Always looking for an edge, some batters stand their ground and let pitches hit them. As Pete Alonso’s wrist injury shows, the downside can be extreme.
Both teams have been winning with smoke and mirrors thanks to injuries. A series against each other in Los Angeles offers a test of just how good they are.
Players are stealing more bases, more balls are falling for hits and games are nearly 30 minutes faster than they were last year. Like them or not, the rules are accomplishing their goals.
The sweeper — a horizontal slider — had long been lumped in with other breaking balls. Thanks to a change in the Statcast system, it is suddenly its own thing.
Everything went well in the Bronx. Gerrit Cole cruised, Aaron Judge homered and Anthony Volpe made his major league debut in an easy win over San Francisco.