2021 Game One-Thirty: Blue Jays 7, Orioles 3

 

"Vladdy got one," one was heard to remark, except twice

I say with considerable respect and admiration for Hazel Mae's many, many years in sports broadcasting that I have never valued her reportage more highly than when, late Monday night, Dan Shulman asked Hazel if she had anything on the disproportionate amount of booing that seemed to be directed at the Orioles from one particular section of the 100s, and at seemingly odd times throughout the evening. Hazel, it should surprise no one, was all over it: as each Oriole came to bat, there was just this one dude in the 100s who, would stand up and loudly ask, "Can somebody 'boo' this man?" and then the whole section would be like booooooooo. Thanks, Hazel, that's totally delightful! That same level of delight characterized the game as a whole, both at the SkyDome and, no less crucially, on our couch. Robbie Ray struck out another ten in seven innings, which pushes him above one thousand innings pitched, qualifying him for all kinds of statistical stuff he had not qualified for previously (patience, Robbie; climb the ladder), and he does very well by all of it: his 1241Ks, to just go with raw numbers, are the most in a pitcher's first 1000 MLB innings ever, just edging out the also-very-good Yu Darvish (all these records are going to be recent, as the game has changed quite a bit in this regard in recent years [as well you know]). As great as it was to see Robbie Ray pitch another game towards what will probably be a top-three-Cy-Young-votes kind of season, it was greater still to see Vladdy smoke a couple of dingers to left, numbers thirty-seven and thirty-eight on the year. How, just, like, incredibly pleasant. Téo's two-run double in the sixth was almost as much fun, honestly, and the Anthony Santander pop-up where the whole infield converged on the pitcher's mound (it's Bo's ball everybody!) only to drop perfectly between all five guys (oh no Bo fell) was good fun in its own way, too. This game was a glorious thing entirely on its own merits, but to then learn that everybody the Blue Jays need to lose also lost? So much the better! Four-and-a-half back! You never know! 

KS