Frayed Knot

NYY Catcher Austin Wells, and his (two year) career .312 OBP becomes the first Yanqui catcher to bat leadoff in their history ... and he promptly HR'd 1 - 0 top 2nd

Well, the game at SD is 1:00 local time but point still holds. My guess is that it's probably in the contract with ESPN that they get the first time slot (even if it's just by minutes) thus reducing competition from other games for the first hour anyway. They also have a second prime time game at 7:00 (LAD/DET) so they want to make sure the first game is over before that. So they get Yanquis and Dodgers and Judge and Shohei all to themselves.

1. First hit -- Lindor 2. First double -- Vientos 3. First triple -- Siri 4. First home run -- Siri 5. first run scored -- Nimmo 6. first RBI -- Vientos 7. first stolen base -- Acuna 8. First sacrifice fly -- Alonso 9. First drawn walk -- Alonso 10. First batter HBP -- Nimmo * 11. First pitcher to record a strikeout -- Holmes 12. to issue a walk -- Homes 13. to hit a batter -- Megill 14. to earn a win -- Reed Garrett 15. credited with a hold -- AJ Minter 16. a save -- Diaz 17. picks a runner off -- Peterson 18. commits a balk -- Canning * TIEBREAKERS 19. Score the first play of the first game: -- =#0000FF]1B 20. First rainout date -- =#0000FF]May 14 21. First Mendoza Ejection -- =#0000FF]None!

JCL: AFAIK, only available in 30-packs Me to self [upon reading this some 10 minutes ago]: Ooooh, I'm so going with the line about how it's the one beer to have when you're having more than 29 KC [very next post]: Well, it is the one beer to have when you're having more than 29. Me: Nerts!!

Bumping this back up to the top before we forget it's there and someone starts a karma-killing new one. 4:10 start tomorrow and, as always, those who are late do not get fruit cup.

Not yet, the ML minimum is only around $750,000

I was just about to remark how much better it is this afternoon ... and then it balked and delayed at allowing my last post to go through.

Plus, if you're going to have a race rip-off at least have a little more originality with the runners. Like maybe a Brooklyn Hipster racing against a Staten Island Mobster (and I mean real hipsters and mobsters, not just someone in costume) against a Bronx Rapper and an actual Drag Queen from Queens, maybe from that airport bar Big Al was at all those years ago. And for Manhattan you entice the subway pizza rat from several years back out of retirement. I mean, he'd never win (particularly while dragging that slice with him everywhere) but folks would root for him for sure. P.S. I hope they're not expecting G, K & R to enthusiastically support this.

"Season ticket base" could have several interpretations. Maybe more partial plans have been sold meaning that more names are now attached to season tickets without necessarily meaning more tickets sold.

Stearns is responsible for the on field product. I highly doubt this is his doing. Cast your gaze instead towards Uncle Steve and his smoke machine blowing/fireworks spewing/dugout roof dancing/retired number-of-the-month promotional crew.

Couple of adjustments to game starting times and for the third game of the season pitchers for the Cubs and Dodgers DATE/TIME (EDT) ROAD STARTER HOME STARTER TUE 3/18 DODGERS Yoshinobu Yamamoto CUBS Shota Imanaga THU 3/28 — 3:05 BREWERS Freddie Peralta YANKEES Carlos Rodon 3:07 ORIOLES Zach Eflin BLUE JAYS Jose Berrios 4:05 PHILLIES Zack Wheeler NATIONALS MacKenzie Gore 4:10 RED SOX Garrett Crochet RANGERS Nathan Eovaldi 4:10 GUARDIANS Tanner Bibee ROYALS Cole Ragans 4:10 BRAVES Chris Sale PADRES Michael King 4:10 GIANTS Logan Webb REDS Hunter Greene 4:10 PIRATES Paul Skenes MARLINS Sandy Alcantara 4:10 ANGELS Yusei Kikuchi WHITE SOX Sean Burke 4:10 METS Clay Holmes ASTROS Framber Valdez 4:15 TWINS Pablo López CARDINALS Sonny Gray 7:10 TIGERS Tarik Skubal DODGERS=#00BF40]Blake Snell 10:10 ATHLETICS Luis Severino MARINERS Logan Gilbert 10:10 CUBS =#00BF40]Justin Steele DIAMONDBACKS Zac Gallen FRI 3/29 — 4:10 ROCKIES Kyle Freeland RAYS Shane McClanahan

You obviously meant for this to go into the 2025 passings thread, not 2024 The family vacation, where several fell ill, was in Costa Rica, although no further details have emerged.

NYM/NYY Spring Training games aren't the same without George declaring it a "Critical" game for the Yanx to win, and then blowing his stack if they didn't.

I always 'make a call' when watching a close play, and usually out loud. Sometimes I turn out to be right and sometimes I'm wrong, (and at times i probably let the heart overrule the head, though not too often). But I don't believe I err more consistently on either the 'out' or 'safe' side.

=metirish post_id=187700 time=1742742014 user_id=72] Official from Mendoza: Holmes, Megill, Canning for the [season opening] series.

The Mets plan to leave Kodai Senga and David Peterson in Florida when they head for Houston in a few days. This strongly implies that both will start during the season's second series in Miami. It also tends to suggest that Megill and Canning are slated to start games 2 & 3 (in some order) following the Clay Holmes opener. Paul Blackburn could also see time vs the Astros but indications are that they like him more as a long reliever, at least at the moment. None of the above is cast in stone. Or, if it is, the team isn't releasing that info for public consumption.

