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

If there's one thing I don't get it's why a guy making tens of millions a year would care about how much tax he pays.

the tax situation for pro athletes is mildly interesting, since they have to pay taxes in each city/state they play in (certainly still benefits for no-income tax home states for 81 games). The paperwork required to do 25 states of income tax!

The greatest baseball close-up shots all come from this AB with chase Utley in the 7th inning of a 14 strikeout game for Scherzer. The man is absolutely unhinged. Some of my favourite 2 minutes of baseball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Rjy2mBPaw

I’m not sure if that time stamped that properly or not, but if not the ab happens at 2:13:20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXm2HJZB6hk

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SN9smTf5j5Hk616lyf2bd_wbwac=/0x0:2146x1998/1400x933/filters:focal(1167x179:1601x613):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67018540/usa_today_10910278.0.jpg

anthony rizzo to the IL

apparently he’s been dealing with a concussion for 2+ months and the yankees just kept running him out there

‘he passed the protocol’

Wow the theory is true. I honestly think the way they handle injuries is disgraceful, Judge said fairly plainly before coming back that he’d be playing through pain and Boone is still - still! - playing him in right field. It seems incredibly irresponsible. Concussion is pretty bad though, hopefully it’s not too serious for him.

from a few days ago…

Joey Gallo’s worst 50 game span as a Yankee:
.160/.272/.273 | .545 OPS | 5 HR | 62 wRC+ | -0.3 fWar

Anthony Rizzo’s last 50 games as a Yankee:
.188/.278/.242 | .520 OPS | 1 HR | 49 wRC+ | -0.8 fWar

Rizzo has been worse than Gallo ever was. Think about that pic.twitter.com/5IAEEPeXr3

— Addison (@YankeeWRLD) August 1, 2023

supposedly happened in their series against the padres at the end of may, after which he was hitting .304/.376/.505

in 46 games since, he's hit .172/.271/.225. might have been a clue in there that something was wrong

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F2or1aVXAAA0p_K?format=jpg&name=large

It was that collision, Tatis was skidding back to the plate to avoid a tag, Rizzo was trying to pick really awkwardly.

I just think it’s so fucking negligent. More than two months and nothing was done? Abhorrent. Who the fuck is running the medical staff over there, Jack Kevorkian?

Anthony Rizzo on how he'd describe his symptoms: "Waking up, the way I'd describe it as you go to bed sober and you wake up a little hungover. When that happens, I'm like that doesn't seem normal."

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) August 3, 2023

I just think it’s so fucking negligent. More than two months and nothing was done? Abhorrent. Who the fuck is running the medical staff over there, Jack Kevorkian?

― a love song for connor wong (gyac), Thursday, August 3, 2023 4:53 PM (eleven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

it's been a very unfortunate pattern for years. the yankees downplay injuries and do not communicate them properly to media and fans.

this is probably the worst one yet, because it was clear for literal months that something was very wrong with rizzo.

given the seriousness of this kind of head injury, multiple people should lose their jobs here

Yeah even if you don’t assume he wouldn’t have had a little slump or skid at some point, people online were constantly saying he hadn’t looked right since that collision. I am honestly shocked they never checked him out after that. It’s grotesque.

Would any other mlb team do this? Legitimate question. I really think the Yankees culture is the most fertile to breed this sort of negligence. Poor Rizzo, I hope he can get back to his old self soon for his own sake

Red’s manager David Bell just thrown out making a meal about a ball that was called a ball for a 2nd bases loaded walk in a row. Looks like the Reds will lose their divisional lead as of tonight. Is this the beginning of the end for the Red’s chance to get to the post season?

I think if anyone besides the cubs wins that division, then they got very very very lucky

Tuned in right in time to see Ohtani hit his 40th and put them up 3-1. The closer gives up a grand slam. You can't make this stuff up, all you can say is baseball.

I’m not an angels fan but I think I need trigger warnings reading things like that, it just makes me so sad

I love this sport so much

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvfUemkvKTZ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

That was wild and the ball never touched the ground. Yes, baseball is the best sport.

I greatly dislike Germán as previously mentioned but the details in the alcoholism story are wild and I’m like, is this really the best way to handle a drunk pitcher? Getting him to sweat out the alcohol in a sauna? In any case, it seems a dereliction of duty on their part, both to Germán and the other players. They deny that the strange “armpit” thing that prevented him starting the other night but coming into the game later was related but, come on.

Also, I had not read about the history of Clint Frazier with the Yankees and the multiple concussions he experienced there. What the actual fuck.

NYY are a dour franchise

heard a rumor that hank may be looking to sell

Could be the ultimate Saudi sportswashing project.

Cubs vs Braves (Hendricks v. Fried) was perfect on both ends through 3IP, until Acuna said that's enough.

xp lol mlb would never let that happen. they're already pissed that steve cohen is driving up salaries; the saudis would be exponentially worse

also maybe it's hal, not hank? whichever one is left

Those big Braves innings remind me of the Hulk bodyslamming Loki (sorry not sorry).

jinxed it

Puny Cubs.

looking back at what the a's got in that three-way deal that sent sean murphy to atlanta and william contreras to milwaukee and it is just horrendous

i was in D.C. the other night with relatives to watch the nats come back to beat milwaukee, great game. my kids goggled at the nats’ parade of identical be-mulleted relief pitchers with country walk-up music. it was also my initiation into the mysterious initialism “MVR”, displayed on the scoreboard in the place customarily occupied by LOB. not sure which is a more useless stat.

Noted .840-ops-in-his-2023-dodgers-era Kiké gets a base hit in the 8th, leading to a rally that leads to the Padres inevitably walking in the winning run after intentionally walking to load the bases. The Padres are very sad right now

Also of note is Adam Rosario’s 1.040 ops with the dodgers (and playing some good 2b!). Been a good first week for our dollar store pick-ups. This feeling additionally vindicated by watching Phil Bickford (who was traded away) giving up 4 runs in .1 innings today.

the angels not selling and then immediately losing 4 games in a row is about as angels as it gets

Sometimes (read “always if you are the angels”), you should not bet on yourself

Would any other mlb team do this? Legitimate question. I really think the Yankees culture is the most fertile to breed this sort of negligence. Poor Rizzo, I hope he can get back to his old self soon for his own sake

― hrep (H.P), Thursday, August 3, 2023 6:23 PM (two days ago) bookmarkflaglink

the mets

The Met’s incompetence feels more unintentional, though maybe that’s just a (baffling) PR move

~ royals seven-game winning streak ~

a real setback for jordan lyles losing 20 games

The Angels are baseball's equivalent of the Clippers.

The Astros-Yankees game is one of the worst broadcasts I’ve ever seen. First colour issues:

Not sure what was going on, but the color on the Astros/Yankees broadcast (thankfully) was adjusted between the 1st and 2nd innings. pic.twitter.com/6YX41PFMlP

— Tony Adams (@adams_at) August 5, 2023

It's fight night in Cleveland 😳 pic.twitter.com/3NEIpBEbSf

— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 6, 2023

Nasty, Anderson really took one there. Didn’t really see anything wrong with the play for it to lead to that?

https://i.postimg.cc/Zn9kLHJt/IMG-7011.jpg

1.2bwar, highlight-reel stud Ramón Laureano has been dfa’d by the A’s presumably for payroll reasons. Terrible

Angela vs Mariners

Dodgers vs Padres

Dodgers were just up 3-1

Soto comes through with a weak infield hit...now up 5-3

This 8th inning has not gone the way I hoped. Bases loaded yet again