What a first weekend of baseball it was.
Plenty to make you smile. Plenty to make you laugh. Plenty to make you worry.
The Pirates got a win Sunday. Finally. If you couldn’t crack a smile for Derek Shelton after the 5-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals, you might not be human. He began his coaching career in 1997 with the New York Yankees’ Gulf Coast League team and waited more than two decades to get his chance to manage in the big leagues. Even after getting the Pirates’ job in November, he had to endure the COVID-19 shutdown and two disheartening losses in the first two games against the Cardinals before getting his first win, thanks to five strong innings from Mitch Keller, lights-out bullpen work from JT Brubaker (major league debut), Michael Feliz and Nick Burdi and home runs from Colin Moran and Jose Osuna. Shelton’s joy was palpable, especially after his players doused him with water in the dugout and with “beer, baby powder, orange juice, apple juice, just about everything” in the clubhouse.
“It’s probably the best shower I’ve ever taken,” Shelton said.
The laughs came in the third inning Sunday. It was our official welcome to Baseball, 2020. Pirates pitcher Derek Holland was sitting in the stands, practicing social distancing, when he was ejected from the premises by giant home plate umpire Jordan Baker for chirping about balls-and-strikes calls on Keller. It was humorous because Holland got tossed before he even played his first game for the Pirates. But that wasn’t the best part. That came in the argument — if that’s what you want to call it — that followed between the 6-foot-7 Baker and Shelton.
Shelton, wearing his mask, came out of the dugout to protect his player. Baker quickly moved toward him, fumbling to get his COVID-19 mask out of his pocket and over his face. Shelton immediately backed up — 6 feet, remember — before the two exchanged unpleasantries. It wasn’t exactly Jim Leyland going nose-to-nose with an umpire or Lou Piniella kicking dirt over home plate or Earl Weaver doing Earl Weaver histrionics. But it was great fun.
Give Baker a lot of credit. He also remembered to cover his face when he and Shelton had a subsequent discussion later in the third inning after Shelton visited Keller on the mound. The problem was Baker had to use his cap because his mask had broken during the argument. It was a 90-plus degree day at Busch Stadium. Imagine how that sweaty cap must have smelled. On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t imagine it.
“Jordan did a really good job with it,” Shelton said of their beef. “We were trying to stay distanced. We were both aware of it. It was the first time. We were both in an unknown area. He was great. He handled it professionally.”
The virus might not get to Baker and Shelton, but it remains a major issue in baseball — in all of sports, really. That’s where the worry comes in. What started as an encouraging weekend, when MLB announced only six positive tests out of nearly 11,000 samples, quickly took a frightening turn. The sport is facing a major challenge.
It started when Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto had to miss the weekend series against the New York Yankees after testing positive Tuesday. The problem was he played in an exhibition game that night against the Baltimore Orioles before the test results came back Thursday. How many other players and staff members were at risk because of Soto?
The same thing happened with the Cincinnati Reds’ Matt Davidson. He was the team’s designated hitter Friday night against the Detroit Tigers before his test came back positive on Saturday. Did Davidson inflict the virus on other players? The Reds placed second baseman Mike Moustakas on the injury list Sunday and scratched center fielder Nick Senzel before the game but didn’t say why.
The worst came Sunday when the Miami Marlins had to play the Philadelphia Phillies without scheduled starting pitcher Jose Urena and regulars Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez and Jorge Alfaro. Cooper and Ramirez played in the first two games of the series and Alfaro was placed on the injury list Friday before the first game. The Marlins offered no specific details, but there were multiple reports that the players tested positive. Somehow, the Marlins found a way to win, 11-6. But should the game have been played? And what about the Marlins’ trip home for their game Monday night against the Orioles? The team delayed its flight from Sunday night to Monday and might have to leave several players behind in Philadelphia.
It was a grim reminder that the virus isn’t going anywhere.
My advice?
Be glad that baseball is back. Enjoy what success Shelton and the Pirates have. Smile and laugh about the games while you can.
But know this:
We’ll all feel like crying if baseball goes away again.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter @RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Joe” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: July 27, 2020, 12:21 p.m.
