At first glance, the question seems ridiculous. But consider Max Muncy’s reaction to a double against the D-backs Monday evening: 
This was in Arizona. I don’t know if the roof was open, but does it matter? There’s nobody up in the rafters Max wants to communicate with, point his finger at, and say “thank you.”
I bet God is a baseball fan, as one of humanity’s better inventions. I imagine God follows the games, and would be pleased to carry on a pleasant conversation about them. I was proud of Ben’s paper-doll like baseball “play sets” he made when he was a kindergartner, which he would then sell to me. I can imagine God being similarly pleased and amused at baseball, something we thought up on our own, and which demonstrates and celebrates so many human qualities (and foibles).
I doubt God is particularly a Dodgers fan. I sometimes think God isn’t even a Wolverines fan.
But I bet God is a Max Muncy fan. I am, still, even though it’s been 31 months (I think) since he was on my team, and he now plays for my ancient nemesis, the Alleghenys. (Isn’t it great to be in a league where calling an old friend your “ancient nemesis” is true on TWO levels??) . I don’t know Max Muncy, whether he’s a nice guy, likes kids, tries to follow Jesus, etc. He got testy once with Madison Bumgarner, when Madison was still a Giant (and they both were Wolverines, as I recall). Max blasted a home run all the way out of Oracle Park, and Madison tried to stare him down all the way around the bases. I believe MadBum said something, to which Max famously replied “If you don’t like me celebrating my homer, you can go get the ball out of the ocean.” Or words to that effect. Which doesn’t exactly make sense, but for a spur of the moment retort, it’s pretty good.
I think God is also a Kyle Schwarber fan. I am, still, even though it’s been 19 months since he left the Wolverines for the Dragons. I don’t know Kyle, whether he’s a nice guy, friendly to strangers, who might go out of his way to help someone in need. I learned today he has a temper, which sometimes gets him into trouble, but which also, maybe, sometimes is useful in bringing the truth to the fore. Take this little sequence from Sunday’s game:
First, he jettisoned his bat and his helmet, presumably so umpire Angel Hernandez would know he wasn’t going to harm him. Then, even though Hernandez had already excused him from the game, Schwarber did this:
“You’re missing them down here…” (pointing to where Hernandez had, a few seconds before, called a 3-2 pitch out of the zone a strike in the ninth inning with the Phillies down 3-2).
“You’re missing them over here…”
“You’re missing them up here… for both sides!”
So it’s clear: Kyle is a kindly soul who helps elderly people like Angel Hernandez do their job better — and gets passionate about it. God is a fan of people like that, who bring the gift of disagreement to their neighbors.
Of course, the rumor is God is even a fan of people like Angel Hernandez. God has a plan for his life, or a range of plans, but Kyle may be suggesting umpiring is no longer one of them. Will a man named Angel, in a league featuring Angels and Seraphim, listen to God? Or at least to God’s servant, Kyle?
That guy in Chariots of Fire said when he ran fast he could feel God’s pleasure. I have never run fast enough to feel God’s pleasure, nor hardly ever even my own pleasure, and now I never will. I think I’ve written, spoken, or even taught on occasions where I thought I could feel God’s pleasure — but I am a little nervous about it, given humanity’s ability to imagine God taking pleasure in all kinds of awful stuff.
I kind of doubt Angel is feeling God’s pleasure in his umpiring these days. But I really don’t know.
I bet these people — if they were attuned correctly — could feel God’s pleasure Monday:
- Walker Buehler (LAD and OD), who pitched MLB’s first complete game this season, the first complete game shutout of his career, against the overmatched Diamondbacks.
- Bo Bichette (TOR and FH) who hit a grand slam to break a 2-2 tie and lead the Jays to a 6-2 win over the Red Sox (God’s pleasure felt especially keenly since Bichette has been struggling — still OPSing only .569).
- Kyle Tucker (HOU and CK), also off to a rough start, who went 3 for 4 to lift his OPS to .517.
- Willie Calhoun (TEX and KD), mired in an early season slump, went 2 for 2 Monday to lift his BA to .187 and his OPS to .672.
- Adolis Garcia (TEX and SS), also mired in an early season slump, went 2 for 5 with a double to lift his BA to .200 and his OPS to .640.
- Corey Seager (TEX and BC), ALSO slumping early, went 2 for 4 with a walk to lift his BA to .258 and his OPS to .632. It was today’s theme in Texas: hope dawning on early strugglers.
God’s pleasure isn’t in beating anyone. It’s in the achievement, the artistry, the moments of near-perfection. We miss many of those because they don’t lead to victories. But victories in sport are always zero-sum. Beautiful plays are one of the main positive sum outcomes in baseball, as in any worthwhile sport — that and fun.
