Take That Atlanta and More

Baseball’s Family Breakups, Ohtani and More

By David A. Avila

No hard feelings.

After two major stars for rival teams switched uniforms the Los Angeles Dodgers touted their new slugger Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves showcased their ace closer Kenley Jansen.

Both stars met each other in different uniforms and early Fourth of July fireworks commenced.

A stoic Freeman welcomed his old team the Braves with a homerun launched to left field to open the scoring. The Braves refused to accept his free agent terms while signing another free agent Matt Olson to an even more lucrative deal and here was his rebuttal to the Atlanta team who he led to the World Series Championship in 2021.

Jansen was in the same scenario. As the all-time record holder for Dodger saves, he had literally been a savior for the team last year as he shut down the opposition with a fiery disposition not seen before in his career. Despite his success last year, his age was a major factor in his free agency and the Dodgers were outbid by Atlanta.

No hard feelings.

In their first face-to-face meeting on Monday at Dodger Stadium it was Freeman who drew first blood with a homer to left centerfield in his first at bat against his former team. Despite all the hugs and handshakes between Freeman and his former mates he still must feel resentment and exploded on the fast ball away with a vindictive swat of his bat. The Dodgers won the first game.

Game two saw Freeman’s replacement Olson hit his own homer and then the former Dodger closer Jansen walked in from the enemy bullpen and proved why the Braves signed him to a lucrative one-year contract. The old warhorse shut down the Dodgers and closed the game for his new team the Braves. All those hugs and smiles from former teammates didn’t stop Jansen from shutting down his former boys.

In the deciding game of the three-game series, once again Freeman exploded, this instance on a low pitch and lined a cannon shot to right field that traveled no higher than 20 feet from home plate for 380 feet over the right field wall. Freeman had spoken with his bat once more. He wasn’t finished. He also sprayed two more hits in going three for four and led the Dodgers to a 5-1 win over their NL rivals.

Once again it showed that when strong ties are severed it leads to quiet bitterness from those cast out. Remember last year when Joc Pederson returned as a Brave during the National League Championship Series. His homer was a bullet to the heart against the Dodgers. Or Alex Wood pitching for the rival San Francisco Giants against the Dodgers in the NL West Division playoffs. His performance was tinted with vengeance.

This weekend the Dodgers face the San Diego Padres who have former teammates Matt Beaty, Manny Machado and Yu Darvish. Expect a bitter battle.

It’s only a game so just remember, no hard feelings.

Angels

If the Houston Astros felt they had Shohei Ohtani’s number after beating the Los Angeles Angels pitcher all last year, they were sadly mistaken.

Ohtani showed his resentment with a masterful performance in perfect fashion against the Astros who were set down one after the other for five innings. And when Ohtani grabbed a bat, he once again proved why he was voted Most Valuable Player last year with his uncanny ability to hit and pitch. The tall amiable Japanese star clubbed two hits and two runs batted in the 6-0 victory over Houston.

Also, just for kicks, Ohtani became the first pitcher in MLB history to bat twice before throwing a single pitch as a starter.

Trevor’s story

Trevor Bauer’s administrative leave was extended an additional week through April 29 by MLB and the players association, according to various media outlets.

Bauer was accused of sexual assault by a Southern California woman who claimed assault after mutually consenting to sex.

Though charges against Bauer for alleged sexual assault were dropped by the Los Angeles County District Attorney, MLB has their own rules and penalties for players accused of sexual assault or domestic abuse claims.

The last time Dodger pitcher Trevor Bauer put on the uniform was back in June 29, 2021, nearly a year ago.

When Bauer last pitched for the Dodgers his record was 8-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances. He was signed as a free agent after pitching for Cincinnati Reds and winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2020. The Dodgers gave him a three-year contract for $102 million.