Chase Dollander carried a NO-HITTER into the 8th — broken up by a home run ▶︎ watch. And it wasn't alone: michael soroka threw an immaculate inning (inning 5: 3 k on 9 pitches) ▶︎ watch.
Historic Chases · 2026-03-30 RECONSTRUCTED
Nightly briefing
Baseball last night
Yandy Díaz is hitting OVER .400. Needs a .396 clip the rest of the way to finish at .400.
Yandy Díaz sits at .550 — the last .400 season was Ted Williams in 1941.
Lines of the night: Jose Altuve — a bench bat with 5 games played — went a perfect 4-for-4 ▶︎ watch; Connor Phillips earned his first career save ▶︎ watch.
The so-what: Chase DeLauter has 4 home runs through 5 team games, a 130-homer pace — 0 ahead of McGwire's 1998 total at the same point (4 of his eventual 70). Keep watching that number — it separates a run at the record from a very good season.
That morning's stakes
What we were watching
Wild-card watch: the NL's last wild-card spot belongs to a losing record — the Phillies and the Pirates are level on 1-3.
Historical intelligence
How the night stacked up
Chase DeLauter versus the great home-run seasons
Chase DeLauter has 4 home runs through 5 team games, even with Mark McGwire's 1998 pace at the same checkpoint (4). Comparable chases finished with a median of 23 (95% CI 22-24); 1.2% reached 50 (0.8-1.9% at 95% confidence), from 1569 comparable seasons.
Retrosheet · verified play-by-playA projected top-1 season
If Chase DeLauter finishes at the current projection of 130, it would be the most home runs in any season since 1901 — no season on record has finished higher.
SABR Lahman Baseball Database · through 2025Chase DeLauter is building a rare combination
At his current pace, Chase DeLauter would reach at least 190 hits, and 60 HR. Only 2 completed seasons in the configured historical cohort reached every mark. It is the tightest of 2 statistical combinations the engine checked. The recent company includes Sammy Sosa (1998), Babe Ruth (1927).
SABR Lahman Baseball Database · through 2025Closest to .400
.550AVG
0 consecutive hits needed to reach .400
ON PACE
Home Run Leader
4HR
130 projected HR · +3 vs Bonds's 73 pace
Hits Leader
11H
446 projected H · +4 vs Suzuki's 262 pace
Stolen Base Leader
2SB
65 projected SB · 2 behind Henderson's 130 pace
Doubles Leader
22B
65 projected 2B · 0 behind Webb's 67 pace
Triples Leader
03B
0 projected 3B · 1 behind Wilson's 36 pace
Triple Crown Watch (MLB)
.550· 1 HR · 6 RBI
1 / 3 / 1 in AVG/HR/RBI league ranks — full board on the Watch page
30/30 Club Pace
4/0HR/SB
130/0 projected HR/SB · team-game pace
EXTREME
Wins Leader (Team)
Blue Jays
3W
122 projected wins · record 116
ON PACE
Run Differential Leader
Brewers
+18
+729 projected run differential