Baseball is a unique sport in more ways than one. For a team to be successful, it takes camaraderie and buy-in to successfully reach a common goal. It is also impossible for this to happen without individual success.
We often compare a pitcher and hitter to a ‘cat and mouse,’ or a chess match where one is trying to out-smart the other. We have some pitcher/hitter matchups to be on the lookout for today. Let’s take a look at the three most intriguing matchups on Friday’s slate.
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Kevin Gausman vs. Juan Soto
Juan Soto knew that signing the richest contract in sports history and staying in the New York market, his expectations were going to be through the roof. So far in 2025, he is hitting .238 with a homer. The Mets will expect more out of the left-handed slugger when they host the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Toronto will send Kevin Gausman to the mound and given their history with one another, Soto is likely already counting down the minutes until first pitch. Soto is 8 for 15 against Gausman (.533) in his career with five singles, two doubles and a long ball. If Soto is not recording a hit against Gausman, he still finds his way on base as he has been issued 12 free passes in 26 plate appearances. This is the matchup Soto needs to really ignite his season.
Mitch Keller vs. Trent Grisham
Right now, it feels like everyone on the New York Yankees is hitting, including Trent Grisham. Grisham launched a two-run homer in the third inning yesterday in New York’s win over the Diamondbacks. Grisham is now 5 for 10 on the year.
Although it is still early, the Yankees are currently on pace to shatter the single season record for team home runs. One sure way to get there is to have guys like Grisham hitting more long balls than projected. Friday will provide Grisham with another opportunity to do just that when he faces Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Grisham is 5 for 11 against Keller with four doubles. Even though Grisham does not have a homer against Keller, recording multiple extra base hits proves he sees the ball well in this matchup and the way the Yankees’ season has gone so far, why not add to the home run total on Friday?
Walker Buheler vs. Nolan Arenado
The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals had vastly different expectations entering the 2025 season. Boston was expected to compete for a playoff spot while a rebuild for the Cardinals felt inevitable. One of the biggest additions the Red Sox made this offseason was adding starting pitcher Walker Buheler.
Buheler will make his second start for Boston on Friday and look to regroup after a rough first outing against the Texas Rangers where he gave up four earned runs in 4.1 innings of work. One difficult task he will have this afternoon is Nolan Arenado.
The majority of the baseball world thought Arenado would be playing elsewhere by now after requesting a trade but he is alive and well for St. Louis. The third baseman has started his season with a .391 average and a home run. This Buheler vs. Arenado matchup is interesting because if anyone can slow down Arenado, it’s Buheler.
In the 32 times they have faced one another, Buheler has struck out Arenado an impressive 10 times, holding his batting average to .194 in these matchups. Arenado does have two home runs in these occasions but that seems to be the extent of his success. This feels like a case where the tides could turn based on the performance trends of these players.