Friday is here again, and we have another full slate of baseball to wet our whistles going into the weekend. Friday was jam-packed with moments and just good, solid baseball. The biggest enemy of April baseball has been inclement weather, and more of that loomed its head on Friday. As the rain moved throughout the whole country, we had the Rockies and Tigers postponed. As April approaches its end, we can look forward to more consistent weather patterns and baseball playing as it is scheduled. April showers do indeed bring us all of the flowers. Patience is a virtue. Now to the fun!
Phanatic Puts Some Mustard On It
Doing his best bowling ball impression, the Phillie Phanatic took matters into his own hands on Friday evening. What looked to be a typical three-person hot dog race turned into a collision to remember when the Phanatic threw a pretty quality crossbody taking out all three hot dogs. The Phanatic’s antics are almost as can’t miss as what goes on in the basepaths. There is a reason that he is the measuring stick that many mascots across all sports compare themselves to. Mascots got to get their stuff in too.
Phillie Phanatic with the truck stick🤪🤪🤪 pic.twitter.com/cj1qXEoh02
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 23, 2022
The Incredible Votto
Who had Joey Votto as the best follow on Instagram on their 2022 Bingo card? The once quiet, stay to himself first basemen of the Reds has come out of his shell as of late and become an overnight sensation on social media. In some of the videos, you have to see to believe because he seemingly has an endless amount of creative ideas to make people laugh. He reached 100,000 followers and made sure to take to the ‘Gram to let people know what he thought of it.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcqtxR1lyW0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
We’re Not Worthley
Shout out Jaeyln Worthley of Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. What a play by the man on the mound with even more impressive reflexes. Pitchers sometimes get flack for not making the more challenging plays, but Jaelyn made this really difficult play look easy. This young man deserves recognition for the all-out effort to get out first. Good baseball is happening everywhere on any given day. You just have to be willing to find it. Just know, we were watching Jaelyn, and we were impressed.
Jaelyn Worthley also showing off the athleticism on the mound! PITCHERS ARE ATHLETES TOO!1 @espn @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/lvX446EFAq
— Eddie Messel (@EddieMesselTV) April 23, 2022
Standing Room Only
If you watch baseball long enough, you feel like you’ve seen everything. This is something that has to be up there for being one of the rarest things to happen on the base paths. Who can say they’ve seen a play exactly like this live in the stands? For everything to break the way it did, it had to be that way for a stand-up inside the park grand slam to be possible. The umpires had to affirm it because even they couldn’t believe it had happened. What a moment for Nashville; that’s something that many in attendance will never see again.
A stand-up inside-the-park grand slam for the @nashvillesounds?!
You have to see it to believe it. pic.twitter.com/WSvX2Wc0OS
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 23, 2022
Wander on the Mic
Sunday Night Baseball has been utilizing the mic’d up feature on their broadcast during ESPN’s coverage of the week’s final game. It has been a welcome addition to getting fans to understand and relate to the players who the league has had a hard time marketing. Wander Franco did not have to be mic’d up on the premiere game of the week. He electrified fans on the field and even with his entertaining antics when he had the mic nearby. The small sample of sound bytes provides some insight into the energy level and good-natured fun that Wander Franco brings to the game of baseball. We need more things like this to showcase players in all cities to continue to grow the game of baseball!
the first wander mic'd up experience was electric
full episode of play loud ➡️ https://t.co/jYLQh0BvwV pic.twitter.com/1VBoftT50S
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 22, 2022
As we welcome Saturday with open arms, we hope for a day without a weather-induced postponement. Another weekend stuffed with storylines and action to follow for all baseball fans across the globe. It is such a treat to have baseball back and the ability to break it down and talk about it with friends, family even strangers on the internet. Baseball is in full swing, and it is a beautiful thing. Here is hoping we get more mascot antics, more mic’d up players, and even more electrifying plays on the field. Either way, we continue to be here wading through it all and consuming as much of it as possible.
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)