MIAMI — The Mets’ first real game using baseball’s new rules left Jeff McNeil momentarily perplexed, but it all worked out for him.
McNeil slapped a sixth-inning single Thursday as part of a Mets rally after a strike had been called on him by plate umpire Larry Vanover, supposedly for taking too long to set in the batter’s box.
But after the Mets’ 5-3 victory over the Marlins, manager Buck Showalter indicated there was conflicting information on why the strike was called on McNeil, and he intended to research the matter.
“I am getting two or three different stories,” Showalter said. “My first one was that Pete [Alonso] was too slow getting back to first base. But Pete was told something different when he got around third, so we’re going to decipher exactly what happened.”
Max Scherzer, pitching for the first time in a game that counted with the new pitch clock, remains an opponent of the timer.
“I love the pace, but I don’t like the clock,” said Scherzer, who allowed three runs in six innings and picked up the win in the Mets’ victory. “I will double down on that. I think the umpire should have the discretion to turn the clock off.”
The pitch clock, mixed reviews and all, appears to be working.
Six of Major League Baseball’s first 11 games Thursday were completed before three hours had passed
According to The Athletic
