It was Day One of my favorite week of the baseball year — Division Series week. Somebody had to sit in front of the old flat screen and watch baseball for 7 1/2 hours. That somebody was me.
I saw an unforgettable steal of home. I saw an Astros game I could have sworn I’d seen before. I saw many amazing things. And the good news for you is, I reported all my findings to the Weird and Wild Department. So here it comes, the first Weird and Wild postseason extravaganza of 2021.
1. All hail Mr. October-ena
From April to September, Randy Arozarena is a fun player. A must-watch player. A player so mega-talented, he’s almost certain to become the AL rookie of the year.
But it’s not April to September anymore, is it? It’s October. And in October, Randy Arozarena turns into a Willie Mays kind of player. And until I typed that sentence, I thought the only Willie Mays kind of player who ever lived was … Willie Mays!
Thursday evening, in Game 1 of the ALDS, the Rays’ mesmerizing left fielder had himself a night. He reached base three times. Bashed another titanic postseason homer. Made a spectacular base running play to score the game’s first run. But face it, we’re not going to remember any of that in five or 10 or 50 years. We’re going to remember this!
Merely to call that “a steal of home” doesn’t do it justice. This wasn’t a double steal or a botched rundown or the kind of steal of home we’re normally stuck with here in the 21st century. This was a bolt of baseball lightning, straight out of a Jackie Robinson highlight reel.
