Six things you may have missed from Brewers’ home opener: Flyover

Brewers’ Brice Turang’s parents react to his big day

Brian and Carrie Turang, parents of Brewers shortstop Brice Turang, discuss their son’s big start after the 2023 home opener.

JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It was an exciting day for Brewers fans when Milwaukee defeated the New York Mets in the 2023 home opener on Monday, 10-0, with a grand slam by rookie Brice Turang serving as the highlight. But there were plenty of nuggets that fans might have missed.

OK, let’s talk about the sunroof

If we’re talking about the things the fans missed, it’s no longer literal than the overpass … because the roof was closed. The B-1 bomber took off from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and flew over the stadium before first pitch. It was shown on the video board (and heard inside the stadium) and the healthy percentage of fans still coming in from their tailgating sessions saw it with their own eyes. But yes, Nationals writers and fans mocked the Brewers for staging a seemingly stupid exercise.

Flyovers are coordinated well in advance between the armed forces and the Brewers’ entertainment team, and the club coordinates them fully aware that the roof could be closed for an April game. They also know that many fans on opening day aren’t exactly early arrivals to their seats.

The Brewers were also planning a flyover before the 2022 opener, including medevac helicopters from West Bend, though the Wisconsin National Guard had to cancel the trip due to high winds. The peak was also closed for the 2022 opener.

Such a thing has happened before. NRG Stadium in Houston had a closed roof in early 2017 during the Super Bowl when an overpass was not seen by those in the stadium, and Packers fans may even remember the overpass at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where the roof was closed during this moment.

More: Turang’s parents ready to watch their son’s exciting opening

Replays: Brewers 10, New York Mets 0; it’s a blowout in the home opener

At the time, there was little fuss about the cost of the trip, though Navy public affairs officer Mike Maus told CNBC that the flights are budgeted and actually provide pilots with essential training needed for missions, including instruments and practice. of communication.

The Wisconsin National Guard provided two F-16s for a flyover during Game 6 of the NBA Finals in July 2021, which of course ended with a Bucks championship. Although many fans were outside Fiserv Forum in the “Deer Circle” during the final three games played at Fiserv Forum, the venue obviously does not have an open-air option.

Jeff McNeil got very angry with the grass

Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil had a rough day, going 0-for-4 with one hit. He also slipped trying to field a roller coaster from Joey Wiemer in the fifth, one hit after Turang’s grand slam that made it 10-0.

McNeil appeared visibly frustrated, apparently with the ground after his dress took a huge hit, although that’s why the 10-0 scoreline could have had something to do with his anger.

The grounds crew at the stadium have a tougher job than most, with a roof layout covering parts of the stadium in the shade. There’s also the concert schedule, and with country star Morgan Wallen scheduled for back-to-back shows at the venue April 14-15, it’s not going to get any easier.

The hilarious ghost of William Contreras at third

Mark Canha was called out by home plate umpire Alan Porter for speeding in the box in the ninth, getting an automatic hit for his third at-bat. It was one of two earned hits for Bryse Wilson, who got a save because of the team’s last three shutouts.

Catcher William Contreras had a great reaction, a ghost throw to third base as if sending a baseball around the horn.

So how does that K look in the scorebook: backwards or forwards? It doesn’t really matter for official notation purposes, but a K on the side seems appropriate.

At one point in the game — and you’ll see this a lot — Contreras saved Freddy Peralta a timer violation by calling time with one second left on the clock. Mets shortstop Carlos Carrasco was hit with a pitch clock violation before throwing a pitch, allowing Christian Yelich to start the game on a 1-0 count.

“The clock was a little different today, and we didn’t make a very good adjustment to it,” manager Buck Showalter said afterward. “Everybody’s going through an adjustment period. It’s the referees, it’s the clock operators, it’s us. It’s the other team we’re playing. You better understand because it’s not going away.”

Mets position player Luis Guillorme takes the mound

Among the many rule changes in Major League Baseball this year, you may have missed a detail that teams cannot put a player on the mound unless a team wins in the ninth by 10 or more runs or a losing team has down by eight or more at any point in the ballgame. Positioned players can make additional pieces at any time.

So while it’s not entirely unique to see infielder Luis Guillorme take the mound for the Mets in the eighth inning, it appears to be a rare sight going forward. Guillorme allowed just one hit to Rowdy Tellez in his scoreless inning and hit 77 miles per hour at one point during his 12 pitches. Guillorme also had more hits (two) than the rest of his teammates combined (one, and that was Daniel Vogelbach’s single where he was thrown out trying for second).

Did we mention Freddy Peralta just welcomed a baby boy a few days ago?

Freddy Peralta’s six-game hitting streak was a welcome sight for a player who battled injuries throughout the 2022 season, capping a remarkable stretch of days for Peralta. His wife, Maritza, gave birth to a son, Freddy Jr., the day before the start of the season. Peralta appeared briefly before Thursday’s opener in Chicago, then returned home to be with his family. It is the second child of the couple.

Five days later, he was on the mound handcuffing a team that many believe will make a serious push for the NL crown.

Christian Yelich had a rough game, but he still made it an Oshkosh fan’s day

Mark Attanasio asked these people to stay in the park after security ushered everyone else out just so this young lady could have her birthday wish fulfilled!

Her name is Kaitlyn Demler from Oshkosh. @ChristianYelich threw her this ball last season and she saved it to be signed by him!… pic.twitter.com/GPnSChio8J

— Luke Gamble (@LukeGambleTV) April 3, 2023

Christian Yelich struggled during the game, striking out four times. He also appeared to get frustrated by Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor when Yelich was stealing second base. The throw sailed into center, but Lindor stood by Yelich, pretending to have the ball in his glove, and Yelich didn’t take another base.

A fake tag or bunt is legal in MLB, though not at all levels of baseball, as long as the baserunner’s vision of the actual baseball is not obstructed.

Things that don’t appear in the box result…

This throw that attempts to catch Christian Yelich stealing second base sails into center field, but Francisco Lindor convinces Yelich that he has the ball, so Christian stays put. The base was preserved. pic.twitter.com/j5tqjahvj0

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 3, 2023

Does not matter. Yelich ended up scoring on a Willy Adames single, and after the game, Yelich made a fan’s day by helping her check off the last item on her birthday “bucket list.”

Oshkosh West High School senior Kaitlyn Demler turned 17 on Monday, and she brought her Brewers friend and grandfather, Norman, to the game with tickets she bought herself after saving money working at Kwik Trip. They sat in section 116, and she brought a hand-drawn sign to the courtside seats asking for a picture with Yelich to complete her birthday list.

“Right when I got there (after the game), Mark (Attanasio) the owner was right in front of me and he saw my poster, took a picture of it to send to Christian Yelich,” Demler said Tuesday.

After 30 minutes of Mark and son Mike Attanasio working to track down Yelich, the left fielder returned to the field and signed a ball he threw to Demler after the first warmup during a game last September.

“It happened so suddenly,” she said. “I never thought this would happen, it just happened. I couldn’t prepare myself. I started crying, to say the least.

“The way Mark and Mike fought for me, I’ll never forget. Whether he was the owner or not, he fought for a stranger when he didn’t have to. I don’t think there was any publicity involved. There were no cameras. . Everybody was gone. I was very thankful and grateful for Christian Yelich, of course. We waited a while and he was busy, and to be able to find some time to come out means a lot.”

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