Monday, April 6, 2015

Opening Day, not opening day


This has been, pretty much, the best Opening Day, ever.

The Tigers were as good as I've ever seen 'em in an Opener: one of the best pitching performances of all time by a Detroit hurler on Opening Day; a couple of dingers; a homer-robbing catch by the new guy Cespedes and a save for the maligned Joe Nathan.  Just about a perfect afternoon except for the game not being played at Tiger Stadium, that’s all. 

Most Important Tigers Play of the Day:  Not many would pick this one I know, but to me it was Jose Iglesias making that stop in the hole in the 9th inning for the first out.  That guy reaches—and he should have on a play Iglesias made look routine—and while I’m not saying the Tigers lose the game, the dynamic changes completely.  They probably take Price out right there and instead of having to get a single out to end it, Nathan has to come in for a three-out save.  It was a Major League play, the kind a good Major League team makes to close out ballgames.  The kind of play that enables you to win easy, 4-0, instead of having to gut it out and have to hold on at the end.

I've been watching baseball on mlb.tv and elsewhere for 11 hours now--14 games on this busiest Opening Day in MLB history--and I have seen it all.  Here are our Top Five (okay, there are seven, sue me) moments from Opening Day, 2015 all of which I saw live:

(Late Edit, 1:27am edt, Thanks a lot Sonny Gray!) And by the way and for the record, from first pitch in Detroit until the last out in Arizona, Opening Day 2015 last 12 hours and 21 minutes...

#1 Sonny Gray takes no-hitter into 8th, becomes 1st since Lemon in '52 to pitch at least eight innings and allow only 1 hit on Opening Day in 8-0 romp over Rangers.
#2
Keuchel outduels Kluber in Houston duel.  
#3
Scherzer perfect through 5 in DC debut, allows 3 unearned, loses.
#4
Price one out away from rare Opening Day complete game in 4-0 Tigers win.
#5
Rain Delay in Miami, where the stadium has a roof.
#6 (tie)
Jimmy Rollins breaks tie with three-run shot in 8th in Dodgers 6-3 win over San Diego.
#6 (tie)
Todd Frazier breaks tie with three-run shot in bottom of the 8th in Reds 5-2 win over the Bucs

4 comments:

democommie said...

Cngrats!

My Crimsonhosed are perfect, too, also. I suspect that will change!

democommie said...

Richard:

One of the young ladies who works at my favorite debate and beerdration center is a Redwings fan. I told her to come here and introduce herself.

Cheers

democommie said...

Richard:

I have no idea if you ever have any contact with our dear leader, Jesus General, C-In-C Army of Unbelief, but I was thinking that somebody should prod him to do a piece about that great wrestler (and coach) Denny Hastert's fall from grace. Just sayin'.

UplayOnline said...

I suspect that will change!


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