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The 6 Best MLB Moments from Tuesday

Astros-Dodgers, angry Jon Lester and the rare catcher balk!

Wynn McDonald
Best MLB Moments 8/4/2021

Welcome back to Moments of the Day! If you’re looking for cat content, I have some bad news. Yesterday gave us no felines on the field, nor praying mantises, nor pretty much any animals at all. If you like that stuff, head on over to Matt’s post from yesterday. All we got on Tuesday was good old-fashioned baseball. I know, some guys have all the luck.

However, I’m not too proud to do a little mooching. So let’s start things off today with the official “catcast” metrics from the Yankee Stadium Cat’s Monday joyride:

Thirty MPH down the line? I know that’s elite. Now enough of this pawppycock, moving on to more serious matters…

Finally! There’s baseball in Minecraft!

You think they’ll let you wear the new Blue Jays Rally Blazer in the virtual dugout?

Here’s another fun thing from Monday, ICYMI:

 

And finally, not to be lost in the shuffle of the Twitterverse, a cool moment shared by Jesús Luzardo’s father ahead of his debut in Miami:

Awww. Baseball players, they’re just like us. Except, like, much better at their jobs.

Now give it up for… the catcher balk? Man, really? That’s the best we’ve got? I hate Tuesdays.

 

Balk the Line

If you were following the Giants-DBacks tilt last night remotely, you may have observed a curious E2 in the box score. No ball was put in play, and it wasn’t a passed ball, either. Instead, Giants backstop Curt Casali was charged with a rare “catcher balk” for illegally stopping a rolling ball with his mask. Yes, apparently, this is a rule. The call allowed two runners to move up, and it had all of MLB Twitter awash with confusion for a brief moment.

Giants manager Gabe Kapler argued the call, but it was upheld after an umpire convention. Still, no one seemed to understand what was going on until someone dug up this obscure note from the MLB rulebook:

I’m normally all for learning new things about a sport I enjoy, but this just seems ridiculous. Did anyone know this was a thing?

Us too, Buster. Us too.

 

Asterisks in Los Angeles

Outside of unexpected equipment-related hijinks, the main show on Tuesday night was in L.A., where the Houston Astros played the Dodgers on the road for the first time this season — and the first time in front of fans since the cheating scandal broke. We knew that Dodger faithful would be ready for the moment, and they did not disappoint. Even the outfits were above and beyond:

They shared their opinions verbally as well, some classier than others:

Eventually, those opinionated fans made their point with a demonstration of sorts:

https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/1422745282006065152?s=20

Despite their enthusiasm, Dodger fans were rewarded with a 3-0 Astros shutout win. Favored targets Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa combined for two hits, two walks, and a run.

 

Joey’s Team Tartt

If you’re a fan of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, you should get a kick out of this MLB Network interview with Joey Votto. If not, you may be very confused watching this. But you should still do it because it’s Joey Votto.

As someone who considers themselves a card-carrying member of both the Ted Lasso and Joey Votto fan clubs, I couldn’t pass this one up. I hope you found it as entertaining as I did.

 

Workplace Tension

With the trade deadline in the rearview, dozens of traded players are getting acclimated to their new places of work. Among those men is Jon Lester, who the Nats traded to the Cardinals, where he made his first start last night against Atlanta. It did not go well. First, he served up this tater to Jorge Soler, a former Cubs teammate who was also traded last week:

Before long, five batters had reached base, and Lester had yet to record an out. He had a disagreement of some sort with the umpire, who was unsympathetic to his case:

Lester ended up allowing throwing five innings in his St. Louis debut, allowing six runs, five of which came in the first frame. But meanwhile, in Miami, another former Cub, Javier Baez, was feeling similarly consternated.

I don’t know what this all means, but maybe they should try bringing in a mediator? It worked for Richmond F.C. Okay, fine, enough Ted Lasso…

 

Excellent D

As usual, we got several jaw-dropping defensive gems on Tuesday. Here are a few of them, starting with local villain José Altuve ranging unusually far to his right:

Then from one second baseman to another, check out, ahem, Mookie Betts making the diving snag in familiar right field territory!

Not bad for an outfielder… but Kole Calhoun saw this, and told Mookie to hold his beer.

Great stuff all around. But we can’t overlook this play by octogenarian José Bautista, playing for team D.R. in the Olympics:

And finally, the least dramatic of all… the legend of Abraham Toro, who probably thought this would be easier.

Hey, as long as it gets the job done…

 

Buh-lahk-ay

Last but not least, I’m going to leave you with a gif of this disgusting four-seamer thrown by Blake Treinen last night, captured by our fearless leader. My, oh my.

Here’s a live look at me trying to process that horizontal movement:

Alright, happy Wednesday, people. See you next week.

Wynn McDonald

Born a Kentuckian, much like Dan Uggla. Braves fan by choice, unlike Dan Uggla. I enjoy long walks on the Brandon Beachy. @twynstagram

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