This Week in Baseball – Shohei Ohtani, Adrian Beltre, Dodgers Stumble, Giancarlo Stanton, Gabe Kapler
It’s Sho Time!
In the first week of the season, Japanese rookie sensation Shohei Ohtani won his first Major League start and hit a home run… in each of his first three games as a designated hitter. He hit his latest blast Friday night in his first at-bat against the Oakland Athletics. Manager Mike Scioscia will rest Ohtani for his next game in preparation for his start on Sunday. Good! He’s probably pretty exhausted from running around the bases.
And the Hits Just Keep on Coming…
With a double in Thursday’s game against the Athletics, Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre passed Rod Carew for the most career hits by a player from Latin America. He’s only about 30 hits behind Ichiro Suzuki for most hits by a foreign-born baseball player. And with almost 1,200 hits for the Rangers, he’s closing in on Chuck Norris’ record on Walker: Texas Ranger.
Feeling Blue…
The Dodgers were swept by the Diamondbacks, losing Wednesday’s series finale 3-0. And after only managing a split in the opening series against the Giants, it’s the Dodgers fifth loss in seven games to begin the season. That’s their worst start to a season since 1998. Come on, Dodgers, let’s leave the ’90s nostalgia to Boy Bands, Ross and Rachel, and gaming systems.
Boo Birds Return for Spring…
Yankees fans, in mid-season form, booed the team’s big off-season acquisition Giancarlo Stanton in his home debut on Tuesday. Stanton had two home runs in his Yankees debut last week, but struck out in all five of his at bats during the home opener. Stanton, who had played his whole career in Miami, was probably just shocked to see fans show up for a home game.
Phillies in a Phine Mess…
The Philadelphia Phillies’s new manager Gabe Kapler had a rocky start to the season. He made 18 pitching changes in the first three games at Atlanta. One of them involved a player, Hoby Milner, hadn’t been told to warm up when he was called into the game. And just week in, players are already expressing frustration at his unpredictable starting lineups. Don’t be surprised if the City of Brotherly Love gives him an old-fashion Brotherly Butt-kicking.
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