Pete Alonso Needs YOUR Help!
Yes, Pete Alonso can hit home runs. But can he ride a horse?
No, this isn’t the preamble to some riddle. Meet the newest member of the Mets dugout, courtesy of hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum:
The Homer Horse? Dugout pony?
Whatever you call it, we're here for it 🐴🐴🐴 pic.twitter.com/i0g7HmtWIQ
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 23, 2021
Some Mets got caught off guard by this magical beast, including Luis Rojas.
"I freaked out one time when I looked at the end of the dugout in the middle of the game"
The Home Run Horse caught Luis Rojas off guard tonight 😂 pic.twitter.com/aR2X8OklSl
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 24, 2021
If you didn’t catch the debut of the “Home Run Horse” following Alonso’s eighth-inning dinger, here is their first ride together:
https://gfycat.com/slimymeagerbobolink
The Mets are looking for a little luck to help them preserve their thin lead over the rest of the NL East, and they’re hoping this magical horse can give them that extra help.
But “Home Run Horse” is just a placeholder. Alonso is specifically asking for YOUR help in naming the horse.
Pete Alonso says the "Home Run Horse" was hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum's idea
He & the @Mets are also looking for some new fan suggestions on names for the horse.
Let's hear 'em 👇 pic.twitter.com/BNUUE8RbnB
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 24, 2021
Baseball universe, do your work.
The Mythical Creatures of San Francisco Bay
Just beyond the outer boundaries of Oracle Park, there exist fantastic beasts—creatures with a rock-solid exoskeleton that can easily be over 10 feet long. Whenever the unmistakable splash of a baseball echoes throughout McCovey Cove, a violent frenzy unfolds. You best not be in the water when this happens or you will risk serious injury.
What exactly are these unrelenting beings?
Kayakers.
Long gone are the days of Barry Bonds, who could sustain an entire ecosystem of kayakers by himself with his daily splash hits. Nonetheless, the waters are still active today.
On Friday, Steven Duggar paid homage to the water gods of San Francisco Bay with a sacrificial offering of his own. Two kayakers competed with each other on a ravenous hunt for this glorious bounty. But only one could succeed. Who won?
https://gfycat.com/innocentcooperativebassethound
The olive green kayaker came in rabid energy, but the ruby red kayaker was able to cut him off with his excellent path (94% route efficiency).
Truly a battle for the ages.
Kuhl Can’t Catch Cueto
That wasn’t the only crazy moment we saw during the Giants vs. Pirates game.
Johnny Cueto, who is in his 17th season of professional baseball, did something he has never done before.
No, not a quintuple shimmy—something even crazier:
He stole a base… standing up.
Johnny Cueto: SPEED DEMON 🏃😂 pic.twitter.com/VPWS8EtuDh
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 24, 2021
Cueto has 54 hits and 17 walks in his career, but he never made an attempt to steal until Friday. Oddly enough, his sprint speed of 24.6 ft/s isn’t even the worst on the Giants this year. Cueto bests out both Buster Posey (24.3 ft/s) and Wilmer Flores (24.4 ft/s).
Johnny Cueto on his first career steal.
“It's something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.” pic.twitter.com/jWJbPMJ1Z3
— KNBR (@KNBR) July 24, 2021
Melancon Usurps the Swag Chain
Cueto wasn’t the only mid-30s pitcher to show of his youth yesterday.
Let’s go all the way from San Francisco to Miami, where the Padres were wrapping up a 5 – 2 win over the Marlins. To close it all out, San Diego called up their steady anchor in the bullpen: Mark Melancon.
And Melancon came through with his MLB-leading 30th save of the year—which is way ahead of second place (Liam Hendriks and Alex Reyes are tied with 23). Just how dominant is that? Well, the difference between Melancon and second place is the same as between second and 15th.
With a season like that, Melancon definitely earned the right to spin the Swagg Chain.
After all @Mark_Melancon_ saved for us, we saved something for him ✨ pic.twitter.com/2RA0NWG7XJ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 24, 2021
Joey Votto Forgets to Flex
The opening series of 2021 seems eons old, so let me give you a quick refresher. The Cardinals began the year facing the Reds, and the series had a lot of drama. The main event was a benches-clearing incident that followed Nick Castellanos scoring and flexing on Jake Woodford. Here’s Jomboy’s recap:
Back to Friday.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Reds trailed 4 – 5. But a wild pitch from Ryan Helsley allowed Votto to rush home from third and tie the game.
https://gfycat.com/leadingartisticbumblebee
Only after the fact did Votto tell Castellanos that he missed an opportunity to flex on the Cardinals.
You were thinking it.
We were thinking it.
Joey and Nick were thinking it. 💪 pic.twitter.com/oK9m3UAwjF
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 24, 2021
Dylan Moore: Seattle’s Newest Fashion Icon
As the “Swagg Chain” sweeps through San Diego and the “Home Run Horse” hops around New York, Seattle searches for its own special symbol.
Here is Dylan Moore’s answer to that problem:
Dylan Moore is sporting the new Mariners' tanktop they'll be selling exclusively in the The 'Pen.
Bench press and curl requirement before purchasing. pic.twitter.com/x2slBhZc5i
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) July 24, 2021
If only this style was popular in the late-90s… I would pay an inconceivable amount of money to see Randy Johnson rock one of these.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)