The “Wow” Factor and the “Day of Wow”

​There are days in baseball when we are “wow-ed.”  I remember Troy Tulowitski and his unassisted triple play in his rookie year.  That was a moment of “wow.”  Even the Hall of Fame was wowed and had their request in for his glove, hat and shoes before the game was even over.  Those are magical moments.  This week, many of us watched as Jake Arrieta threw a no hitter, one of the few reigning Cy Young winners to have back-to-back years of no-no’s.  That was a moment of “wow.”  It is rare, however, when we get a full DAY of “wow” in baseball.  It’s not because there aren’t enough talented players, strategic managerial moves, and just pure luck.  It’s because “Wow” moments are either super-human or supernatural in nature.   That day was yesterday, April 22nd, 2016.  And the A’s were part of that Wow. 
 
So what happened yesterday?  Well, the White Sox turned a 9-3-2-6-2-5 triple play.  You can try and picture that in your mind, or you can watch the video.  Fielder flat-footed was the only piece that took away from the Wow.  Todd Frazier’s fist-pumping and body bouncing into the dugout brought the Wow back.
 
Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Larcenist Supreme, stole home on left-handed pitcher Matt Moore on a full count.  The Yankees went on to beat the Rays 6-3.
 
Yo, good old Yo, in center field for the Mets guns down Nick Markakis at the plate.  Really Nick?  You played for Baltimore.  You know Yoenis’s cannon.  Guess he forgot because he rounded third and tried to score and was gunned at the plate.  The only thing worse than Nick’s choice to run on Cespedes was the commentator who said, “The only negative was he overthrew the cutoff man.”  Really?  Yo doesn’t overthrow. 
 
Even better than Yo’s throw home was Yasiel Puig’s nabbing a ricocheted off the center field wall and throwing 310 feet ON THE FLY to third where Trevor Story’s long fly ball ended with a Justin Turner tag.  Coor’s Field has been celebrating Trevor Story’s rookie bat since opening day.   That had to hurt, especially given the fact that they raised the outfield wall in front of the bullpens which kept that former home-run length ball inside the yard.
 
So those are the moments of Wow to make it a Day of Wow on April 22nd.  Oh, and there were a few other good baseball moments like Curtis Granderson and his multi-homer game which included a grand slam—both long balls off of Bud Norris.  Normally that would be on MLB Tonight as a Wow moment.  Sorry, Curtis.  It was a rare Day of Wow and you didn’t make the cut.