It’s hump day again! We had a terrific day of baseball. There wasn’t a no-hitter this week, but it was still a fun slate of games. We had some crazy weather, guys hitting from the opposite side of the plate, and more. It was weird. Let’s get into it.
Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?
Wednesday was a weird day of weather all around the league. We had wind. We had rain. We even had snow! And even with the poor weather, some games still chugged on and played through it. We’ll start in Colorado.
It snowed in Colorado on Wednesday. It snowed a lot. And you might be thinking that they delay games for rain, so they would definitely delay a game for snow, right? Wrong! The Rockies and Astros played through it, and it gave us some great content. Take a look at this great shot.
❄️⚾️ pic.twitter.com/NmC6NfJHJ5
— MLB (@MLB) April 21, 2021
I’ve played in the rain. The snow? That’s a whole different ballgame. We’ve seen a snow game already this year, but there’s something about it happening in Coors Field that I enjoy so much. While it’s great for the aesthetic, it might not have been as great for the hitters.
Daniel Bard, 98mph Snowball. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/g2VpU5ljql
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 21, 2021
How? How is someone supposed to hit that? 98 mph on the outside in the snow must be extremely hard for the hitter, and impossible for viewers. Regardless, the fact that we got these shots is awesome. Sure, football plays in the snow, but something about throwing 98 mph while it’s snowing is just so pleasing to watch.
When it Rains, it Pours
Well, we talked about the snow game. Let’s get into the game that was momentarily played in the pouring rain in Cincinnati, and the absolutely incredible clip it gave us. You might remember the Mets game earlier in the season, in which Marcus Stroman showed his frustration that he and the rest of the players on the field had to play in such poor conditions. Evidently, Reds pitcher Lucas Sims shared the same frustrations but expressed them in a different way.
"Somewhat sloppy out" might be an understatement for last night's weather 😂 pic.twitter.com/nbrB5PXiGO
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) April 21, 2021
This might be my favorite clip of this young season. It was absolutely pouring. You can see Tucker Barnhart’s frustration, and then Lucas Sims just keeps it going. Neither of them wants to play in these conditions. It’s completely understandable. How are you supposed to grip a ball when it’s raining like that?
So, Sims figures out a solution. He asks for a new ball. He throws it out. The umpire starts walking towards the mound, throwing the ball to Sims, and he continues to throw it out and ask for a new one. Finally, the umpire gives up and walks away. It was great. It made me laugh, and I hope it makes you laugh, too.
The Ball Got Stuck
One of the best things about baseball is the weird things that happen on defense. We got a couple of those today. Both Josh Donaldson and Mike Ford had some glove malfunctions on Wednesday. Normally, you think of a glove as reliable, and even when a ball is scorched right at a player, the glove holds up. But if it catches the wrong part of the web, some weird things can happen.
Look what I found! 👀#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/eIuXbtUu3n
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 21, 2021
Mike Ford’s glove malfunction had a happy ending. Even if it got stuck in the web, he caught it on a line! He didn’t have to make a play. The same can’t be said for Josh Donaldson.
all web no gem pic.twitter.com/MPOamogeDb
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 21, 2021
At first glance, it looks like a routine play. But when you watch the replay, you can see why it wasn’t so routine. Donaldson, unlike Ford, had to play it off the hop and make a throw. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to. He tried! But he couldn’t. It looks like he tried to tag Elvis Andrus out, but then went to make the throw to first, before realizing the ball was caught in the web. He fumbled with it, tried to pull it out, pushed it from behind, but by then it was far too late. Nevertheless, it was a good effort.
Unofficial Switch Hitter
Javier Baez does some crazy things on the baseball field. He hits long homers. He makes incredible tags at second. But last night, we got to see one of the most fun things about Baez’s game.
While the Cubs were beating the Mets 14-4, Baez, for the third time in his career, batted left-handed. He’s right-handed. His impromptu switch-hitting is one of my favorite things about him, and I was very happy to see him try it again last night. In his career as a left-handed hitter, Baez is 1-for-3 with a double. Sadly, that double was not on Wednesday, but it was still fun.
Javy Baez batted left handed for the third time in his career and flew out on some pretty solid contact pic.twitter.com/QDdoUHEMOt
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 22, 2021
He crushed that ball! It was also a pretty good swing. In a game that was a blowout, at least we got something fun and this time, it wasn’t a position player pitching.
You Almost Had It!
Now that fans are back in the stands, we get to see players throwing foul balls or last outs of the inning to fans in the stands. It’s always great to see a young kid catch a ball thrown by a player and get excited. On Wednesday, Marcell Ozuna tried to give out a souvenir. He had some issues, though.
Souvenir so nice he had to toss it twice. pic.twitter.com/AmQkuMQEaV
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 22, 2021
He tried. We can give him that. Missing it isn’t what you want, but it got into the stand eventually. I know what you’re thinking, and no, I will not make a joke about his arm strength.
Well, Wednesday was fun. Here’s to a great Thursday.