Blake Snell Takes over 1st Place After Friday's MLB the Show Players League

Blake SchusterCorrespondent IIIApril 25, 2020

John Bazemore/Associated Press

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:

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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.