2021 MLB Regular Season thread

The Gnats gave Freddie Freeman an intentional walk to load the bases. That may have been poorly thought out.

 

Shore and Harvey Haddix. And don't get me started on Bumgarner

 

Angel has ejected 3 Royals tonight ... so far. They're only in the 7th inning.

 

They probably just saw the linescore and saw 0 hits, 0 walks and 0 Orioles errors and thought -- justifiably -- that it was perfect.
The dropped-third-strike rule that allows a batter to reach is and has always been absurd.

 

Not really. It's no different than the first baseman having to catch the throw, or an outfielder having to catch the ball, or a defender having to hold on to the ball during a tag or force play. Except for in a very few instances (infield fly, fouled third-strike bunt, strike three with first base occupied and less than two out), the ball must be in a defender's possession for an out to be recorded.

 

I'll live to be 1000 years old, and I'll never understand why he gave Benitiendi 3rd.
Francona was almost begging to be tossed, and Angel wouldn't do it because he knew he kicked it.
And as bad as he is, he actually got the balk on Singer right last night.

 

Two others off the top of my head: Fan interference resulting in umpire's discretion and a batted ball hitting a runner.

 

He got everything right last night, other than a few ball/strike calls, but because he is him, it seemed like he was screwing up left and right. ... And the play the night before was Twilight Zone shit. Didn't matter, other than it lengthened an inning and probably cost their young pitcher an inning, but his response later -- "I guessed" -- is something he should be accountable for and somehow it doesn't appear he will be.

 

The whole Angel "guessing" is going to come back to bite him in the ass every time there's a call in question.

 

Miguel Cabrera is on the clock.

 

The contract he signed was more for what he had done for the Tigers during the glory years instead of what his future numbers might be, and Ilitch did a nice job of hamstringing the club for a decade. I really wish someone would convince Cabrera to use 2021 as a farewell tour and retire with grace, dignity and money still coming into his pocket through 2025. Maybe he gets to 500 homers but I have serious doubts now about 3,000 hits.

He's not blocking anybody but he's not doing his legacy any favors. A lot of us remember 1973 Willie Mays stumbling around the for Mets.