6 things you may have missed from Monday's Brewers home opener (starting with that flyover)

It was an exciting day for Brewers fans when Milwaukee routed the New York Mets in the 2023 home opener Monday, 10-0, with a grand slam by rookie Brice Turang serving as the central highlight. But there were a lot of nuggets fans might have missed.

OK, let's talk about the flyover with the roof closed

If we're talking about things fans missed, it doesn't get more literal than the flyover … because the roof was closed. The B-1 Bomber out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota that flew over the stadium prior to first pitch. It appeared on the video board (and was heard inside the stadium), and the healthy proportion of fans still ambling in from their tailgating sessions got to see it with their own eyes. But yes, national writers and fans poked fun at the Brewers for staging a seemingly silly exercise.

Flyovers are coordinated well in advance between the armed forces and the Brewers entertainment team, and the club coordinates them fully aware that the roof might be closed for an April game. They also know many fans on opening day aren't exactly early arrivals to their seats.

The Brewers were also planning a flyover before the 2022 opener involving Medevac helicopters out of West Bend, though the Wisconsin National Guard had to cancel the trip because of high winds. The roof was closed for the 2022 opener, as well.

This type of thing has happened before. NRG Stadium in Houston had a closed roof in early 2017 during the Super Bowl when a flyover went unseen by those in the stadium, and Packers fans might even remember that the flyover at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where the roof was closed during the moment.

More: Turang's parents on hand to watch their son's thrilling grand opener

Replay: Brewers 10, New York Mets 0; it's a blowout in home-opening victory

At the time, there was some hubbub about the trip's cost, though Navy public affairs officer Mike Maus told CNBC that the flyovers are budgeted and actually provide pilots with essential training needed for missions, including instrumentation and communication practice.

The Wisconsin National Guard provided two F-16s for a flyover during Game 6 of the NBA Finals in July of 2021, which of course ended with a Bucks championship. Though many fans were outside Fiserv Forum in the "Deer District" during the three finals games played at Fiserv Forum, the venue obviously doesn't have an open-air option.

Jeff McNeil got very mad at the grass

Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil had a rough day, going 0 for 4 with a strikeout. He also slipped trying to field a roller hit by Joey Wiemer in the fifth, one batter after Turang's grand slam made in 10-0.

McNeil appeared visibly frustrated, seemingly with the turf after his cleat kicked up a major divot, although it stands to reason the 10-0 score might have had something to do with his anger.

The grounds crew at the stadium has a tougher job than most, with a roof layout that covers parts of the stadium in shadow. There's also the concert schedule, and with country star Morgan Wallen scheduled for back-to-back shows in the venue April 14-15, the job won't get any easier.

William Contreras' hilarious phantom throw to third

Mark Canha was called out by home plate umpire Alan Porter for not settling in the box fast enough in the ninth, given an automatic strike for the third of the at-bat. It was one of two strikeouts credited to Bryse Wilson, who got a save by virtue of pitching the final three innings of a team victory.

Catcher William Contreras had a great reaction, a phantom throw down to third base as if sending a baseball around the horn.

So how does that K look in the scorebook: Backwards or forward? It doesn't actually matter for official scoring purposes, but a sideways K seems appropriate.

At one point in the game — and you'll see this a lot — Contreras saved Freddy Peralta a pitch-timer violation by calling time with one second to go before the clock expired. Mets starter Carlos Carrasco was hit with a pitch-clock violation before he even threw a pitch in the game, allowing Christian Yelich to start the game with a 1-0 count.

"“The clock was a little different pace today, and we didn’t make a very good adjustment to it,” manager Buck Showalter said afterward. “Everyone is going through some adjustment period. It’s umpires, it’s clock operators, it’s us, it’s the other team we’re playing. You better figure it out because it’s not going away.”

Mets position player Luis Guillorme takes the hill

Among the numerous rule changes to Major League Baseball this year, you might have missed a detail that teams cannot put a position player on the hill unless a team is winning in the ninth by 10 or more runs or a losing team is down by eight or more at any point in the ballgame. Position players can pitch in extras at any point.

So while it isn't entirely unique to see infielder Luis Guillorme take the hill for the Mets in the eighth, it stands to be a rare sighting going forward. Guillorme allowed only a hit to Rowdy Tellez in his scoreless inning and reached 77 miles per hour at one point during his 12 pitches. Guillorme also had more hits (two) than the rest of his teammates combined (one, and that was Daniel Vogelbach's single where he got thrown out trying for second).

Did we mention Freddy Peralta just welcomed a son a few days ago?

Freddy Peralta's six strong innings were a welcome sight for a player who battled injuries during the 2022 season, closing a remarkable stretch of days for Peralta. His wife, Maritza, gave birth to a son, Freddy Jr., the day before the season began. Peralta briefly appeared before Thursday's opener in Chicago, then returned home to be with his family. It's the couple's second child.

Five days later, he was on the hill handcuffing a team that many people believe will make a serious push to win the NL crown.

Christian Yelich had a tough game but still made one Oshkosh fan's day

Christian Yelich struggled during the game, striking out four times. He also appeared to get deked out by Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor when Yelich was stealing second base. The throw sailed into center, but Lindor stayed near Yelich, faking that he had the ball in his glove, and Yelich didn't take another base.

A deke or fake tag is legal in MLB, though not in all levels of baseball, as long as the baserunner's vision to the actual baseball isn't blocked.

No matter. Yelich ended up scoring on a Willy Adames single, and after the game, Yelich made one fan's day by helping her check off the final item on her birthday "bucket list."

Oshkosh West High School student Kaitlyn Demler turned 17 on Monday, and she brought her "go-to" Brewers buddy and grandfather, Norman, to the game with tickets she bought herself after saving money working at Kwik Trip. They sat in section 116, and she brought a hand-drawn sign down to the seats near the field asking for a picture with Yelich to complete her birthday checklist.

"Right when I got there (after the game), Mark (Attanasio) the owner was right in front of me and saw my poster, took a picture of it to send it to Christian Yelich," Demler said Tuesday.

After 30 minutes of Mark and son Mike Attanasio working to track Yelich down, the left fielder returned to the field and signed a ball that he'd thrown to Demler after first-inning warmups during a game last September.

"It happened so suddenly," she said. "I never thought this would happen; it just happened. I could not prepare. I started sobbing, to say the least.

"The way Mark and Mike fought for me, I will just never forget. Whether he was an owner or not, he fought for a stranger when he didn't have to do that. I don't think there was any publicity involved. There was no cameras. Everyone was gone. I was so thankful and thankful for Christian Yelich, of course. We were waiting for a while and he was busy, and that he could find some time to come up means a lot."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Six things you may have missed from Brewers' home opener: Flyover