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The List

An Olympian Debuts and 6 Fun Things From Wednesday

The Marlins now lead the league in Olympic Silver medals.

TC Zencka
Best MLB Moments 8/6/2020

If you thought Juan Soto not playing baseball was fun, you’re gonna love what we have in store for you today.

 

Starting at Third Base for the Miami Marlins, Short Track Speed Skater and Silver Medalist at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Eddy Alvarez!

 

This season has seen an unprecedented number of players making their major league debuts, but even in the context of this wacky season, this was pretty cool.

 

Eddy Alvarez already wrapped a career as a short track speed skater. He’s an Olympian for God’s sake — he’s accomplished plenty in his athletic life. He was the first Cuban-American male speed skater to make a U.S. Olympic team, winning a silver in the 5000-meter relay in Sochi. Still, it was pretty cool to see the 30-year-old Alvarez debut today at third base for the Marlins.

Here’s his fist AB:

 

These days, the Marlins are admittedly short-handed. The second game of a doubleheader when 18 members of your team were recently placed on the injured list for exposure to the deadliest virus of the last 100 years isn’t, perhaps, the way Alvarez anticipated making his big league debut. But life isn’t about the opportunities you make, it’s about making the most of the opportunities you get. Or whatever.

Kudos to Alvarez.

Fun with Fatheads

 

Bryce Harper homered off J.A. Happ in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday. 

Harper deposited the 0-2 two-seamer into the right field seats, where a new cardboard cutout of Harper now lives. 

Ryan M. Spaeder shared this surprising tidbit about Harper’s home run history. Unsurprisingly, he prefers being ahead in the count. 

In more Fathead fun, Juan Soto stacked the left field bleachers with Fathead cutouts of his family so they could see his season debut tonight.

 

Finally, this isn’t Fatheads-related, necessarily, but it’s pretty close so I’ll mash it into this category. Here’s Magneuris Sierra having some fun ahead of the Marlins-Orioles doubleheader today.

Sierra would get the start in centerfield for the second of the two games, giving him plenty of time to check in on his homies before game one. 

Juan Not Gone

 

Speaking of Soto, the Nats’ star outfielder finally stepped up to the plate for the first time in 2020.

Last season’s run to the World Series brought Soto to the forefront of the national conversation around the best young players in baseball. But having watched every single Nats game last season, I am personally pumped that the rest of the baseball world can just sit back and enjoy the show this year. Who else takes pitches with this much swag?

No-Juan but this Juan:

Two for the Price of One, Discounted

 

If you don’t think the 2020 baseball season is a weird one, try this sentence on for size: The Philadelphia Phillies got a road win today in their home park by beating the Yankees 11-7 in 7 innings.

A 7-inning game — by design.

Here’s the proof, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

The Phillies won game one in 7 innings, of course, and walked off the field to New York, New York. Nobody is having as much fun this season as the folks in the control room.

But don’t worry, sports fans, 7 innings is still plenty of time to get thrown out and show up the umpire on your way out. 

Angel Hernandez isn’t everyone’s (anyone’s?) favorite umpire, but this isn’t necessarily about him.

If we read wayyyyy too much into this single soundbite, it certainly sounds like Hernandez (or umpires in general?) aren’t too keen about returning to play. We’ve heard from most people involved in MLB returning to action, but the umpires and their union rarely speak out about matters such as these. It would be interesting to hear some personal thoughts from the boys in blue every once and a while. Phil Nevin may know what they think — but we don’t. 

Crowd Control In KC

 

Apparently, someone in the seats behind home plate spilled a beer and needed a change of shirt.

Clever little gambit here by the staff at Kauffman Stadium, but perhaps the middle of an at-bat wasn’t the best time?

 

Ball One?

 

Every single person was fooled on this pitch from Anthony Bass of the Blue Jays.

 

I’ve written a lot about the coming implementation of electronic strike zones — of which I am in favor. But I will miss a call like this.

 

The Most Exciting Play In Baseball

 

Last but certainly not least, this:

The Diamondbacks and Kole Calhoun are rollin’ now. Unless you’re Lance McCullers Jr., that’s about as fun as a baseball play can get.

TC Zencka

TC Zencka contributes regularly to Pitcher List, and MLB Trade Rumors. Come say hi on Twitter.

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