MLB: April 2021

The Mets had a great double header against the Phillies, going to “extra” innings in the first game: all the way to the bottom of the eighth! Free runner at second and everything. Didn’t help the Phills; Mets won both games with a 4-0 shutout in the evening.

An entertaining afternoon, to be sure. Why, I think some of those fellows may have even scored runs on things that were not homers. How strange!

ETA: Also, there are pitchers hitting? I thought the NL had gone to the dark side again this year.

Nope, they didn’t bring back the DH.

I think that some people just don’t understand that, despite America’s emphasis on first amendment freedom of speech, you can still land yourself in a lot of hot water if you make provably false defamatory statements.

I still remember when Lo Duca was traded away from LA and people in LA bitched because he was “Mr. Heart and Soul.” The Dodgers then played better without him.

Not about the majors, but probably too thin for its own thread. The Atlantic League is going to move the mound back a foot, in an attempt to cut down on the number of strikeouts. I’m curious to see how it works. I’m rather tired of the “every AB is a K or HR” mentality and the mound was already lowered once to remove some advantage from the pitcher, so I don’t think moving it back is too crazy.

Shelby Miller of the Cubs walks in 2 runs, not something you see every day.

That would have been bad for the Mariners pitcher yesterday. Even with existing distance he threw a ton of pitches “in the dirt.” One didn’t even reach the dirt (and to make matters worse, it bounced up and hit the batter). I know it’s a thing now, but pitches in the dirt, IMO, never lead to anything good.

Depends how you feel about cricket, I guess.

It’s the Cubs. Wait for it.

Who are these Red Sox?

This White Sox game is currently very interesting…

Due up for the Indians in the top of the ninth; Josh Naylor, Roberto Perez, and Hu Chang.

Strike one to Naylor looking, strike two on an ugly swing on a pitch way down and away. Third pitch is an incredibly close call at first; the tapper to Abreu forced him to try to make the play himself. He was called out and it looks too inconclusive to reverse. I guess they’re reviewing it.

Out on review. One down.

Perez up; he swings through a fastball, strike one. Swings though a similar pitch for strike two.

The announcers are noting Charlie Robertson threw a perfect game for the White Sox in 1922. Foul ball on the third pitch.

Perez was hit by pitch four. Perfect game over; no hitter still in order.

Chang was almost hit by ball one. The crowd is chanting “Bullshit!” but it was a good call on the HBP.

Strike one swinging, then a foul ball. 1-2 on Chang. Very generous called strike three. Two out.

Heh. I’d like to see the bird’s eye view of that one. With the angle he gets on that slider, it very well could have clipped the front corner.

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed how red a pitched’s hand gets when it’s cold out like it is in Chicago. Rodon’s hands are beet red.

And it’s a no-no! Nice work.

Strike one to Jordan Luplow.

Ball one outside.

Foul ball, strike two.

Ball two, way upstairs. That fastball was 99 MPH.

Foul ball out of play to the first base side.

Ball three way upstairs.

No one is warming up in the bullpen.

Fouled off to the third base side. Luplow isn’t letting Rodon off easy.

Grounder to Moncada, over to first, they got him! No hitter!

The temperature says 41 degrees F here in Chicago but it feels colder than that.

Nice job on the no no

The way the Cubs are playing this season, you just may see it every day

Rodon pitched well, certainly, but he was nowhere near as lights-out as Giolito was in his no-hitter last year. Every hard-hit ball found a defender.

Still, a no-hitter is a no-hitter, and Rodon deserves it, after the multiple nearly career-ending injuries he has been through over the last few years.

The other White Sox story continues to be 28-year-old rookie Yermin Mercedes, who crushed a monster three-run homer in the first inning and after 12 games is batting .500 (19-for-38) with a 1.363 OPS.