.png)
Greetings, fellow baseball enjoyers! And welcome to our thrice-weekly newsletter/blog.
My name’s AJ… and this is Two-Strike Count.
Skenes sizzles in big league debut
Sometimes a player’s MLB debut can be overhyped. And sometimes they can be a bit disappointing. Paul Skenes first start for the Pirates was neither. In fact…it was quite the opposite.
The former Air Force Falcon and LSU Tiger made his first appearance for the Pirates in the most anticipated big league debut (at least for a pitcher) in years. And the fans at PNC Park were treated to quite a show.
The fans were so excited to see their top prospect in action, in fact, a crowd of them gathered around the bullpen to watch him warm up. As it turned out, Skenes’ bullpen session was just the beginning.
The 2023 number one overall pick tossed 4 strong innings against the Cubs while striking out 7, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs, and a pair of walks. Skenes struck out Chicago lead-off hitter Mike Tauchman by showing off his 100 mile per hour fastball then did the same to Seiya Suzuki on three pitches…including his trademark “splinker.”
Skenes did struggle at points, and got himself into a couple of jams. But he worked his way out of trouble with the help of his defense. His day ended at 84 pitches and he left the mound to thunderous applause from the Pirates faithful.
Pittsburgh’s brass must’ve been impressed too, as they announced Skenes will be part of the rotation moving forward.
It was only one start, and he did have his fair share of struggles, but Paul Skenes showed up and showed out in his first big league start. It’s too soon to know for sure…but all signs point to the conclusion that the Pirates hit big time on their first overall pick.
Ohtani-Mizuhara saga to get TV series
And now from the file of things nobody asked for, Lionsgate announced they’re developing a scripted series based on the Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal that shook baseball earlier this year.
The show is set to follow Ohtani’s rise to superstardom, his historic contract with the Dodgers, and the shocking turn of events when news broke that his then-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara allegedly stole $17 million to pay off gambling debts.
Mizuhara has since plead guilty to federal charges and is set to be arraigned May 14.
Look, I know a gambling scandal involving a player who’s arguably baseball’s biggest star is big news. But why a scripted series? Why not a documentary? A documentary would be much more informative and make for a much better record of the bizarre events that have unfolded. Not to mention it would be fact-based and less sensationalized.
Sure, a documentary probably wouldn’t make as much money as a scripted series but…oh, wait.
Now I get it.
Lionsgate (and who knows who else) probably stands to make a boatload of money, and generate a ton of publicity for themselves, on this thing. Money and publicity they’d miss out on if someone made a documentary instead.
That leads me to conclude this isn’t so much about telling a story as much as it’s about cashing in on a scandal… in more ways than one. And here I thought we were rid of greedy studios and production companies after they got their collective butts handed to them by the WGA last year.
Guess I was wrong. Silly me.
Thoughts as season hits the quarter mark
Believe it or not, baseball fans, the 2024 season is already about a quarter of the way over. Before you know it, we’ll be talkin about wild cards, division races, and the World Series.
But before we get there, let’s dive into some of the biggest stories through the season’s first 40-ish games.
Leading off, the AL Central. Last year it was arguably the worst division in baseball. But this year’s been a very different story. How different? For starters, it’s the only division with four of its five teams at or above the .500 mark. And, so far anyways, it’s the tightest division race in baseball. The Guardians, Twins, and Royals are all within a half-game of each other. And don’t count the Tigers out, either, at just 4 and a half games out.
Next, on the other side of the coin, are the Houston Astros. Yes, those Houston Astros. The Houston Astros who have made 7 straight ALCS appearances. Right now, though, things aren’t lookin too hot for number eight. They got off to the franchise’s worst start in 10 years, going 12-24 through their first 36 games. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Houston’s got the third-worst team ERA in baseball at 4.92. Their offense has been fine, but if the Astros don’t get more from their pitchers… they’ll be watching the playoffs from the couch.
And last, but definitely not least, Shota Imanaga. The Dodgers and their signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto got the lion’s share of attention this off-season. Chicago’s acquisition of Imanaga, meanwhile, sorta fell by the wayside. But I’d argue Imaanga has been the better signing so far. The former Yokohama ace has been lights out for the Northsiders, with a 1.08 ERA and being one of the best at getting batters to swing and miss.
That’s it for this edition of Two-Strike Count, baseball fans. Until next time!
Psst… Remember to subscribe and get every issue delivered right to your inbox.
Commenti