Opening Day, 2023: Toronto Blue Jays 10, St. Louis Cardinals 9
Yesterday was the start of the 2023 MLB season, first pitch after a month of spring training games played in the winter warmth of Arizona or Florida. For major-league teams, spring training is an opportunity to get back into playing shape, for players to try new things: minor-leaguers get a chance to impress, pitchers play with new pitchers or mechanics, and position players do drills, take reps, everyone getting used to the new rules.
There are a lot of those this year: a pitch clock to speed up the game; rules about how often pitchers can try to pick off runners; and a prohibition on the shift, the practice of moving players on the field based on the expectation of where a particular hitter is likely to send the ball.
I think these are all by and large good. Suffering through outings by Jason Frasor, or, years later Rafael Dolys, as they prepped and hemmed and hawed, I'm not going to complain about games running shorter. I'm sad about the banning of the shift, not because I particularly like it, but because I feel like professional athletes should have found a way to adapt to it. Change their stance to change the likely position of a hit. With a crowded right-side of the infield, bunt to third, get on base, look to steal. But I've always been a National League fan (in spirit) cheering for an American League team. I love small ball, and I don't love the designated hitter, even as the game solidified its homer-happy ways.
So far the new rules seem fine. No computer-mediated strikezone yet, which is what I really want, particularly after some appalling games last year. Keep the umpires on the bases to apply the (extremely arcane) rules of the game. But create a strike zone that's fair and adjusts based on every batter at the plate. That would be an incredible use of technology.
But, March is almost over. Yesterday was opening day. And yesterday afternoon, the Blue Jays beat the Cardinals in the latter's home opener in dramatic fashion, winning 10-9 in a game that had 34 combined hits and the lead going back and forth.
It was exactly what I love about baseball: extremely unlikely (both teams starting the season with their aces, their best pitchers, on the mound), lots of small ball - the Jays had 19 hits, zero of them home runs - with both teams' pitching seeming extremely suspect before Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano came in and pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the save.
His first of the year, hopefully the first of many more.
I've watched a lot of baseball over the years. I started in university, coming home from class and settling into the velvety brown armchair in my sister's bedroom, the chair she'd picked up for cheap from Value Village years ago. She'd moved out that year, and had one of those mini TVs that were so popular with teenagers back in the 90s. So I'd sit down, have a Keith's, and watch Roy Halladay or Josh Towers or Gustavo Chacin take the ball. Those were not good years, the Jays mired in a long playoff drought that would extend until 2015. But that didn't matter. It was the rhythm of it. Baseball every day. Win or lose, the feeling doesn't last for long. And there's always hope on opening day.
So we've started the 2023 season. The Blue Jays are, again, favourites to do well. No guarantees. I mean, look at last year, flaming out in the wild card series to the Seattle Mariners. But that's last year's news. Each season brings new hope. And after a wild opener yesterday afternoon in St. Louis, the Jays are 1-0, and play again tomorrow afternoon.