the pitch clock is counting down to the MLB 2023 REGULAR SEASON THREAD

What in previous years might have regarded as an incredibly dull matchup of the Pirates vs. Rays midweek series in May...

Yet in 2023, it's best of the AL vs. best of NL.

A combined 43-15 but even better, the combined payroll of both teams is $150M which clocks in -$11M to the average team salary.

Some say #moneyball, some say years (and years and years) of top of the order picks for upper tier prospects, but should be fun to watch.

i haven't watched any pirates games this season and so i was about to ask if this seems like something that they'll be able to maintain through a season or if this is just a random hot streak. but first i opened fangraphs and they had just published this: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/should-we-believe-in-the-pittsburgh-pirates/

the nl central does seem fairly winnable if the cardinals can't get their shit together

Just finished watching the pirates demolish my Dodgers. Call it a hot streak (which it probably is), but I don’t see them regressing to the Pirates we have known recently. Regression seems to be to a .500 team, which with their start, is taking them to the post-season.

I recently had a friend wanting to get into baseball for the first time ask me what team to get into in. I recommended the Orioles thinking he would get some nice pay-off in the next few years. How they, and the Pirates, and the Rangers have started has blown me away. Friend is very much enjoying this hot start.

Bryce’s first game back. He’s going to crush isn’t he?

Just remembered Rich Hill is on the Pirates. He deserves a ring, surely the Pirates win it all for Rich

i like the cut of your jib

I know it is very early to be talking about this, but I like that we’re most likely seeing a different post season this year. Feels like the past decade it’s just been dodgers/astros/braves/yankees battling it out. Going to be a lot of fun if the O’s, Rangers and Pirates/whoever else can make it.

Mookieproof, you’re an ancient round these parts right? No relation between your name and Mookie Betts?

Goddamn the A’s just pulled out their rookie starter throwing a no hitter after 7 innings at 81 pitchers to put in a reliever who IMMEDIATELY lets the Mariners tie the game. Brutal for A’s fans, can’t even have one good thing in this mess of a stadium situation.

I know it is very early to be talking about this, but I like that we’re most likely seeing a different post season this year.

it *is* very early, but your optimism is bracing. i will not enjoy seeing your dreams dashed to pieces

i know this is silly but i believe the cardinals will win the WS

everyone is going to hate it so much

barring that, i am rooting for the pirates, then the brewers, then the rays

i actually love the cardinals again? it was TLR and matheny that ruined them for me. maybe also yadi. i can only assume that wainwright is a fascist, but while waiting for receipts i like him. appreciate goldy. willie mcgee goes without speaking. second-best uniforms in baseball

tbf i will probably like them even better if they suck for a lil bit here

yeah i think they're going to be really fun the next few years. jordan walker is so fun to watch, and so kind and endearing when he's on camera. masyn winn is going to be pretty good too, i think, and they're best pals. wainwright's country band is fucking awful

wait what are the best uniforms in baseball though? i like the pirates and the dodgers, orioles as well but i just like animals on bats

dodgers > cardinals > everyone else imo

Royals again criminally understated. As a dodgers fan, I think our uni’s get too much love (while obviously great). Royals do exactly what the dodgers do, but with a cool logo and without the “big franchise” ikky feeling

Bird jerseys undeniably great. I rotate, but Blue jays are my current favourite, close second to the o’s

the red numbers are what put the dodgers over the top

i mean, it shouldn't work, but it absolutely does

Fair point, they are nice

I grew up in the 70s, nothing these day comes close* to the powder blues that so many teams rocked (Seattle, Montreal, Phillies, KC, STL, Toronto, hah it really seemed like half the league was baby blue at one point), but the pillbox-cap-era Pirates or the Astros technicolor rainbows are undeniably classic.

*SD bringing back the brown and gold might be the only modern uni that warms my cold black heart.

i like the powder blues, and i feel like certain teams have brought them back recently? and i love the astros’ 70s outfits, and of course the bucs (although i maintain that their 1971 unis with the mustard yellow are their best). and i’m happy to see the padres’ browns

but the dodgers/cardinals home whites are just unbeatable/timeless

Dodgers classic look agreed, I even love those socks they have with the palm trees behind Dodger stadium.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EU9CAPQU4AATbsG.jpg

Btw I also like Wainwright and he is pretty conservative afaict but nothing like Nimmo or Aubrey Huff so like away imo

Btw was Verlander’s first game of the season mentioned? Detroit on Thursday. They have Scherzer the day before in the second part of the double header.

