Opening Day Chronicles: The Rangers Win You Won't Soon Forget
Jarrod Saltalamacchia rejoices after clubbing a walk-off single on Opening Day against the Blue Jays on Monday, April 5th.It was, in many respects, a rather strange day -- fantastic and exhilarating and a bunch of other superlatives that I'm too tired to recall right now, but strange all the same. The final outcome of this fledgling season's thrilling first game was identical to that of last season's also-thrilling first game, but everything from the weather to the in-stadium experience to the game tempo deviated sharply this time around ... and, of course, none of us would have it any other way.
There aren't many individual games I'm likely to remember in their entirety 10-15 years down the road, but this is one of them, perhaps not so much because of how it ended as how it unfolded. The confounding mystique of baseball at work.
Unlike last year's atmospherically complicated season opener (in which sub-freezing wind chills blasted anyone and everyone scurrying to seek refuge in the sun-soaked lower seating bowl), this year's contest featured overcast, nigh-drizzly skies with a decidedly more appropriate temperature (low-80s) for parking-lot lounging/tailgating/imbibing, activities which many apparently continued to partake in even beyond first pitch. Home batting practice -- described second-hand as not overly impressive -- had already wrapped up before I had even finished parking, leaving the Opening Day festivities and the game itself on the slate. And so commenced the memories.
The first indication that this year's season opener might not be the crisp, clean carbon copy of last year's 9-1 walloping of Cleveland that many of us were looking for was, interestingly enough, found in the infield -- more specifically, at second base, where one year before Ian Kinsler had initiated a flawlessly executed 4-6-3 double play to bail Kevin Millwood out of first-inning trouble. This year, the first chance at second base was handled not by a DL-ridden Kinsler, but instead by purported quality glovesman Andres Blanco, who promptly flubbed it. Actually, I suppose that was the second indication, given that Scott Feldman had already yielded a crowd-deflating single-homer combo immediately before Blanco's miscue, but the point stands all the same.
And so the innings quickly began to tick away, one after the next -- Feldman somewhat settled down thereafter, only permitting one more earned run (an Adam Lind solo blast which was hurled back onto the field, albeit not before bonking some poor woman on the skull) in what amounted to a decent, but hardly spectacular seven-inning, 100-pitch effort. It was one of those starts where you could readily recognize that his command was a bit off and, consequently, he was inducing a less-than-optimal number of fly balls and relying more upon good luck than you would like, but he made his sinker-cutter-curveball repertoire hold up, and for that he deserves ample credit.
On the other side of the ball, however, disaster seemed imminent. '0-0-1' read the Rangers' portion of the scoreboard after six innings (with the single loudest reaction from the denizens of Section 42 coming when Michael Young's fourth-inning grounder was ruled an error rather than a hit), and a quick between-innings trip to the concourse reflected public opinion. "Where's Rudy Jaramillo when you need him!", bellowed one older gentlemen with a stifled grin on his face and a hint of sarcasm in his voice, a sentiment with which others jokingly concurred. It was a different crowd dynamic in a good sort of way; the 50,000-plus crowd was clearly into it and displeased with the current flow of the game, but yet still seemed to be taking it all in stride. An interesting middle ground.
Hope did, of course, soar as Josh Hamilton worked his huge full-count walk with eight outs left, and soared even higher when Vladimir Guerrero terminated Shawn Marcum's no-hit bid immediately thereafter, and -- as you might expect -- all hell broke loose after Nelson Cruz's game-tying poke into the home run porch, an opposite-field shot that didn't look terribly impressive off the bat on television but immediately looked very promising to those in attendance. Because television simply can't capture all of the subtleties and nuances of a baseball game:
What ensued between the seventh and eighth innings was likely also not captured by television cameras, which is a shame, because it was the sort of thing you've grown accustomed to seeing at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park, but not (yet) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. As Cruz assumed his post in right field and began playing catch in preparation for the next frame, the entire home run porch (and several adjoining sections) broke into an impromptu, repeated and very, very loud chant of "Nelly!", only pausing to wildly applaud once he had acknowledged their adoration. In 10-plus years of attending Rangers games, I have yet to experience anything else quite like that moment.
Nor, for that matter, have I ever experienced a walk-off victory in person -- or perhaps the past tense is now more appropriate? I could wax poetic about Michael Young's clutch lead-off double, Vladimir Guerrero's runner-advancing infield single, Nelson Cruz pulling out more heroics with the game-tying double in the bottom of the ninth and Jarrod Saltalamacchia's game-sealing blast into the right-center field power alley (the second straight Opening Day win he has sealed with a bit of opportune power-hitting), but I couldn't possibly do any of that proper justice, nor do I really want to attempt to do so. Just some great pieces of hitting in the most high-leverage of situations.
It's ultimately one game out of one hundred and sixty-two, one game with incalculably small predictive value in terms of how the remainder of the season will develop, one game that doesn't really tell us much of anything we didn't already know. Whatever. All valid points, but if you can't fully appreciate one game at a time, how can you hope to ever fully appreciate the big picture?
13 Comments | in Analysis, Game Recaps, The Season
Reader Comments (13)
Just one game, but what a game! That was fun.
Opening Day for the diehard can be nerveracking. (sp) I don't remember going through such emotions during a baseball game in all my life.
But that's why baseball is entertainment - that was fun to go through, the drama, the ups and the downs. It was like a really good movie.
