Yankees Giancarlo Stanton impresses, Marlins Jose Urena depresses
It did not take long for the Yankees newest power source to impress. Likewise, the Marlins proved to be what we thought they were.
Heading into Opening Day, the Yankees and Marlins were heading in two different directions. One team was considered a postseason favorite, and a potential World Series team. The other? Well, let us just say that there may be teams in AAA with more talent than their roster.
Those predictions, at least for one day, looked to be accurate. The Yankees handled the Blue Jays easily, coasting to a 6-1 victory. The Marlins, meanwhile, battled the Chicago Cubs, but their starting pitching imploded en route to their 8-4 loss. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
There were other excellent performances over the course of Opening Day. Matt Davidson hit three of the White Sox six homers in their victory over the Royals. Chris Sale appeared to be in midseason form for the Red Sox. Three games went into the 11th inning or later, giving fans bonus baseball on the first day of the regular season.
And now, with those games behind us, let us start the season off with a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Opening Day.
The good – Yankees Giancarlo Stanton hits two homers in debut
It did not take long for Giancarlo Stanton to make himself at home for the Yankees. All it took was one plate appearance.
With one out and Brett Gardner on first, Stanton came to the plate in the top of the first inning. After looking at a strike, he belted J.A. Happ‘s second fastball into the stands in right center, giving New York a quick lead. Even John Sterling’s nonsensical home run call, and Susyn Waldman chiming in, could not ruin the moment.
Naturally, the latest Bronx Bomber was not done. he belted an RBI double to center in the fifth, and came to the plate for his final at bat in the ninth. Facing a full count, Tyler Clippard left a changeup over the plate, and Stanton did not miss it. He smacked his second homer of the game to center, giving the Yankees a 6-1 lead.
That would prove to be the final score, as New York won handily on Opening Day. Stanton ended his day by going 3-5, with a double, two homers, and four RBI. He struck out once as well, but considering his power display, the Yankees would be more than willing to make that tradeoff.
It may only be one game, but Giancarlo Stanton was everything that the Yankees hoped for. As far as first impressions go, Stanton made a great one.
The bad – Joe Kelly loses control, Carson Smith implodes
One of the more difficult aspects of being a major league manager involves handling the bullpen. Alex Cora learned that lesson the hard way.
In theory, Cora should not have had too much trouble with the Red Sox game against the Rays. Chris Sale appeared to be in midseason form, firing six scoreless innings. Matt Barnes fired a scoreless seventh inning, setting down all three batters he faced. With a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth, Cora needed one more inning before he could turn to Craig Kimbrel.
With that in mind, Joe Kelly came out from the bullpen. That proved to be a mistake. He walked the first batter he faced, then struck out Rob Refsnyder for the first out of the inning. Matt Duffy followed with an RBI double to give the Rays their first run. After walks to Kevin Kiermaier and Carlos Gomez, Kelly was out, with Carson Smith coming in.
That was essentially pouring petrol on the fire. Smith walked Brad Miller to force in a run, cutting the lead in half. After Wilson Ramos struck out, Denard Span had a bases clearing triple to give the Rays their first lead, and scored on an infield single. By the time the inning was over, Kelly and Smith had combined to allow six runs on three hits and four walks, a disastrous performance.
The Red Sox seemingly had an Opening Day victory in hand. Then, one disastrous inning changed the game.
The ugly – Jose Urena gets battered
It did not take long for Marlins Opening Day starter Jose Urena to see his day go downhill. Things would only get worse with each pitch.
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The Cubs got on the board after just one pitch, as Ian Happ belted Urena’s first offering to deep right for a leadoff home run. Urena then walked Kris Bryant and hit Anthony Rizzo, as he was obviously shaken up by the bomb. After somehow getting two outs, the Marlins pitcher lost the zone again. He hit Addison Russell to load the bases, and forced in two runs with a walk and a hit batter.
Chicago kept hitting Urena, at least when they were not getting hit themselves. Rizzo homered in the second, and the Cubs loaded the bases in the third before Jon Lester grounded into a double play to end the threat. Somehow, the Marlins managed to look like a viable major league franchise in the bottom of the inning, and tied the game, only to watch Urena again implode. An RBI double to Willson Contreras gave Chicago a lead they would not relinquish, as the Marlins suffered an 8-4 loss.
As would be expected, Urena was particularly brutal. Over the course of his four innings, he was torched for five runs on six hits and four walks. He gave up two homers, and hit three batters. It was not the Opening Day performance that Urena, nor the Marlins, had been hoping for.
Next: Opening Day power rankings
It was a rough day for Jose Urena and the Marlins. At least he cannot be much worse going forward.