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The Best of the Day: April 1st, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from April 1, 2021 including an exhilarating 2021 MLB Opening Day, Clint Capela's huge game vs. SAS, and more!
MLB.com
The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 4/1 here.
The new MLB season kicked off with an Opening Day to remember that included walk-offs, star players making highlight-reel plays, and broken records. Meanwhile, having likely the best collection of young talent in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans have arguably been the biggest disappointment this season with another discouraging loss to the least talented team in the league.
DeMar DeRozan came through with a clutch bucket to force OT against Atlanta, but it wasn’t enough, as Clint Capela’s huge game and Trae Young’s dominant OT’s ultimately helped lift the Hawks past the Spurs. Before the new season got underway, PSO ranked the top World Series contenders for the 2021 MLB season with the overwhelming favorites and reigning champs surprisingly not at No.1.
Here is the best of the day from April 1, 2021:
2021 MLB Opening Day started the season with a bang
The new baseball season kicked off on April 1st, 2021, with MLB’s Opening Day getting off to an explosive start. There were several fantastic finishes, as the Phillies, Brewers, and Mariners all won their contests via walk-offs, while first ballot Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera launched a homer in the snow, helping Detroit take down Cleveland.
Miguel Cabrera, in the snow, hitting the first homer of the 2021 MLB season while sliding into second base was not on my bingo card. pic.twitter.com/aL9rsECXH1
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) April 1, 2021
Fresh off his record-setting contract, Fernando Tatis Jr. wasted no time showing his five-tool skills the Padres paid him for with his incredible matrix slide at first base. Cody Bellinger hit a home run vs. Colorado that didn’t count due to a base-running error, and the game’s best player Mike Trout announced his intention to win his fourth MVP with a clutch RBI to help the Angels top the White Sox.
Cody Bellinger hit a home run with Justin Turner on base, but Turner thought it was caught for an out and ran back to first base.
— ESPN (@espn) April 1, 2021
Bellinger passed Turner on the bases and was ruled out.
The home run counted for one run instead of two. pic.twitter.com/ErecD0td3d
Mike Trout ties the game up and Angel Stadium is ROCKING pic.twitter.com/pr7tRKKInO
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) April 2, 2021
Meanwhile, the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers played a ridiculous first inning that saw each team score five runs in the opening frame for the first time in MLB Opening Day history. If all this excitement just on Opening Day is any indication, baseball fans are in store for a 2021 season filled with memorable moments, broken records, and wild finishes.
Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers played in the 1st Opening Day game where both teams scored 5+ Runs during the 1st inning of the season in MLB history pic.twitter.com/PPSmdcUAsk
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 2, 2021
Related: Stories of the Day
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS HAVE FAILED TO LIVE UP TO THE HYPE THUS FAR
The New Orleans Pelicans squad currently sits in 12th place in the Western Conference standings. This is a team who is not living up to the expectations they had entering the season. A loss on Thursday night to a weaker Orlando team adds to the disappointment they’ve had in 2020-21. 1.5 games behind the 10th place play-in spot was not where this team pictured themselves being with over 50 games in the books.
This NOLA roster is not one that lacks talent by any means. The Pelicans are composed of players like Zion Williamson, who is averaging 26.4 points per game, Brandon Ingram at 23.8 points per game, Lonzo Ball, Steven Adams, Josh Hart, and Eric Bledsoe, who are all above-average NBA players. This roster is very capable of making the playoffs, and should be expected to, considering their star talent and quality depth.
Williamson is in the top-10 in PPG this season, and for a player of his caliber to not even make the play-in game would be disappointing for his young career and not ideal for the NBA either. Their loss to Orlando was just one of the many discouraging losses this team has had this season, as it has been a recurring issue.
Their consistent lack of defense makes it seem like there doesn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel for this season’s chances. Something needs to change for this program to turn it around and make the play-in tournament, setting the tone for what could be a very promising 2020s decade.
COLORS KEY | FULL PELICANS OUTLOOK
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
DeRozan drains the clutch bucket to force OT
DeRozan forces OT 🥶 pic.twitter.com/mWs2yotmyW
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 2, 2021
Related: NBA Highlights
C Clint Capela, ATL (W @SAS): 28 PTS (9-15 FG | 0-0 3P), 0 AST, 17 REB, 5 BLK, 0 STL, 0 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (4/1/21) - C Clint Capela, ATL
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 2, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Powered Hawks to 2OT win with 0 missed FTs (10-10)
- Capela, Trae Young, and Bogdanovic all led w/ 28 PTS
- PF/C John Collins was out (ankle)
KEY STATS:
28 PTS, 17 REB, 5 BLK, 0 TOV, 9-15 FG (60%), 10-10 FT https://t.co/H56wMlZYnX
Related: Players of the Day
Atlanta Hawks (134) vs. San Antonio Spurs (129) [2OT]
[Highlights] HAWKS (-100; $12.18) d. @SPURS (-120; $13.20) 134-129 (2OT) [ATL +1.5 | o223]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Baseball is back, and with the new MLB season off to an electric start, PSO ranks the top World Series contenders entering 2021 and delivered a hype video to get the excitement started.
2021 MLB Opening Day World Series Rankings
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 1, 2021
1. #Padres
2. #Dodgers
3. #Braves
4. #Yankees
5. #Twins
6. #Mets
7. #Rays
8. #Cardinals
9. #WhiteSox
10. #Nationals pic.twitter.com/KeHiubp7kw
Baseball. Is. Back. ⚾️ https://t.co/v6IYQnhjbP
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 1, 2021
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