Sim Game: Who Says You Have To Wait For Indians Opening Day?

With baseball on hiatus for the time being, we simulate what might have happened on Opening Day between the Indians and Tigers.

We know spring training in both Arizona and Florida has been suspended in response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. We know the start of the MLB regular season has been delayed at least two weeks. 

What we don't really know, however, is when we'll get to see baseball again.

Of course, sports come secondary at a time like this, and the amount of suspended events and cancelations around the country speak to how serious everyone is taking this situation. But that shouldn't stop us from using baseball as the life distraction it was always meant to be.

Nothing can compare to real life Opening Day, but in an effort to give you something on which to mentally munch like it's a bucket of Terry Francona's Dubble Bubble, the browser was pointed to WhatIfSports.com -- I spend enough time there with my Hardball Dynasty teams, anyhow -- and something resembling the squads of the Indians and Tigers, the two teams that were originally scheduled to open up Progressive Field on March 26, was assembled.

Then, I went over to their SimMatchup feature, plugged in the lineups (using Roster Resource over at FanGraphs as a guide), and then hit "simulate."

Extremely scientific? Nah. Infallible outcome? Of course not.

All we've got? Yup.

Here are the simulation results.

(We *may* have taken some liberties with the creative descriptions.)

If the first batter of the season, as was suggested by Bob Uecker's character, Harry Doyle, in the movie "Major League," truly indicates what the rest of the season may resemble, the Indians are off to a good start with a Bieber strikeout of Ex-Indian (sort of) Cameron Maybin. But those good feelings are short-lived, as new Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop punches an RBI single to center field, plating Niko Goodrum, handing Detroit the early 1-0 lead.

The home crowd is only momentarily silenced, however, as they erupt in cheers for Francisco Lindor, who begins the bottom of the inning by knocking a single through the right side of the infield. The first three for Cleveland reach against lefty Matthew Boyd, setting the stage for Carlos Santana.

Santana supplied the Tribe's first walk-off win of 2019 with a homer against Toronto, and the fan favorite switch-hitter, with the thuds of John Adams' drum providing the backing soundtrack, delivers the first big moment of 2020 by slugging a Boyd offering to deep right-center. The long drive clears the wall, a grand slam that gives the Indians a 4-1 advantage, sending fans into a frenzy.

Tom Hamilton's signature call can be heard echoing throughout the Progressive Field concourse, as fans slap hands (and then take a bath in hand sanitizer).

The inning ends on a Domingo Santana double play ball, but one Santana proved to be more than enough in the opening frame.

The two teams trade outs into the bottom of the third, but after Jose Ramirez hits into a fielder's choice and steals second, Franmil Reyes lines a single into left-center field, extending the Tribe's edge to 5-1. Oscar Mercado is then immediately drilled in the back -- hmmm -- but after the bases are loaded once again, Roberto Perez takes a called third strike to end the inning.

The unflappable Bieber works around a pair hits in the fourth and a single hit in the fifth but manages to keep the digital Tigers off of the electronic scoreboard (no, really, it's all electronic, remember?). 

The young righty then sets Detroit down in order in the sixth and seventh, continuing to cruise after some early rust.

Then, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Mercado would exact some revenge for the early hit-by-pitch, driving an RBI double into the left-center field gap, scoring Reyes from first (that off-season weight loss is already paying off!) as the familiar chirp of a Mario coin exits the stadium speakers.

Now, operating with a five-run lead, Bieber takes the hill for the eighth, retiring Maybin, Goodrum and Miguel Cabrera in order, exiting to a standing ovation after tossing his 103rd pitch of the afternoon. With the game seemingly out of reach, Bieber's season begins with an All-Star like performance, a nine-strikeout effort, allowing just one run on five hits over eight innings.

With the bottom of the inning expected to be just a pitstop before reaching the top of the ninth, Jordan Luplow gets the crowd engaged by getting tossed from the game after a called third strike. Their ... uhh ... conversation is barely audible from the stands, but word is Luplow and the home plate umpire had a disagreement over their top five episodes of "The Office."

Adam Cimber enters to begin the top half of the ninth, getting the first two Tigers, Schoop and Jeimer Candelario, to begin the inning. But after a misplay at first base by Santana and an Austin Romine single to center, Cimber hits Jacoby Jones with a pitch -- a poorly-timed retaliation?! -- to load the bases.

Francona signals for lefty Brad Hand, who takes the mound with the bases loaded, preparing to face new Tigers first baseman C.J. Cron. Fans, who were already preparing their "162-0" tweets, have now saved those words to their drafts and have resorted to nervous cheers as the southpaw tosses his warmups.

Hand's fastball dots the zone, then his slider breaks past Cron's knees for strike two. The Tribe closer then drops a pair of sliders down toward the right-handed hitter's feet, but the first baseman doesn't offer, bringing the count to 2-2.

Then, after glancing in and catching the sign from Perez, Hand tries another slider below the zone. This time, Cron offers, taking a hack capable of producing wind gusts that could power a small home.

The Tigers slugger comes up empty, Perez pumps his fist in celebration, and the friendly boom of fireworks (that is, when they are fired at the right time) signal the Indians' first win of 2020, a 6-1 victory over their AL Central rivals.

Cleveland trades hand shakes for the far more sanitary fist bumps, and the Indians fire up their first victory playlist of the season. Of course, as this was all done through a computer simulation, the entire playlist is filled with the annoying beeps, boops and screeches of the old dial-up internet tones.

And it has never sounded better.

Simulation courtesy of WhatIfSports.com