March/April MLB game thread: “It’s big ball chunky time!”

soxhop411

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Games start on Wednesday in Japan

Social media was going crazy over the marketing for baseball over there
 

caminante11

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Can't believe they are having the Mariners and A's opening day at 2:35 am local time. Will be 5:35 am ET. But looks like it will only be on mlb.tv. Thought they might show it on MLB network but it is not there.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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MLB still failing at promoting their product. Can you imagine the NFL opening in London with Buffalo vs Cincinnati at 9am? The season should open with the defending champions or something on Sunday night.
 

jon abbey

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Trying to check out Savant for this stuff, I imagine it's not equipped in Japan? Wanted to check out Bruce's hit as the smashed bottle of champagne on the ship.
 

jon abbey

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A blast by Piscotty, the hitters seem to be seeing the ball quite well so far.
 

mauidano

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So excited for baseball again! Really enjoying Ichiro and the attention he richly deserves. He’s probably done after this series.
 

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Great call by Narvaez to go in enough that a waste could be afforded, but just targeted enough inside that it was worth a swing to induct that kind of weak contact.
 

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This PBP is brutal. I love me some Ichiro, but calling every popup as hit well? Like that's weak contact by definition. Someone's still in spring training mode.
 

Tokyo Sox

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MLB開幕戦, finally here!
Nicely done. Are you studying Japanese, or?

Really great atmosphere here tonight. Sasaki threw out the first pitch to Johjima, with Rickey Henderson standing in the batter’s box. Ken Griffey Jr is here for the games and was honored with a nice video tribute.

Obviously plenty of locals turned out to see Ichiro, but there were also a ton of A’s and M’s fans all over the ballpark who made the trip just for this series. Good times.

Hopefully Ichiro can get a hit tomorrow and then hang ‘em up.
 

jon abbey

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Ichiro definitely retiring after this one, he is 0-4 so far and it is tied in the 8th. He just made the last out of the 8th so wouldn't get up again probably until the 10th or 11th.
 

jon abbey

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Oh, they're pulling him from the game, this is it. Sayonara, sir.
 

jon abbey

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Khris Davis strikes out with the bases loaded to end the 11th, onto the 12th.
 

jon abbey

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SEA scores one in the top of the 12th on a poorly turned DP attempt by OAK, now they try to close it.
 

jon abbey

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Profar just misses one that would have tied it, caught at the wall, ballgame.

Not a great start to the season for OAK, 0-2 and Luzardo shut down today for 4-6 weeks with a rotator cuff strain.
 

schillzilla

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Josh Hader just came in and threw nothing but fastballs to STL. He struck out the side and I don’t believe there was any contact against any of his fastballs (even foul balls). Ridiculous stuff.
 

Catcher Block

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Josh Hader just came in and threw nothing but fastballs to STL. He struck out the side and I don’t believe there was any contact against any of his fastballs (even foul balls). Ridiculous stuff.
As if it wasn't hard enough, home plate was drenched in sunlight, and the mound was still in the shadows. Goldschmidt, DeJong, Ozuna had no chance whatsoever.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Josh Hader just came in and threw nothing but fastballs to STL. He struck out the side and I don’t believe there was any contact against any of his fastballs (even foul balls). Ridiculous stuff.
Always fun to recount how the Orioles traded him away (along with the #37 pick in the '14 draft) to get Bud Norris. And then thankful to recount how the Astros traded him away as part of the package for Mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez. Can you imagine that Astros team with Hader just eliminating 2-3 innings in every playoff game?
 

jon abbey

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Hader going for only the second two inning Opening Day save in the wild card era, Derek Lowe got one for BOS in 2000 (guessing without looking it up that this was an extra inning game).