MLB

SOURCE SPORTS: MLB Network Releases First-Ever Spanish ‘Kickin’ It’ Segment

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The first-ever Kickin’ It presented by Nike segment, produced in Spanish and featuring Atlanta Braves player Ronald Acua Jr. has been released by MLB Network.

Kickin’ It, which debuted in June, showcases an MLB player talking about their in-game footwear, favorite shoes as a kid, and what they’d like to wear in the future. Some of the notable releases included St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado, Chicago Cubs’ Wilson Contreras, and Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich.

In this episode, Acua Jr. highlights the sneaker he chose for the segment:

 “These are the shoes I designed for home club. Then I put the yellow, blue, and red. The yellow is more noticeable because I have always liked to stick out. It also combines and makes reference to the flag of Venezuela. Here are the stars of Venezuela. You can see here are palms. …It makes me feel like part of my home there in La Sabana, how I am from the coast, from the beach. Over here you can see the date of my birth with my name, December 18, 1997. I have always liked since I was a child, never forget where I am from. I always put my country on top. I think that was one of the biggest motivations why this shoe is yellow. It’s a shoe that mostly stands out among the others, because if you look at the team, our uniform hardly has yellow. I make them match with a number of things I wear during the game.”

You can see the segment below.

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Steve Aoki May Be The New Leader In The Battle For Worst MLB First Pitch Ever

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For the most part, ceremonial first pitches are wholly uninteresting in the world of Major League Baseball. Honorees run the gamut from celebrities to local heroes to relatively anonymous people but, every once in a while, true magic occurs. One of those instances happened on Monday in Boston when Steve Aoki strolled to the mound to deliver the opening offering before a matchup between the Red Sox and the Houston Astros.

The video is worth a thousand (or more) words.

This is an immediate hall of fame entry in the worst first pitches of all-time, simply because of where the ball landed. Aoki never seemed particularly comfortable with where his setup began, for some reason starting on the upslope on the back of the mound, but, as soon as he begin his move to the plate, there was an elaborate wind-up which probably was not the best idea.

From there, the angle set Aoki up for a disaster, and the ball’s trajectory got out of control with haste. In the videos above, you can get a glimpse of the horror and/or amazement from the patrons in attendance at Fenway Park, but onlookers probably just cannot get enough of this video. The debate will rage as to whether this was truly the worst of all-time since, well, Aoki at least made it to the plate, but it was a sight to behold.

SOURCE SPORTS: Nike Reveals MLB City Connect Jerseys for Kansas City Royals

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The 2022 Nike MLB City Connect Series returns with the Nike Kansas City Royals City Connect Jersey.

The Nike MLB City Connect Series is a celebration of each club’s own personality, traditions, and values that bring its fans together. Each design pays homage to the club’s rich history while also pushing the boundaries of what a baseball uniform can be.

The Nike Kansas City Royals City Connect uniform is inspired by the city’s stunning water features and is created with the same splash and boldness. On April 30th, this outfit will make its on-field premiere, giving every spectator a chance to experience the Royal treatment.

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The City of Fountains is known around the world for its stunning water monuments. The Nike Kansas City Royals City Connect uniform is created in the same splashy, bold style as the rest of the team’s gear. A design depicting falling fountain water sits in the center, inspired by Kansas City’s renowned art deco aesthetic. It has a crown that pays homage to the city’s rich baseball tradition. The powder blue and white strips around the sleeve openings are reminiscent of vintage 1970s and 1980s jerseys. Meanwhile, an homage to the city’s more than 200 water fountains may be found above the jock tag. This uniform, with its striking style and one-of-a-kind features, allows every fan to feel like a Royal and proudly wear their blue.

Nike MLB City Connect fan wear, which includes authentic and replica jerseys, sweatshirts, and tees for men and women, will be available at retail following the unveiling. The Nike Kansas City Royals Jersey from the Nike MLB City Connect Series will be available on April 25 on the Nike App and nike.com, as well as at select retail locations and the MLB Flagship Store (NYC).

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SOURCE SPORTS: MLB’s First Black CEO, Derek Jeter Announces Departure From Miami Marlins

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Derek Jeter is announced his departure from the Miami Marlins. The Hall of Fame shortstop said in a statement that the Miami organization and himself “are officially ending our relationship” and he’ll no longer serve as CEO or as a shareholder.

According to The Associated Press, Jeter joined the Marlins as a minority owner in September 2017 as a part of the ownership group led by Bruce Sherman that acquired the team.

He became the Major League Baseball‘s first Black CEO.

