Corey Seager had quite a first day in Dodger Blue. He was awoken early Thursday morning to the news that he was coming to the show. Then jumped on a plane later that day, certainly after spreading the news to family and friends, towards San Diego. It was there that the real circus began. Given uniform #5 to wear, Seager was immediately surrounded by throngs of teammates and reporters. All of whom, no doubt, had questions galore.
They prodded. He answered. The cross-examination seemingly lasted forever. When the dust settled he followed his routine and prepared for the game. Corey Seager would come onto the field that evening to play his first Major League game as the starting shortstop, and "oh boy" did he impress.
After whiffing in his first at-bat in the 2nd inning, Corey doubled off of Padres pitcher Colin Rhea for his first Major League hit (You can watch it above). He would soon score the Dodgers first run of the game on a Joc Pederson single. Then in the 6th inning he single to center to drive in two runs to give the Dodger the lead, 5-4.
Unfortunately, the Dodger bullpen did as they are wont to do this season - they imploded into a magnificent mess. They surrendered four runs in the 8th inning to sink the Dodgers like an anchor in San Diego Bay. Via
Beth Maiman and Jay Paris at MLB.com:
"The first hit, that was really cool,'' Seager said. "That was my first thought where I was like, 'Wow, I'm actually here.'"
Via
Mark Saxon at ESPN:
“It was a lot of fun,” Seager said. “It would have been nice to get a
win, but at the end of the day, I still had fun on my first day.”
Although we don't have a victory to accompany a fantastic start for the young phenom, we do get an opportunity to see it all again. He'll start tonight's game at thirdbase - spelling Justin Turner in the lineup.
Photo at the very top via
Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers on twitter.
Check out some great photo by Jon from yesterday
here. Below are more links to check out:
He [Conroy] said it wasn’t neighborhood [play], I guess. Actually, he told me he doesn’t believe in the neighborhood play. So, I guess he changed the rules tonight, and it’s something for the league to think about. I didn’t really realize he could actually change the rules during the game. Jim Joyce believed in it the other day against the Cubs. I’m just frustrated right now.”
- Via Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk, "Dodgers are already fed up with 6.56 ERA-pitching, excuse-making Mat Latos." Mattingly has him on the short-leash, as they say.
- This sounds really cool. Unfortunately, much of LA won't be able to watch it. This coming Sunday, September 6th SporteNet LA will premier “Sports shrines of LA: Dodger stadium” at 5:00 PM. It is part one of a six-part documentary series featuring six different sports facilities in LA. This episode will feature the history and several unforgettable moments at Dodger Stadium. Other venues include STAPLES Center, The Forum, LA Memorial Coliseum, the Rose Bowl and StubHub Center. Per a press release I received:
“Sports Shrines of LA: Dodger Stadium” also will provide fans with unique insight into little-known facts about the venue – including stories never heard before – such as why Sandy Koufax almost never pitched a single game in Dodger Stadium, the most challenging renovation project of the stadium, and why baseball is just one part of the stadium’s allure. In addition, the special touches upon the Dodgers’ brief residency at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which served as the Dodgers home for four seasons from 1958-1961.
- This has been a terribly bad saga, and as a Kings fan it gives me much shame. As you may know, defenseman Slava Voynov pled no contest to misdemeanor “corporal injury to a spouse" - basically he beat his wife - a couple of months ago, and has been in jail ever since. Well, he just got out and was immediately taken in by ICE. Via Josh Cooper at Puck Daddy, "Slava Voynov taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement." Maybe he'll get deported so that I don't have to go through the moral quandary of rooting for a team with a wife-beater on it.
- In lighter Kings news, watch the Kings build the Staples Center ice surface here.
