2011 GAME 1:Kicking Off by Getting Kicked

GAME 1 - April Fools: Phillies 5, Astros 4

First game of the season, on a Friday afternoon. I was at work and by the seventh inning stretch, with the Astros ahead 4-0, I was boasting a bit to my Phillies-loving colleagues. Went home to finish up the workday, arriving just in time for the bottom of the ninth, with the Astros lead cut to 4-2. My devoted cheering is obviously not the Astros' lucky charm today -- as soon as I turned on the game, the Phillies started hitting broken bat singles against Lyons. After about a half dozen of those, the Phillies had pulled off the come-from-behind victory that their shrieking fans wanted.

Myers did a good job against his former team, giving up only 2 hits and no runs in the first six innings, then allowing a pair of runs on miscellaneous junk (walks, passed ball, RBI groundouts) in the seventh. His final line was 1 ER on 3 hits and 3 BBs, no Ks, over 7 innings. He even hit a couple of singles and a sac bunt in an effort to eke out some run support. The game was his to win, before Lyons came in and blew the save. Lyon faced 7 batters and gave up singles to 6 of them.

In the hitting department, the Astros got 1 triple (Bourn), 1 double (Pence), 7 singles, and 1 measly walk. Somehow they managed to piece that together into 4 runs. Of special mention in the no-hitter department: El Caballo went 0 for 4. After batting approximately .200 in Spring Training, this is an ominous start. Bill Hall also started out his Astros career today with an 0 for 4 game.

Hey Astros fans, it's going to be a loooonnnnngggg season.

Shabbat Shalom!