If there’s one thing you can count on with Tuesdays, it’s that they always come after Mondays. And also that if Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber are facing off, you better plant your love seat on the couch and tune in for a show. But then again, that’s true for every day. So I guess, like, mainly just the first one. Anyway, here are the most fun moments you might’ve missed from Tuesday’s MLB action, fantastic pitching duels notwithstanding.
Sal Gets a Little Help from his Friends
We all know Salvador Perez is a funny guy. Like many veteran backstops, he’s friendly with most of the players who cross his path on the regular, and he seems to be pretty universally well-liked. Maybe that’s why the baseball gods—and their deputized Angels (of Anaheim)—decided to help him out on several occasions last night.
First, it was Albert Pujols (incidentally, perhaps the closest thing we’ve seen to a baseball god in live action this century), who was kind enough to remind his friend that the chest tag was unnecessary on this bases-loaded play in the sixth inning:
Lol at Pujols politely informing Salvador Perez he doesn't need to tag him on the force play. pic.twitter.com/ELppFqbsqx
— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) April 14, 2021
What sportsmanship! But that’s not all. Fast forward to the ninth inning, with the bases juiced again and the Royals still leading 3-2 thanks to that very play. This time, it was a combined effort from Jared Walsh and David Fletcher who allowed Salvy to close out the win in style.
With the game on the line, watch as the wild pitch from Greg Holland bounces off Perez’s chest, hits Walsh right in his special parts, then deflects right back to Perez for the game-winning pick-off of Fletcher at third base.
https://gfycat.com/colduniformchihuahua
Divine intervention? Good karma? A particularly bouncy cup? Whatever the reason, there’s no denying Sal got help from above on this one.
Hernan Shoves
From one Perez to another, we move to the Nationals-Cardinals game, where veteran Nats infielder Hernan Perez made his long-awaited pitching debut… and kind of crushed it? It’s the kind of performance that makes you wonder if pitching is really that hard after all! (It is.)
The numbers speak for themselves, though: three batters, three outs, two nasty K’s. Check it out.
(•_•)
<) )╯POSITION
/
(•_•)
( (> PLAYER
/
(•_•)
<) )> PSTRIKEOUT REEL
/ pic.twitter.com/nPMBTmbjjx— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 14, 2021
It may have come in a brutally embarrassing 14-3 loss, but that’s the highlight of the night in my book. Those poor fools never had a chance when he broke out the sidearm toss. Brad Ziegler, is that you?
Never Give Up: the Jesus Aguilar Story
The modern game, as we all know, is about doing whatever it takes to find an edge. Sometimes that means sleuthing out undervalued assets with advanced scouting. Sometimes it means banging on trash cans to let the hitters know what’s coming. And sometimes, as the Marlins husky first baseman, Jesus Aguilar, showed us yesterday, it means pulling out all the tricks to make a play and save a hit.
Here he is, in all his slow-moving glory, throwing his glove at a ball in play in a Major League Baseball game like a freaking little leaguer.
Jesus Aguilar tried to stop a ball by throwing his glove at it 🤣 pic.twitter.com/xsfZwz6C95
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 14, 2021
As Chip Caray points out in the clip above, what he did is not technically what you’d call legal. Had the glove actually made contact with the ball, per MLB rules, Austin Riley would’ve been awarded third base instead of settling for a single. However, on behalf of the community of fans who enjoy it when absurd things happen on the baseball field (basically everyone on this site), I’m going to award Jesus points for trying. I mean, who among us hasn’t thought about trying it at least once?
Besides, with the way Atlanta’s pitching looked last night, it would’ve taken a lot more than one faulty triple to make a difference in that game. I say screw your “rules” and “consequences,” let the man have his fun.
Selfie Trots are Back!
Earlier in the same game, the floodgates were opened by Marcell Ozuna and the Braves, as the besleeved basher crushed his first home run of 2021 425 feet to dead center. On the way around first, Ozuna made sure to pause for his signature selfie celebration, a staple of the 2020 postseason highlight reel that helped earn him $65 million in free agency this offseason. Clearly, it’s back by popular demand.
Celebrate accordingly. 📸 pic.twitter.com/Mm5bJjosIM
— MLB (@MLB) April 13, 2021
The home run was nice (albeit a bit less significant given the final score), but it’s the hype crew that does it for me. We all need a pumped-up, posing Ronald Acuña Jr. in our lives.
https://gfycat.com/meektatteredichthyostega
No Mo’ Romo Mo-Mo
Lastly, I’m afraid I must confirm some terrible news: Sergio Romo’s iconic facial hair is indeed a thing of the past. The bearded veteran reliever shocked the world when he took the mound for the A’s on Tuesday, rocking a clean-shaven look, which is frankly unlike anything we can remember seeing from the former All-Star closer. Take a look for yourself, if you can stomach it:
"Sergio Romo" is in the game pic.twitter.com/PrLvUxO7Gk
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) April 13, 2021
No one was quite sure what to think of the shaved Romo, with many speculating as to whether the A’s were trying to pass off an imposter. The switch-up even had the media for the Giants—where he spent the first nine seasons of his career—pretty confused.
Sergio? Is that you? https://t.co/nTCXVN1xxr
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 13, 2021
It’s been a tough week for baseball beards. On Sunday, we got our first look at new Yankee Rougned Odor’s clean-shaven look, and we still haven’t recovered from that (neither has his daughter, apparently). Please, just stop the carnage already.
All I know is someone needs to find Dallas Keuchel ASAP and stand guard by his trimmers, just in case.