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

baseball is back, baby (tomorrow)

There’s more history to be made. #SeaUsRise pic.twitter.com/kT8YszT6DU

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 29, 2023

https://i.imgur.com/NMv76FS.jpg

i’ll be watching opening day on mlb.tv

i sincerely hope the BT Sport games aren’t blacked out on mlb.tv like the postseason was last year

The bt sport selection doesn’t have many Orioles games - sad. I guess I’m a Mariners fan mainly until the clocks go back.

https://www.spin.com/2023/03/musicians-predict-the-2023-baseball-season/

why is steve earle a yankees fan?

I will be listening to regular season baseball on the radio today

not really an excuse, but iirc steve earle has lived in nyc for the last 20 years

also let's pause a moment to recognize our Spring Training Champions

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsZwkQfXwBIVLYp?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsZwkQdXwAQyQoD?format=jpg&name=small

Ready for the happiest day of the year, hope the Giants are better than a .500 club this year. Either way ready for Kruk and Kuip and Jon and Dave.

I'm outraged that the Guardians first game is at 10pm! They don't play a day game till Sunday. ugh

My father (Mets fan since 1962) passed away on opening day last year, so in honor of him am currently flying to Miami to see the Mets opener with my brother and Mom. Scheduled to see game #2 as well. LGM, although honestly the Diaz injury has been such a bummer for me that it kind of ruined spring training.

I'm outraged that the Guardians first game is at 10pm! They don't play a day game till Sunday. ugh

The Giants are starting the season with nine, NINE day games to open the 2023 season.

My father (Mets fan since 1962) passed away on opening day last year, so in honor of him am currently flying to Miami to see the Mets opener with my brother and Mom. Scheduled to see game #2 as well. LGM, although honestly the Diaz injury has been such a bummer for me that it kind of ruined spring training.

Sorry for your loss, I hope today is a great day for you and your family.

So ready for today but I have a meeting when the Giants game starts, ugh.

Michael: nice...Posnanski has a piece up today on the best Opening Day starters and hitters (not shareable). Best starter, Walter Johnson: 9-5, 1.31 ERA. Best hitter, Richie Hebner (!): 12 games, 458/.500/1.042, eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 1.542 OPS.

Richie Hebner…he was one of those guys I always knew as a part-timer or a high-quality pinch hitter. I was absolutely unaware that he hit 203 career HR.

the gravedigger!

Here's one that really caught me off guard from the same piece: Rick Mahler, 4-0, 0.92 ERA, three shutouts on Opening Day.

For me opening day will always be exemplified by Tuffy Rhodes

Red Sox are going 162-0 this year I can feel it

I got your weak up the middle right here

Had to just buy an extra ticket for the Marlins home opener today and there were still plenty of $15-25 tickets left. Good times!

That's Florida baseball baby

Judge homer on Webb’s second pitch to him 🫣

https://i.postimg.cc/CxVf5HMF/6-C734-C4-F-6-E4-E-427-A-B200-E165-F4499-DD7.jpg

On pace for, what, 600 HR?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQtdeH0ymwE

Volpe looked impressively cool in that AB

supposedly volpe asked brett gardner's permission to wear 11 lol

The video of his parents kissing him is cute af

Baseball, you've done it again. @Volpe_Anthony 💙 pic.twitter.com/LuN57Ij2vv

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 26, 2023

rutschbombb

Top of the 1st, is Kluber ok?

He got pulled after 3 innings and as many runs so I guess not. Orioles leading 5-1, Zack Kelly not doing much better.

yanks and giants struck out 16 times each

rutschmann on pace for 162 homers, 648 hits, 648 rbi

and 324 instances of getting thrown out second trying to inadvisably stretch a single into a double

Orioles winning handily, I think he’ll cope

FIRST BOHM RUN OF THE SEASON#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/9ZlWPjt179

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 30, 2023

Pitch timer violation for Devers, automatic (third) strike

Our first automatic strike of the 2023 season goes to Rafael Devers.
pic.twitter.com/nWNm8lCUDO

— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) March 30, 2023

Pretty clear cut. Terrible game for Boston but Yoshida has really been a bright spot. He's looked great doing everything.

10-7 now!

Casas with a sac fly & Arroyo with a double just drove in three runs!

I wouldn't be surprised this season is going to be a lot like the Sox I grew up with, the age of Jim Rice and Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans. Games with scores like 12-9.

