Baseball is back!
The misery of March weather has been vanquished by hope springs eternal: Baseball. The smell of hot dogs, beer and peanuts wafting in the air, the green grass cut to perfection, the crack of the bat and cheer of the crowd. Opening Day is among us, finally, after what seemed years since the last out of the World Series on November 2nd.
The Boston Red Sox took on the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Five things that stood out.
- Andrew Benintendi’s bomb to right field
Andrew Benintendi with a 3-run bomb to lock up Rookie of the Year pic.twitter.com/rOXaFxA6Wt
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) April 3, 2021
Benintendi came up last year, from Double A, skipping Triple A along the way and where the name Killer B’s took off alongside runner up MVP Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. forming what many feel might be one of the best outfields in all of Major League Baseball. Offensively, this trio could provide quite the headache for opposing pitchers.
2. The ovation for Chris Sale
ICYMI: Welcome to Fenway, Chris Sale! pic.twitter.com/mK5VHvKYcU
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 3, 2021
Ovations saved for the likes of David Ortiz, Carl Yastrzemski, Bobby Orr and Tom Brady was lauded upon the newest pitching acquisition Chris Sale today. Optimism is high and for good reason with his bulldog mentality, an endearing quality to the Boston faithful, and sorely needed. Especially with all of the unknowns in the rotation, with David Price’s elbow, Drew Pomeranz forearm and bullpen reliever’s Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg all starting the season on the 15-Day DL.
3. Rob Gronkowski stealing the just recovered Tom Brady Super Bowl jersey.
Jerseygate: Part 2. #CapsOn pic.twitter.com/yIEhigmYRv
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 3, 2021
Boston has been spoiled the better part of the last decade and a half with all four major sports teams winning championships. True to the Red Sox media relations extravaganza that is Opening Day, they had the 5-time Super Bowl champions represented with the appearance of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, James White, Dion Lewis and owner Robert Kraft. What better way to get the Fenway Faithful in a Frenzy than dreaming of grandeur. Gronkowski decided to ad-lib the celebration to the delight of the fans.
4. Pablo Sandoval Absolves himself
FWIW: In the big 5th, Sandoval got down the line in about 4.1 secs. Two years ago, he was 130 out of 141 qualified players in baserunning. pic.twitter.com/3Q0O7IbL6s
— Julian Benbow (@julianbenbow) April 3, 2021
Pablo who had a 2016 season he would like to forget, if you can consider it a season at all totaling a whole 6 at-bats, fighting his weight, a bum shoulder and a spring training meltdown absolved all with the first RBI of the Red Sox 2017 season, with an infield single of all things.
5. Rick Porcello started where he left off
The 2016 Cy Young award winner, went 6 1/3 innings, throwing 98 pitches, while giving up 3 ER to claim his and the teams first victory of the 2017 season. He was smooth through the first 6-innings before running into some trouble in the seventh. However, the bullpen secured the win and Porcello’s quality start.
The day started with F-15’s flying overhead, ended with the symbolic winning song Dirty Water blaring through the speakers and entertained throughout. Baseball is back, and spring is here which means summer is just around the corner and six months of baseball bliss.
