Story makes MLB history, Greinke has awful night in Arizona
Trevor Story became the first player to hit two home runs in his major league debut on opening day, and the Colorado Rockies spoiled Zack Greinke’s much-heralded Arizona debut with a 10-5 victory over the host Diamondbacks on Monday night.
Greinke, who signed a six-year, $206.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks, had his worst outing in nearly four years, giving up seven runs, six in one inning. He had not allowed that many runs in a game since the Diamondbacks scored seven against him on May 26, 2012, when he was with Milwaukee.
Greinke gave up three homers in a game for the first time since Aug. 19, 2009.
At 4 hours, 11 minutes, it was the longest nine-inning game in Diamondbacks history.
Story also became the first National League player to hit multiple home runs in his first game. Four have done it in the American League.
His first homer drove in three in the Rockies’ six-run third. Carlos Gonzalez also homered off Greinke.
Nolan Arenado hit a three-run shot off Silvino Bracho in the eighth, sending most of the 48,165 in attendance for the exits.
Justin Miller pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief to get the victory.
The Rockies scored five runs in the third before Greinke could get anyone out.
Charlie Blackmon doubled in the first run, then Story launched a 1-0 pitch over the fence in right field to bring home three. Gonzalez followed with a line shot into the swimming pool area in right-center. Finally, Arenado flied out to center for the first out.
DJ LeMahieu drove in the sixth run with his second single of the inning.
Greinke entered with great fanfare as the long-sought ace of the Diamondbacks after going 19-3 with a major league-best 1.66 ERA last season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After blanking Colorado the first two innings, Greinke had a 25 1/3-inning scoreless streak at Chase Field before things fell apart.
He hadn’t given up six runs in an inning since 2012.
Greinke went four innings, allowing nine hits, striking out two and walking one. He narrowly avoided giving up a fourth home run when Gerardo Parra hit one high off the overhang in left-center for a double.
Story, the second Colorado player to homer in his major league debut, won the shortstop job this spring after Jose Reyes was arrested on domestic violence charges in Hawaii during the offseason.
Reyes spent all of spring training on paid leave. A prosecutor in Hawaii said last week that the charges against the four-time All-Star will likely be dropped because his wife isn’t cooperating. But MLB could still hand out a suspension under terms of the new domestic violence policy.
Rockies manager Walt Weiss made it clear Saturday the team sees the 23-year-old Story as its future at shortstop. Weiss said he has “no idea” when Commissioner Rob Manfred might decide on any potential punishment for the 32-year-old Reyes.
Cubans increasing
Twenty-three Cubans were on opening day major league rosters following a series of high-profile defections, an increase of five over last year and the most since the commissioner’s office began releasing data in 1995.
MLB said that 238 of 864 players on opening day rosters, disabled lists and the restricted list were born outside the 50 states.
Seattle had the most players born outside the 50 states with 13.
The Dominican Republic led with 82, followed by Venezuela with 63 and Cuba.
Clearing the bases
The Pirates agreed to a deal with promising outfielder Gregory Polanco that runs well into the next decade. Sources say the 24-year old has agreed to a $35 million, five-year contract that runs from 2017-21. Polanco is signed for this year at $535,000. … Houston’s opener at the New York Yankees was postponed because of a forecast of bad weather and rescheduled for Tuesday afternoon. … With temperatures in the 30s and dropping, the Indians postponed their opener against the Red Sox until Tuesday when the forecast isn’t looking much warmer.