The 2020 Major League Baseball season was bizarre: the season schedule was shortened from 162 games to 60, the Toronto Blue Jays couldn’t play in Toronto, and the league instituted a number of gameplay rules that were new including Universal Designated Hitter, an extra runner in extra inning games, an expanded postseason, and shortened games while playing doubleheaders.
Thankfully for fans of Jomboy Media, Jomboy thrives when things get weird. We’ve logged the most-viewed breakdowns from that season, some of Jomboy’s finest work:
The 10th Most Viewed Breakdown
The video analyzes a game from April 2018 where Anthony Rendon got ejected after a close pitch. Despite not saying anything, Rendon threw his bat in frustration leading to his ejection. Furthermore, the team coach, Davey Martinez, also got ejected, but his theatrics of spiking his hat and digging made the crowd enjoy the spectacle.
The 9th Most Viewed Breakdown
The 8th Most Viewed Breakdown
The tensions between the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s boiled over when Ramon Laureano charged the Astros dugout after being hit by a pitch twice in the same game. The altercation began with a pitch by Astros pitcher Castiano and later by Brandon Bailey, who was traded for Laureano in 2017. The Astros hitting coach taunted Laureano to fight, resulting in an altercation that involved the A’s catcher and Maldonado. The incident sparked significant drama between the two teams, and Laureano expressed his frustration with the situation as he walked off the field.
The 7th Most Viewed Breakdown
In a YouTube video titled “Billy Butler takes offense to Gimenez framing pitches, a breakdown,” Billy Butler becomes upset with catcher Jimenez’s “framing pitches” while at bat. After Jimenez continues to talk to him, Butler hits a home run on the next pitch, causing Jimenez to become angry. However, both players downplay the incident and attribute it to competitiveness after the game.
The 6th Most Viewed Breakdown
In a recent game, Phillies’ pitcher Jose Alvarez took a 105 mph line drive to the groin which caused him immense pain and sent him to the hospital. Although he made the play, he was immediately down on the ground and writhing. However, after some tests, he was pronounced to be doing fine and managed to keep both his testicles.
The 5th Most Viewed Breakdown
The video discusses the incident where Albert Belle, in an extra innings game with runners on base, refuses to take his base after getting hit by a pitch as he wants to hit the game-winning run rather than settle for a hit-by-pitch. Belle thinks he can get away with it, but the catcher eventually tells the pitcher to throw the ball over the plate, and the manager calmed Belle down. The game ended with Cal Ripken Jr. hitting a walk-off for the Orioles.
The 4th Most Viewed Breakdown
In a YouTube video titled “Joe Kelly throws at Bregman and mocks Correa, a breakdown,” the tense encounter between Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly and Astros player Alex Bregman is broken down. After Kelly throws a ball behind Bregman’s head as revenge for Houston’s cheating scandal, he ultimately walks him on four pitches and mocks Carlos Correa during the game. The video suggests that this confrontation was inevitable and intentional.
The 3rd Most Viewed Breakdown
Josh Donaldson was ejected from a baseball game after hitting a home run and arguing with the umpire about a previous strike call. He appeared to soil the home plate during his home run trot which led to more tension with the umpire, ultimately resulting in his ejection from the game. This moment was particularly memorable for its combination of a home run, argument with an umpire, and an ejection.
The 2nd Most Viewed Breakdown
The Most Viewed Breakdown of 2020
The video breaks down Fernando Tatis Jr.’s apology for hitting a grand slam in a game due to baseball’s “unwritten rules.” While some criticized Tatis for running up the score, the YouTuber supports Tatis playing to win and making the game exciting. The YouTuber questions the value of baseball’s unwritten rules and hopes that Tatis’s talent and passion for the game will overcome any traditionalist backlash he faces.