curious to see how the cardinals will win the WS with a starting rotation consisting of five soggy pieces of spaghetti

there are some dudes I like on the team but I’m not a fan of their bottomless well of competent outfielders who are all named nolan and look like degraded multiplicity clones of mike trout

as i said on the other cards thread i'm just amazed they have (had?) three players who were members of the Aliens marines crew w/Hudson, Hicks, and Gorman. is there a Vasquez in the org?

their bottomless well of competent outfielders will be how they replace some of their soggy pieces of spaghetti at the trade deadline (like last year, when they picked up jordan montgomery and jose quintana)

unfortunately for the aliens crew, i think gorman is likely to be traded. his natural position is 3B, where he's blocked by another nolan, and his 2B fielding is pretty awful and unlikely to get better

you always were an asshole shitty fielder, gorman

as i said on the other cards thread i'm just amazed they have (had?) three players who were members of the Aliens marines crew w/Hudson, Hicks, and Gorman. is there a Vasquez in the org?

there's gotta be a Spunkmeyer somewhere

I assume there’s little love for the Dodgers round these parts considering the lack of team thread…. But they just played one of the most entertaining games of baseball of the year. Max Muncy grandslame 6-10 walk off against ex team mate Craig Kimbrel to finish it. Beautiful

Rookie starter playing for the dodgers, Bryce Harper 3-3 with two walks, one of the craziest defensive plays in the 9th inning for the dodgers to get speedster trea turner, brusdar throwing 100 looking like he’s playing catch in the backyard, below .100 getting a 2 out pinch hit 2rbi to put the dodgers back ahead, some beautiful pitching from Austin Nola, rookie Miguel Vargas again breaking out with some massive hits. Just an absolute cracker

Now lets see what the mariners can do against the A’s (something, please mariners)

Every time I tune into the mariners it seems like J.P Crawford is always doing something great (just did some very nice base running too get to third). Very surprised to just now check his stats and see he’s just a marginally above average. Thought he was in the “almost an all-star” category. Like literally every time i watch, he’s getting a hit, stealing a base, running home to get a run. Anyone else have players you were surprised to find being just average based upon your small-sample sized viewing?

The Padres' pastel uniforms are a crime against humanity.

pirates are being taught a lesson in low-payroll badassery

at least they didn't let the tigers muscle up on them like the mets did. congrats to javier baez on his first homer of the season

the first pitch at Fenway last night was thrown by Olivia Pichardo, a utility player for Brown University’s baseball team and the first woman to play in a Division I baseball game

h/t peter abraham

The Padres' pastel uniforms are a crime against humanity.

agreed

https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6002789/il_fullxfull.336796170.jpg

have been dreading/anticipating the mets city connect jersey for years and looks like it will be another year or two before we get a design that’s probably some kind of blue apple being hit by mr met through the unisphere, all on top of a full canvas of Halloween orange.

I got the Soto city connect shirsey as a gift from a friend and I rock it often.

not a great start for verlander

i think you meant Flaherty there...

Anything the Padres wear would be an improvement over the camo bullshit.

those padres city connect unis are the best unis in baseball.

Supposedly a fan fell off a railing into the Red Sox bullpen? Seems terrible.

Rich Hill pitching is always a practice of aesthetics over function. Painting the corner with his old man “fast” ball, to the most beautiful curveball in the game, getting absolutely rocked into deep centre field to put the blue jays up by four. Really hope he can last the season and give some more production to the Pirates.

Bae making some nice defensive plays

Watching Rich in Pittsburgh bringing back repressed memories of his “perfect game” which was lost in the 10th inning due to the dodgers inability to score any runs. One of the greatest, and saddest pitching performances I have seen

4/6 teams in an American League playoff spot are from the AL east. Christ.

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, April 20, 2023 11:05 PM (two weeks ago)

dude it's april

― mookieproof, Thursday, April 20, 2023 11:36 PM (two weeks ago)

Ok. Sorry I shared that information. Sorry I talk at all here since you’re determined to be an asshole to me whenever possible. You’re doing a great job trying to make this place as toxic as possible for me.

― FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, April 21, 2023 (two weeks ago)

ok it is no longer april and the AL East remains an absolute fuckin buzzsaw, so my bad

the yankees had an incredible first half last year that didn't really pan out, so caveat everything, but man 27-6 is awfully impressive

also someone tell me the last time the pirates lost five straight games while remaining in first place