Thursday, August 13th was International Lefthanders Day 2020, and I feel like we as baseball fans appreciate those of the sinister persuasion more than the average person. So here’s to all those southpaws (crafty or otherwise,) strong-side platoon bats, and folks who will never get to play catcher! Personally, I feel incredibly weird even just holding a baseball in my left hand, so I will continue to think that the ability to throw it 90-plus miles per hour is some kind of magic trick.
Hughes’ Hot Shot
I’ve always been a massive fan of El Duque’s glove throw play (coincidentally against the Mets) from 1999, and today Mets pitcher Jared Hughes got to demonstrate pretty much the exact opposite skill, as a screaming line drive off of the bat of Howie Kendrick took his glove entirely off:
https://gfycat.com/waterycreativefinwhale
Hughes stuck with the play, recovered the ball, and threw over to first with plenty of time. Jared has always been a guy who knows how to not take himself too seriously, and was quick to put his own work into some context for the 2020 season:
You: Jared, that play where you flopped on the infield was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.
Me: Hold my Gatorade… pic.twitter.com/40w3B0JZmC
— Jared Hughes (@locatejared) August 13, 2020
Strasburg Has To Leave The Good Seats
Earlier in the same game in Queens, Austin Voth threw a pitch that that was called a ball, much to the consternation of the Nats dugout and players:
https://gfycat.com/wateryhelplesselver
The SNY booth astutely noticed that the motion preceding the ejection was aimed a little higher than usual, and they named some of the likely targets before realizing it wasn’t anybody in the dugout, but somebody behind it.
https://gfycat.com/lameraggedindianspinyloach
Stephen Strasburg let home plate umpire Carlos Torres know exactly how he felt (the exact quote features an easily audible f-bomb and I leave it up to the reader to find the footage if desired) and then headed to the exit to sit…somewhere else? Do they make the players sit on the bus or what?
I have to say, at the end of the day I’m with Keith on this one: Stras was just getting into the game as a fan! Let he who has not let fly some colorful insults at the umpire on gameday cast the first stone here!
Pitching Gets Weird(er)
Pitching in the 2020 season has been pretty weird in a lot of ways (heck, existing in 2020 has been pretty weird,) but today turned it up to 11. In Boston, things got pretty out of hand for the Red Sox in their game against the Rays, and it seemed to culminate in José Peraza taking the mound as the Sox tried to limp across the finish.
Unfortunately, he was hit on the knee by a comebacker and forced to leave the game after recording only a single out. He was then replaced by, you guessed it, another position player. I am also a big fan of “The Plowster” as a nickname here.
https://gfycat.com/partialalarmedgrayling
The mess wasn’t over, though, since as the NESN booth pointed out, Kevin Plawecki was the catcher at this point in the game, and Christian Vázquez had taken over at 2B when Peraza moved from SS to pitching. That accounts for both catchers on the Red Sox active roster.
https://gfycat.com/compassionatejoyouscougar
For the record, as far as I can tell this is Tzu-Wei Lin’s first time putting on the Tools Of Ignorance in his entire career. Former manager Alex Cora did have Lin penciled in as the emergency catcher last year, it just took this long for it all to come together. Linsanity indeed.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Joe Girardi managed to confuse everybody by making a double switch in the era of the universal DH. Neil Walker ended up on the mound for the first time in his career, which is (score aside) not the worst way to celebrate your 10.000th birthday in the game.
We got to see the finesse righty dial his fastball all the way up to 80 mph for this pitch that dots the corner but doesn’t get the call:
https://gfycat.com/handysimilariberianlynx
He ended the night with 1 walk followed by a pair of outs, and even got to hear himself introduced as “Pitcher, Neil Walker” over the PA when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the inning:
https://gfycat.com/spotlessdisgustingaracari
So we got both a double switch and a pitcher batting. Joe Girardi cares not for your DH!
Mighty Mighty BOS Drones
For the second time this season, we got a drone delay, this time in Boston.
https://gfycat.com/gleefulhardtofinddromaeosaur
During the Minnesota incident, Dan Hayes from The Athletic reported that players attempted to down the drone with baseballs (sadly, without luck:)
The drone was then hovering over the field. Players in the bullpen began to try and pelt it with baseballs. They missed. The drone appears to have disappeared into the Ramp A parking lot. That guy is totally getting arrested.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 4, 2020
It would appear that the league has caught on this method, however, as you can hear a request for ammunition from somebody in the background at Fenway:
https://gfycat.com/astonishingrelievedkob
Sadly, no actual takedowns via baseball were attempted, and play resumed after a rather short delay. But if by chance you, the Baseball Drone Operator are reading this: Knock it off, c’mon.
Bohm Goes Boom
The Phillies promoted their top prospect Spencer Howard to start against the Braves last weekend, and today they promoted their #2 prospect, Alec Bohm, who played in his first MLB game against the Orioles. In his first-ever major league at-bat, he stung a double down the third-base line:
https://gfycat.com/misguidedamazinghypacrosaurus
Unfortunately, like every other rookie this season, Bohm made his debut without his family in the stands. But thanks to the magic of the internet, we did get to see his parents and girlfriend’s reaction later on in the game!
https://gfycat.com/drearybouncyflyingsquirrel
My favorite part is probably his dad’s incredibly sedate take and matter-of-fact call of “Double.” That’s a baseball guy for sure.
Mookie’s A Triple Threat
It’s no secret that Mookie Betts is really good at baseball, after all the Dodgers did just sign him to a 12-year extension this season. But tonight he made a little bit more history for himself by clobbering a trio of home runs in a single game against the Padres. It’s not his first time showing off that kind of power in a single night:
Mookie Betts is tied for the most 3-homer games (6) EVER.
He is 27. 😱 pic.twitter.com/2afkUF2qNb
— MLB (@MLB) August 14, 2020
And just to make it even more impressive, he doesn’t just join an elite group, he’s done it in a truly ridiculously short amount of time:
Fastest to reach six career 3-HR games:
813 games – Mookie Betts
1,598 games – Johnny Mize
1,836 games – Sammy Sosa— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) August 14, 2020
To reiterate just once more: He’s only 27!
Happy Hamilton
And to close today’s recap out, I want to just run this clip of Billy Hamilton making the final out of an inning by running down a line drive. Not for any particular reason aside from the fact that he looks so dang happy doing it.
https://gfycat.com/immaculateelderlyincatern
Let’s all try to be like Billy.
i enjoyed this. thank you.