Paul Skenes turned in another dazzling start last night, working into the seventh inning, striking out eight, and encountering trouble only once. He didn’t allow a run, and upon exiting the game, he was rewarded with what’s been called a standing ovation from an adoring crowd.
The thing is…
Paul Skenes, of course, pitches for the Pirates.
The Pirates, of course, play in Pittsburgh.
This game was not in Pittsburgh.
This game was in St. Louis.
Did Cardinal fans really give the opposing pitcher a standing ovation?
Here’s the video of the moment in question. There are certainly Cardinal fans standing and cheering, including that guy in the Arenado jersey aggressively tipping his cap. Thankfully, though, it’s #NotAllCardinalsFans. Even the biggest weirdos in baseball are mostly sitting down.
Clearly, some Cardinal fans did give Skenes a standing ovation. That guy is not tipping his cap towards Arenado, who had just hit the double which marked the end of Skenes’s outing. He’s tipping it towards Skenes. In the field-side shots, though, those taken from behind the exiting pitcher, you can see that a lot of the crowd remains seated. Skenes received a standing ovation from some contingent of Cardinals fans. Not all of them. I’m not sure it was even half the crowd.
What I think happened is that both broadcasts used the same crowd-side angle of Skenes leaving the field, so that doofus in the Arenado shirt was Tomahawk Chopping his hat in the middle of both. THAT guy gave Skenes a standing ovation, and since he occupied 26% of the screen, there was little room left for a broader sample. If that guy was two seats over, the claims of a standing ovation would receive more skepticism. This is like when ESPN advertises an NBA “fight” in a highlight package. Some people left their seats, but this was far from the real thing.
Why does this matter so much?
Because giving an opposing pitcher a standing ovation for anything other than a return home or a heroic no-hit bid is really, really lame.
We’re not here to defend Cardinals fans. Growing up in the Midwest during the “Best Fans in Baseball” era—before the baseball internet successfully shamed that phrase into something used only by the old—we’ve been annoyed by those guys for years, with no small amount of pleasure taken in how their attendance has dropped since they started posting losing records. If ever a fanbase were to express its love for baseball by performatively cheering Paul Skenes, the great white future of the game? Yes, it would be that of the Cardinals. And maybe that was some of what happened, for the hat-tipper and the others who stood. But overall, this was a partial standing ovation. Newsworthy, maybe, but not some historic moment within the sport. Just because baseball’s biggest rookie is dating a Gen Z icon doesn’t mean we have to lie.
(I am very worried now about other fans thinking they’re supposed to give Paul Skenes standing ovations after every start. I will be very grumpy Sunday if Rockies fans give Paul Skenes a standing ovation.)
Etc.
- A Reds fan got onto the field last night during the Battle for Ohio, and…the taser seems excessive. I’m assuming this was a real police officer and not a security guard (because I’m hoping Great American Ballpark isn’t arming security guards with tasers), but either way, there’s no shame in struggling to tackle an intruder, no matter how bewildered you are when said intruder lands a backflip right in front of you. The crowd laughing and cheering isn’t against security. It’s for enjoying the moment. In light of this and the Scottie Scheffler incident in Louisville, I’m wondering if law enforcement in the Ohio River Valley sent a memo a couple months ago telling its guys to go overboard against young white men. Get ahead of the narrative in case something blows up later this summer. “We do this to everyone!” It’s an election year, after all.
- Kyle Schwarber remains a hoss, celebrating the Phillies’ return to America by homering twice at Fenway Park last night. Those (our own Joe Stunardi) who questioned the effect of jet lag on the Phils neglected to account for the fact that their leadoff hitter is a man.
- A hockey outlet erroneously reported this morning that the Minnesota Wild were going to change their colors to those of the Minnesota North Stars during their 25th season as a franchise, something which seemed the first step in reclaiming the North Stars identity, which the Dallas Stars really should have left behind when they carpetbagged off to the capital of concrete. Quickly, the Wild corrected the report, but shouldn’t the positive response it generated say something to the brass in St. Paul? And maybe to the NHL as a whole? I don’t think anyone would have a problem with forcing Dallas to become the Lone Stars and allowing Minnesota to again represent Polaris. A two-state solution, please.
- On a more personal note, we were saddened last night to hear about the passing of Steve Klauke, the voice of Weber State football and basketball (and longtime voice of the Salt Lake Bees). Steve was hit by a car Sunday night while crossing in a crosswalk. The car was making a right-hand turn. A very long time ago, Steve was gracious enough to come on MilkTime, the podcast we produced back in our All Things NIT days. He was our first ever guest we didn’t previously know on a personal level, and getting to know him in even a passing way was a treat. It was generous of him and unnecessarily kind, things which were by all accounts very much in character for the Utah sports legend. Prayers for Steve, his family, and the many others who mourn. We’re sad to know he’s gone.