Speaking of the pitch clock, this Boston game has seen 17 runners cross the plate, we're going into the 9th inning and it's not yet at the 3-hour mark

hunter greene sheeeesh. prob not actually 105 but crazy that it’s remotely possible

Hunter Greene, 105.2 MPH Fastball??? pic.twitter.com/NykvOGX7sX

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2023

Adley goes 5 for 5!

oneil cruz vs. 101 mph fb

Oneil Cruz 💣 pic.twitter.com/Z5WA0j1EDi

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) March 30, 2023

10-9 Orioles-Red Sox!

Oh that’s that. Too bad Duvall couldn’t get hit by a pitch again.

#Rays announce a sellout crowd of 25,025

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 30, 2023

the guy leaping over the table represents the pirates

About a month ago I was on a junk ship somewhere near the coast of Northern Vietnam and Southern China. There was the ubiquitous karaoke programme which began at sundown to attract people to the bar to get them to pay for overpriced beers (which at <$1 USD wasn't really overpriced).

The ship's guide knew that I'd last lived in San Francisco so as I went to the bar to get a bottled water for the night, he became very interested in getting me to sing Metallica ("One" or "Enter Sandman") because obviously I'm from SF, I should love Metallica naturally. Some young Australian girl had picked "November Rain" and was doing a pretty horrible job as I was telling the guide that I was on my way back to my cabin to edit some photos.

The guide snatches the mic from the albeit willing Aussie gal's hand and throws it to me to finish it for her. Now admittedly I have not heard this song in 17 years or however old it is but I knew the melody as I'd studied the guitar solos (please don't ask for details behind this).

Aside from the long instrumental passages and corny lyrics it's not a horrible song. I'd never karaoke it again (my current staple is Bee Gee's "To Love Somebody") but it was kinda fun to give it a go.

― (*ﾟーﾟ)θ L(。･＿･)　　　°~ヾ(･ε･ *) (Steve Shasta), Sunday, July 5, 2009 9:21 AM (thirteen years ago)

shame on you for making me even consider posting a bill murray gif

last years aaron judge season might not have been a fluke

i'm told that he's now ahead of trout in career SLG

also his dog is incredibly cute

Aaron Judge graduated from the same high school as Stephen Malkmus (happy bday to Steve btw).

...sorry, they went to rival high schools. But Malkmus did write a song about Judge's HS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pPlos2i7Ys

texas never focuses on the micro

I would listen to a baseball broadcast by mookie and SS.

What the fuck business do the Atlanta Braves have losing two straight to the Oakland Athletics.

@mookieproof:

MICRO-management: Morel has lost his starting role! Despite SLASH-ing .286/.324/.714 since his call-up, he is now riding the pine with Hoerner at DH.

the Oakland A's record is blowing my mind right now, that shouldn't even be possible in the major leagues. And they're on a winning streak!!!

Submitted an ASG ballot today; I may submit one more closer to the deadline (or may not).

https://phildellio.tripod.com/asg.jpg

I went with Bichette over Franco and Perez over Rutschman because I always view ASG voting as a two- or three-year window (plus some hometown bias for Bichette); Franco and Rutschman will both be on the team and will start many games in the future. My outfield picks especially gave weight to résumé, although you still have to be having a good-to-excellent year. NL catcher was a coin toss--could have gone with Will Smith, or even Realmuto. Didn't realize till I filled this out how great a season Luis Arraez is once again having.

Arraez's career box:

https://phildellio.tripod.com/arraez.jpg

I don't know, I think he might be a .300 hitter.

he still seems underrated

Another triptych--I'm telling you these will be hanging in Cooperstown one day.

I thought of trying to get from Luis Arráez to Ty Cobb in three photos, but figured Tony Gwynn's death would make that impossible. But Arráez of course began with the Twins.

https://phildellio.tripod.com/tytedrodluis.jpg

Inspired by my triptych, Arráez went 5-5; hitting .390 through 200 AB.

Someone on FB gave me the idea for this: me to Cy Young in three photos. (If I have any more of these, I'll open up a new thread.)

https://phildellio.tripod.com/cytedjohnnyme.jpg

I'm thinking Ted Williams liked to get his picture taken.

the Rays are absolutely lethal

Frankly sick of their bullshit little bloops & homophobic bullpen

Arráez 3-4 tonight--.399! I was wondering about the last guy to make a serious run at .400 (Arráez still at least a month away from what I'd call serious), and it was, duh: Gwynn in the strike season, and Olerud a year before that. Gwynn never actually got to .400 after May 9, but when the season ended on August 11, he was up to .394 and coming off nine games where he hit .472. Olerud was hitting .400 at the end of play on August 2 (and .391 on August 27).