Looking back, Feldman and Marcum had almost identical lines - in some aspects you could even say Feldman pitched better than Marcum.
Not sure this is the game to deicide if the bats are "back." Marcum is an off-speed professor and it's hard to time guys like that.
To be on the verge of losing on Opening Day - with no hope and then suddenly scoring 5 runs in the last third of game, sure has to pump up the fans. And I imagine the Rangers are pumped too. Here's to hoping that Rich Harden really was holding back in spring training and we see the real RH on Wednesday.
(By the way, everyone's pick for Al Cy Young, Felix Hernandez, walked 6 guys in like 5 IP yesterday. Heh.)
Joey, congrats on the ESPN association, hope it brings more traffic and renown to you and your erudite efforts here.. I suspected that was what was afoot way back when you first hinted at something a few months ago (I had just read Neyer's announcement of the blog ring). And kudos also to ESPN for not just using their local ESPN blog. When that was started I was afraid it would be their Rangers choice, yay for diversity and non-nepotism.
I have to say... I was worried through six... very worried in fact. But man, it sure is nice to have that momentum back in our favor. I thought everyone looked real good, including Vlad... I think he's going to have a freakin' break out year. It's so cool seeing him in a Ranger uniform.
Damn, that was a fun game. And you are right, JM, the crowd seemed different in it's intensity...very cool.
I thought BP was good; several shots by Hammy, Cruz, and then there was our hero, Salty, with a moonshot down the firstbase line, clearing the fence by 30-40 feet, into the concourse below.
A foreshadowing? Hmm...
Cruz's homerun was sick. It was even sicker watching it over and over on Baseball Tonight. How do you seemingly miss hit a down-and-away fastball to the deepest part of the park? I realize it was up in the jet stream and as a result, was probably aided by an extra 6-8 ft but c'mon, Cruz simply waved at that pitch, as if he was just fouling off a pitch that had confused Ranger hitters all afternoon.
I know he hit 39 HRs in 08 (in AAA) and then 31 last yr... and I know that his swing is anything but fluid, without wasted movement, very "handsy" (to steal a line from BT), etc... but that was just a crazy display strength. If he keeps his head screwed on straight, this guy could hit 40 - 45 HRs this year.
There were only 7 K's for Ranger hitters... which is down from last years 9-11 Ks per game (I'm making that up) but still too much. They can't give away ABs...
This was my first Opening Day since 1989...It was amazing to see all of the people who showed up for all of the atmosphere outside the ballpark...I can't remember Arlington Stadium or the Ballpark ever being so alive...Not even for Nolan's 5,000 strikeout...What an amazing day...The crowd was awesome and loud and had the type of atmosphere that I had only dreamed of in Arlington...There really was an electricity in the air...Hats off to everyone that showed up and kept the faith...Here's to hoping that it really is "Time".
My voice is still gone from chanting "let's go rangers" when cruz hit his home run and in the ninth when words couldn't explain what it was like inside of the ballpark. I've gone to opening day for the last five years and plan on doing it for quite a long time (even when I can only get tickets one row from the top of the stadium, not where we sit during other games) but I doubt I will see an opening day like this ever again! What a fun game...after 6.1 innings.
This game was an incredible tone-setter for the season. Despite the struggles before the 7th, the outcome in the 9th almost seemed inevitable to me - not that I didn't enjoy it the same as everyone else in attendance. Michael Young hadn't gotten a hit yet, it seemed natural that he would at least get on base, and the meat of the order, excluding Josh Hamilton who appeared (to my hardly advantageous point of view) to be called out on a ball outside the zone, would do what it would take to put the Rangers on top. Remarkable and exciting in action, but the feeling in the crowd was the real victory yesterday.
I think it was a good omen that the first game of the season started with dark clouds of doubt and ended with a very happy result.
I am trying to figure out when I can drive the 200+ miles to get to a game in Arlington. Go Rangers!
It was a great comeback and showed a lot of heart - really it was two great comebacks.
A little concerned with Josh Hamilton, though. I think that Home Run Derby was a curse. Before that, he got pitched around some, but he still saw fasballs now and then. But his exhibition sort of mythologized his power, and I think the immediate reaction by all of baseball was to just start feeding him breaking balls and change ups in the dirt. One thing you could say about Bonds was that when he didn't get his pitches, he layed off & drew the walk, even if that meant he had something crazy like 234 BB like he did in 2004. I think Josh needs to work on that skill more than anything else - take those pitches in the dirt and make them throw you strikes, or just take the walk.
Of course that's easy for me to say...
JOEY: I'm surprised you didn't mention the Kinsler factor in Monday's win. You've noted in the past how the manager seems to dislike Nelson Cruz. This is the same manager that said early on in spring training that he preferred to bat Cruz seventh. Surprising that making an All-Star team and leading the team in home runs last season, not to mention leading the team in home runs and RBIs in spring training. Do you have any doubt that without Kinsler's high ankle sprain, that Cruz would have been batting seventh yesterday. I was glad to see Cruz batting fifth. He should actually be batting third or fourth with Guerrero at five, as Guerrero is the worst base runner of the three middle of the order hitters yesterday. I was excited to see Cruz tie the game twice with his four RBI's, and I think we all owe our gratitude to Kinsler for making it all possible.
If Marlon Byrd were still here, Cruz might have been on the bench.