MLB 2024 - no hitters and April showers (rain and snow)

[DragonAttack]

Not the aficionado I was back in the day when baseball started during the first week of April, and after the men's NCAA basketball tourney had concluded, but I thought I would start the thread.

2023 MLB thread   https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58237.0

Sports, at its best, often provides a much needed distraction.  To say that the Baltimore area needs a few hours of escapism at this time is an understatement.

For me growing up, to hear Ernie Harwell say this phrase for the Detroit Tigers' Opening Day of the exhibition season in Lakeland gave me goose bumps.  A tradition I heard for decades.  Now, I put in his CD and play a longer version of it for the Orioles season openers.  Ahh, the memories. 

And, as said at the end of 'Christmas Vacation'.....'PLAY BALL!' 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr0wonW9u1A

[T-ski]

Brewers/Mets….rained out. 

[pg1067]

Dodgers about to (re-)start the season in about a half hour.  Let's go BLUE!

[hunnus2000]

Rangers won the opening game to defend their title! 

[SoundscapeMN]

Twins win.
Royce Lewis goes yard in his 1st AB
Gets another hit
The gets hurt, lol.

[lordxizor]

Twins win.
Royce Lewis goes yard in his 1st AB
Gets another hit
The gets hurt, lol.

Sounds about right. The Twins best players have a hell of a time staying off the DL.

[Dream Team]

Mookie Betts!!! Raking like this after moving to the most important defensive position. What a talent.

[TAC]

Mookie Betts!!! Raking like this after moving to the most important defensive position. What a talent.

The guy is amazing. One of the most exciting players I've ever seen in a Red Sox uniform.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Well, if the Giants can address their bullpen issues, they might have a legitimate shot this year.

[T-ski]

Nice little sweep of the Mets to get the season started.

Brewers about to go 162-0.

[Dr. DTVT]

Nice little sweep of the Mets to get the season started.

Brewers about to go 162-0.

Nope, Pirates are going 162-0

[axeman90210]

The Yankees will meet you guys at the 162-0 club. A four game sweep of the the Astros in Houston is just a splendid way to start the season

[pg1067]

Nope, Pirates are going 162-0

The Pirates were my first Little League team, so they've always been my second favorite NL team.  Doesn't hurt that they've been lovable losers for most of the past three decades.  I'll be seeing the Bucs play the Mets when I'm back east in a couple weeks.  Still need to make a trip to Pittsburgh to see them at PNC.

As for the Dodgers, it was a solid opening series (not counting the two games against in Seoul).  The most encouraging thing has been the performance of the starters.  Tyler Glasnow, Yoshi Yamamoto and Bobby Miller delivered really strong performances.  Even Gavin Stone was solid last night.  The only real blemish was Joke Kelly's meltdown out of the bullpen to waste Yamamoto's start.  It'll be interesting to see how our temporary 5th starter, James Paxton, fares tonight against the Giants.

[DragonAttack]

Dodgers about to (re-)start the season in about a half hour.  Let's go BLUE!

I checked the sports section the day I posted this, and there were no standings, so I just thought the season started last Thursday. 

Amongst all the men's and women's BBall, along with college and pro hockey I've been following, I never saw one word about the games in Korea.  Oh well....

I do miss the old days of Opening Day taking place around and after April 8th, with the NCAA tourneys finishing in March.

Anyhoo....already the first no hitter of the season.  Quite the story behind this journeyman Ronel Blanco

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/astros-no-hitter-ronel-blanco-blanks-blue-jays-in-eighth-career-start-throws-earliest-no-no-in-mlb-history/live/

[pg1067]

The Korea games were stupid, IMO.  I posted about it in some of the last posts in the old MLB thread:  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58237.msg3099068#msg3099068

Interesting background on Blanco.  Sounds similar to how Fernando Valenzuela ended up starting on opening day in 1981.  Also interesting that it wasn't a perfect game because of walks to former Canbeater George Springer to open the game and in the 9th.  Impressive that his pitch count was only 105 and that the manager let him keep going.

While Blanco's no-hitter is the earliest in the calendar year, Bob Feller and Leon Day threw opening day no-hitters in 1940 and 1946 respectively (Day's was in a Negro National League game and was his first game pitched since 1943 after having served in the Army (European theater) in 1944 and 1945).