Happy Sunday, folks! And Happy Father’s Day to all who are celebrating. Yesterday was another great day of baseball (when there’s baseball on, are there really any bad days?), as we enjoy the second half of June and approach the end of the first half of a full 2021 season. We celebrated Juneteenth, watched a devoted Joey Votto fan go through a rollercoaster of emotions, and more!
Devoted Fan of Joey Votto, Rejoice!
Joey Votto took offense to a check-swing strike three call by the third-base umpire in yesterday’s game and had some things to say:
Joey Votto has been ejected from today's game.
He struck out on a check swing and had words for the umpires after the call. pic.twitter.com/LbAiIx7JIw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 19, 2021
Unfortunately, that was bad news for this devoted fan, who was looking forward to seeing Mr. Votto play a ballgame in San Diego for the very first time:
@Reds When it’s your first MLB game and your favorite player of all time gets thrown out of the game in the first inning…. 😥😥😥 #weloveyoujoey pic.twitter.com/h7lganVo3s
— Kristin (@SuperBarry11) June 19, 2021
But, things got a little better for Abigail a few innings later:
I have an update on the sad Abigail situation! It took a couple of innings, but she eventually cheered up with some popcorn! And Joey Votto is SO KIND- he signed this amazing ball for her!! Thank you so much Mr. Votto & the wonderful @Reds ❤️⚾️ pic.twitter.com/aIsHx3r42N
— Kristin (@SuperBarry11) June 20, 2021
A good game, a signed baseball, and some popcorn? How much better can it get?
Moth Love Bat
Moths are attracted to bright lights. So, it would make sense that this Angel Stadium moth would be attracted to Justin Upton, who has caught fire over the past month.
this moth had absolutely no regard for justin upton’s at-bat pic.twitter.com/gIrUswT0Bi
— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 19, 2021
Upton definitely took a swing at that moth. That’s a strike, ump!
Gio Urshela, the One-Eyed Man
Gio Urshela broke his bat in the bottom of the second on a sweet pitch from Chris Bassitt. Nothing out of the ordinary with that, right? Well, unfortunately, bats are made out of wood. And when wood breaks, it can break into tiny, annoying splinters. It just so happened that Urshela got one of those splinters in his eye during the play, which slowed him down enough to turn his broken-bat groundball into a double play.
He got his shot at redemption against Jesús Luzardo in the 8th inning:
GIO URSHELA GIVES THE YANKEES THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/tCvdgzbi4s
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 19, 2021
Even with one good eye, Urshela is crushing balls to dead center field!
Juneteenth
Yesterday was Juneteenth, a celebration for the end of slavery. The Mariners celebrated the holiday by throwing it back to their local Negro Leagues franchise, the Seattle Steelheads.
Tonight, we celebrate those who paved the way with a Salute to the Negro Leagues. #Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/jA3bzjXfdK
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 19, 2021
The Giants also took inspiration from their local Negro Leagues franchise:
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco Sea Lions and the West Coast Negro Baseball Association. In celebration of this anniversary, we will don these replica uniforms on the field today. pic.twitter.com/C6Wav7nHge
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 19, 2021
And, the Marlins took part in some Juneteenth activities:
In celebration of #JuneTeenth2021, Marlins Alum @CliffFloyd30 and front office employees participated in a beautification project at the Historic Hampton House. #JuntosMiami pic.twitter.com/gFpI6frC8w
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 19, 2021
Other clubs took part in Juneteenth activities as well, with some clubs sponsoring an entire week’s worth of activities around the Juneteenth holiday.
Best Moments from Future MLB Players
Saturday marked the beginning of the College World Series in Omaha. That means plenty of first-round talent on display, from Vanderbilt’s two aces to North Carolina State’s sluggers.
The first game pitted Stanford against NC State.
The 2021 #CWS started with a Wolfpack Victory! pic.twitter.com/nEvkHVNKub
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 19, 2021
We also had Arizona against the mighty Vanderbilt in the second game of the day, which went to extra innings. And, Arizona needed the good vibes to continue against Vandy into the 12th inning of the contest. Hence, the rally cap to end all rally caps:
Also pic.twitter.com/8gxr1SAa5x
— Arizona Baseball (@ArizonaBaseball) June 20, 2021
Unfortunately, the rally cap didn’t bring the good vibes to Arizona’s hitting with runners in scoring position, as Arizona failed to capitalize with the runner on second in the top half of the 12th inning
However, Vandy did not fail to capitalize on their opportunity in the bottom half of the 12th inning:
The @VandyBoys get the walk-off to end game 2!#CWS x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Zny3m2Ww4G
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 20, 2021
Tomorrow, Tennessee takes on Virginia and Texas takes on Mississippi State. Both games are on ESPN2.
Now, get out there, enjoy your Sunday, enjoy your Father’s Day, and enjoy your baseball (whether that’s collegiate-level or professional level)!
Photo by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)