The first games after the All Star break are the equivalent of jumping into a pool after spending all day in the scorching sun. The feeling is amplified by a series win, and even more so when it’s accompanied by a flurry off-field fun:
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Bryce Harper and Kayla Varner Are Engaged Again
Sequels can’t all be better than their originals, but any sequel that ends with Bryce Harper and Kayla Varner married is one worth seeing in theaters twice.
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Off-The-Field Recap: All-Star Shenanigans
The midway point through a baseball season can signal arguments concerning one game in 162. Like squirrels know when to start storing nuts for winter, baseball people know when to start picking fights about the All Star Game’s mandated importance. With the feuds come trying baseball-less nights. But the absence of baseball comes with a built in distraction of extra, well, off-field stuff.
Off-The-Field Recap: Patriotic Edition!
Danny Espinosa recorded 15 RBIs against the Cincinnati Reds this week, landing him tied for third most in a four-game series. Espinosa’s feat has as much inspiration and charm as a picture of Joe Biden in aviators eating an ice cream cone. On its good weeks, baseball doesn’t just impart inspiration and charm on the field, but off it too.
Ramos Continues All-Star Instagram Game
After Wilson Ramos was selected to his first All-Star Game on Wednesday night, he took to instagram to thank God, his family, friends, and fans. The post is not only on par with his great-to-excellent instagram game and an indicator that he’s ready to accept a Grammy, but it’s also a reminder that the ASG can mean more than home field advantage.
Ramos earned his spot after losing his grandfather, to whom he was close and whose death caused him to take a week long bereavement leave early in the season. Ramos’ career in the big leagues also includes being kidnapped from his home in Venezuela after the 2011 season. Over the years since, the catcher’s playing time has soared and dropped and soared again due to injuries, while his offensive production plummeted in 2015 after a number of seasons near average.
But this year has been different for Willy: Since his pre-season Lasik surgery, his .340/.396/.563 triple-slash line, 155 wRC+, and 2.7 fWAR lead all qualified catchers in the MLB. Accordingly, he’ll play on a stage with the best in baseball, where he belongs. Plus, it’s a chance to possibly hear Ramos drop inspirational quotes that might rival “Willy, you’ve got to do this.”
Off-The-Field Recap: Giolito Time
Through the “down” of the tail end of a seven game losing streak and through the “up” of a sweep of the New York Mets, the Washington Nationals off-field exploits, as always, remained a constant. Here they are:
Off-The-Field Recap: Father’s Day Edition!
The Nationals’ relatively promising road trip has spiraled into a stretch barely short of a disaster. Losing in the situations the Nats have found themselves in can be less than fun, and so, in order to combat such gloom, all of the player’s amusing off-field exploits are recapped here:
Off-The-Field Recap: Too Many Wins
The Nationals won a lot of games this week. Like, a lot. Which inarguably got pretty boring, so they spiced things up with these off-field endeavors:
Off-Field Recap: Free Styling, Draft Picks, and Job Changes
In the National baseball League, the Washington Nationals are represented by two separate, yet equally important, groups: the players on the field, who win games; and those same players off the field, who spread joy and fun wherever they go. These are their stories:
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Off-The-Field Recap: Sweeping Up
This week the Nationals swept the Phillies, broke their record for pinch hit home runs in a season (thank you Chris Heisey), and hit the 12 games over .500 mark for the first time this season, but they also practiced voodoo, chopped hair, and…