SPANISH HARLEM – Finally. Today we get the first game in professional sports since March and baseball fans are excited to see what this weird and unusual MLB season will produce. Opening Day, just 4 months late… The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers are still the favorites to make the World Series but I feel like the odds are certainly against the norm here. All we know is that baseball will get extremely high ratings, considering the amount games that are left.
Yankees & Mets
I was watching the Yes Network the other day, as the Yankees played the Philadelphia Phillies. A commercial promoting the season showed that the Yankees will play 60 games in 67 days, which surprised me. I figured the games would be more spaced out due to travel restrictions, but my guess was totally wrong. That has me believing there will be more injuries than I originally throughout baseball unless teams can find a way to give their best players a rest day knowing each game will be so important. I see a lot of days off for guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge.
The expanded rosters of 30 players will help but on the other hand, there will be no minor league games played this season. That will not allow for players in those situations to be game ready if needed. That means a team with older players – or often injured stars like New York Mets – will have to stay healthy across the board compete for the National League East. That is no easy task considering how they have treated injuries in years past and adding Stroman to the Damaged Goods List is not good. I am no Mets fan but it’s more exciting in New York Baseball when both teams are competitive, which has me hoping for the best for both teams.
Houston Astros Get Plunked
No news delighted me more than hearing that 3 Houston Astros players – Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and George Springer – were hit by pitches when they played the Kansas City Royals. I had almost forgotten about the cheating scandal that rocked baseball but it is great to see that others have not. The best thing about the news is that the umpires did not throw any of the pitchers out of the game. This should be expected to happen during the season as well but I suspect that at some point Major League Baseball will send a message to all teams that this shouldn’t continue because it may cause serious injuries to the Astros but for the time being, let’s enjoy it while it last.
Feel free to comment below and come back tomorrow for Different Matt.
