In the constantly evolving world of sports betting, player props have become a normal part of our gambling routine. Baseball is no exception. You can bet on how many hits your favorite player will get, if a pitcher will record over or under six strikeouts, or if a home run is in store for most any player in the lineup. For bigger events in sports, like the Super Bowl, the props get even wilder. What color is the Gatorade that will ultimately be poured on the winning coach? What will the first halftime show song be? How long will the national anthem last?
Based on what we saw on Monday, a new prop may need to be introduced: who will win the post-anthem, pregame standoff? It's not a typical part of conventional MLB fare, but it was certainly more interesting and more tightly contested than the 14-1 blowout that occurred afterward, which the Reds won over the Pirates.
Pittsburgh's Luis Oviedo, a relief pitcher, looked to be having a little bit more fun than Cincinnati's Alex Blandino, a utility player and the eventual winner of the standoff. Man, did he mean business out there. And based on what the broadcasting team said, it seems like the simultaneously intense and hilarious encounter lasted a whole lot longer than what the video clip showed. I was legitimately half-expecting them to stand out there as the first pitch of the game was getting thrown.
What we need now, obviously, is an actual duel between the two players, with Oviedo on the mound and Blandino at the plate. Would it be the longest at-bat in MLB history? Perhaps. Who might ultimately win? Seeing as the right-handed Oviedo has had a rough start to his MLB career (12 hits and 11 earned runs in 11.2 innings pitched), we may be tempted to assume that Blandino has the edge. However, he has struggled much more against right-handers than left-handers in 2021 (.222 vs. RHP, .429 vs. LHP) and in his career (.220 vs. RHP, .282 vs. LHP). It would only make sense that the at-bat would last several minutes, with Blandino fouling off pitch after pitch and giving Oviedo an unnecessarily fierce staredown after each one.
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