain — that he has missed consecutive games. Since joining the Dodgers, the team has not played more than two straight without him in the lineup.

The issue is a stack: left knee since June, a lubricant injection in July, right biceps discomfort that has flared multiple times, neck pain tracing up from the arm. The MRI showed no structural damage — Roberts called it 'nothing of note at all.' He has not pitched since July 3. Consecutive days off push the mound return further back, but the bat is why this matters now.

Seven hits and 20 strikeouts over 51 at-bats, a .703 OPS across four weeks against his .903 season mark. Roberts called a four-strikeout game 'wasn't him.' The team has not drawn a clean line from body to slump, but it is managing both — a few days off now is cheaper than a question it cannot answer in October. On the IL: 'Hopeful... but I wouldn't say confident.' The MRI is clean, and he is sitting anyway. That tells you what the club is protecting, and when it plans to spend it.

Shohei Ohtani cards on eBay →(paid link)