I’ve spent the last two and a half days or so moving, so it’s been a pretty exhausting week. I usually take forever to unpack after a move, but today I made dang sure to get my desk set up so I could get my computer up and running so I could in turn watch 5+ baseball games simultaneously, and it was most excellent. Even if both myself and the Yankees would rather forget about their most recent series, the healing power of baseball is unmatched.
Slammin’ Dads
If you tuned into the Rangers at San Diego game last night, in the bottom of the 5th inning, you heard the following:
https://gfycat.com/tensescalybaleenwhale
And you’ll never guess what Eric Hosmer did next…
https://gfycat.com/deadlycriminalcattle
Four games in a row with grand slams is enough to warrant top billing in this article, but it also seems very fitting that it would happen to this Padres team, given that the slam that started the streak was hit on Monday night, by Fernando Tatis Jr., who did so on a 3-0 count while San Diego led by seven runs in the 8th inning.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward took issue with Tatis even swinging at that 3-0 pitch, much less blasting it out of the park, and baseball has spent the past week embroiled in yet another very public fight that does nothing but confuse and turn-off would-be fans. Our very own Alexander Chase wrote about the multi-layer idiocy of Woodward and even Jayce Tingler’s responses. But while sports radio made hay, the Padres went out and just kept scoring runs, with another 12 of them coming the same way Tatis got them across the plate on Monday. And that’s amazing because even just setting the table for a grand slam to be possible is hard, much less managing to make one happen.
So by all means, vent your hot takes on Twitter and various comment sections, but meanwhile, the guys going out there and actually playing every day are gonna keep heeding the advice that Manny Acta once got:
While coaching 3b in Montreal, I held up a runner at 3rd base out of “respect” for the other club. Frank Robinson almost grabbed me by the ear and said to me: “Listen son, you only have enough runs when you’re showering after a win” #unwrittenrules
— Manny Acta (@MannyActa14) August 18, 2020
But even if nothing else, Hosmer’s heroics mean the fine people of Sacramento got to see Danny Vietti learn the power of a promise
If the Padres hit another grand slam tonight, I will run around the state capitol building in downtown Sacramento in a diaper while holding a Fernando Tatis Jr. sign.
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) August 20, 2020
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) August 21, 2020
Lucky Number 89
This is absolutely wild to me, but today when the Yankees called up #15 prospect Miguel Yajure and he selected 89 for the back of his uniform, he picked the final two-digit number that had never been used in Major League Baseball up until now. In fact, according to David Adler over at MLB, there were three of them still waiting to be picked going into the season. The Yankees were the first team to implement uniform numbers in 1929, so it seems fitting that they would then bookend it with Yajure’s pick almost a century later.
It’s also amazing that over the last 91 years, with so many teams rostering so many players, that there even were any numbers still unpicked. I guess it’s time to move onto to 100 and above! Or maybe fractions?
Twinning In Chicago
When Tyler Alexander took over for the Tigers today during their game against Lucas Giolito and the White Sox, it created the improbable scenario of two pitchers facing off against each other who were born on the same day:
As if that wasn’t enough, White Sox broadcaster Darrin Jackson was also born on July 14th. Three strikes and you’re…all celebrating together, I guess?
Vlad Makes Doubly Sure
Vlad Guerrero Jr. has had a rough start to the season, slashing .222/.292/.383 heading into last night’s game. So when he got jammed by a pitch in the 7th inning, he made sure to give the ball some extra oomph to help it clear the infield.
A swing so nice, he hit it twice. pic.twitter.com/Mg1is3Hdb0
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 20, 2020
He finished the day with 3 hits, 2 walks, and 2 runs, so maybe all it took was a little doubling up for things to start turning around.
Have Drum, Will Travel
Cleveland might have been playing in Pittsburgh last night, but they didn’t let that stop them from hearing the steady drumbeat they’re used to at home.
https://gfycat.com/wealthyanotheregret
The Indians dugout was calling different time signatures for the entire inning, and don’t sleep on that water bottle accompaniment happening there in the background.
Frazier Lets It All Go
When Todd Frazier strikes out, he really strikes out. He whiffed on this Dinelon Lamet slider and just launched his bat down the third base line on the follow through.
https://gfycat.com/hugeanimatedfireant
Guys lose their bats all the time though. The real highlight here is Rangers’ third base coach Tony Beasley’s ice-cold reaction to a bat flying at him.
https://gfycat.com/impassionedpreciousafricangoldencat
Just sheer cool.
Here Be Dragons
The Pirates channeled their inner Greinke today, but mostly off the field. The home broadcast caught a few players hanging out in the stands, which is nothing new, but in this case, it’s in the upper deck. Definitely best to stay as far away from everybody else as possible.
MLB players, they sit in the cheap seats just like us!
Sergio Romo’s Beard Is Out Of Hand
This really isn’t news at all, I wanted to just close today out by letting us all bask in the glory that is Sergio Romo’s quarantine beard. And I’m a guy who knows out of hand quarantine hair.
