Dodgers at Rockies, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: ATTSportsnetRM, SPNLA, ESPN
LHP Clayton Kershaw will make his ninth Opening Day start, most in Dodger history. He’ll face RHP Germán Márquez. Each pitcher faced the other team once last season: Kershaw gave up one run over seven innings at Coors Field, and Márquez went seven, gave up two runs and five hits at Dodger Stadium.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1937 The Reds sell Babe Herman to the Tigers. The 34 year-old outfielder, batting .300 for his new team, will appear in only 17 contests with Detroit before effectively retiring from the game, although he will return to play briefly for the war-time Dodgers in 1945.
- 1963 Former Brooklyn Dodger Duke Snider returns to New York when the Mets purchase him from LA for $40,000. The 36 year-old outfielder, who will represent New York in the All-Star game, will be told at the end of the season by Buzzie Bavasi, his former GM, that the Yankees had asked for him to back up Mickey Mantle before he was dealt to the team across the river.
- 2008 On Opening Day in Los Angeles, Juan Pierre’s 434 consecutive game streak, the longest current one in the major leagues, comes to an end when the Dodger outfielder does not play in the 3-2 victory over the Giants. New skipper Joe Torre plays Andre Ethier in left field in place of the highly paid but light-hitting fly chaser.
Can you imagine Duke Snider in pinstripes?
Lineup when available.
Today’s Dodgers #OpeningDay lineup vs. Rockies: pic.twitter.com/sZYgMH4oyZ
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 1, 2021
Well now. MLB is taking its civic responsibilities seriously. Georgia, if you want to suppress votes, you lose the ASG.
Just released:
For the first time in his term, Manfred does the right thing.
On the Schadenfreude front, in Seattle. the Gnatpen blew a five-run lead in the eighth and they lost in extras thanks to another reliever who walked everyone he faced.
I cannot think of a worse all-around game by the Dodgers in all the decades that I have been watching them play. Certainly, this is the worst-ever opener in my lifetime.
First opener ever in Coors, so there is that.
True, but I don’t know if it factored into it.
It’s Coors. A weird place to play baseball even on a good day. Despite our horrible play only a swing away from possible win.
Yes, that aura seems always to be present.
Sloppy and frustrating to be sure, but the ump in the ninth made a few egregious calls. And the Cody HR non-HR also affected by the ump not signaling. And all those seeing-eye singles!
Terrible terrible at bat. Shoulda stuck with McKinstry.
Any of us could have done that.
Yep.
We did.
Not a bad call. Terrible at bat, though.
Given McK’s previous AB, I woulda stuck with him.
Yes me, too.
Not really how it works, but OK.
Stupid Coors.
NPUT @ 1200 HST, 1500 PDT, 1800 EDT
Gnats lose to Seattle on a walk-off walk.
The Dodgers had 46 plate appearances today. Twenty-four times the batter reached base — 15 hits, 8 walks, 1 hit by pitch. One of those PAs resulted in a sac fly.
Remind me again – is 14 LOB a good thing? Yikes!
And 15 hits.
Oh well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-C6p-GwHfA
And now Mookie has to swing at those outside pitches.
Bard must have photos of the ump or something…
The Dodgers sure know how to get baserunners.
Can’t do it with those calls.
Ump! Come on!
Ump!?
Let’s go!
Let’s make this game Rios close…
Max! Good start!
You just never know…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK5N2LavUZQ
Alright let’s have a grand ninth inning.
Fourteen hits, and yet…
That’s not gonna do it.
Keep it going, guys.
I can’t remotely recall the last time the Dodgers played such a sloppy game.
There was that one inning in the WS – but that really was just the last trying to field the last hit…
Nelson is a bit wild.
Disaster. Cut hand and tackled body.
Barnes is going to spend time in the whirlpool after today’s game.
Hope Barnes is okay.
Ugh. As in… ugh.
Owings has that Blackmon beardy look.
We’d better have a big 8th.
This baseball is uninspiring, so here’s a question: how are you all doing with your vaccines? I’ve gotten both shots.
