Stumblin' Along 3/29 '26
Back Again
Back Again
- Yanks Week 1 Notes & More
- YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is The Dilated Peoples’ Back Again.
One of those songs where the track title and the hip-hop trio’s name are repeated a bunch of times. I really don’t hate it, though.
The MLB ‘06 The Show’s soundtrack wasn’t quite as good as MVP Baseball ‘05, but it’s awfully close.
On to the sports….
Game 1 (3/25 ‘26)
- Since Opening Day was on Netflix, someone I know (not me) had to stream the game off a dodgy Crackstreams.com, so it was the Irish TNT Sports Broadcast version of the channel. Between innings, they kept getting Irish commercials, including a Dunnes Stores Easter-themed ad featuring Connemara Hill Lamb. Looked delicious. The Yankees struck first with the very first rally of the season, coming in only the 2nd inning. The 5-run inning came on a Mike Stanton single, a Jazz Chisholm hit by pitch, Jose Caballero line drive to LF, Ryan McMahon 10 chopper that made it into CF, Austin Wells single, and a Trent Grisham triple into Triples Alley in Right-Center. After a shaky 1st inning of work where he worked into and out of trouble, Max Fried settled into his 2nd straight Opening Day start with the Yankees by tossing 6.2 scoreless innings. The Yanks tacked on two more runs on a Stanton RBI single and Jazz Chisholm’s speed, causing a fielder’s choice error to plate Ben Rice. Netflix’s broadcast was hazy as hell. Very unfortunate that you can’t get Connemara Hill Lamb over here. It looked very good, but of course, I didn’t see the Irish TNT Sports Broadcast on Crackstreams since my alibi is that I was at a pub with Netflix, drinking Guinness, per usual. The Yanks won 7-0 by allowing just five Giants on-base after the 1st inning.
Game 2 (3/27 ‘26)
- Nice to get Michael Kay and David Cone back in the YES Network booth after a long winter. Only 2 games into the new system, the Yankees are big beneficiaries of the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) system. In the 2nd inning, Cam Schlittler wins a strikeout on a challenge that overturns a ball into a called strike 3. In the Top of the 6th, Aaron Judge gets his first hit (& home run) of the season in the same at-bat where he won a challenge on a called low strike. Later in the 6th, Mike Staton follows up Judge’s homer with one of his own. Schlittler goes 5.1 innings of scoreless ball with 8 strikeouts. The Yankees’ bullpen shuts down the door the rest of the 3.2 innings as Camillo Doval strikes out the side in his return to the Bay Area, and David Bednar picks up his first save of the season. Yanks win 3-0.
Game 3 (3/28 ‘26)
- Saturday night game on FOX with the Dodgers’ announcer and John Smoltz in the booth. Cody Bellinger cranks a 2-out triple in the top half of the 1st inning, only to be stranded. Will Warren allows back-to-back two-out singles in the bottom half of the 1st, only to then pick up his first strikeout of the season. Yanks strike first in the 3rd inning when Ben Rice doubles off the Oracle Park’s RF brick wall to plate Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger. Judge hits his 2nd homer of the season in the 5th inning. Warren pitches into the 5th inning, allowing just one run. The Yankee bullpen combination of Brent Headrick, Jake Bird, Tim Hill, and David Benard threw a scoreless 4.2 innings. The infield defense of Jazz Chisholm, Jose Cabellero, and some nice scoops from Ben Rice came up huge, producing 4 inning-ending double plays. Yanks win 3-1 to sweep the Giants in San Francisco to start the season.
Next
- Due to playing on the lone Wednesday night game on Netflix to open the season, the Yankees get a rare Sunday off as they travel to Seattle to take on the Mariners. Late Monday night, Ryan Weathers will face off against Luis Castillo. Weathers is making his Yankees’ debut after they acquired the southpaw this offseason. While his spring training ERA came out to about an earned run every inning this spring training, Weathers also flashed filth with 21 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Once Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are built up to return to the Yankees’ rotation, Weathers will likely shift to a role out of the bullpen. That said, he’ll hope to get his Yankees’ career off on the right foot against a pretty good Mariners’ lineup.
Around The League
- Toronto’s Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease struck out 11 & 12 on consecutive starts to begin the season. With the game on the line in extra innings, Boston’s savior, Roman Anthony, threw a 20-hopper from short LF, allowing the Reds to win on a walk-off.
- Tigers’ rookie infielder, Kevin McGonigle, had a 4-hit day in his MLB debut on Opening Day. In his 2nd game in the Bigs, McGonigle gave Detroit the lead on a crucial 2-RBI single to conclude a 10-pitch at-bat in the 8th inning. With the ability to play both SS & 3B, McGonigle entered the season ranked as the #2 prospect in baseball. Not only that, but he’s just got an elite baseball name. Passes the test, he’ll have a 15+ year MLB career.
- Mike Trout has started his season on a heater. In his first 15 plate appearances, Trout has gone yard twice, singled three times, walked another six, and scored four runs. The future Hall of Famer has also moved back to playing CF rather than just DH. It would be a pretty great development for all of Major League Baseball if Trout could have a season-long resurgence while staying healthy and making the Angels a competitive team in the AL West once again.
- The Mets took advantage of atrocious CF defense by Oneil Cruz to knock Paul Skenes out of their Opening Day in the 1st inning. They then won Game 2 of the series on a Luis Robert Jr. walk-off 3-run homer in extras while wearing some ugly ass “City Connect” jerseys.
- On Opening Day, Brewers SP Jacob Misiorowski struck out 11 White Sox hitters in 5 innings pitched. Milwaukee’s bullpen then struck out 9 more Chicago batters in 4 innings of work as the Brewers’ pitching staff combined to tie an MLB record for most strikeouts in an MLB game.
- Shohei Ohtani is batting .125 to begin the season. Edwin Diaz has brought his trumpets to LA and now Mets fans believe his entrance is lame. In fairness, it’s no Enter Sandman.
