Jacob deGrom tied Nolan Ryan's Major League record for most strikeouts through a pitcher's first five starts of a season on Wednesday.

The New York Mets right-hander finished his outing against the Boston Red Sox with nine strikeouts, giving him 59 so far in 2021.

DeGrom finished April with a 0.51 ERA. It's the 279th instance since earned runs became an official statistic in 1913 in which a pitcher had at least 55 strikeouts in one month, but deGrom's ERA is the lowest of the 279.

Shohei Ohtani made Major League history when he took the mound for the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.

He became the first player in nearly 100 years to start a game while also entering the day leading baseball in home runs.

Ohtani struck out nine over five innings and went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and three runs scored. He picked up his first win since May 20, 2018 in the Angels' 9-4 win over the Texas Rangers.

"That was a pretty complete game of baseball," Joe Maddon said. "I had to put the hold sign on him. He wanted to steal, too. The first inning was a bit rugged, finding his command and [Nate] Lowe grabbed one off him. Otherwise, he would’ve given up zero or one at the most. He kept getting better, that’s what he does. On offense, he did everything, including bunting for a hit. If you weren’t entertained watching him tonight, you can’t be entertained by the game of baseball."

Ohtani entered his start as a pitcher as the MLB co-leader in home runs as a hitter with seven. The last player to do so was Babe Ruth, who was the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees on June 13, 1921 while also leading baseball with 19 home runs.

Houston Astros rookie Kent Emanuel made Major League history on Saturday when he came on in relief of Jake Odorizzi, who left with forearm tightness.

Emanuel, 28, threw 8 2/3 innings on 90 pitches. It was the longest relief appearance in Astros history.

Emanuel is the first pitcher to throw at least eight innings in relief since Wade LeBlanc in June 2019. He's the first pitcher to throw 8 2/3 innings in his MLB debut since Jesse Litsch in 2007, and the first pitcher to throw eight innings in relief in his MLB debut since Roger Mason in 1984.

Gerrit Cole made franchise history in the New York Yankees' victory over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday.

Cole held Cleveland to one run over seven innings, giving up three hits and no walks while striking out 11 batters.

With that effort, Cole is the first pitcher in Yankees history to amass at least 50 strikeouts and permit fewer than five walks over any five-game stretch.

The last Major League pitcher to accomplish the feat is Curt Schilling (2001).

Tim Locastro of the Arizona Diamondbacks stole his 28th career base in Saturday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds.

With it, Locastro broke the Major League Baseball record for most successful stolen bases to start a career.

He's gone 28-for-28 since making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.

"Obviously you always want to get into Cooperstown," Locastro said. "That's what you dream about as a kid, winning the World Series and getting into Cooperstown. So, having my cleats there, that's unfathomable to me."

Craig Kimbrel recorded a save in the Chicago Cubs' 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, becoming the 12th pitcher in Major League history with 350 career saves.

Kimbrel, 32, struck out Dustin Fowler and Wilmer Difo with the bases loaded to end the eighth, then retired the Pirates in order for his first five-out save of his 12-year career.

"It's a tremendous accomplishment," Kimbrel said. "Glad I was able to get here. Plan is to get to 400 now."