Bullpen games — like smart refrigerators, touch screen refrigerators, and yet another streaming service — are things that absolutely no one wants, but which are being forced down our throats anyway. I hate them. You hate them. Managers hate them. But they’re here.
There are two things that particularly suck about bullpen games. First, they eliminate the possibility of seeing one of the most fun things in baseball — an amazing individual pitching performance — before the game even begins. And, second, they fill us with an unnerving sense of dread from the moment we pull up the MLB at-bat app to see who’s pitching.