It was a day of mixed emotions around the league as baseball and its players honored the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant on what would have been his 42nd birthday. There was also an air of wonder as we all anticipated what the “Slam Diego” Padres would do next? Well, they didn’t hit a grand slam but they did beat the Astros 5-3 to move to 18-12, the third-best record in the National League, and a certain someone made a very special play (more on that later).
So let’s dive right in—here are all the wonderful tidbits you may have missed from Sunday’s slate of games.
Kobe Love
The love was out in force for the basketball legend who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in California earlier this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers released the following video, both touching and poignant.
https://twitter.com/dodgers/status/1297623194745020416?s=21
And both manager Dave Roberts, and reliever Kenley Jansen found their own way to pay their respects to Kobe Bryant.
Dave Roberts today. pic.twitter.com/fr1GRjlzCW
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) August 23, 2020
Happy birthday in paradise, mamba. It’s an honor to wear your jersey today and dedicate this day to you, Gianna and the Bryant family. #MambaMentality pic.twitter.com/LdbXsyYjgD
— Kenley Jansen (@kenleyjansen74) August 23, 2020
Phillies superstar Bryce Harper, who is playing some of the best baseball of his life, also showed his respect for the former Laker.
Bryce pays tribute to Kobe. pic.twitter.com/M9GfEmxs9J
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2020
Plays of the Day
A quick 1-2-3 of the best plays of today, starting up with a Phillies rookie making a splash (literally) with his first home run in the majors—welcome to the show, Alec Bohm.
Alec Bohm makes a splash on #SundayNightBaseball. pic.twitter.com/Z26sV6K7Iv
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2020
It wouldn’t be the plays of the day without a Ramon Laureano defensive masterpiece.
If Ramón Laureano can make this play wearing a mask, Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) can wear one to the grocery store. pic.twitter.com/3aV3rckSDD
— Suffragite (@suffragite) August 24, 2020
And finally, that man Fernando Tatis Jr. making baseball all the more watchable by the minute.
⭐️ FERNANDO TATIS JR! ⭐️@Padres | @Padres | #FriarFaithful pic.twitter.com/7mF6V6nzyc
— Bally Sports San Diego (@BallySportsSD) August 23, 2020
Rendon Eats Bat
With all the new rules and regulations around players staying safe and limiting the exposure to coronavirus on the field, a popular no-no at the start of the year was Yasiel Puig’s tendency to lick his bat.
Yasiel Puig licks his bat, later realizes pine tar tastes terrible (h/t @Christiancp_88) pic.twitter.com/UK7k3J2dqH
— Superdrunkmark69 (@cjzer0) October 7, 2017
Anthony Rendon called that and raised it to a whole other level—chomp!
puig: *licks bat*
rendon: pic.twitter.com/xf8fFnuPh9
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 23, 2020
Zack Greinke’s Eephus
It’s glorious, it’s beautiful, it’s 54 mph, and it made hitter Trent Grisham laugh. Here is Zack Greinke’s Eephus.
https://gfycat.com/constantgoodintermediateegret
It was so amazing it even Baseball Savant had a wobble!
Greinke broke Baseball Savant! 😉 They need to adjust their mph scale. pic.twitter.com/jZZ6l1gjVq
— Tony Adams (@adams_at) August 23, 2020
It was another day of antics from the much-loved Astros pitcher, who spent some time chilling on the mound when the opportunity arose.
Chillin’ on a Sunday afternoon pic.twitter.com/d4NfgBxBmG
— Adrian Garro (@adriangarro) August 23, 2020
Tell the Boats!
You have to admire the continual creativity of Major League ballparks in providing entertainment to the fans when there are none in the stadium. PNC Park in Pittsburgh is well aware of the flocks of people who hang out on the river in the hope of catching or diving for a home run. Well, during the rain delay yesterday the stadium gave them some special messaging.
No fans in the ballpark who need rain delay updates on the scoreboard, so the Pirates are expanding their reach. pic.twitter.com/z1x96JjSRc
— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) August 23, 2020
Birdbath
In my Best Social Distancing Plays article yesterday, I spoke of the genius of the mascots around the league making the most of the space in their stadiums. Well, Fredbird did it again. Warning, NSFW, haha!
Major League Birdbath. pic.twitter.com/oAKXPFqd6D
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 23, 2020