On June 6, 2023, the Chicago White Sox faced off against the New York Yankees, with Liam Hendriks earning his first save since returning from cancer in a tight 3-2 victory for the Sox. Lucas Giolito pitched six hitless innings to help secure the win, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa ending Chicago’s combined no-hit bid with a two-out RBI double in the seventh off reliever Joe Kelly.
Despite Josh Donaldson hitting his third homer in three games on the first pitch from Hendriks in the bottom of the ninth, Hendriks finished the two-hitter by getting three straight groundouts to clinch the victory. Seby Zavala homered in consecutive at-bats off Clarke Schmidt, driving in all three White Sox runs, while Giolito struck out seven and walked three.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds pulled off a stunning comeback against the Los Angeles Dodgers, rallying from an 8-6 deficit with one out in the ninth to win 9-8. Matt McLain singled to deep center to cap the three-run rally, with Cincinnati loaded the bases against Caleb Ferguson before he then walked one batter and hit another, allowing the Reds to tie it. Shelby Miller gave up McLain’s game-ending hit as Cincinnati snapped its nine-game losing streak against the Dodgers, while Eduardo Salazar struck out two in one inning to secure the win.
The Miami Marlins also secured a victory on June 6, defeating the Kansas City Royals 6-1 thanks to a dominant pitching performance from Jesús Luzardo. Luis Arraez had two hits to raise his major league-leading batting average to .401, with Jesús Sánchez homering and Bryan De La Cruz driving in three runs. The Marlins, who are second in the NL East, have won five straight to improve to 34-28 — the first time they’ve been six games over .500 since August 2016.
The Texas Rangers continued their solid run of form with a 6-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, with Marcus Semien extending his majors-best hitting streak to 25 games thanks to a go-ahead double. Dane Dunning won again, even after allowing three homers over his 5 2/3 innings, departing with the Rangers up 6-4. Will Smith worked a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances.
In other news, the Oakland A’s snapped a 15-game road losing streak by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-2, with Jace Peterson hitting two homers on a five-hit night and driving in five runs. Meanwhile, Zach Eflin pitched into the seventh inning and Luke Raley tripled and homered to help the Tampa Bay Rays defeat AL Central-leading Minnesota by a score of 7-0.
On the same day, Kevin Gausman struck out 13 over seven innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Houston Astros 5-1, while Joey Wiemer hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 10th inning off Austin Voth to rally the Milwaukee Brewers past the Baltimore Orioles 4-3.
The Atlanta Braves also secured a victory on June 6, beating the New York Mets 6-4 thanks to a strong showing from Bryce Elder, who regrouped with three scoreless innings to help the Braves rally from a 4-1 deficit. Orlando Arcia drove in the go-ahead run in a four-run sixth to secure the win.
Finally, Rob Refsnyder had the go-ahead RBI single in a four-run eighth inning and James Paxton tied his season high with nine strikeouts as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-4. Kiké Hernández drove in two runs and Masataka Yoshida had three hits for the Red Sox, who put their first six batters on base in the eighth against relievers Enyel De Los Santos and Nick Sandlin.
All in all, June 6 was a day filled with exciting baseball action, with several teams securing crucial victories to help boost their playoff hopes. From strong pitching performances to clutch hits, there was no shortage of drama and excitement for baseball fans.
