Sky Hill Park, Eagan, MN
The much anticipated game 2 saw last week’s newbie sensation Jagr in his first start on the bump against the famed and oft scouted Fukudome. For Jagr, the trip from hero to zero took only 1 inning. Call it opening day jitters, or straight-up impotence, the newbie faced 12 hitters in only 2 innings giving up 5 runs before the end of the first including a grand-slam to Fukudome. The 3 hits in inning 1, coupled with 3 walks were all the Marlins needed to steal the win. When asked about the move to start the newbie, T. Legend was clearly irritated, “You can’t walk batters and expect to win in this league. I don’t care who you play. Jagr looked terrible out there. F’ing terrible. You don’t spot a guy like Fuku 5 runs. You just don’t do it.” Jagr’s woes continued at the plate as well going 0-5 against the vaunted Marlin’s pitcher. Fukudome wavered a bit in innings 2 and 3 giving up a line drive homerun to T. Legend, but the pitcher clearly had the Gotham’s number in the final three innings posting zeros after the 3rd and striking out 14 of 27 batters faced. In the locker room Fukudome was unimpressed, “I knew I had lead coming into the game and that made it a lot easier to go after these guys. Coming into today all I heard was Jagr this and Web Gem that. Whatever. That team’s way overrated.”