Delicious Interleague Goodness

There's the Subway Series, the Beltway Series, the Lone Star Series, North Side vs. South Side, the Freeway Series, the Highway Series, the Bay Bridge Series, the Sunshine Series, and plenty more exciting, nameless contests during Interleague play.

On this 15th anniversary of Interleague action, let's revisit the first weekend of action.

Every year since 2004, the American League has come out of Interleague play with the best record. After the first weekend, however, things are all knotted up at 21-21. Here's a miniature breakdown of just a fraction of what went down:

Rivalries and Sweet, Sweet Redemption

Most of you may remember our Ballpark Photo Contest we held back in January, where we asked you to send in your pictures to be voted upon by readers. The winner of that glorious contest was a sassy young lady holding a pork-chop-on-a-stick at Target Field, but one of the runners up was the poor guy on the left, Atlanta Braves fan Mateo Walter and his friend David Gregory (the Los Angeles Angels fan on the right).

The two guys have an ongoing bet: during Interleague play, when one of their favorite teams inevitably loses, they have to don the winner's jersey. It's an embarrassing disaster and we absolutely love it.

Get Well Soon, Marlon Byrd

Scary moment at Fenway Park Saturday evening as Marlon Byrd was beaned in the second inning of his Chicago Cubs' 9-3 win over the Boston Red Sox.

After being nailed on the left side of his head by a 92 mph Alfredo Aceves fastball, the center fielder immediately dropped to the ground before jumping up and holding his face near a cut under his left eye. He then walked to the clubhouse and was taken to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he would stay overnight.

Ya Really Dropped the Ball On That One

Luis Castillo, who once upon a time bragged a big league-record errorless streak for second basemen of 143 games (which ended on a routine play) totally dropped the ball Friday night.

With two gone in the bottom of the ninth during the first game of the Subway Series against the New York Yankees, Castillo botched a routine pop-up in short right field off the bat of Alex Rodriguez. This allowed the tying and winning runs to score, thus ending the New York Mets wild, back-and-forth game by a score of 9-8. Just like that.

Big Unit Returns to Seattle

During the first round of Interleague play this season, San Francisco Giants hurler Randy Johnson gets to face his former Seattle Mariners team (1989-1998) where he enjoyed one of his five Cy Young Awards in 1995.

Sadly, he could have been looking for big career victory #300, except the New York Mets clobbered him for seven runs on 11 hits in just four innings last Saturday in the Giants 9-6 loss.

Interleague Goodness

The Los Angeles Dodgers managed to get the 1-0 win yesterday over the cross-town Angels without getting even one hit.

Jered Weaver threw six no-hit innings before Jose Arredondo held the Dodgers hitless in the seventh and eighth, but since they didn't have an at-bat in the ninth, the no-no was lost and the Dodgers became the fifth team in big league history to win without getting a hit.

Matt Kemp’s slow roller to the hill in the fifth inning resulted in Weaver’s fielding error which led to the game’s only (unearned) run. Shut out for the second game in a row, the Halos finished with five hits, but never managed to get a runner past second base.

WTF

[Deadspin]

The C.C. Sabathia Show

C.C. Sabathia promised his teammates a homer Saturday, and a homer they received.

The Cleveland Indians ace wasted little time in fulfilling his oath, launching a 1-0 pitch served up by Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chan Ho Park 440 feet and into the right field corner during his first at bat. This marks Sabathia's second career home run, improving his lifetime batting average to .300 with seven RBIs.

Oh, but that's not all. Captain Cheeseburger also fanned ten in his club's 7-2, 11-inning win. Manager Eric Wedge even went as far as to call him "a fantastic athlete."

...

The hefty lefty allowed just one run on five hits, spiking his league-leading strikeout total to 107 K's. Hopefully the Tribe enjoy him while he's still around.

[MLB] | [Clubhouse Cancer] | [Tribe Source] | [Rounding the Bases]

Too Cool for School

Jim Edmonds is either too old or too cool to properly high five a teammate. What is that?

At any rate, the 37-year-old veteran outfielder smashed not one, but two dingers in the Chicago Cubs nine-run fourth against the cross-town Sox Saturday. Yes, in the same inning. Yes, that Jim Edmonds.

Way to go, buddy!

[Chicago Sun-Times]

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Holy crap, it's already time for Interleague action!

Making its twelfth appearance, Interleague play has undergone a few minor tweaks here and there since its inception in 1997, including switching up which divisions play each other and when.

We have the Subway Series, the Beltway Series, the Lone Star Series, North Side vs. South Side, the Freeway Series, the Highway Series, the Bay Bridge Series, and of course, the Sunshine Series. To make things interesting this season, the best hitters patrol the senior circuit, while the lowest ERA belongs to the American League.

There are plenty more exciting contests during the first weekend, including the Oakland Athletics heading to the Ted to play the Atlanta Braves in a match up of baseball's top two pitching staffs. It should also be interesting to see if the Detroit Tigers can slow the Arizona Diamondbacks' roll. Highly doubtful, yet totally possible.

Meanwhile, things could get pretty ugly in Milwaukee when the Boston Red Sox take their 5-run average per game into Miller Park to face their former closer, Eric "Boooo" Gagne.

Then we have three thrilling games featuring the Kansas City Royals against the Florida Marlins, and all five kids crawling over the empty outfield seats chasing home run balls. Will there even be hot dog vendors? And if so, will they need bullhorns?