Major League Baseball is back, and it feels great to see games that count happening with fans, albeit limited, in attendance. While the focus has been on the action on the field, there has been plenty of news off of it as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest news stories from the week.
Washington Nationals, New York Mets Postponed
While the regular season kicked off without a hitch for most teams, there are two teams still awaiting their Opening Day. The Washington Nationals and New York Mets were supposed to play a three-game set to open the season, but that series was postponed due to COVID-19 issues.
To be more specific, the series was postponed due to a small COVID-19 outbreak within the Nationals organization. It appears that four players from the Nationals have tested positive while five other players and a staff member are in quarantine due to contact tracing.
While things have been more normal to start this season compared to last, incidents like this are still a reminder that COVID-19 is still a real threat. With the two teams being relatively close in proximity and in the same division, the league is hoping that making up the games will be easier throughout the season. Still, too many more hiccups could cause some real scheduling concerns.
The Mets will now open on Monday when they travel to Philadelphia, while the Nationals are hoping to host the Braves Tuesday after Monday’s game was postponed. Currently, the Mets are the favorites to win the NL East while the Nationals are third, so whenever they can play, it should be a lot of fun.
Angels, Fletcher Agree To Extension
Thursday might have been Opening Day for teams across baseball, but that doesn’t mean that business wasn’t being done as well. The Los Angeles Angels and second baseman David Fletcher agreed to a five-year extension that will pay Fletcher $26 million. There are also two option years worth $8 and $8.5 million in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
At 26, Fletcher has shown that he is versatile on defense while being valuable on offense. Last season, in 207 at-bats, Fletcher hit .319/.376/.425 with three home runs, 18 runs batted in and 31 runs scored.
This deal buys out Fletcher’s arbitration years while also buying out a few free-agent years. If Fletcher keeps up his strong play, this could be a steal of a deal for the Angels while offering Fletcher the financial security of a longer contract.
Berrios Misses Out On Chance At History
Opening weekend saw some fantastic performances on both sides of the plate, but Saturday night may have taken the cake. In a 2-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota’s Jose Berrios was about as dominant as it gets.
Through six innings, Berrios had struck out 12 and did not allow a hit. He also didn’t allow a walk. While a hit-by-pitch ruined the chance of a perfect game, Berrios wasn’t given a chance to make history with a no-hitter.
After six innings, Berrios had already thrown 84 pitches. With managers already cautious with their starters in their first few starts, Berrios’ pitch count was way too high already to risk another three innings on his arm.
Instead, Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli handed the ball to his bullpen, which went three scoreless innings (although Tyler Duffey did give up a hit in the eighth).
To his credit, Brewers starter Corbin Burnes was almost as dominant. He also had a no-hitter going until Byron Buxton took him deep in the seventh inning. As a result, Burnes picked up the loss despite giving up the single run in 6 1/3 innings and striking out 11.
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