Find something that makes you as happy as playing baseball makes Yu Chang

Life is all about those little moments of happiness, especially now. If you can happen to be paid exorbitant amounts of money to do that thing, even better. But I suspect there are some who would be smiling while doing that favorite thing, even if they weren’t being paid a cent.

One of those people is Yu Chang.

For proof, I point to yesterday’s game, in which Chang made his first Opening Day start and was grinning ear-to-ear pretty much the whole time, including in the middle of a snowstorm early in the game.

His smile was impossible to miss, even without the close-ups between pitches. Take this clip of him popping out (courtesy of Baseball Savant) where it starts with him smiling prior to the pitch, and still gleaming after he makes contacts and starts running to first.

Chang is 25 and playing in his third MLB season. Yesterday’s start was likely the first of many as he gets platooned with fellow first baseman(ish) Jake Bauers. The results haven’t been there for him yet, but the enthusiasm for the game sure has. We can only hope he’ll find a way to stick around when and if Bobby Bradley gets a shot.