That’s What Sarah Said
That’s What Sarah Said
“Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out to the crowd.” The sun is out, the weather is warming up and America’s signature sport is back.
The Major League Baseball season kicked off Sunday with three games, and if they were any indicator of the 2017 season, we are all in for a real treat these next few months.
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees in decisive fashion, taking down the Bronx Bombers with a score of 7-3. As a Baltimore Orioles fan, any time the Yankees start the season 0-1 I‘m in a great mood.
The always-competitive American League East will once again be a topic of interest as the teams perennially find themselves at the top or bottom of the division depending on the season. The unpredictability of the East is back, and let’s hope the Orioles don’t come in last as many sports experts have predicted.
The Arizona Diamondbacks took down the San Francisco Giants in their first match up of the season, 6-5, but the real news to me is Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner’s performance.
Bumgarner opened the season on the mound and in the batter’s box. Bumgarner pitched seven innings and sent two balls over the outfield fence, as he set the record for the most home runs by a pitcher on opening day.
It is impossible for this trend of pitchers’ home run hitting to continue, but maybe this will be the year the pitcher begins to stake its claim as a significant offensive threat.
In the final game of the day, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs 4-3 in dramatic fashion. A two-run home run in the eighth inning and a RBI single in the ninth by left-fielder Randal Grichuk propelled St. Louis over Chicago.
A minor note of the game was the first no-pitch intentional walk — part of the league’s hope to speed up the game. There have been complaints by people that say baseball is boring because it takes too long, but I love the sport just the way it is.
It is one of the best sports experiences to attend in person, and while watching on TV at home, you can get up and walk away for a few minutes and come back without missing a beat. Baseball is great, and I’m glad it’s back. I’m praying this is the year the Orioles bring a championship back to Baltimore, but even if it doesn’t happen, I know we’re all in for a wild ride.
Rodriguez is the editor-in-chief.