Written by Grant Brisbee at McCovey Chronicles.com
And, suddenly, without provocation or warning, baseball wasn’t so mysterious after all.
It’s so weird when this happens. You’re expecting errors and pinch-hit home runs and a labrador retriever stealing the rosin bag and airplanes landing on the field. “That’s the thing about baseball,” you say when home plate transforms into a tiny, white robot that shoots into the sky. “You see something new every day!”
Madison Bumgarner is one of the better pitchers in the National League. The Braves have one of the worst lineups in the National League. You have expectations with that kind of matchup. Reasonable, logical expectations. Their cleanup hitter was Jeff Francoeur. On purpose. Their starting pitcher was a rookie who has struggled with the transition to the majors. When you add it all up, it sure sounds like the kind of game that the Giants might win 6-0.
The Giants defeated the Braves on Thursday, winning by a score of 6-0.
Maybe there’s a novel to be written about baseball happening exactly like we expect it. The alternate history where Jesse Foppert wins three Cy Youngs and Todd Linden makes six All-Star teams, while Joe Panik becomes a utility player and Matt Duffy is never drafted. This would be a game for that novel. Madison Bumgarner and the Giants were better than Aaron Blair and the Braves before the game. They were better during the game. They are still better, even though the game has ended. It’s not even arrogant to suggest it. It just is.
Every other time, something weird will happen. The Giants won’t score against Blair, or Bumgarner won’t find his release point, or something else will reaffirm your belief that baseball is a sociopath. This time, though, baseball sure was predictable.
Thank you for being respectful and well-mannered, baseball.
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