A week of near-history, bad news out of Atlanta, and a home run race that officially has multiple names worth watching. Here is everything that mattered from June 7 through June 13, 2026.
Week Snapshot
| Story | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto nearly made history | Perfect game bid ended with two outs in the eighth, no-hitter ended in the ninth |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. returned to the IL | Another left hamstring strain creates real durability concerns for Atlanta |
| Shohei Ohtani kept doing Shohei things | Another two-way milestone week, plus a brief knee scare |
| Yordan Alvarez stayed atop the power race | Alvarez reached 24 homers, with Kyle Schwarber still right in the summer chase |
| James Wood kept rising | Washington's young slugger pushed deeper into the NL MVP conversation |
Yamamoto Comes Within Four Outs of Perfection
The most unforgettable moment of the week happened Saturday night in Chicago, and it ended in heartbreak - even though the Dodgers won 7-1.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto retired 45 consecutive batters going back into his previous start, tying Mark Buehrle for the second-longest such streak in MLB history. Only Yusmeiro Petit's 46 straight in 2014 stands alone above it. Through 7.2 innings, Yamamoto had a perfect game. Then Mookie Betts - his own shortstop - booted a routine grounder from Chase Meidroth. Perfecto gone. Yamamoto kept the no-hitter alive into the ninth inning before Tristan Peters led off with a homer to end that, too.
His final line: 8.0 innings, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 7 strikeouts. Despite losing both historical bids in the same night, Yamamoto's 45-consecutive-batter retired streak still stands as one of the longest in baseball history. A performance for the ages, even without the record.
Acuna Back on the IL - Same Hamstring, Again
The bad news out of Atlanta came during the June 7-13 window. Ronald Acuna Jr. exited a game trying to beat out a ground ball and was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain - the same injury that cost him time in May. He was placed on the 10-day IL, leaving Atlanta to manage another absence from its most explosive player.
This is the second time this season with the same hamstring. Acuna is batting .251 with 7 home runs and 15 stolen bases, numbers that look modest compared to what he did last week - 5 home runs and 4 stolen bases in a historic stretch. The durability concern is real now, and the Braves have to be thinking carefully about how they manage him the rest of the way.
The good news for Atlanta: the team is still the best in baseball without him.
The Braves Keep Winning Anyway
Atlanta still owns baseball's best record and has built real separation in the NL East. They are doing this while their best player keeps missing time, which is either a testament to how deep this roster is or a preview of how dominant they could be with a healthy Acuna for a full stretch.
The NL East is not mathematically over in mid-June, but it is starting to feel like the Braves are moving the conversation from "can they win the division?" to "can anyone beat them in October?"
Ohtani Keeps Rewriting the Two-Way Standard
Shohei Ohtani added another home run this week in a Dodgers win over the White Sox, continuing a season where his two-way production keeps stretching what sounds normal. His combination of elite pitching and high-end on-base value at the plate is still the most unique weekly storyline in the sport.
There was a brief scare when Ohtani sat out Friday's series opener with a left knee issue. The Dodgers described it as "not an IL situation," and he is expected to be fine. But for the team built around him, even a minor health concern gets attention. Monitor it, but no alarm bells yet.
The Home Run Race Is Tightening
Yordan Alvarez remains at the center of the home run race after reaching 24 homers by the end of the June 7-13 window. Kyle Schwarber is still right there in the chase, giving the league the kind of summer power race that can carry nightly scoreboard watching.
Schwarber was on a historically ridiculous pace earlier this season, and even with that pace cooling, both sluggers are still in position to keep the 50- and 60-homer conversations alive. With Ohtani's season defined as much by his pitching value as his power, Alvarez and Schwarber are shaping up as two of the summer's must-watch bats.
James Wood Is a Star
The Washington Nationals are not the biggest national draw yet, but James Wood is giving their fans a reason to tune in every night. By June 13, Wood had pushed his season total to 19 home runs and had already matched his entire 2025 WAR total with half the season still to play.
The NL MVP conversation finds its way to the big markets first, but Wood's numbers deserve to be in that discussion at the All-Star break. Keep watching this one.
Around the Leagues
White Sox: Chicago finished June 13 at 37-32, still one of the better surprise stories in baseball right now. Coming off 102 losses last season, being in the wild-card conversation in mid-June is a real achievement.
Cardinals rising: St. Louis swept the Reds to open this stretch and kept pushing into the NL Central mix. The division that looked like Milwaukee's to lose is getting more interesting by the week.
Max Fried update: The Yankees' lefty, out with a left elbow bone bruise, was cleared for a light bullpen session after encouraging imaging. He is still more than a month away from a potential return, but the direction is positive for New York.
The Bigger Picture
The Braves are the team. Ohtani is the player. And a home run race with real names at the top heading into summer is exactly what the sport needed. June 7-13 delivered on all of it, with Yamamoto's near-masterpiece as the image that will stick with you longest.
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