To say that Gabe Kapler's managerial debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday prompted a few double takes is an understatement.
How else, after all, are you to characterize a day that began with Odubel Herrera out of the Opening Day lineup, continued with the bullpen replacing a cruising Aaron Nola after 68 pitches of shutout ball and ended with the Atlanta Braves scoring eight unanswered runs in a walk-off win?
Double takes weren't the only thing to come out of Philadelphia in the wake of Kapler's unconventionally guided -- or misguided -- debut, either. Oh no. You best believe that double takes were just a preview of the hot takes that followed.
There was good, there was bad and there was lots of ugly.
(And before we dive into all of the reactions from Kapler's first official day in the dugout, it's important to note that we also should've seen this coming. Kapler hasn't done anything to suggest that he won't be MLB's quirkiest "dude" running the Phils, and the City of Brotherly Love, fresh off a Super Bowl celebration, was already being set up for even the slightest letdown thanks to spring-training hype.)
Now, to the depths of social media we go for a look at just how everyone took to Kapler on Opening Day:
Gabe Kapler with one of the most poorly managed games you will see. 5-0 lead and he takes out starter Aaron Nola after 5.1 innings and 68 pitches. Trying to impress people with his bullpen moves. #brutal. Saw one tweet with his ridiculous theme #BeBold not #BeAnIdiot #coconutoil
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) March 29, 2018
Of course, we start with the rational approach. (*Giggles.*) Howard Eskin has never been one to shy away from a Twitter fight, so you'll have to excuse the hyperbole here. But there is some truth in what he's saying. If Kapler's intent behind pulling Nola so early was mostly to "impress" with his bullpen management, there's obviously cause for concern, especially if it were to continue ...
Kapler managing all 162 like Game 7 is going to be interesting
— David Murphy (@ByDavidMurphy) March 29, 2018
We're gonna see this a lot this year, gang. Gabe Kapler is going to manage differently than you've ever seen before. And you may not like it at times.
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) March 29, 2018
Even if things do change, in fact, it doesn't seem like Phillies fans will soon move on from what happened on Opening Day, either.
Pull Nola after just 68 pitches and 2 hits: ✔
— Sam Miller (@smiller1126) March 29, 2018
Pull Hoskins who was 2-3 with 2 doubles: ✔
Elect to put in every pitcher except Neshek: ✔
Blow a 5-0 lead: ✔
That certainly is bold.
161-1 incoming if we fire Gabe and cut the bullpen
— Kyle Shatto (@KyleShatto) March 30, 2018
And yet there are traces of hope within the incessant calls for the Phils to #BeBold like Kapler and, well, fire Kapler. (And here's your reminder that we are one game into the 2018 Phillies season.)
Phillies fans shouldn’t blame Kapler pulling Nola early for this late-inning mess. You’ve got a 9-man rested bullpen. It should hold a 5-0 lead. Don’t judge results on process. At least not in Game 1!
— Eric Karabell (@karabelleric) March 29, 2018
Here, it's hard to completely overlook the fact that Nola was coasting through his start -- the fact that, with some good, old-fashioned common sense, the Phillies could've staved off a looming bullpen collapse by, you know, letting their ace keep being an ace. But Eric Karabell is also right in that any solid bullpen should be able to hold a five-run lead, especially if we shouldn't have been stunned by a smaller Nola workload anyway ...
Does everyone criticizing Gabe Kapler for the Nola hook realize he only went 4 innings in his last spring outing? Shutout or not, he wasn't going to let him pitch much longer today. Not ready for it this early.
— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) March 29, 2018
Real question: Why let Nola bat the inning before?
And then you've got those like ESPN's Tim McManus, who referenced the hometown Eagles' patience with the once-unheralded Doug Pederson in suggesting Kapler just deserves a little more time:
Don’t know how Kapler will do as manager, but the way his data-driven decisions are getting crushed feels like Pederson early ‘17.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) March 30, 2018
If you're looking to Kapler himself for clarity on the Phils' Day One oddities, it probably depends which side of the fence you fall on. Because whether you're ready to end the #BeBold experiment before it can wreak any more havoc or whether you're willing to be patient with Philadelphia's unusually toned manager, Kapler is talking like a guy who trusts his process.
"The decisions did not work out in our favor, but I'm very confident over a long period of time that they will," Kapler told the media after Thursday's loss. "I have a high degree of conviction."
As we know and as just one game has so unceasingly reminded us, so does Philly.