It’s that time of year again-Terry Francona’s “Overreaction Friday,” the day after the most anticipated day on the baseball calendar. Francona humorously captures the spirit: “If you lose, your team’s gonna stink, and if you win, you’re going to win the World Series.”
So, let’s dive into the Cincinnati Reds’ season opener against the Boston Red Sox. A 3-0 loss to ace lefty Garrett Crochet has fans buzzing.
Sure, it’s just one game, but the Reds’ bats were quiet, managing only four hits. Not the debut they hoped for after investing $15 million in Geno Suárez.
The bullpen, supposed to be a strength this season, also faltered. After All-Star starter Andrew Abbott delivered six scoreless innings, Pierce Johnson, a $6.5 million addition, allowed a run after a leadoff double, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single.
It’s easy to overreact after one game, but as Francona said, “I love getting into the grind of it. Then you can see how good you are.”
So, what’s next for the Reds as they gear up for Game 2? Brady Singer, Saturday’s starter, is ready to move on: “It’s like a holiday the first day of the year.
You’re just excited. But he’s right.
Now we go to work.”
Crochet’s dominant six innings might be forgotten unless these teams meet again in October. And Sal Stewart’s bruised forearm from Roman Anthony’s line drive?
Just a bump in the road, he assures: “Feels good. Obviously there’s some swelling in there.”
Second baseman Matt McLain, one of seven hitless Reds, reflects on the opener's pressure: “You want to win Opening Day so bad because you work for that first game all offseason. But we didn’t today. And we’ll be back on Saturday.”
Abbott reminds us, “It’s a long season.” Suárez adds, “It was the first day.
Both sides played good baseball. Tomorrow’s another day."
Stewart echoes, "We’ll be back.”
With 161 games to go, there’s plenty of baseball ahead. Overreaction Friday is behind us, and now it’s on to Brady Singer Saturday. As Singer puts it, “That’ll work.”