The MLB Players League got underway over the weekend and Atlanta Braves representative Luke Jackson got off to a slow start.
In case you missed it, MLB is using the video game MLB The Show to start a Players League this month to try and fill the void of no actual baseball and Luke Jackson will be playing as the Atlanta Braves.
I did not catch the streams live over the weekend, but I did go back and watch Luke’s first game on his Twitch Stream.
You can tell that Luke does not regularly play MLB The Show, nor does he do much streaming, but I loved his enthusiasm during the game and you can tell he really wants to win.
And win he did in his first game taking on Lucas Giolito and the Chicago Whites Sox.
This was the only game I watched and it was a good one.
After back-to-back hits from Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson to start the game, Freddie Freeman loaded the bases with a walk.
But Luke left the bases loaded and wasn’t able to bring in a single run in the first.
Luckily for him, Giolito couldn’t get anything going against Mike Soroka and Darren O’Day who pitched three shutout innings.
And to no one’s surprise, Freeman came through with the clutch home run in the top of the third (these are three-inning games) to give Luke and the Braves the 1-0 victory.
But that’s where the fun ended for Luke as he lost 6-0 to the Mets and Jeff McNeil, 6-0 to Bo Bichette and the Blue Jays, and then lost a tough 4-3 to Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres.
Giolito is actually 2-2, McNeil is 3-1, Bichette is 3-1, and Tatis Jr. is 3-1. So perhaps Luke just played some of the best competition on day 1.
He’s currently third in the NL East at 1-3 behind Rhys Hoskins and the Phillies at 2-2 and McNeil and the Mets at 3-1.
Juan Soto has yet to play a game for the Nationals and Ryne Stanek is 0-4 for the Marlins (how fitting).
Luke and the Braves will be back in action on Tuesday, April 14 at 9 p.m. ET as he’ll take on the Phillies (2-2, Hoskins), Rangers (4-0, Gallo), Marlins (0-4, Stanek), and Red Sox (0-4, Rodriguez).