Happy Friday, everyone! You made it through another week, hopefully, unscathed by work and bad pitching performances (my teams are crying, Sean Manaea!). And, if you ever need anyone to talk to about bad pitching performances (or life in general), hit up the PL Staff! We’re happy to chat.
We’re also happy to chat about some of our favorite minor leaguers getting the call to The Show! Mariners fans can rejoice, as the future is finally here. Other fans can rejoice, as their favorite teams have 120-ish more games to play before the playoffs! Hooray for lots and lots of baseball so far, and lots more to come! Now, for some of the best moments from the lots and lots of baseball played yesterday.
Teammates Who Squat Together, Stay Together
the @BlueJays are n'sync. pic.twitter.com/4fiK8dLBhu
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 13, 2021
It’s the Guerrero family’s world, and we’re just living in it. I loved Vladdy as a young fan and I love Vlad Jr. for reasons like these. He just looks like he’s having so much fun out there!
I think more players should do this kind of thing along with their pitcher. Seriously! It’ll really help them stay focused on the task at hand, but it will also help them build team chemistry. If a pitcher knows his entire team is in sync behind him, he’ll probably be more comfortable trusting his teammates to make the plays behind him and give him the confidence to throw his best pitches, no matter what. Hopefully, Jordan Romano got those good vibes from Vladdy.
Of course, it also means we get to see more of these hilarious moments. A win-win!
Jean Segura, aka Jimmy Hustle
Juan Soto poked a ball towards the hole near second base and Jean Segura tried his very best to pick the ball off before it reached the outfield:
max effort. pic.twitter.com/h4b9ZF4X0X
— Cut4 (@Cut4) May 13, 2021
I’m curious as to what the end game was here. If the ball rolled into the glove, was he going to pick up the ball and throw it? If the ball bounced off the glove, would it be playable to get Soto at first base? It doesn’t seem like a viable strategy here, but hey, that’s why I’m not a major league ballplayer and Segura is.
The Panda and Dansby
https://gfycat.com/secondhandbeautifulheron-blue-jays-baseball-sandoval-atlanta-toronto
Dansby Swanson must have been inspired by Pablo Sandoval’s late-game heroics in previous games. He saw Sandoval coming off the bench, hitting dingers, getting paid, and sitting right back down, and was like, “I need to do that too!”
And, he finally pulled off the Sandoval impression, hitting a two-run bomb to give Atlanta the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. As soon as Swanson got back to the dugout, who better to give a big hug than the guy who inspired Swanson to hit the clutch home run?
Gates Open, Come on In
Silly umpires, calling time for no reason!
Marcell Ozuna is being helpful. pic.twitter.com/gIN3tUMHxH
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) May 13, 2021
Oh, wait. That’s actually a pretty good reason. We can’t play when the left-field gate is open. Ground-rule doubles would be off the charts. Props to Marcell Ozuna for trying to help out his guy Charlie.
Kelenic!
In case you haven’t heard, the Seattle Mariners called up top prospect Jarred Kelenic to play in Thursday’s game. Here was his very first major league pitch:
Mariners rookie Jarred Kelenic hits the first pitch he sees in the majors to right field for a . . . (result below).pic.twitter.com/7FOwQD6LLP
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 14, 2021
Looks like Josh Naylor was okay, thankfully. And welcome to the big leagues, young fella! Sorry, there wasn’t anything funny about this, but these are the best MLB moments, and hopefully, this is the first of many great MLB moments involving Kelenic.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)