Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
On Monday morning, Willians Astudillo posted a picture to his Instagram. “I am officially announcing my candidacy for the 2021 American League Cy Young,” the squat utilityman wrote, showing off an image of him on the mound late in a blowout on Friday.
It was funny! The whole thing had been funny—Astudillo threw a 46 mph strike. That’s delightful; Minnesota had been down by seven runs when he entered, there was nothing to lose, and there was joy to be gained.