Yesterday was a day that baseball fans anxiously awaited since late October: Opening Day. Of course, the “official” first day of baseball was March 28th, but if you are not a fan of either the Seattle Mariners (though you ought to be!) or Oakland Athletics, and if you did not feel like staying up until three o’clock in the morning to watch the games being played in Japan, then you probably missed the action.
Sure, there was the single Wednesday night game this week that featured the defending World Series champions St. Louis Cardinals and the new-look Miami Marlins, but it was April 5th that, in my eyes, marked the beginning of the season. Multiple games, plenty of highlights for SportsCenter, superstars from various teams finally being put on display, and major points put up in fantasy leagues.
Justin Verlander picked up where he left off last season by giving up only two hits to the dangerous Boston Red Sox offense. That game got the season off on the right foot, as it ended in walk-off fashion thanks to an RBI single from Austin Jackson. Baseball fans were also treated to the longest game in Opening Day history (16 innings), as the Toronto Blue Jays’ J.P. Arencibia smacked a three-run homer to finally end the contest. New York fans saw the resurrection of Johan Santana, who threw five solid innings for the first time in more than a year to help the Mets beat the Braves 1-0.
Today brings more action and excitement, with the remaining teams beginning their 162 game marathons. These include the reinforced Angels and the always dangerous Yankees. My DVR is set and MLB Network is my default channel once again.
