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- Don't you want to watch it first?
- Yeah, I mean, you can play it for me,
I know exactly what happens.
I hope there's a good video of the reaction,
because as soon as I hit it, I was like, "Oh, that was a good one."
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- [Announcer] Let's get it started, the 2018 season begins in earnest, right here in Miami.
- [Maddon] Opening Day, it's the rebirth, the regeneration. It's the re-everything.
- [Happ] I wasn't there Opening Day of '17. I got called up in May.
So, that was my first experience with an Opening Day.
Because I was leading off, I'm right next to Joe.
So we lined up, and then Jason Derulo killed the anthem.
I'm right next to home plate, and Jason Derulo is five feet from me
just singing the sexiest National Anthem you've ever seen.
That was a... quite an experience.
- [Pat Hughes] Great to be back with you again. Just about set for baseball.
- [Maddon] You talk about lineup construction. I liked Happer there.
It was purely based on a really hot Spring Training.
- [Happ] I had hit lead-off a lot during Spring Training, and I had a lot of success.
I hit a few homers to start games, or in first at bats.
So, I think I had some confidence going into the at bat, but more
I had confidence because I had had some success against Urena before.
I got him at least one time at Wrigley the year prior...
...in my first season.
I got abused by the fast ball a little bit, looked like they were Wiffle ball
rise balls.
I worked a lot on it throughout the season
and I got that one.
So I had that experience; I know that his fast ball, it's 96, 98.
They kind of start at my hip and run back over.
I know that he has a changeup that he's going to try to fade away from me
down and away. And then he's got that slider that spins over the middle.
So, pre-at bat I was pretty confident that he would go out there and sling one
the first pitch and hope I just-- hope I just watched it go by,
and then we would go into the at bat and he would try to throw a changeup
and then maybe a backdoor slider, and then come back with something
at my hip. So, I had something that resembled a plan,
but I was hoping I wouldn't have to get there.
- [Maddon] There's a lot of nerves in the beginning part of a game, and especially the first
game of the year. I'm into meditation.
I encourage him to do the same thing. I've often told him in the past,
if you really want to know what it feels like to be relaxed, you got to feel
what it feels like to be tight.
So before the game, we take a deep breath, squeeze as tightly as you possibly can.
And then you release.
- [Len Kasper] This will be the first pitch of the Major League season.
- [Happ] I had never led off the season, let alone the entire Major League Baseball
season, so...
definitely the heart was going a little bit.
- [Jim Deshaies] Ian Happ hit seven home runs in Spring Training.
I expect him to take a pretty healthy cut, here, if he gets a juicy looking
first pitch fastball from Urena.
- [Happ] I knew he really liked his fastball.
Especially to lead off the game, lead off the season, there's no way
he's not throwing that.
So I was all over it, and I was just ready for it.
- [Announcer] And baseball is back.
- Drive to right! - Go, baby!
- What were you saying JD? - Yes, sir!
- Gone! Oh, baby! - Oh, my!
That's unbelievable.
- [Happ] That was the exact pitch I was looking for.
It was... I had played that in my head for the last 12 hours;
that exact spot, that exact fastball,
running back over the plate just a little bit.
It was like you have a dream and then when you're awake, it happens.
That's what it felt like.
For me, it's some of those big moments I try to keep the emotions level
and the fans know that I don't smile much, that's the thing.
So, well, going around the bases there, that was a little bit tough.
Once the cameras were off, I was so excited, I had to take a step down
into the tunnel and kind of recompose
so I didn't end up putting myself through a wall.
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