MLB Opening weekend recap
The first weekend of baseball is in the books and I hope you’re doing what you can to stay fresh because we have a whole lot more to be played. A few storylines took shape over the weekend and I grant you permission to overreact to whatever your favorite team did. 4 and a half months without regular season baseball is too long to not create unnecessary narratives after one weekend. While you might be celebrating that your team is going to win the World Series or crying that your team’s season is over, here’s what actually happened over the weekend.
- Yankees take 4 in Houston
Perhaps the biggest story of the weekend was the Bronx Bombers going into Minute Maid Park and completing the 4 game sweep over the Astros. The Astros continue to disappoint in Houston after a losing record at home in 2023, which included a 3 game set that the Yankees also swept, making them 7–0 in their last 2 trips to Minute Maid Park after years of losing to the Astros. Don’t let the sweep fool you — this was a very exciting series, making the Yankees victory that much more impressive. The Astros actually led at some point in the first 3 games of this series and took the final game into a 3–3 tie in the 9th. The Yankees biggest comeback came in game 1 on Thursday in which they erased an early 4–0 deficit that was large in part due to some timely hitting, and ultimately Juan Soto’s arm nabbing the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th.
He would also deliver the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th in the final game of the series on a base hit off the bat of Josh Hader. Soto was obviously the difference maker all weekend as he had 9 hits, which included his first Yankee HR, over 20 PAs which was good for a .529 AVG and 1.365 OPS. Oswaldo Cabrera, a player without a real place on the roster heading into the season, also impressed this weekend with 2 HRs of his own and a 1.364 OPS over 17 PAs. One more performance of note was Marcus Stroman’s. He made his Yankee debut on Saturday, tossing 6 innings, and although the Astros plated 3 runs, none of them were earned. His health might be the most important in a thin Yankees rotation as he can be relied on to give you 6 innings every 5 days.
- Pirates, Tigers, and Brewers remain undefeated
Although not against higher ticket opponents, the Pirates, Tigers, and Brewers all went on the road and took care of business — the Pirates in Miami, the Tigers in Chicago, and the Brewers in New York. The Buccos took down the Marlins in 4 games on the backs of hot starts from Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, and Bryan Reynolds. Those 3 guys have to be the centerpiece to this lineup in Pittsburgh if they want to make improvements in 2024. The trio combined went 19–51 with 2 HRs, good for a line of .373/.500/.569. Jared Jones, Pirates #3 and MLB’s #59 overall prospect impressed in his big league debut on Saturday, going 5.2 IP while striking out 10 on 89 pitches.
Coming into 2024 with playoff aspirations, the Tigers grinded out the 3 game sweep over the White Sox, with all 3 games being decided by 1 run. Detroit’s left handed ace, Tarik Skubal, got the nod to open the season and answered with 6 shutout innings, striking out 6 and allowing just 3 baserunners in a 1–0 final. The 2nd game had quite a bit more offense in it, with the Tigers taking it 7–6 in extras. They got out to an early 3–0 lead which was quickly erased by 2 HRs off the bat of Luis Robert Jr, but were able to rally back after being down 6–3. Sunday was another low scoring contest as this one went into the 9th in a 2–2 tie. A 2-out single off the bat of Andy Ibanez was the difference maker in this one as Jason Foley shut the Sox down in the 9th on his way to his 2nd save of the series. The entire bullpen was great this weekend as they allowed just 1 run and 8 baserunners over 12.2 IP.
The Brewers handled the Mets at Citi Field, but with some more drama involved than the previous 2 series. Brewers offseason addition, Rhys Hoskins, established himself as public enemy #1 in Queens during the opener on Friday after what Jeff McNeil thought was a dirty slide into 2nd base trying to break up a double play. That of course led to benches clearing and Hoskins responded with a big game on Saturday in which he went 3–4 with a HR and 4 RBIs. It was ultimately Christian Yelich that led the charge offensively, posting a 1.266 OPS over 14 PAs with a HR. Milwaukee’s pitching staff handled the Mets for most of the weekend, holding them to just 1 hit on Friday, led by 6 shutout innings and 8 Ks from Freddy Peralta.
- Looking ahead
The Diamondbacks, Nationals, Mets, and Twins will be tasked with taking down the 4 remaining undefeated teams as the Yankees make the trip to the desert, the Pirates go to D.C, the Tigers go to Queens, and the Brewers head home for their home opener against the Twins.
Sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge both opened the season pretty cold. Both are looking for their 1st HRs of 2024 as Ohtani has just 2 XBHs over 26 PAs dating back to the Seoul Series and Judge recorded just 2 hits over 19 PAs in the opening series in Houston. Should we be worried about these 2 superstars? Not in the slightest, but something to keep an eye on, especially as everyone patiently awaits Ohtani’s 1st HR in Dodger blue.
A few rookies shined this weekend. Obviously I already mentioned Jared Jones performance for the Pirates in Miami. Kyle Harrison, Giants left hander shined in his season debut, going 6 shutout innings while striking out 5 in San Francisco’s 8–3 win over the Padres on Friday. After a disappointing debut in Korea, Yoshinobu Yamamoto bounced back in a big way on Saturday night, throwing 5 shutout innings and striking out 5 Cardinals. On the offensive side, Jackson Chourio, Brayan Rocchio, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wyatt Langford were the 4 rookies with at least 10 PAs to post an OPS north of .900. Chourio led the way with 5 hits and a double. All 4 of those guys should stick around on their big league rosters for most of the season. Jung Hoo Lee, Giants rookie centerfielder, also had a solid weekend, launching his 1st big league HR on the way to a .868 OPS over the weekend. Angels rookie first basemen, Nolan Schanuel, picked up right where he left off last season, extending his on-base streak to 32 games which is the 3rd longest on-base streak to start an MLB career.
- Top performers of the weekend
Juan Soto: 20 PA, 1 HR, .529/.600/.765
Mookie Betts: 18 PA, 3 HR, .385/.556/1.154
Bobby Witt Jr: 13 PA, 1 HR, .545/.615/1.273
Brady Singer: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 10 K
Paul Blackburn: 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K