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MLB Fans Roasted Angels for Using Position Player on Mound on Opening Day
The 2025 MLB season did not get off to the start that Los Angeles Angels fans were hoping for.
Matched up against the lowly Chicago White Sox, Halos fans were certainly expecting a win, if not a close game. Instead, they were blown out in humbling fashion, as Chicago led 8–0 after eight innings.
After offseason acquisition Yusei Kikuchi and former second-round draft pick Ryan Johnson combined to surrender eight runs across 7 2/3 innings, the Angels turned to a rather unexpected arm for their final out of the game: infielder Nicky Lopez.
It took just one game in the '25 MLB season for the Angels to deploy a position player on the mound, and he ended up being the only one of their pitchers not to surrender a run. To do so against a White Sox team coming off a historically bad 2024 campaign only makes matters worse.
A ninth-inning home run from Logan O'Hoppe was the only thing that prevented the Halos from getting shutout on Opening Day, but they didn't escape the wrath of MLB fans on social media who roasted them for putting Lopez on the mound during the very first game of the year.
The Angels putting a position player on the mound on Opening Day because they’re getting crushed by what was just the worst team in MLB history has to be a new all-time low pic.twitter.com/YE5FJNU5bg
— YankeeWrld (@YankeeWRLD) March 27, 2025
it is opening day and the angels have nicky lopez pitching against the white sox
— Jay Cuda (@JayCuda) March 27, 2025
The Angels are using a position player to pitch in the first game of the season.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) March 27, 2025
It's 8-0 White Sox.
Infielder Nicky Lopez, who spent last season with the White Sox, is making his Angels debut on the mound.
Imagine having to throw Nicky Lopez on the mound against the White Sox on day one of the season
— Ali (@aliwhitesox) March 27, 2025
NICKY LOPEZ ON THE MOUND??! pic.twitter.com/hSsuKuBPwZ
— scott 🧦 (@FleecedByGetz) March 27, 2025
NICKY LOPEZ ANGELS DEBUT IS ON THE MOUND AS A POSITION PLAYER!!! ITS GAME 1!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
— cursed (@PlsCursed) March 27, 2025
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Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.