Baseball is Back

Unpacking all that was Opening Day, Conference USA might be the newest basketball powerhouse and a memorable performance for one particular pitcher

Welcome back to another edition of Snagged Sports, where we ✨snag✨ all of the best stories in sports and serve them up on a screen near you. In today's edition, we're unpacking all that was Opening Day, Conference USA might be the newest basketball powerhouse and a memorable performance for one particular pitcher. Let's get into it.

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Main Character: Baseball

We alluded to it yesterday, but baseball is now officially all the way back. All 30 MLB teams saw action yesterday, starting with an Aaron Judge home run and ending with an incredible no-look catch by Angels' outfielder Hunter Renfroe. America's pastime is here for the foreseeable future, so let's dive into who got off on the right foot, and which teams have room for improvement, shall we?

All the Runs

It was not a good day to be a pitcher in the MLB (unless your name is Shohei Ohtani). I'm not sure if it's Opening Day jitters, or baseballs are getting easier to hit, but these teams were seeing the ball crystal clear in their regular season debuts.

Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles had a perfect day at the office in the home opener, going 5-5 with 4 RBI's, a walk, and the most important stat, a win. The last was not on his own, as it was all offense for this team, combining for 15 hits, as they barely edged out the Red Sox 10-9.

Also ending the game in a 10-9 score were the Blue Jays and the Cardinals as the teams combined for 34 hits. The Blue Jays came out victorious in this one with George Springer lighting it up by going 5-6 on the day with an RBI and four runs scored. Both starters of this game finished with an ERA of 13.50 and will definitely be looking for redemption down the road.

New Look Rangers

The eyes of Texas were upon the $185 million dollar man, Jacob deGrom, in his first start with the club, and well, it didn't go so well. Finishing just 3.2 innings, giving up 6 hits (all extra base hits), and allowing 5 runs is not exactly what you would expect from your star pitcher. It was looking bleak with a 5-0 Phillies lead and a Rangers team not usually known for its offensive prowess, but then the 4th inning rolled around.

In the highest scoring inning of the day, and maybe the season, the Rangers saw 11 total batters take to the plate and featured a 3-run shot by Robbie Grossman, a two-run double by catcher Jonah Heim, a score on a wild pitch, and a run-of-the-mill RBI single from outfielder Adolis Garcia. Immediately, the tides shifted towards the Rangers, and it remained that way for the rest of the day.

Rangers' outfielder/DH Brad Miller added on a two-run homer in the 5th and sealed the deal to give the team out of Arlington a 1-0 record to start the season. "I'm not thrilled how I threw the ball but we got the win," said deGrom in his postgame interview. With offense like this, it may not matter how the Rangers pitch, but with a guy like deGrom, there's sure to be some quick fixes for him to get back to his old self again.

Blown Saves

The Angels and Astros were looking right at a W for the win column, but unfortunately for them, the 9th inning exists.

The White Sox were down to their final three outs against one of the best closers in the game, Ryan Pressly of the Astros. Like I said, Opening Day jitters are apparently a real thing as the Sox from Chi-town put together 2 runs on a double from Andrew Vaughn that resulted in a win.

As for the Angels, Ohtani could only do so much. After going 6 innings allowing just 2 hits and striking out 10, it was on the rest of the bullpen to get the job done. Spoiler: they did not get it done. A's stud, Tony Kemp, along with Aldemys Diaz, combined for 2 RBI's in the bottom of the 8th to get the lead, and keep the lead, to hand the Angels' their first loss of the season.

Luckily for all of these teams, there's still 161 games to go. The ebbs and flows of baseball are ever-present, so there's no need to freak out or celebrate a potential title just yet. Welcome back baseball, we missed you.

You May Not Have Seen THIS 👀

The University of North Texas are the 2023 NIT Tournament Champions.

In a Conference USA battle between the Mean Green and the UAB Blazer's, it was a chance to show the college basketball world that mid-majors have what it takes to win, and also, that these teams belong in the national basketball conversation.

UAB's Jordan "Jelly" Walker did his best to try and will his team to a win with 21 points and 6 assists, but the defense of UNT was too much for the Blazers. UNT guards Tylor Perry and Kai Huntsberry combined for 41 of the team's 68 points including a step back dagger from Perry to secure his team the title.

Conference USA now becomes the first conference the potentially hold all three tournament titles at the same time.

Watch out for CUSA, because after this year, they have indeed made themselves into a conference to look out for in future NCAA tournaments.

🤍 Wholesome Content 🤍

Nothing beats the feeling of getting ahold of a baseball during a game, but this kid showed us that it isn't always about getting what you want.

💰 Mr. Cover's Corner 💰

❌ Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers U 7.5 runs

✅ Phillies vs. Rangers -135

About last night...

The Rangers scared me for a bit, but a 9 run inning will help any ML bet. deGrom looked fine, as long as he gets eased in I’m ok with a couple of tough starts. The Dodgers offense came alive last night, but i’m not worried about tonight. Under under under!

🏒 NHL: Stars -1.5 vs. Coyotes & O 6 goals

The Stars have covered this in all three matchups this year, so why not a fourth time? Arizona is playing better than expected, but still no where near good enough to handle Dallas. Give me the over here too. I like the over as it feels like good value, especially with the Stars hitting the under in their last 3 games. I see massive potential at a big offensive game from the Stars.

⚾️ MLB: Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers U 7.5 runs

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, strike three. I played select baseball with Dustin May for a summer when I was like 11, so it's safe to say we are pretty good friends. I believe in my good pal Dustin to give me this under.

As per usual, do you what you must with this valuable information.

🐣 Tweet of the Day 🐣

Opening Day is not a day you want to miss on the National Anthem, and St. Louis hit it out of the park on this one. Longtime Cardinal, Adam Wainwright, stepped up to the mic and delivered a solid performance in, from what I could find, his first ever National Anthem appearance. What a moment, and what a way to start off his last season in the majors.

Quick Hits 🥊

  • Florida QB Anthony Richardson impressed at his Pro Day, even throwing in a backflip to show off his athleticism.

  • Celtics beat the top seeded Milwaukee Bucks by 40 including a 40 piece from MVP candidate Jayson Tatum.

  • Wooden award finalists were announced which included Purdue center Zach Edey, Gonzaga forward Drew Timme, and Houston guard Marcus Sasser.

  • Giants' GM John Mara warned head coach Brian Daboll not to "turn from Bono to Bozo".

  • Play was suspended for three hours at the Valero Texas Open due to fog.

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