Balls and strikes are now reviewable in baseball, and that has added some drama to the first few days of the season.
You might think that with a limited number of challenges per game — and technology that's hard to argue with — the tension would be minimal, but Minnesota manager Derek Shelton got himself ejected in the ninth inning against Baltimore on Sunday over a pitch review.
With one on and one out and Baltimore up by two, Ryan Helsley's 3-2 pitch
to Minnesota's Josh Bell was called a ball. Helsley tapped his hat — the signal for a challenge — then did so again as if to drive the point home. The replay showed the pitch nicking the outside corner, the call was overturned, Bell was out, and Shelton argued. He was eventually thrown out of the game and Baltimore went on to win 8-6.
Shelton told reporters afterward he didn't think Helsley tapped his hat quickly enough.
Another game that raised eyebrows was Cincinnati's 6-5 win over Boston on Saturday. There were eight ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System) challenges in that game with umpire CB Bucknor behind the plate. Six calls were overturned. The Red Sox used both of their challenges by the end of the third inning. All five of Cincinnati's challenges were successful.
The Detroit Tigers sent a two-time Cy Young winner to the mound, and still opening day belonged to Kevin McGonigle. That's how impressive the rookie was in his debut Thursday.
McGonigle, one of baseball's top prospects, hit the first pitch he saw for a bases-loaded double in the first inning at San Diego. He also had hits in his next two at-bats. With Tarik Skubal on the mound, the Tigers won 8-2.
Another rookie who looks like he belongs is JJ Wetherholt of St. Louis. He hit a two-run, walk-off single in the 10th inning of his second career game Saturday against Tampa Bay. That was after he homered in his first game Thursday.
Carson Benge made the New York Mets' roster for their opener, and he has already homered as well. Cleveland's Chase DeLauter homered twice in his first regular-season game Thursday, including in his initial at-bat. There's a catch with him, though: DeLauter's actual debut came during last year's playoffs.
The Toronto Blue Jays set a record with 50 strikeouts in their first three games this season, with Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease both reaching double digits. Whose record did Toronto break?
Seattle's Emerson Hancock pitched six hitless innings Sunday in an 8-0 win over Cleveland. He struck out nine with one walk.
Hancock went 4-5 with a 4.90 ERA last season, but he's in the rotation following Bryce Miller's injury and made a good case to stay in his first outing.
The Tampa Bay Rays scored six runs in the top of the sixth to take a 7-1 lead over St. Louis on Thursday — and they were behind by the time the inning ended.
The Cardinals scored eight times in the bottom half to go ahead 9-7, and that ended up being the final score.
Nolan Gorman and Nathan Church both hit two-run singles. Then Wetherholt and Iván Herrera added sacrifice flies. Finally, Alec Burleson — who led off the inning with a single — capped the rally with a two-run homer.
Both teams sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning.
The 2020 Cincinnati Reds struck out 46 in their first three games, with Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer starting against Detroit. The Reds actually lost two of three in that series.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
