Opinion

This seemed to be the state of the Boston Red Sox's starting rotation at the outset of 2016: a true ace in David Price, a few guys they hoped could be his co-ace, and a knuckleballer who figured to be neither.

This is yet another reason there's a file marked "Can't Predict Baseball."

NEW YORK — The legend of Thor began with a single pitch.

It wasn't the first pitch Noah Syndergaard ever threw in the major leagues. It wasn't even a strike, although that was kind of the point.

It wasn't supposed to be a strike. It was supposed to make a statement.

And just in case it didn't, Syndergaard followed it up with words.

"Hit that first pitch," he said in a text that night to Frank Viola, his Triple-A pitching coach.

Last season, the New York Mets mixed a sputtering offense with a strong, young pitching staff, added a healthy dollop of trade-deadline cavalry and rolled to a World Series appearance.

Now, the Queens faithful had better hope history repeats itself.

One year, one hip surgery, six-and-a-half months on the open market and three minor league starts since the last time he toed a major league mound, Tim Lincecum sent a message Saturday:

The Freak lives.

The Toronto Blue Jays always had this in them, and it's why they always had to be considered a serious factor in the American League East.

Michael Saunders always had this in him, too, and it's why the Blue Jays wanted to get him. It's not just because he's Canadian, although the one major league team north of the border always does like the idea of having a Canadian star.

"The greatest hitter who ever lived" gave Claudia Williams a batting clinic that spanned two decades.

 SALEM, Va. — It’s been a wondrous 53 weeks for 2015 Chicago Cubs first-round draft pick and Myrtle Beach Pelicans second baseman Ian Happ on the baseball diamond.

Sunday delivers a poignant reminder of his greatest personal loss off it.

It will be Happ’s first Father’s Day since the passing of his dad, Keith, who died in October at age 58 as a result of brain cancer.

On June 15, the Miami Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki collected his 4,257th professional hit. In one sense, he passed Pete Rose on the all-time hits list. In another, he didn't, since 1,278 of those knocks came during Ichiro's days in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.

You can read my ruminations on the subject here. The point, though, is that some stats are controversial.

The most productive starting pitcher in the American League's best rotation came close to making history Thursday. As a general concept, that sounds like something that would happen.

But, Colby Lewis? Texas Rangers? That's unexpected and therefore a cool story.

On Friday at U.S. Cellular Field, Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer looked over his right shoulder in the first inning of his team’s game against the Chicago White Sox and stared down one of MLB’s best pitchers, lefty Chris Sale.

Hosmer won the battle. Kansas City’s left-handed slugger homered to left field.