With less than a week to go until Opening Day and coming off a decidedly subpar season in the Bronx [.233/.291/.356 / 13 HRs -- not exactly what one is looking for in a LF'er] the still just 28 y/o Alex Verdugo has finally hooked up with a team. With no ST to this point he'll start the season in the minors but he just signed a one year deal with the Braves. So, y'know, bounce back alert. Not sure what this says about Atlanta's thoughts on Jarred Kelenic

So the Dodgers are 1.23% of their way to a perfect season, despite no Mookie or Freddie for either. Tommy Edman is still hitting HRs so, y'know, it's not just us. Ohtani got two hits in game 1 and HR'd this morning (on pace for 81 for the season) so the locals were happy. Sasaki was throwing 100 (or 160km as the scoreboard showed it) but only occasionally getting it over the plate (13 batters faced, 5 walks) LA didn't hit a ton but Cubbie hurlers walked 15 Dodgers over the two games. Japanese fans, the female ones in particular, seemed quite taken by Pete Crow-Armstrong. His bleach blond buzz cut with multicolored stars dyed into it was a favorite of many as noted by numerous signs in the stands displaying the initials P C A surrounded by stars.

Meanwhile in Tokyo, the Cubs have like two hits over like the last dozen innings and are down [CROSSOUT]6-2[/CROSSOUT] 6-3 in the 5th in Game 2 It was also the MLB debut of Roki Sasaki (not sure if his brother Rori was in the stands). He didn't get hit but he walked four including walking in a run, threw almost no first-pitch strikes, and lasted just three innings while tossing 25 strikes on 56 pitches.

Almost all filled in. Not sure what it says that five ex-Yanquis, two of them relievers, will be O.D. starters for teams other than the Yanx this year: Michael King (SD), Clay Holmes (NYM), Luis Severino (SAC), Nathan Eovaldi TEX), Sonny Gray (StL). DATE/TIME ROAD STARTER HOME STARTER TUE 3/18 DODGERS Yoshinobu Yamamoto CUBS Shota Imanaga THU 3/28 — 4:05 BREWERS Freddie Peralta YANKEES Carlos Rodon 4:05 ORIOLES Zach Eflin BLUE JAYS Jose Berrios 4:05 PHILLIES Zack Wheeler NATIONALS MacKenzie Gore 4:10 RED SOX Garrett Crochet RANGERS Nathan Eovaldi 4:10 GUARDIANS ROYALS Cole Ragans 4:10 BRAVES Chris Sale PADRES Michael King 4:10 GIANTS Logan Webb REDS Hunter Greene 4:10 PIRATES Paul Skenes MARLINS Sandy Alcantara 4:10 ANGELS Yusei Kikuchi WHITE SOX Sean Burke 4:10 METS Clay Holmes ASTROS Framber Valdez 4:15 TWINS Pablo López CARDINALS Sonny Gray 7:10 TIGERS Tarik Skubal DODGERS --- 10:10 ATHLETICS Luis Severino MARINERS Logan Gilbert 10:10 CUBS --- DIAMONDBACKS FRI 3/29 — 4:10 ROCKIES Kyle Freeland RAYS Shane McClanahan

A couple of aging arms are trying to hang around for at least one more season - Craig Kimbrel signs a minor league deal with the Braves, bringing the soon-to-be 37 y/o reliever back to the team that drafted him in the 3rd round way back in 2007 and for which he had his longest (5 years / 294 appearances) and most successful (1.43 ERA / 0.90 WHIP) tenure. His second half in Baltimore last year was so brutal [.306 BAA / 978 OPS-A] that the playoff bound O's released him on September 24th rather than carry him into the WC round (which they'd go on to lose to KCR 2-0). This all, of course, means that he'll be lights out this season because the Braves. - James 'The Big Maple' Paxton drags his 36 y/o butt to Arlington, Texas where the Rangers hope he'll provide some starting depth after he split 2024 between LAD and Boston [21 starts combined, 4.40 ERA / 1.45 WHIP]

Cubs score in the 2nd while Imanaga no-hits the Dodgers for the first 4 And so the Cubs went to the pen to start the 5th and now it's 4 - 1 Dodgers. No Mookie (illness), no Freddie (sore something'er other) for LAD

[Catch-22]Why it's Framber's name, Sir.[/Catch-22}

The grid is getting closer to filled as now less than within 37 hours to the MLB opener from Tokyo as I type. All times EDT. And, as a service to those of you who live elsewhere ... there is none, just suck it up and do the math!! DATE/TIME ROAD STARTER HOME STARTER TUE 3/18 -- 6:00 AM (FOX) DODGERS Yoshinobu Yamamoto CUBS Shota Imanaga THU 3/28 — 4:05 BREWERS Freddie Peralta YANKEES Carlos Rodon 4:05 ORIOLES Zach Eflin BLUE JAYS 4:05 PHILLIES Zack Wheeler NATIONALS 4:10 RED SOX Garrett Crochet RANGERS Nathan Eovaldi 4:10 GUARDIANS ROYALS 4:10 BRAVES PADRES 4:10 GIANTS Logan Webb REDS Hunter Greene 4:10 PIRATES Paul Skenes MARLINS Sandy Alcantara 4:10 ANGELS Yusei Kikuchi WHITE SOX Sean Burke 4:10 METS Clay Holmes ASTROS Framber Valdez 4:15 TWINS Pablo López CARDINALS Sonny Gray 7:10 TIGERS Tarik Skubal DODGERS ----- 10:10 ATHLETICS MARINERS Logan Gilbert 10:10 CUBS ----- DIAMONDBACKS FRI 3/29 — 4:10 ROCKIES Kyle Freeland RAYS Shane McClanahan

And back-picked a runner off 1st