Mets News
Fred and Jeff Wilpon made $52,666,666.67 yesterday.* Every MLB ownership group did. One year ago, Disney bought one-third of BAMTech — the streaming media property founded by Major League Baseball that powers MLB.tv, HBO Now, and many other online video services — for a cool $1 billion. Yesterday, Disney paid another $1.58 billion to acquire another 42% in the company.
*Does not count revenue from the home game recapped below.
When you read about players’ salaries as a percentage of league revenues declining at a startling rate, keep in mind that the $2.6 billion paid to MLB over the last 13 months is pure ownership profit. Developing video streaming technology, even if developed to stream baseball games, is technically unrelated to baseball operations. In other words, accounting for this cash would make the players’ declining share of revenues look much worse.
Suffice to say, when the Wilpons announce that their trade-deadline acquisition of A.J. Ramos was the Mets’ big offseason move because the team still has payroll constraints, the Wilpons will be lying.
MEANWHILE, three home team home runs in the first two innings actually held up this time. Mets 5, Rangers 4.
Punditry
Remember Saturday’s game? When Michael Conforto, Wilmer Flores, and Curtis Granderson all hit first-inning home runs off erstwhile Dodgers ace Rich Hill… and then Seth Lugo and the Mets lost anyway? Last night started similarly. Conforto led off with a dinger last night. Yoenis Cespedes hit one, too. Then in the second, Travis d’Arnaud followed a Jose Reyes walk with a laser over the left field wall.
Chris Flexen pitched well enough, allowing solo shots by Joey Gallo and Adrian Beltre among four hits, four strikeouts and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. His last batter was a walk to Carlos Gomez. Unfortunately for Flexen’s ERA, Gomez came around to score on a double by Joey Gallo, the first batter faced by reliever Erik Goeddel. The Mets will take 94% of a quality start from Chris Flexen every time out.
Goeddel then struck out the next two Rangers he faced. Jerry Blevins pitched the next 1.2 innings with two K’s of his own. A.J. Ramos struck out Carlos Gomez and Gallo, then gave up a solo dinger to Robinson Chirinos before coaxing a ground ball to seal the win. On a night with six home runs, 18 strikeouts and seven walks, it was a fitting ninth inning for Ramos to pick up his first Met save.
Social Media
Adrian Beltre is also sensitive when it comes to anyone trying to steal his base pic.twitter.com/Q6oz6ZAsAy
— Good Fundies (@goodfundies) August 9, 2017
GKR-isms
In small measures, strikeouts are exciting, home runs are exciting, but when all anybody is doing is striking out and hitting homers, that takes away from how exciting those events can be. — Gary
When you mess with history, you never know what the repercussions are going to be — Gary, reminiscing on the reversed Wilmer Flores/Zack Wheeler-for-Carlos Gomez trade
If you complain about a complainer, doesn’t that make you a complainer? — Ron, on Joe West being suspended for his comments on Adrian Beltre
Forecast
A 12:10 matinee. Query whether you’d rather have Mets starter Rafael Montero or Rangers starter Tobe Determined.
Photo Credit: Andy Marlin – USA Today Sports