Blake Snell Takes over 1st Place After Friday's MLB the Show Players League
April 25, 2020
However the MLB The Show Players League turns out, it's already clear Amir Garrett has emerged as a clear victor. Even with the tournament yet to be decided, Garrett has been one of the most enjoyable players to key in on throughout the daily streams.
The Cincinnati Reds pitcher has been constantly trash-talking, interacting with fans, hyping up his teammates and smiling non-stop. In short, the window into his love for the game is everything Major League Baseball was hoping these streams could reveal when the idea for the Players League came together.
Garrett continued his antics Friday by dropping into streams for games he wasn't even a part of.
While Niko Goodrum and Blake Snell were live with MLB Network's Robert Flores, Garrett joined the stream from his home purely to crack jokes and provide comic relief. Dressed in his full Reds uniform with his Jackie Robinson Day cap, Garrett appeared ready to jump through the screen to play if he could find a way in.
Of course, it's always easier to have fun when you're winning, and Garrett has been doing plenty of that. The National League Central leader went 2-1 on the evening to keep himself firmly in the playoff race.
Here's how the rest of the matchups turned out Friday:
Blake Snell, Tampa Bay (19-3)
vs. Edwards Jr. (SEA): 3-0 Win
at Luzardo (OAK): 3-1 Win
at Goodrum (DET): 11-1 Win
vs. Jackson (ATL): 10-1 Win
at Hader (MIL): 8-1 Win
David Dahl, Colorado Rockies (5-17)
vs. Jackson (ATL): 4-0 Loss
at Edwards Jr. (SEA): 5-0 Loss
vs. Garrett (CIN): 7-3 Loss
at Duplantier (ARI): 1-0 Loss
Jon Duplantier, Arizona Diamondbacks (13-10)
at Jackson (ATL): 2-0 Loss
vs. Soto (WSH): 1-0 Win
vs. Dahl (COL): 1-0 Win
Carl Edwards Jr., Seattle Seahawks (6-15)
at Snell (TB): 3-0 Loss
vs. Dahl (COL): 5-0 Win
at Stanek (MIA): 5-0 Win
Amir Garrett, Cincinnati Reds (15-9)
vs. Luzardo (OAK): 6-0 Loss
at Dahl (COL): 7-3 Win
at Bichette (TOR): 4-1 Win
Niko Goodrum, Detroit Tigers (6-18)
vs. Soto (WSH): 3-2 Loss
vs. Snell (TB): 11-1 Loss
at Hader (MIL): 7-1 Loss
at Bichette (TOR): 2-1 Loss
Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers (13-10)
at Jackson (ATL): 3-0 Win
vs. Goodrum (DET): 7-1 Win
vs. Snell (TB): 8-1 Loss
Luke Jackson, Atlanta Braves (12-12)
at Dahl (COL): 4-0 Win
vs. Duplantier (ARI): 2-0 Win
vs. Hader (MIL): 3-0 Loss
at Snell (TB): 10-0 Loss
Tommy Kahnle, New York Yankees (13-7)
at Stanek (MIA): 11-1 Win
vs. Luzardo (OAK): 5-4 Win
Jesus Luzardo, Oakland Athletics (13-11)
at Garrett (CIN): 6-0 Win
vs. Snell (TB): 3-1 Loss
at Kahnle (NYY): 5-4 Loss
vs. Stanek (MIA): 1-0 Loss
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays (15-5)
at Soto (WSH): 5-0 Win
vs. Garrett (CIN): 4-1 Loss
vs. Goodrum (DET): 2-1 Win
Juan Soto, Washington Nationals (10-9)
at Goodrum (DET): 3-2 Win
vs. Bichette (TOR): 5-0 Loss
at Duplantier (ARI): 1-0 Loss
Ryne Stanek, Miami Marlins (8-15)
vs. Kahnle (NYY): 11-1 Loss
vs. Edwards Jr. (SEA): 5-0 Loss
at Luzardo (OAK): 1-0 Win
While Garrett looks to secure his spot among the top eight teams to make the postseason, Snell is closing in on becoming the first player to clinch a playoff berth.
Friday's 5-0 performance moved him into a tie for first place with Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers and dropped the magic number for both gamers down to 2. Bichette and Jeff McNeil need just six wins to clinch, while Gavin Lux is just five wins away.
Snell has a prime opportunity to finish the job Saturday when he faces off against Juan Soto, David Dahl and Ty Buttrey. Two of those three matchups feature opponents under .500, while Soto is just a game over at 10-9.
Gallo will have his opportunity to clinch Sunday when he faces Cole Tucker, Tommy Kahnle, Hunter Pence and Jesus Luzardo.
The league resumes Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET with all games streaming live on Twitch.
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