Today’s Windup does not have any April Fool’s “jokes” in it, unless I made a factual error, in which case … [jazz hands]

Mike Estabrook is having a bad time in Seattle. Yankees are 4-for-4 on challenges, and it’s the top of the 4th inning.

Austin Bibens-Dirkx mentioned

I actually really like these Mariners uniforms but it seems like the helmet logos are just cheap stickers????

If I've researched this correctly, the last player to get four hits in his big league debut before Kevin McGonigle today was J.P. Arencibia (TOR, 2010). The last one to do it on Opening Day? Delino DeShields (the elder one) in 1990 with the Expos.

Skenes’ career before today: TWO SEASONS with a sub-2 ERA … After today, his career ERA is 2.10

Pirates should have known better than to ask Paul Skenes to do something he’s never done before (pitch with a lead)

I have decided that tonight — while canon — was essentially the spoken word track before the first song of the album. It’s on the CD but unless there’s a good reason to revisit, you’re skipping it. Let’s get to the songs, pal.

Aaron Judge on pace for 648 strikeouts, which would be a new record

I know how much Netflix charges for a monthly subscription, I know they can afford bigger letters on the scorebug than that.

Netflix: "Sure, but hear me out: what if we made the intro more like professional wrestling?"

Happy Opening Day. Yeah, even now. Especially now. www.nytimes.com/athletic/714...

Ahh yes that thing that everyone says: “Tune in for first pitch at 7:05 pm GMT-5!”

Height: wrong (5-9) Weight: wrong (168) Age: wrong (29) Birthplace: wrong (Czech Republic) Jersey number: wrong (35) Face: wrong Glasses: wrong Glove: wrong Name: technically wrong (Ondřej, diacritic over r)

Cmon MLB The Show, can we not at least get this guy a beard? This is basically WBC royalty here

Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents parts of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, says he's a lifelong fan of the Rangers. But Veasey told me he'll never go to a game while the statue stands.

The NAACP told me the Rangers didn't discuss the segregationist statue until Arlington's mayor got involved. Arlington's mayor told me the Rangers thought the statue was cool because the mayor of Dallas is Black. Dallas mayor denied speaking to the Rangers. www.readeyeblack.com/p/reviving-t...

I went deep on "One Riot, One Ranger," by learning about the Texas Rangers' segregationist statue, probing the the city government and commissioner's office who made it possible, and speaking to the Rev. Floyd Moody, the civil rights activist who never made it to class. issa new [eyeblack]

Really appreciate my pals / coworkers filling in for me while I take a little more recovery time. Here’s our AL East preview, from folks who know it better than me. www.nytimes.com/athletic/713...

Everyone complaining about this is missing the point. Yes, baseball has a lot of money, but what if they could have more money while chipping away at the foundation of how the money was made in the first place? That's clearly better (more money).

This has been about as good a final as we could ask for. Tied going into the ninth inning, the drama is thick, the tensions are high, the nerves are jumpy. Sports are just so perfect sometimes.

I don't know about you, but for ME?!?! I love to see guys hit a forever-memorable home run and then celebrate by looking like they are absolutely furious and annoyed that such a good thing just happened. It fits into the one allowed emotion (anger) that we men are allowed to have.

Can you imagine if Wilyer Abreu’s homer landed right at the base of this? THIS IS WHAT THEY TOOK FROM YOU

Is the WBC a false flag to make sure we embrace ABS in 2026? My column:

Is the WBC a false flag to make sure we embrace ABS in 2026? My column:

You see, because crows do not have arms. That was the punchline. No no, it’s too late now.

Not bad. Honestly there are probably more than a few ASGs that are in the conversation; I probably over-hyped tonight a *little*. www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/1971...

I think you found a winner, but tonight probably still mostly qualifies for “that we’ve ever *seen*”

Dominican Republic / USA might be the one baseball game with the most combined talent that we’ve ever seen. Anyone got any other contenders?

About to hop on our Korea vs. DR liveblog. www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv... We'll also have USA vs. Canada here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/liv... (but I'm watching that one with real humans in real life. It's like a blog, but you do it in person?? Like a podast with no mics????? excited to try it)

This absolutely feels like playoff baseball

Team DR’s vibes are immaculate

Dang it. So… same post, just end it with 7-6 in 14 innings

Assuming my spreadsheet is right, Italy scoring 5 runs means even if Mexico comes back to win, USA advances UNLESS extra innings. For instance, 6-5 Mexico in 9, 10, 11 or 12 innings = Mexico + US advance But 6-5 Mexico in 13 innings = Mexico + Italy advance So

It’s pretty funny to me that the one WBC team that has sorta felt like they were cosplaying military valor by infinitely brow-furrowing is the one that goofed the rules so bad they might be eliminated. Meanwhile everyone else is just having the time of their life. Glee. Heartbreak. Pure sport

I honestly don’t know if this is about DeRosa, Kobe, or Cal Raleigh

this junkballing Czech electrician is a folk hero in Japan for striking out Ohtani in the last WBC (stopped for photos/autographs etc) but he's retiring after this bc Czech league ball doesn't pay the bills. I love the way he took in in this one last surreal moment before going back to normalcy

no days off

Any chance we could just do an extended WBC league next year while the owners shoot themselves in the foot with a lockout?

HOLY WITT

All due respect to John Smoltz but I don’t think the right ankle is “the worst place to get hit” I think it’s probably the face

It has been really fun to watch Joseph Contreras. It’s one thing to make a massive-underdog Team Brazil at age 17. But to be getting big leaguers out **while still in high school** is just pure baseball giddiness

Junior Caminero, in what looks like a back brace (???) catches a Julio Rodriguez shoulder to the jaw in the walk-off celebration

The pure unadulterated joy. I love it

Feels a bit karmic that the Americans are the ones having Viza issues

Holy moly Trace Thompson

So do we think the Angels will call up Lucas Ramirez before or after this game ends?

If I was 17 and got Aaron Judge to ground into a double play, I think it would at least temporarily make me a completely unlikeable person

In this absurd hypothetical, there is one and only one song that would be playing over the stadium speakers

Between GBs last pitcher and Mexico’s manager we really missed an opportunity to have Gil vs Gill Hill on the hill (at the stadium that used to have Tal’s Hill)