2016 Main League Baseball Week One

2016 Main League Baseball Week One

Up to date on June 6, 2016
First issues first...
Baseball is again! Sure, it has finally arrived, that wonderful, magical, superb sport cherished by millions of people the world over called Main League Baseball. Sunday April 3rd was Opening Day, except you rely Monday April 4th as Opening Day as some stations have been calling it. I suppose I don't know the way a day, the primary day of the newly minted baseball season, a day in which several video games were performed isn't thought of Opening Day. I suppose it's as a result of not each crew is playing that day. But to me, the primary video games of the yr, whoever is taking part in, constitutes Opening Day.
Be that as it could, Baseball is back! The Boys of Summer (or no less than early Spring) are back on the fields of green kicking filth, spitting sunflower shells, scratching and spitting and making their presence recognized right here in 2016. Up to now, some strange issues have taken place; some fantastic ones have too. Things you never thought you'd live to see, some that a few want had by no means occurred, some which have by no means occurred before, and a few a few people wish they never needed to witness.
First up, a number of zeros
I suppose we should always discuss something that hasn't happened in lots of, many years. You already know what I'm talking about, do not you? The opening three sport set between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Dem Bums going up against the poor Padres in their own park in San Diego. Starting Monday in a 15 to 0 rout during which the Padres scraped up 4 hits. The following day they were shut out again, this time on solely a pair of hits in a 3 to 0 loss. The very next day they rallied for an incredible 5 hits in one other shutout, this time by a rating of seven to zero. So, 4, two, and five hits for a 3 game whole of 11 hits. The Dodgers had seventeen hits within the first recreation of the season alone. That makes twenty-seven straight scoreless innings to start the 12 months. This could continue for one more three innings, bringing the overall to thirty consecutive innings to start the year before breaking out for six runs Friday evening against the Colorado Rockies in a romp of their own in a 13 to 6 win. And talking of these Rockies...
So, What's The Story?
Who the heck is Trevor Story?!?! Is he Superman, sent down here from a far away planet to crush baseballs into orbit? Did he spring full grown from some Iowa corn Discipline of Dreams, full in every manner hell bent on destroying baseballs and opposing pitchers alike? Just to let you already know, he has joined Mark McGwire, Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis and the Say Hey Kid himself, Willie Mays as the only Major Leaguers to homer in the first 4 games of a season, and he stands alone on the pinnacle of baseball as the SOLELY player EVER to hit home runs within the first 4 video games of a profession. After four games he stands at six (6!) house runs! If he keeps this pace up, Barry Bonds will no longer maintain the file for residence runs in a season as Story is on pace for 243 home runs on the season. Just sayin'...
Jeremy Hazelbaker Source
Speaking of House Runs...
Let's speak about house run power for a moment, shall we? Let's discuss history, residence runs, who has essentially the most, who may be the record holder of most pinch hit dwelling runs in a single game. Is it the Cubbies, with their energy packed lineup and purportedly younger (hi Jason Heyward!) lineup and deep, deep bench? Nope. Possibly the Dodgers and their deep pockets? Unsuitable once more. Perhaps a Yankee group at some point of their storied franchise history? Sorry, three strikes and also you're out.
The St. Louis Cardinals. Friday night, April eighth, 2016. The Cardinals made historical past by not one, not two, but three pinch hit residence runs in a 7 to four win over the Braves. Never before in the historical past of Major League historical past has a workforce had three pinch hit residence runs in a sport. NEVER! Hell, this workforce only had 4 pinch hit house runs your entire 2015 season!!
Greg Garcia, Jeremy Hazelbaker, and Aledymas Diaz mixed to make history this evening. It was Diaz' first career dwelling run and it was the sport winner. Garcia had his first residence run within the majors last 12 months in a pinch hit situation so this was nothing new to him, but Hazelbaker...
Hazelbaker is a career Minor League player within the mould of Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) from the movie Bull Durham, or possibly Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) in Major League. He has played 751 minor league video games spanning seven years by which he noticed over 3,000 plate appearances; seven years of minor league travel with the Lowell Spinners, Greenville Drive, Salem Pink Sox, Portland Sea Dogs, and Pawtucket Purple Sox, (in addition to spending some time in Mexico and Venezuela) before he was released last year by the Triple A Los Angels Dodgers affiliate. He was supplied a contract on Might thirteen, 2015 with the Cardinals who noticed one thing in the man who had 49 career residence runs and 157 stolen bases. After hitting308 at Springfield AA and having a988 OPS at AAA Memphis then scorching the Spring Coaching video games he earned his approach onto the 25 man roster. And right here he's, batting500 in a three for 6 effort up to now with 2 house runs already. Method to go Jeremy!!!
So after four video games the defending Central Division Champion Cardinals stand at 1 - 3 after a 7 - 4 win in Atlanta Friday evening. That could be a entire lot higher than the first three sport the Cardinals played in Pittsburgh the place they had 37 strikeouts in 27 innings. Ouch!
Zack Grienke Source
And within the unbelievable column...
Who would have thought that Zack Grienke, he of the $200,000,000 contract would have an PERIOD of 15.75 after his first sport? Four innings, 9 hits, seven runs and solely two strikeouts in a game in opposition to the Rockies is a far cry from his 2015 season when he went 19 - three with an ERA of 1.66 and 200 strikeouts. That 1.66 PERIOD was the bottom within the Main Leagues and the second lowest in 100 years of Dodgers baseball. Hard to believe...
Grienke has a history of having hassle with depression and such; hope this doesn't kick him into a rut he has hassle getting out of.
On a sad notice...
As much as I dislike the Chicago Cubs, I don't wish anybody harm. On Thursday slugger Kyle Schwarber was injured in a collision with teammate Dexter Fowler and tore his ACL; carried out for the season. The Cubbies were all but handed the World Sequence Championship Trophy before a single pitch had been thrown in 2016 on account of their youth and depth of which Schwarber was a cornerstone. Reportedly they've a youthful (hello Jason Heyward!) workforce and their bench is deep, deep, deep. I suppose we'll see how they handle adversity when a fundamental player is injured early on in the yr like my Cardinals experienced last 12 months when Adam Wainwright went down in April, then Matt Holiday was injured and by no means actually recovered and Matt Adams adopted soon after. Will they get better? Will they win 100 video games like St Louis did? Will they fold? Will they wrestle along with Jorge Soler and his defensive liabilities in left discipline? Will his prodigious energy compensate for his failures within the outfield? Time will inform.
There are numerous extra tales from this primary week of baseball; these are but a number of which caught my eye. It has been a good week, full of strange and great plays, amazing feats of baseball prowess and guarantees to be an exciting year stuffed with stories we'll inform our youngsters and grandchildren about in the years to return. Welcome back Baseball! We missed you!
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three comments
Wesman Todd Shaw 7 months ago from Kaufman, Texas
Zack will likely be high quality, I believe. Every pitcher will get bombed sooner or later. I'm completely rooting for Greinke, as I can well relate to his anxiety dysfunction.
Mr Archer 7 months in the past from Missouri
Author
Wesman Todd Shaw, I believe he might be as properly; it's just odd to see him hit like that. Hope this finds you effectively and I am SO glad baseball is again!!
Wesman Todd Shaw 7 months in the past from Kaufman, Texas
CHEERS!
My love of the sport is boundless. I'm just taxed somewhat proper now staying up late to observe those west coast games!!!
Baseball is likely one of the best issues about the USA, and the way we have now acquired players from everywhere in the world, make it more and more better.
We could simply write about baseball and by no means ever run out of nice stories to tell!
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