Oh yeah. Blue skies on a spring day and the season begins with the Yankees on the road, set to pound the home team… but Logan Morrison grinds out three RBIs for the hosts, Brad Miller goes 2 for 5 with a run scored, Danny Farquhar looks sharp in relief… and Tampa Bay wins?
On the other side of the country, just like old times, 40-year-old Fernando Rodney comes on in the ninth inning, gives up the go-ahead run, but watches from the bench and picks up the win as the… D-Backs walk off?
Huh? Say what?
Wait a second, what is happening here?
Actually, that was yesterday.
Today, what’s happening is it’s all new in the neighborhood, and it was all full of false promise as Jean The Hittin’ Machine started off his Mariner career with a leadoff single.
Jean Segura could only watch as Keuchel mowed down the next three guys.
What’s happening in the real world is that Felix Hernandez just handed a leadoff homer to George Springer in Houston. Then another one to Carlos Correa. Then Felix got injured.
The good news is, Jose Altuve didn’t homer. Still, the Astros went on to shut out this vaunted Mariner offense.
What’s happening today is that the M’s are 0-1 and two of their starting rotation are hurt.
It’s just one day. And there’s another seven months of agonizing, ecstatic days before Bart Giamatti’s fall rains take the joy away.
It may be just one day, but the new season is still weird and there’s a lot of adjustment yet to come. Not only did Nori Aoki sneak into left field tonight to face his former team… but our man Munenori Kawasaki got released by the Cubs.
That news about Kawa’s gonna be hard to take. Then again, if you play your last major league game at age 35… and end your career in a pigpile after Game Seven of the World Series… maybe you smile, say “arigato,” and pick up another couple years with the Ross Eversoles. ‘Cause you can’t let go. Or it won’t let you go. You’re still in the game’s grip.
Go ahead, watch it one more time.
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