Semien's hitting streak up to 24 games. 30+ games this century (in-season only):

Jimmy Rollins - 36 (2005)
Luis Castillo - 35 (2002)
Chase Utley - 35 (2006)
Dan Uggla - 33 (2011)
Albert Pujols - 30 (2003)
Willy Taveras - 30 (2006)
Moisés Alou - 30 (2007)
Ryan Zimmerman - 30 (2009)
Andre Ethier - 30 (2011)
Freddie Freeman - 30 (2016)

Pretty detailed look at .400 threats since Williams (some not even remotely close):

https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-chasing-400

Two I really don't remember:

2000: July 20 (91 games) -- Nomar Garciaparra, BOS (.372). Garciaparra won his second straight batting title in 2000, becoming the first Red Sox player to win consecutively since Wade Boggs won four straight from 1985-88.

1999: June 28 (78 games) -- Tony Fernandez, TOR (.328). Fernandez’s average was the highest of his career, and it came in his age-37 season.

.401 for Arráez!

If anyone’s watching Brewers Orioles right now my wife won 2nd row tickets and my son is sitting right behind home plate lmao

tonight’s yankees-white sox game should not be played in these air conditions, but i bet it will be

A's winning 7-3 today. At 13-50, they're running four games behind the '62 Mets.

huh, they actually did postpone in the bronx (and philly)

meanwhile the pirates got absolutely rocked by the a's twice in about 18 hours

I, myself, remember the April 2023 Pirates.

I do realize how silly it is to be getting caught up in Arráez in early June--if anything's almost guaranteed, it'll be that he'll be doing well to hit .350 or better. But I am. He's 2 for 4 again tonight, and up to .403. He does, I would think, have a good chance to be in the MVP hunt by season's end, especially if Miami sneaks into the playoffs.

i don't begrudge you being excited about him!

but maybe let's rein in the expectations a little bit? we're not even 40% of the way through the season. i bless famous wakeboarder steve shasta for committing the april 2023 pirates to memory, but when arraez ends up hitting .349 over a full season i'd hate it to sound like a disappointment

i mean i get that you're rooting for marcus semien -- he's a good player! -- but when you say stuff like 'if he can put up five more all-star-to-MVP-type seasons in his mid-to-late-30s, he'll be in the HoF conversation' well, sure. so would my mom

tbf my mom would be a total wildcard -- if *she* can't remember her previous strategies, there's no way anyone could predict her. bad knee tho

also she absolutely refused to give me credit for 'little league homers' involving fielding errors when she scored my little league games

pretty good mom tbh

I guess I should be thankful I'm out of jaded purgatory.

i can't afford to get to skydome at the moment -- last time i was there, jeremy giambi (rip) was in right field (for the a's, i think?)

but man we should go to a game sometime. it would be honestly good

All for it--any time. (Three games lined up, hopefully a fourth with Thermo later in the season.)

<3

Any secret strategy you can get from Thermo w/r/t his fantasy team, I'll gladly venmo you in USA funds.

I believe he and Tom Tango worked out an ironclad fantasy algorithm, but that's all I can say.

Really happy to see Money Mike have a big game for the Braves tonight. He's been grinding hard at bat all season, still getting it done in the field.

King

Elly De La Cruz rolling into Cincinnati steakhouses wearing a Bratz shirt after hitting his first career homer 458 feet

it’s over for this league https://t.co/c8lurrbTHx

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) June 8, 2023

Shades of Carlos Delgado: José Ramirez hit three HR last night, including his 200th. (In an oft-repeated, bizarre sequence of events, Delgado hit two the game he hit his 100th, three the game he hit his 200th, and four the game he hit his 300th.)

zack greinke is leading the royals -- not just the pitchers, all of them -- in bWAR (at 1.0)

he is 1-6 with a 4.59 ERA and 6.8 K/9

Did you read that piece in The Athletic about him

Delgado, there's a guy for the "why did they retire?" thread. he was vv productive in limited duty in his last season and only 27 HR shy of 500.

Still productive, but physically he'd had it:

(Wikipedia) "On August 7, 2010, the Boston Red Sox signed Delgado to a minor league contract. He played 5 games with the triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox between August 9 and 15, collecting 3 singles in 13 at-bats (.231, 0 HR, 2 RBI). This was the entire extent of Delgado's 2010 season after Delgado suffered a setback with his surgically repaired hip."

I was really rooting for him to get to 500 HR.

Oakland showing signs of life.

Braves are at five straight come from behind wins -- I wonder what the record is.