Well, everyone, today is the final Tuesday of the regular season, barring any devil-magic 5-way ties in the American League. I’m always holding out hope for a three- or four-way tie at the end of a season, but the standings seem to always work themselves out so that we don’t have mass chaos, unfortunately. Anyway, thanks for sticking with MLB Moments every week; it’s been a blast for me to identify some of the best moments of each day and bringing the joy of those moments to PitcherList readers. I think I can safely assume the same of all of our other MLB Moments curators; I am sure they are just as thankful as I am for the opportunity to detail the best of each slate of baseball games. Let’s run it back one more time!
The Legendary Drought
In case you haven’t heard over the last million years, the Seattle Mariners have the longest postseason drought in professional North American sports. They were just a game and a half out of the second Wild Card before Tuesday’s games, with just a few left to play. So, the Mariners’ account decided to bring in the Ted Lasso vibes to will their team into ending a very, very long postseason drought:
we *believe* you need to update your wallpaper pic.twitter.com/meMfYrcsLF
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 29, 2021
They’re really, really leaning into the Ted Lasso theme.
https://twitter.com/Alyssacharlston/status/1443035475615182851
Hmm…
Absolutely, we do 😏 https://t.co/jRSDAkIoWL
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 28, 2021
The Orioles did their job for the Mariners by beating the Red Sox last night, bringing the Mariners closer to the Wild Card spot. As such, baseball Twitter was having a moment:
The mentions tn pic.twitter.com/twbJYR7qCA
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 29, 2021
Look at the Mariners, man. So inspirational.
The Stro Show: He Does It All
Marcus Stroman is a pretty good pitcher. But, what if I told you he also had a propensity for stealing bases?
E5, E2 • Marcus Stroman is gifted third base 🎁 pic.twitter.com/eKfnubv6Q8
— MLB Errors (@mlberrors) September 28, 2021
First, Stroman uses his blazing speed to take first base on a groundout. Then, in the following at-bat, Stroman’s big speed becomes a big problem for the Marlins. They’re so afraid of his elite base stealing that the throw down to second is way off the mark and way late. And, Stroman gets to take third because he scared the Marlins into overthrowing second. I’ve only seen this type of raw base-stealing strength once before, in St. Louis and Anaheim. It didn’t scare me then, but it does now.
Caution: Cursed Image Below
Prepare to be amazed! Or, really, prepare to be horrified by this bark at the park image!
when it's bark at the park day but u don't have a pet pic.twitter.com/outEpR2TAI
— Cut4 (@Cut4) September 29, 2021
Look, man, this is just not cool. It’s scary. Don’t wear your dog mask to the park because it will scare kids and adults alike. I am going to have nightmares.
A Free Souvenir, Giftwrapped by Tyler Alexander
Tyler Alexander should be expecting a shoutout from Pitching Ninja soon after this absolutely disgusting pitch:
https://twitter.com/tigers/status/1443010847438249984
Thank goodness they were paying attention up there in the seats behind home plate! It’s not often you see a guy airmail a throw that badly, so if the fans happened to be turned the other way, this one could’ve ended poorly. Instead, the fan got a souvenir and Tyler Alexander got himself some good ol’ embarrassment on the mound.
17 Straight. What’s in the Water in St. Louis?
How in the world did the Cardinals reel off 17 straight wins? You’re not supposed to do that. Even teams with Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Walker Buehler don’t do that.
Well, this 17th-straight win was even sweeter because it helped the Cardinals clinch the second-to-last playoff berth in the National League. We know that the playoff field will feature the Brewers/NL East Winner and that either the Giants or the Dodgers will be dueling Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals in the Wild Card Game. How great would it be to see two octogenarians — Scherzer and Wainwright — go at it for the chance to play in San Francisco in the NLDS?
17 wins later and a playoff berth.
Just how they drew it up. pic.twitter.com/Ot6z7glIza
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2021
Get out there and enjoy your Wednesday, folks! Make it a good one!
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)
Not sure you know what “octogenarians” means. They’re 80+ years old. Even if this was sarcasm or hyperbole, it’s poor word choice because it’s too specific.
Maybe try “curmudgeons” or something like that.