The 2020 MLB season got off to a weird start, and it's only going to get weirder during a 60-game season that won't have any fans due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Once the baseball got underway at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Giants-Dodgers played out as most expected, with the World Series favorites hammering Gabe Kapler's club 8-1. While only cardboard cutouts were present to see the Giants' late-inning plan fail, Chavez Ravine did have one mysterious visitor to Opening Day 2020, as a balloon floated into the stadium from lord only knows where, prompting the Dodger Stadium organist to deliver a perfect reaction.
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Brilliant.
The Giants held their own for six innings, as Johnny Cueto and hard-throwing Dodgers phenom Dustin May traded shimmies and fireballs early. But everything fell apart in the seventh, as the Dodgers mounted a rally against Tyler Rogers. Mookie Betts singled, Cody Bellinger doubled. Betts got a great jump on a ground ball to second off the bat of Justin Turner and beat Donovan Solano's throw home, scoring to break the tie and send the Giants toward an 0-1 start to the shortened season.
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The two NL West rivals will battle again Friday with Jeff Samardzija and Ross Stripling expected to get the ball for each side to begin the affair.
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No word yet on whether or not the balloon got tickets to Game 2.
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