Double-jabbed here as well! Moderna.
Same
Our fielding has been less than stellar this game. CT caught a break there.
Wow. That was quite the DP.
Kershaw got nibbled to death by ground balls sneaking through.
Tough day for Klayton. Not sharp enough to overcome meh defense and pesky hitters.
Nice plate block by Barnes there.
Maybe Kersh should stop throwing first pitch strikes…
Hi all! I was on a little getaway up in San Luis Obispo and listened to the first five innings on the radio. Home now with my hat on and my fingers crossed. Crazy game already. That non-homer homer was… weird. But… baseball!
Dumb baserunning by Seager.
Pads have blown a big lead at The Litter Box, now tied with Snakes.
Sounds like a bunch of LA fans in attendance (bet they arrived late).
De-Lux with the RBI.
Anyone here going to OD at Dodger Stadium next week? Or Opening Weekend?
Nope. Waiting a bit longer, even with my vaccines.
Alright. Can the Dodgers please score again this inning?
Hustle double by Belli.
Maybe it’s good that Belli is leading off this inning – just in case he hits another HR.
I know that baserunners passing each other is an out according to the rule book. But what’s the history of it? That is – what’s the reason for it? Why does the trailing runner passing the lead runner necessitate it being an out? Anyone know?
(Asks the guy who thinks they should track “passed balls” with no runners on base.)
Otherwise anarchy would abound (and it could be funny). Imagine Mookie trying to score from second and passing Turner who was a third on his way home.
https://twitter.com/KenRosenthot/status/1377730229565722625?s=20
Just swing away Clayton.
MLB Flashbacks are stuck in 2019.
Yeah. I can’t wait til 2022 to watch the flashbacks…
Pesky Rox.
What a dumb inning.
Dang.
Betts butchers one. Not used to seeing that.
For those of us only able to use Gameday at work, how in the world do you get thrown out at 1st on a scoring fly ball?
JT and Belli crossed paths while running out Belli’s HR.
Thats a new one for me. Never heard of that one in all my years.
But to give JT some slack – the ball was caught and then out of the glove and over the fence. So JT was racing back to first.
Onus is always on the tail runner.
Or is that trail?
Belli tried to stop JT, but JT had head down and charging back to first as quickly as possible – because he still thought the ball had been caught.
Second-base umpire may have called catch on the ball.
Happy New Year!
JT owes Belli a nice dinner.
Only the Dodgers can stop the Dodgers!
Baserunning butchery.
Umpire deception to boot.
So much for little ball…
Belli blast!
Kershaw picks up his first K of the season.
Miss Alanna but willing to give Kirsten lots of space and time to grow into the role.
Dodgers piling up hits but not runs.
Which is why we need RBI to appear.
I was on the road listening and doing my best.
Clayton with the hitting shoes on!
Nice ab by AB.
Another inning, another DP.
Got him.
Max with the glove save.
Nice play at both ends, the throw not so much.
Might need to make a call out for RBI for next inning. 3 base runners but no runs.
Cody is certainly not underswinging.
He never has.
Recalling a time in 2018 when he cut down on his swing, when he had two strikes.
Bad situational hitting by Turner.
Indeed.
It was a beautiful opening video narrated by Joe.
Over/under question: 5.5 hrs today – what do you take?
I’ll optimistically go with 6 hrs.
And by hrs I mean home runs – not hours.
Leadoff hit to start the season for Mookie.
And for Seager.
I wish Joe and Orel would learn how to pronounce “Márquez” properly.
Duke played in 1964 for the Giants. I recall him saying that in one game he looked down at the front of his jersey and said to himself, “What the heck is this?” (only it was stronger than heck). Snider said he hated Halloween because its colors, black and orange, were the same as those of the Giants.
And so it begins… https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1377638903126065152?s=20
I was surprised how well it went last year after the Fish/Fillies debacle. Protocols were tightened and players got the message, such that before the Turner positive (a few innings short of the end of the season) there hadn’t been an issue for almost two months.