MLB Notes: Rookie Story makes history
Rookie Trevor Story made baseball history by hitting a home run in each of his first three major league games and the Colorado Rockies beat Arizona 4-3 on Wednesday in Phoenix.
Story also is the first player in baseball history to hit a home run for each of his first four hits, according to information provided to the Rockies from the Elias Sports Bureau.
Colorado’s Tyler Chatwood (1-0) pitched a strong 6 1/3 innings in his first big-league appearance since recovering from a second Tommy John surgery.
Story’s two-run homer off Patrick Corbin in the first inning gave him four for the season. DJ LeMahieu and Ryan Raburn also homered for the Rockies, who hit 10 home runs in the series, nine of them against Arizona starters. The Rockies took two of three from the Diamondbacks.
Chatwood (1-0) allowed two runs, one earned, and seven hits, striking out three with one hit batter. Nick Ahmed homered off closer Jake McGee in the ninth to make it a one-run game, but McGee got the save.
Corbin (0-1) pitched seven innings, giving up four runs and eight hits. He struck out six, including Story twice after the home run.
Story also made a lunging grab of Paul Goldschmidt’s sharp line drive in the fifth inning, one of several slick plays by the Rockies infield.
The Rockies hit three home runs off Zack Greinke, four off Shelby Miller and Corbin, overpowering what the Diamondbacks feel is a strong 1-2-3 start to the rotation.
Story connected with Corbin’s third pitch of the game, sending it to deep left-center field, far over the 415-foot sign.
Chatwood’s throwing error on what could have been a double play cleared the way for two runs to score for Arizona on bases-loaded ground outs in the third inning.
Goldschmidt was hit by a pitch to reach base for the 38th consecutive game, tying Luis Gonzalez’s franchise record.
With Story hitting four home runs in the dry desert air of Arizona, there’s no telling how many he’ll hit in notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver. He will play his first game there Friday night when the Rockies end their two-plus months in Arizona and play their home opener against San Diego.
“I’m just ready to get there and see what it’s all about,” Story said.
Gibbons refuses to apologize
Toronto manager John Gibbons says he was trying to inject some humor into a tense situation and had “no malicious intent” in his comment that “maybe we’ll come out wearing dresses tomorrow” after the Blue Jays lost 3-2 to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night because of baseball’s new rule on breaking up double plays.
“I cannot understand how it would offend anybody, to be honest with you,” Gibbons said. before Wednesday’s game with the Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida. “It doesn’t offend my mother, my daughter, my wife, who have a great understanding of life. I do think the world needs to lighten up a little bit.”
With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion hit a grounder to third. After taking a throw from Evan Longoria for the force at second, Logan Forsythe made an errant relay to first that appeared to allow the go-ahead run to score for Toronto. The Rays claimed Jose Bautista violated the new “Chase Utley Rule” governing slides on potential double plays. Replay umpires ruled Bautista’s slide was not directly into the bag and illegally hindered Forsythe. The call was changed to a game-ending double play that preserved Tampa Bay’s victory.
“I show up every day and do the best job I can. Try to treat people the way I want to be treated,” Gibbons said. “But it amazes me in the world now how simple things, you try to calm things down, and it gets thrown out of whack.”
Major League Baseball recently changed the rule on such slides, hoping to prevent a repeat of the takeout by Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley that broke the leg of New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada during last year’s playoffs.
“I thought the umpire out there made the right call,” Gibbons said of second-base umpire Mike Everitt. “He didn’t see anything. It’s a rule. Whatever they decide you live with it. I think they anticipated with this new rule there might be some controversy along the way.”
Clearing the bases
The Yankees decided not to file a protest with MLB over the disputed call that led to Tuesday’s season-opening loss to Houston. … Washington CF Ben Revere was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained right oblique. … The Angels placed lefty Andrew Heaney on the 15-day DL with a flexor muscle strain.The Angels were forced to shut down their effective No. 2 starter one day after his season debut.