READ MORE: The New York Yankees retire Derek Jeter’s #2 jersey.

Jeter explained “the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one” he signed up to lead. He added the time to step away is now as “a new season begins.”

“My family and I would like to thank our incredible staff, Marlins fans, Marlins players, and the greater Miami community for welcoming us with open arms and making us feel at home. The organization is stronger today than it was five years ago, and I am thankful and grateful to have been a part of this team.”

The former Yankee played 20 seasons for the New York, won five World Series championships, and made the playoffs in 16 of his 20 seasons.

Continue the conversation on social media.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: MLB’s First Black CEO, Derek Jeter Announces Departure From Miami Marlins appeared first on The Source.

Megan Thee Stalliion Calls Joc Pederson A ‘Bad B’ In An Incredible Intro For Game 2 Of The World Series

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Game 2 of the World Series saw some Houston trying to change the mojo as the Astros looked to even the series after dropping Game 1 at home on Tuesday, as Minute Maid Park had the roof open for a playoff game for the first time since 2005.

The Fox broadcast also tapped a Houston icon for their intro video, as they got Megan Thee Stallion to set the stage for Game 2 with some Houston flair, as well as some love for the Braves too. The highlight of the video is her mentioning Joc Pederson and his pearls, calling him a “Bad B.”

It was about as well done as any celebrity hype video, as Meg doesn’t try to do anything but be herself for the video and even her getting her favorite tag lines like hotties and savages very naturally. Joc Pederson will surely love getting the Bad B*tch stamp of approval from Megan Thee Stallion, after that was the explanation he used for why he has been wearing a pearl necklace throughout the playoffs. Whoever slid that through the Fox clearance process for this video deserves a raise.

The intro also gave us the delightful opportunity to hear Joe Buck saying “Something For The Hotties.”

There’s a very good chance they have a similar video lined up with an Atlanta artist for when the series shifts to being Braves home games, and hopefully we get more Joe Buck reading off the titles of hip-hop albums as a result.

Lil Durk Nearly Pulled A 50 Cent With His First Pitch At White Sox-Cubs

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Being invited to throw out the first pitch before an MLB game is a cool honor, but it also can be a nerve-wracking experience if you don’t have a lot of baseball experience. It seems simple enough: throw the ball 55 or so feet from in front of the mound and get it over the plate, but those that haven’t thrown a ball in awhile come to learn the hard way that it’s very different from their few warmup tosses in the tunnel before going out there.

Really bad first pitches aren’t just embarrassing, but can become a lasting part of someone’s legacy. 50 Cent is the best example of that and still has the first pitch to which all bad first pitches are compared to, as he fired a ball a good 20 feet wide of the plate. He’s far from the only star of the sports or entertainment world to have a dreadful first pitch experience, but his is the lasting example of a disaster.

On Sunday, we got another entry into the bad first pitch category from a rapper, as Lil Durk threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field before Cubs-White Sox and had the poor Cubs mascot diving in vain for a ball that bounced outside the batter’s box.

The good news for Lil Durk is that he’s focusing on the positives of the love he got, not the jokes from Twitter.

It’s not quite 50 Cent, who barely threw it into the dirt area around home plate, but it is a pretty terrible effort. I’m sure Lil Durk hasn’t exactly spent a lot of time throwing baseballs recently, but it should serve as a reminder to managers everywhere that if your client isn’t someone that throws a ball often, there’s no shame in turning down a first pitch opp to keep them from going viral.

Lil Wayne Helps Kick Off The New Baseball Season With ‘Ball Game’

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Baseball is back as the MLB began its 2021 season yesterday. The league got some help kicking things off courtesy of Lil Wayne: To help get fans excited for a new year of baseball, the rapper made an original new song called “Ball Game,” which is a take on the classic “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.”

The track packs in a bunch of lyrical references to baseball. Wayne begins, “Take me out to the game, yeah / Take me out to the ball park / This a home run, I hit it far-far / Knock it out the park, hit a parked car / Root, root for the home team / It’s a cool game with a warm heart / And some high heat in the sweet spot / It’s a grand slam, it’s a walk off.”

Wayne has a bit of experience on the diamond, as he threw out the first pith at a Miami Marlins game in 2018. Some celebrity first pitches live in infamy, but Wayne’s was fairly innocuous: He one-hopped his throw, but it went right over the plate and was an uneventful moment, which is about as good an outcome as a first pitch thrower can hope for.

All in all, the new song is a far stronger effort than Wayne put in with his recent Burger King promotion.

Check out “Ball Game” above.