Man, they played some crisp baseball last night. Usually, I’m up until 2 AM or so watching the end of the west coast games, and that delirium probably helps my writing, to be honest. But last night? The Angels got done shellacking the M’s by barely after midnight. Now I’m supposed to what, sit here alone with myself? I hate it, I guess I’ll just watch Giancarlo Stanton absolutely murder a baseball out onto I-90 on a loop until I pass out.
Let the boys be boys… SLAM. pic.twitter.com/rtdlOp23EU
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 25, 2021
FC 3-2-5-4-2-8-6 GIDP
One thing that’s bad about baseball is that it’s always the same and you never see anything that makes you go “Wait, what the heck just happened.” And by all of that, I of course mean the exact opposite.
Here is another view of The Play. You can see all nine Cardinals descend on the infield, Harrison Bader get involved and the three outfielders standing within a stone's throw of second base by the time it's over.
Never seen anything like it. pic.twitter.com/6suFvGG7FP
— Zach Silver (@zachsilver) September 25, 2021
The Cubs have a knack for ending up in highlight/lowlight reels regarding baserunning this year, even without El Mago on the roster…
Big Defense Guy
Deadline acquisition Starling Marte has been nothing short of brilliant for Oakland, hitting to a .327/.370/.479 line, good for a 137 wRC+ to go with 23 stolen bases (more than he had in Miami, where he played 17 more games!) and putting up 2.3 fWAR overall by the bay. He didn’t do anything to change that narrative on Saturday, walking the A’s off with an RBI double. But then, when he went out for his post-game interview without any of the accouterments of a hitter:
This strikes me as such a deeply Baseball Guy thing, and immediately brings to mind sleeping with your mitt as a kid, which is kind of what it’s all about right?
Jazzin’ Up The Slide
I feel like Jazz Chisholm Jr./strong> has been a pretty regular name in the Best MLB Moments category this year, and for good reason, as he’s one of those guys that Makes Things Happen On The Basepaths, even if the Thing is nearly falling on the way home and vaulting yourself over the plate, while still making sure to get a hand on the bag.
https://gfycat.com/orangeimperfectarkshell
That’s some impressive full arm extension in the middle of the spill there.
Ueckerday Night’s All Right
There’s not much I can say about Bob Uecker that people probably don’t already know, but September 25th was officially declared Bob Uecker Day in Milwaukee, and it was a day replete with honors for 50 years of radio work for the Brew Crew. He got a reel of messages from past and present Brewers:
If you've come through Milwaukee, you know how important Bob Uecker is to the Brewers.
Happy Uecker Day everyone! pic.twitter.com/PvPpmeoJUL
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 26, 2021
And let everybody know the secret to his longevity:
Bob Uecker, 87, was asked during his 50th anniversary presser how much longer he'd broadcast #Brewers games: “I don’t want to be in a spot where I’m going to embarrass myself on the air or embarrass the organization. So, I always wear a diaper.” God love him.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) September 25, 2021
But most importantly, he took no chances on injury with his first pitch:
Now *this* is how you throw a ceremonial first pitch. https://t.co/Tw5I3xtsk7
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 25, 2021
Now that’s cool.
What Derby Slump?
Everybody is familiar with the Home Run Derby Slump, right? I mean, we all should also know it’s only so much superstitious claptrap, but it’s worth mentioning because Childish Bambino himself, Juan Soto, took it as a personal challenge this year, saying “I hope it fixes my swing trying to put the ball in the air. That’s what we’ve been trying the whole year, so I hope it fixes mine.”
Well, since then:
Juan Soto is hitting .377/.547/.706 since the all star break. He is absolutely stealing the MVP.
— Mr. Dandori (@HulkaMatt) September 26, 2021
He currently leads the NL bWAR and is tied for first in fWAR, so that MVP does seem pretty attainable, and here’s to many more Derbies that include the possibility of a shuffle or two.
You Can’t Spell Belt Without an H and an R
Last night, Brandon Belt continued his torrid 2021, mashing a pair of dingers en route to the San Francisco beating the Rockies 7-2 and getting out to a two-game lead for the NL West. And in doing so, the 2021 Giants set a new team record for home runs in a season with 234. It seems like there are new HR records of some sort being set every other week in baseball, but the fact remains that this year’s Giants team, the one that everybody had pegged for a lackluster 3rd or 4th place finish with a sub-.500 record just hit more home runs than a team as the cohort that had Barry Bonds on it, or any of the teams that won the World Series last decade. Baseball, man.
That About Sums It Up
And here we have The Voice Of The Yankees explaining how I feel when I finish writing my outline for these recaps and then go pick what to expand into a full entry.
I am really weird. pic.twitter.com/FdBch0BDpy
— John Sterling Calls (@JSterlingCalls) September 25, 2021
Featured image by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns of Twitter)