the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

Oh trust me I read about that in the replies and I was both upset and not even remotely surprised

gyac, Citi Field also has Flushing right next door, which is home to some of NYC’s best Chinese food. Would gladly take you for a feast if you ever come over for a game.

This is so kind and yeah I’m pretty likely to come to NY! Assume vegetarians covered, I will return the favour if you’re ever in London!

The Chinese like their pork but we can make it work ;)

flushing is where i live and it's not just chinese food, but also korean food. for vegetarian you're better off going to manhattan though, somewhere like spicy moon, or one of the buddhist vegetarian places. flushing does have the temple canteen, one of the best dosas in nyc.

afaict there is exactly one bar in flushing that supports the mets, it's an irish pub and i've been too afraid to step in.

Doesn’t surprise me. My dad told me a great story about going to some rough Irish pub in the Bronx in the 70s. It started off with “So when I went in I noticed all the furniture was nailed to the floor,” and ended with him wearing a bloody shirt trying (and failing) to get a cab.

From google reviews:

Old bartender (Johnny) MUST retire. He charged me twice for my drinks, forgot that I paid. Nearly jumped over the bar to make me pay twice!
Gave me and the locals wrong drinks orders, wrong amounts of change...consistently forgot what he was doing. The locals are very good people. Get this guy some help!

It wasn’t until I got a Szechuan cookbook that I confirmed why dry stir-fried string beans tasted so good. The little bits were pork.

it's days like these that i curse the chinese for inventing a way with pork.

dry fried string beans also taste good because although the traditional preparation is to toast them in a pan with little to no oil (hence the name 'dry fry') until browned, in restaurant preparation they are deep-fried in oil.

To move back slightly in the direction of ball…

Mark Canha on Pete Alonso (via The Show with @Joelsherman1 and @JonHeyman):

“He feels like such a New York guy, he really embraces that role…he’s so all-in on the Mets. I loved playing with Pete. Saying that he’s a problem in the clubhouse couldn’t be further from the truth. I… pic.twitter.com/yDurI6C1Fj

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 26, 2023

Im gonna assume it’s pham and no one likes him so

Also I am watching my 20th (?) game featuring the Rockies of the year and can tell you without embarrassment that Nolan Jones is A Guy.

from what i've seen pete's got great body language on the field, he seemed genuinely contrite when he tossed that guy's first hit into the stands by accident. maybe the worst you can say about him is that it's a contract year and maybe he's hitting for his own stats and not the team?

his walk-on music is absolutely awful though. at least nimmo has an excuse via being a corn-fed deeply christian dude from wyoming

1⃣8⃣ outfield assists for Nolan Jones!

Jones has broken the Rockies franchise record for outfield assists in a single season.#Rockies x @ShaneCompany pic.twitter.com/ga5RtJ5pIM

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) September 26, 2023

xp he is a big dumb guy who loves to mash, nothing wrong with that

Music taste yeah, but he did go to a boys’ Jesuit school in Tampa so that’s a lot going on

i don't think anybody had pete's current walk-up song listed online until this month. it's this, he's been using it all summer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4tSE2w53ts

Man’s taste is all over the place huh

https://elitesportsny.com/2020/02/21/new-york-mets-1b-pete-alonso-warms-up-to-notorious-big-video/

He gives off huge “still uses a minidisc player” vibes

This will be the first playoffs in 30 years NOT to include the Yankees, Red Sox or Cardinals.

I love how the Shane Company is tagged in that Rockies tweet.

rip brooks robinson. one of my childhood favs

oh whoops, i see there's already discussion in the obituaries thread. i'm new to ILB if ya can't tell

Thrillwaukee are the NL Central champs baby

https://x.com/mandybell02/status/1707194348792643913?s=46&t=M1iUYIko789Hcw9duHEiDQ

What a moment. José Ramírez blocked the top of the steps to the dugout after the handshake line so Tito had to stay on the field and receive a longer ovation from the crowd. Then the rest of the team circled him and kept him out in front of a roaring crowd even longer. pic.twitter.com/vI1etqTkae

— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) September 28, 2023

congrats to the padres for winning a game in extra innings

Francisco Lindor now has his first 30-30 season. Homered three times in the doubleheader against the Marlins yesterday.

200 K's for senga too

Yeah he’s done really well this year after an admittedly shaky start.

in case you have any searches you wanna run:

For the next 24 hours, @Stathead is FREE.

If you haven’t used it before, I highly recommend messing around with it today. It’s one of the coolest — and most useful — sports tools you can find. https://t.co/QBslvjx76x pic.twitter.com/omZRoNCkv9

— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) September 28, 2023

I've had mixed emotions the past two nights, wanting the barves to steamroll everyone but also wanting CHC to reach the playoffs. Now that the only reg season question I have will be answered on Saturday with Strider's last start, I'll root for the Cubs tonight and for them to sweep MIL.

that's odd I was just thinking how cool it would be if the Brewers swept the Cubs

heh

This seems pretty fucking grim

Major League Baseball is investigating after Houston pitcher Hector Neris allegedly used a homophobic slur to taunt the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez on Wednesday night, multiple MLB sources told The Seattle Times.

Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, in the on-deck circle at T-Mobile Park when the incident occurred, told The Times he heard Neris use the slur during an unusual sequence. Neris struck out Rodriguez, then demonstrably walked toward Rodriguez near home plate and shouted at him in Spanish.

