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The 5 Best MLB Moments from Tuesday

Come for the nostalgic matchups, stay for Ji-Man Choi.

Wynn McDonald
Best MLB Moments 8/11/2021

Now, this… this is more like it. MLB must have heeded my complaining yesterday, because they gifted us a full slate of games on Tuesday with no shortage of drama. Never mind the fact that it was all scheduled months in advance, and the likelihood of MLB reading these posts is rather slim. It feels good to make a difference.

Despite the busy schedule—17 games in total, counting two double-headers—the rain did not pass without a fight. Several games were delayed due to bad weather, and the Nats-Mets contest was suspended in the second inning. In Baltimore, things got a bit touch-and-go, but the result was worth the wait:

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, a few furry friends took in the sunshine.

In Cleveland, Josh Harrison appeared to be very excited about being back on the field for a fresh week. That, or he was, in fact, practicing his track and field skills. Who’s to say?

In L.A., one fan got creative for his day at the ballpark:

But while some folks were happy to be here, others woke up and chose violence. I’m referring, of course, to Blooper, the Braves mascot and notorious Bryce Harper antagonist, who decided to pick a new fight with the visiting Reds yesterday:

Your move, Reds! They may have lost the game, but Joey Votto was clearly unbothered by the chili slander.

https://twitter.com/MajorLeagueGIFs/status/1425239948651859972?s=20

Okay, full disclosure: I recently moved to Cincinnati, and I’m not gonna lie, Skyline is pretty good. Judge me if you must, but I have to side against my man Blooper on this one. Now on to the moments before this thing gets too far off the rails…

 

MVP? It’s You or Me

Tuesday gave us several matchups with nostalgic intrigue (more on this in a sec), but the most explosive clash involved the two front-runners for American League MVP: Blue Jays vs. Angels, with Shohei Ohtani facing off against Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—TWICE. Are you ready for this?? Because if not, atMLB will go out of their way to make sure that you are absolutely, positively, 100% aware that it is happening.

Yeah, okay, I think we get it. But still, it’s a fun thing. While both stars went hitless in the first game of the twin bill, they wasted no time showing out in game two. Vladdy ripped an RBI single to right on the fifth pitch of the game from José Suarez:

The Jays took a 2-0 lead quickly, but leadoff hitter Ohtani saw the challenge and rose to it. He knocked the third pitch he saw from Ross Stripling into the right-field corner for a triple, his fifth of the year (that’s tied for second in the A.L., for those scoring at home).

Unfortunately, Angels gonna Angel, and he was stranded at third. This round goes to Vlad, I guess. But mark your calendars because Shohei is taking the mound against the Jays on Thursday!

 

Bumming Around in San Fran

Here’s something to make you feel old: there are Giants fans out there today who probably don’t remember what Madison Bumgarner did during the 2014 World Series. But if they were at last night’s game, I’m sure they heard all about it. With the DBacks making their first trip to Oracle Park this year, Bumgarner made his first appearance on his old stomping grounds in front of fans with his new club, and the San Francisco faithful gave him every bit of the welcome he deserved.

He wasn’t even pitching in the game, but check out this ovation:

He got a little extra love from his old battery mate, Buster Posey, who lifted one out to center in the fifth.

No doubt, Bum’s seen plenty of those swings from Posey over the years. But Buster wanted to make sure he got a good look at this one…

Aww, the baseball players! They’re friends!

 

Harping on the Past

While we’re on the subject of old friends, how’s this for a shot? Max Scherzer, the Dodger, facing off against Bryce Harper, the Phillie. I know something’s not right here.

Max only got to face his old friend twice in this game, as a lengthy rain delay forced both him and Aaron Nola out of the game early. But both ABs resulted in the same letter: K. The first was particularly pretty, and no doubt infuriating for Harper:

However, like Bumgarner, I have a feeling he wasn’t shocked to see it. Scherzer ended up striking out six of the 12 batters he faced before the delay, while Harper finished the game 0-3. Point Mad Max.

 

Nasty Nestor Meets Swingin’ Sally

There are few pitchers in baseball right now that are more entertaining to watch than Nestor Cortes Jr. His funky delivery is always changing, and since I’m not trying to hit it, I find it wonderful. This may be his finest work yet, from last night’s tilt with the Royals:

Unfortunately for Nestor, one man was not falling for his tricks. That would be Salvador Perez, who celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his MLB debut in style with two homers… both off Cortes. Here’s no. 1, a towering blast to center:

Aaaand here’s no. 2, a towering blast to left:

That makes 29 on the year for Salvy, a career-high in year 10, and the most homers by a Royals catcher since ever. They just don’t make ’em like that anymore.

 

What the People Want

I sure hope you didn’t think I’d get through this post without showing Willians Astudillo’s game-winning home run off Dallas Keuchel. That would be an absurd thing to think because I happen to love Willians Astudillo. And I love this goofy falling-down moonshot swing more than anything else:

As they say, you can’t spell clutch without La Tortuga. But while we’re talking about my favorite players doing great things, how about Ji-Man Choi tying the game in Fenway with a literal bang?

The Rays went on to win, too, which is starting to feel inevitable at this point. Call it the Ji-Man factor. Sorry, Sox, Kevin Plawecki just doesn’t do it for me the same way.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to go hibernate until there is more baseball to watch… much like Willy here. Happy Wednesday!

Wynn McDonald

Born a Kentuckian, much like Dan Uggla. Braves fan by choice, unlike Dan Uggla. I enjoy long walks on the Brandon Beachy. @twynstagram

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