August 26, 2021
1. The Orioles won a game
When you lose nineteen in a row, a single win becomes the headline story.
The nightmare finally does come to an end, after an inspired late-innings comeback to beat the Angels — and that nice round number of 20 straight losses will have to wait for another year (we think).
So congrats, you Orioles. Not only for winning, but for beating the great Shohei Ohtani in his superstar season:
2. Miguel Sano hit the longest home run of the year
495 feet, to center field at Fenway Park. Crushed.
Kowabunga.
3. The Dodgers beat the Padres in 16 innings
It ended just before 4:00am ET. Sixteen innings. And the Padres’ collapse continues another game, with time still left but little hope.
Loyal reader, friend and Padres fan had this to say in a text:
Nine innings. The game tied 1–1. And then five straight innings without a run scoring for either team, and this is with the “Manfred man” ghost runner on second base each time.
Then in the 15th inning, the Dodgers take a two-run lead.
Then, that home run by Fernando:
The joyful glow of which lasted all but a few minutes, when AJ Pollock came up and did this:
Dodgers win 5–3, well into the morning. And the Padres are just eight games over .500 now, sinking fast in the NL Wild Card race.
School and work is “officially” cancelled for L.A. residents.
4. Also at Petco Park last night: Beer freezer and a brawl
Unclear if these two things are related:
5. Mets fans chant “Fire Rojas!” at Citi Field
Not a good place to be, for a rookie manager Luis Rojas. Or for Mets fans. Or for the Mets themselves, for that matter, who’ve lost 10 of 12.
And a night after the awful swing seen around the world, Javy Baez had maybe the worst base-running blunder of his career — a guy who’s normally, brilliantly, rightfully dubbed El Mago on the basepaths.
All’s not well in Mets land.
6. The catches of the night both happened in Milwaukee
First, a robbed home run at the wall, by Avisail Garcia:
And then the actual catch of the night, this guy in the crowd, barehanding a rocket line drive down the first-base line — the absolute hero of the section:
7. Francisco Mejia ended Zack Wheeler’s Cy Young hopes
Tie game, in Philadelphia. The Rays trying to keep ahead of the Yankees, the Phillies trying to keep afloat in the NL East, and Mejia clobbers one into the upper decks, foul.
And then he readjusts, steps back in, and a pitch later — this:
Gone is that Cy Young hope for Wheeler, gone was the game, nearly gone too are any hopes for the Phillies having a real chance at the postseason. Just like that, in one fell swoop, swing — the Rays went and did it again.
8. The plays of the night: Luis Castillo and Brett Phillips
The non-catch plays of the night, to be more specific, in recognition of our guy in Milwaukee. First, a behind-the-back grab by Luis Castillo:
And then Brett Phillips, with an underrated but brilliant play, in a close game — sliding over to a ball in the gap, holding McCutchen to a single.
The man can do it all.
9. Jacob deGrom has a promising MRI
Baseball needs this guy to come back — he’s too good, too electric, too generationally great to abide watching him catch the injury bug too many times. And a little bit of hope for Mets fans, if this all works out.
10. Miguel Cabrera announces his eventual retirement
11. Patrick Wisdom crushes a home run onto Waveland Avenue
It’s gotten harder to do in recent years with all the signage, scoreboard and extended bleachers, and even harder still with this shell of a Cubs roster running out there every day — but our one guy, Patrick Wisdom, reminds us that majestic drives can still be hit at Wrigley Field:
12. Lastly, the airmailed throw of the night: Trevor Story
A bit of a down year for him, and “as it were”, a bit of an up throw.