…
The 22-year-old Rodriguez, speaking publicly about the incident for the first time Thursday afternoon, said he did not want to disclose the nature of Neris’ comments.

Privately, multiple sources close to Rodriguez said the Mariners’ star center fielder had confirmed Suarez’s account.

Rodriguez and Neris were teammates on the Dominican Republic team during the World Baseball Classic this spring, and Rodriguez said he had previously considered Neris, 34, a friend.

The Astros public relations staff released a statement attributed to Neris on Thursday in which the pitcher apologized for his actions but denied that he used a homophobic slur.

what's happening in citifield right now - the marlins took the lead in the top of the 9th but because the rain delay started before the top of the 9th was over, those runs don't count and if the game gets called mets win? which eliminates the padres? it's going to rain for the next 24 hours in nyc?

padres are hopeless; it's more a matter of where the cubs stand

i'm so invested in whether this game is suspended and resumed on monday, or called, and if called, whether it'd be called for the mets

I haven't really had my eyes on the Mariners at all this year, but just put the game on and I am happy to report that Julio Rodriguez is the real deal and very much still that dude. Hope they can make it!

Lets actually go JP Crawford! Late season Mariners are legit!

Signed camera lens and a "lets fucking go" on live TV. "we have to apologise for our good friend JP Crawford... .BUT, he does kind of have a point". Lol commentators, have to appreciate it. Forgot they had an Aussie bloke commentating! lets go Dbacks give it to those stros

Yeah why are we pretending the Padres have an actual chance here

I’ve been laughing at this since I woke up and saw the quote

Here's Bryce Harper's full quote on Angel Hernandez's call tonight. He said it was "just bad."

“Just Angel in the middle of something again. It’s just every year, it’s the same story, same thing."

More here: https://t.co/7HcZts4vXf pic.twitter.com/KXIkdjouKg

— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) September 29, 2023

10-year-old Hayden Dorfman caught the helmet Bryce Harper tossed into the crowd after his ejection

Harper told security he wanted to sign it. Hayden said Bryce is his favorite player and this is "the best baseball game he’s ever been to"

(via @byalexcoffey) pic.twitter.com/4TDL7YORpi

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 29, 2023

this Hader stuff is weird

https://gazette.com/sports/colorado-rockies/josh-hader-usage-rules-hurt-padres-chances/article_4958dbcb-0434-5b5c-bcd2-43ba61a1397f.html

The move to bring top closer Josh Hader into the game was obvious to all, including Bob Melvin.

Just four outs separated the San Diego Padres from a crucial win over San Francisco in the National League postseason chase. And the skipper had a chance to deploy his bullpen weapon against left-handed pinch-hitter Michael Conforto.

But a usage quirk for the long-time Brewer turned Padre prevented the move. He has not pitched more than three outs in a regular-season game since 2020 and has been in charge of his usage — or lack of — in his final year before entering free agency. Many wondered what games the rest of the season could be more important with the club hanging onto playoff hopes by a thread despite underperforming. Pending free agency was the first assumption.

"It has nothing to do with the offseason,” Hader told local reporters. "It's the now, it's the health, it's the making it through the entire season — 162 games is not an easy task to do. You see guys work overloads. They get injured."

Melvin was asked after the game if Hader's rules warranted consideration in the tight game. The manager was left to explain a rule he did not make. He said they spoke about it, but left his comments short of confirming the closer said 'no.'

Games like the eventual 3-2 loss Tuesday are what Hader was brought in for. San Diego acquired him from Milwaukee Aug. 2022 for Taylor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet, Esteury Ruiz and prospect Robert Gasser. It was part of the club's playoff push that included a trade for Washington Nationals' outfielder Juan Soto — their run ended in the NL Championship Series in five games against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Conforto's two-run single off Robert Saurez, who was tasked to cover in Hader's absence, cost the Padres the game and moved them further away from passing the Chicago Cubs for the final NL wild card spot.

In his career, Hader has allowed left-handed hitters to hit just .146. For Saurez, it jumps to .162 but the biggest difference between the two is their overall production — Hader carries a 1.16 earned run average this year to Saurez's 4.05.

When pressed about his absence, Hader was sarcastic.

"Are we in a playoff race?" Hader asked reporters — at the time of the question, his team was on the heels of an eight-game win streak, though their playoff probability was still hovering around one percent.

what happens if he allows a couple baserunners in the ninth inning? does he ask to be removed because it's just too many guys he has to pitch to? it's tough being a one-dimensional player, i get it, but maybe you can expand that single dimension just a bit for *the team*?

The Padres roster is an impressive assemblage of players who on paper seem to be a win-generation operation but in reality is a dugout chock-full of toxic, self-absorbed clubhouse cancers. No maths/algo/quants are gonna solve that side of the equation.

I love bryce he's such a lummox. Any fanbase would be lucky to have him

yeah you can feel the palpable bad mojo from that team all the way up the coast here. i guess it's partly due to the disappointing seasons from some of their core stars but i think that's a squad which needs to be ripped down and built up again.

Think there was something out about them wanting to cut payroll to $200m so they’ll probably be looking to trade a few guys

Also re Hader, otming you both, but his motivation is very clearly keeping his arm healthy for free agency, clearly checked out months ago

they "need" to cut payroll bc of the debt ratio supposedly xp

looked at the Mets & how they offloaded all those guys and thought “That could be me”

Can't buy a pennant this year. Just ask the O's and Rays. :D