Happy Hump Day! We’re already through the first week of baseball, somehow. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess! We have to enjoy it as much as we can because even though the season is 162 games, it still feels like it flies by in the blink of an eye. To savor that great feeling of baseball being back, I try to eat as many hot dogs as is humanly possible during the month of April (albeit with some Passover restrictions).
With almost a full slate of baseball games yesterday, we have plenty of great moments to share. Let’s get to it!
Anthony Rizzo Gets A Bunt Down
A certain group of baseball fans gets very excited when a manager mentions wanting to bunt more, steal more, and play more small ball during the spring. Now, it’s one thing to promise that in the spring, when everything’s nice and rosy, and another thing to do it when you’re down to your final two outs in a regular-season game.
The Anthony Rizzo Bunting Experience pic.twitter.com/7onjn3c9T4
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 14, 2022
I wonder who called for the bunt here. Was it Aaron Boone? Or, did Anthony Rizzo see all that space on the left side of the infield and think, “Now’s a good time to go the other way!” Either way, Rizzo looks like an absolute genius for getting on base when his team needed it most and simultaneously picking up his first multi-hit game of the season.
This play’s going to be the perfect fodder for the fans saying that batters should simply “go the other way” or “lay down a bunt” to avoid the shift.
The Windy City Got A Little Rainy…
The White Sox and Seattle Mariners played through a nice little rainstorm yesterday. Apparently, the South Side got about 0.2 inches of rain yesterday, with a good chunk of that rain coming down during the game. Accordingly, the strong-willed fans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and furs who stayed through the storm got a little creative with their rain gear:
hey @stevestone and @jasonbenetti it’s raining pic.twitter.com/Wdo9jGGSfB
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 14, 2022
That’s White Sox mascot Southpaw standing in some convenient rain gear, ready to cheer on its team with the 12,291 (seems a tad generous, to be honest) fans in attendance. Southpaw even left us a little Easter Egg by picking rain gear that matches the color of his fur.
Rain, rain should have gone away for this game, but the vibes in the White Sox dugout were still just fine, despite the rough weather:
.@The_bigbaby74's night:
449 ft. home run ✅
handshake with the homie ✅
hi mom! ✅(Cut4 x @coronaextrausa) pic.twitter.com/p0CZzU2XVQ
— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 14, 2022
I know I’m not your mom, but it’s nice to see you too, Eloy Jiménez! So glad he got a handshake from the homies to top it all off.
TA7 was having fun with it, too:
The White Sox are having fun in the rain 😂
(via @TalkinBaseball_) pic.twitter.com/9q7h8CmaR4
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) April 14, 2022
Here’s an alternate view of Jiménez’s home run, with a better look at the rain and some fans with umbrellas:
April showers. 🌧 pic.twitter.com/mAa2JCL28Z
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 14, 2022
¡PLÁKATA! x 3
Vladimir Guerrero Sr. was pretty good at hitting homers. He did so on just about any type of pitch; he could hit golf homers, he could hit homers from balls thrown at eye-level, etc. And as it turns out, his son, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., is also really h*ckin good at hitting homers, too!
Hey Vladdy, how many homers have you hit tonight? 😉👌 pic.twitter.com/lrF52s334a
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 14, 2022
Yes, folks, that’s Vladito with 3 home runs on the evening, two of which came off of elite SP Gerrit Cole, who was forced to acknowledge Vladito’s special night…
Vladdy is SO good, you can't help but tip your cap 💥 pic.twitter.com/3O2L4cLoMX
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 14, 2022
…while the third came off of nasty pitch merchant Jonathan Loáisiga. Witness the dingers in all their glory!
¡PLÁKATA!
The review was just to get another look at this swing 💥 #PLAKATA pic.twitter.com/2rYlGVb5rq
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 13, 2022
¡PLÁKATA!
1st inning – #PLAKATA 💥
2nd inning – Stepped on
3rd inning – #PLAKATA 💥The definition of DIFFERENT! pic.twitter.com/fcpUXfT4yZ
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 13, 2022
¡PLÁKATA!
🎶 And Vladdy got the hatty 💥 #PLAKATA pic.twitter.com/0telD4C6Be
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 14, 2022
Why the Yankees continued to pitch to Guerrero after dinger numero dos, I’m not sure. But hey, I’m happy to see Vladdy play out of his mind under the bright lights in the Bronx.
In Memoriam
No words necessary.
We mourn the loss of Steven Kwan's incredible streak.
Please respect our privacy during this time.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/38LlpBa41S
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 13, 2022
Mark Kotsay Makes a New Friend
This young fan got a fun little surprise from his new friend, A’s manager Mark Kotsay.
Adorable moment 🥺
Mark Kotsay gave this young A's fan a baseball and celebrated with a fist bump pic.twitter.com/wngb3zInPM
— A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) April 13, 2022
That’s the kind of stuff that builds baseball fans for life.
Have a great Thursday, all you crazy cats and kittens! I hope it’s filled with some baseball. :)
Graphic by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns)