Feature Photo: Phillip Ervin, LF, Reds
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It’s a rare occasion that I actually get to yell out the timeworn film cliché “Hollywood, get me rewrite!” but I just did do. In fact, if you live a door down from me on either side you may have heard it. I know I woke my husband up and started my dog who ran around in manic circles for a few moments.
But I had this pretty darn great (if I do say so myself) lede for this week’s intro all written … all three witty, clever paragraphs most of you might have just not read.
It was about two players, joined in call-up-to-the-big-leagues joy within a few hours of each other last Tuesday. Then I had to edit it later in the week when one of them became our second “debut-not” of the young season (he’ll be back). Then, finally, this morning (BEFORE I’D EVEN HAD MY COFFEE! I AM SO DEDICATED TO MY JOB!) had to completely scrap it because while the other player IS still in the big leagues, he’s been watching a lot of games with one of the best seats in the house all week. Nope. Hasn’t gotten into a game yet.
So, hopefully, next week he’ll get his day in the sun (well, he’s probably had a few of them – those bullpens are rarely protected by shade). Maybe his team will even recall the other guy and I can re-share their brotherly love story.
Instead, this week, we have a grand total of THREE debuts. Was I whining last week about having too many? Oops.
FUN-FACT-OF-THE-WEEK: Last season, the Cincinnati Reds had 12 players make their MLB debuts over the course of the six-month regular season. So far, in April, they’ve had SEVEN players debut. Welcome to the big leagues, left fielder Phillip Ervin.
Since I don’t have reams and reams of statistical anomalies to share, I’ll take this rare occasion to give an update on one of our earlier debuts from this season, speedy White Sox center fielder Jacob May. Now, I rarely if ever follow up on our debs … once they’ve gotten in that first game, they’ve graduated 2080’s ranks and have moved on to the big-kid writers who cover the majors leagues. But since editor Mark Shreve brought this little tidbit to my attention, and since I didn’t have much else to talk about, and since I get to end it with a virtual smiley face, here goes:
May, the latest in a truly fine multi-generational baseball family, broke camp with the Sox out of spring training and made his debut on April 4, but he had a little trouble breaking out of the gate. Through April 21, May was 0-for-26 before he finally “broke the schneid” on April 22 when, pinch-hitting for left fielder Melky Cabrera in the seventh inning of a 7-0 loss to the Indians, he singled to right field for his first big league hit! While he did not get a hit the next night, he was in the lineup and drew a walk, laid down a sac bunt and scored a run, so I have faith things are looking up and I bet he SCORCHES in MAY!!! Kudos to the Sox for sticking with this kid through the hard times. He should be worth it.
But I digress. So, yes, it was a blessedly and welcome quiet week in “the ballroom,” with just three players who made their major league debuts from April 17-23.
And you can read about all of them here in, probably, less time than it took you to read this intro:
Click here to view our running table of major league debuts this season!
(Reminder! The MLB Debut table is also found by clicking the Spotlights Tab on our home page, and scrolling to the top sub-menu selection.)
