Digested the South Korean starter between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, the MLB is preparing to experience tomorrow, Thursday 28 March, the most awaited event of spring: Opening Day, the day in which the country stops to fill the Major League stadiums. The day that opens the season will see all the teams on the pitch with eleven of fifteen matches in a time slot that winks in particular at the European public.
Also this year, as per the contract, MLB will be broadcast live on TV (and streaming on NOW) on the channels of Sky Sport which will broadcast two matches live during Opening Week: New York Mets against Milwaukee Brewers Thursday (at 18), e Philadelphia Phillies against Atlanta Braves Sunday at 19.30.
Mets–Brewers it will also be the very first game of Opening Day 2024, as well as a new series in the first week of the season. The two teams, in fact, belonging to two different divisions of the National League, have never faced each other in their seasonal debut, but they can boast something in common such as, for example, David Stearns who from 2015 to 2023 was the Brewers’ primary manager and the architect of three division victories and five playoff appearances. At the beginning of the off-season Stearns moved to the New York Mets with the mission of fixing the disastrous 2023. Stearns led a market characterized by austerity and a low profile, redesigning the team with one or two signatures seasons like pitchers
Luis Severino, Jorge Lopez, Sean Manaea e Shintaro Fujinamithe Italian-American winger Harrison Bader and the designated hitter JD Martinez, signed just last week. Another point in common between the two teams is having two debut managers at the helm. The New Yorkers have entrusted the clubhouse to the Venezuelan Carlos Mendoza (44 years old, former Yankees coach), the Brewers identified in Pat Murphy the ideal replacement for Craig Counsellwho did not give up on a proposal worth 40 million dollars in five years that came from Chicago Cubs. Murphy, 64 years old, has been Counsell’s bench coach at the Brewers for the last 8 seasons and in truth has already had experience as a manager in MLB: in 2015 he replaced Andy Greene at the helm of the San Diego Padres for the last 96 games of the season. For Murphy it is therefore a debut as a full-fledged manager. He is a name and face known to European baseball fans, having led the national team of Kingdom of the Netherlands at the European Championships 1987 (victory against our national team) and in Sydney 2000, on the occasion of the XXVII edition of Olympic Games.
Between Mets and Brewers it will be a challenge between players who share the blue uniform: Sal Frelickreduce dal Classic ’23 con Italia
Baseball, after making his debut in MLB last season, he is expected from his first Opening Day in the starting squad and will occupy the role of center fielder but it is not excluded that he could also be tried out as third base during the season, a position already tasted during the Spring Training. They will be in the ranks of the New York Mets Brandon Nimmo (with Italy in the Classic ’17), now one of the points of reference, and Adam Ottavino (with Italy in 2009) who at 38 is in his third season with the Mets and his fourteenth in MLB.
The Mets hope for their lucky stars: in the Opening Day games they have the best winning percentage thanks to the 41-21 record that the metropolitans hope to improve with the lefty Jose Quintanawho will face the twenty-seven year old Freddy Peralta, called to start for the first time in his career in the opening match of the season. However, it will capture the attention of many Jackson Chouriotwenty years old, number 2 prospect in the MLB according to the experts of MLB Pipeline, a talent from the Milwaukee Brewers who has won a place in the starting team and will probably start from the first inning in the outfield. He is the youngest (20 years and 17 days tomorrow) player in MLB and the youngest Brewer to make his Opening Day debut since April 5, 1974, when an 18-year-old Robin Yount
(Hall of Fame member since 1999) made his debut as a starting shortstop against the Boston Red Sox.
Philadelphia Phillies – Atlanta Braves
will close the “Opening Week” of Sky Sport with the all-left-handed challenge between Ranger Suarez and the “Condor” Chris Sale, one of the Braves’ few quality signings. The two teams, in fact, have not changed their personnel much: in addition to Sale (who arrived in an exchange with the Red Sox who received the young and talented infielder Vaughn Grissom), the Braves added the outfielder Jarred
Kelenic (from the Mariners) the pitchers Aaron Bummer (from the White Sox; in exchange for five elements, including the blue Nicky Lopez) e Reynaldo Lopezand the slugger Adam Duvall. Also among the new arrivals David
Fletcher, who will begin the season in Triple-A with Gwinnett. The Phillies have changed even less: lost valuable elements such as Rhys Hoskins (new Brewers first baseman), Michael Lorenzen e Craig Kimbrelthe Phillies went all-in on keeping the ace Aaron Nola (seven-year contract for $172 million), inserting only Colby Allard, Spencer
Turnbull e l’utility Whit Merrifield.
The reason is easily explained: both Phillies and Braves inherit top-level teams from previous seasons and are perfectly capable of competing for the play-offs. The Braves, after winning the title in 2021, won a total of 205 regular season games between 2022 and 2023 and are coming off six consecutive division titles. The Phillies came close to the ring in 2022, losing the World Series in six games to Houston, and in the last two seasons they eliminated the Braves (3-1) in the Division Series. Sky Sport will broadcast the match that will close the first series between the two rivals on Sunday (7.30pm) and it will certainly be fun.
There are 10 Italians present in the Opening Day starting rosters: in addition to the aforementioned Sal Frelick, Brandon Nimmo and Adam Ottavino, also Vinnie Pasquantino (Kansas City Royals), Dominic Fletcher and Nicky Lopez (Kansas City Royals), Anthony Rizzo (New York Yankees), Jordan Romano (Toronto Blue Jays, could be placed on the injured list due to elbow inflammation), Miles Mastrobuoni (Chicago Cubs) and Andre Pallante (St. Louis Cardinals).
In the last few hours the last important free agent has also found accommodation, Jordan Montgomerywho signed a one-year, $25 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed pitcher, formerly of the Yankees and Cardinals, was fundamental in the second half of last season for the Texas Rangers in their run to the title which they then won against the Dbacks.
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In the cover photo (Erik McGregor/Lightrocket/Getty Images) an image of Citi Field dressed to the nines for the New York Mets’ 2023 home opener.
2024-03-27 10:39:11
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