26017
by joez
Guardians
Cal Quantrill wins race with pitch clock, but Guardians lose to Reds, 4-3
Updated: Feb. 25, 2023, 6:18 p.m.
By Paul Hoynes
GOODYEAR, Ariz. --
Right-hander Cal Quantrill said he had no problem with MLB’s new pitch clock because he was going faster than it was in the Guardians’ Cactus League opener against the Reds on Saturday and Goodyear Ballpark.
Quantrill said his quick pace may have had something to do with the time constraints he was under. But mostly he was just excited to be out on the mound again.
“I thought I was going too fast today,” said Quantrill after the Guardians lost to the Reds, 4-3, on a walk-off homer by Matt McClain in the ninth inning. “I don’t think the timer was going too fast today.
“I was a little excited the first time out. It seems like it’s making the game faster. It wasn’t a massive priority for me, but it seems like this is what people want. I think we’ll adjust to it. I don’t think it will be a long-term issue.”
Pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds when a runner is on bace. There are two pitch clocks on either side of the plate and two on each end of the center field wall.
There were two clock violations on Saturday.
Cincinnati shortstop Jose Barrero received a strike in the second inning from plate umpire Stu Scheurwater for not being ready to hit with eight seconds left on the clock. Reds right-hander Daniel Norris was penalized with a ball for not delivering a pitch in time to Mike Zunino in the third inning.
Spring training invitees David Fry and Roman Quinn homered for Cleveland. Fry’s homer in the second was good for a 2-1 lead. Quinn’s homer to start the fifth put the Guardians in front, 3-2.
Quantrill, who will pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic, allowed two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.
When Barrero was charged with a strike for the clock violation, Quantrill wasn’t sure what happened.
“To be completely honest I was trying to figure out what the umpire was doing,” said Quantrill, who won 15 games last year. “It’s going to take time to get used to the timing of it.
“I was assuming 15 seconds was actually faster than it was. I didn’t want to be the first pitcher to get a ball (charged to him).”
Said manager Terry Francona, “It was going a little quick for him. I don’t know if he meant the clock. It was probably a little bit of both.
“It was his first game. He couldn’t find a real comfort zone, but physically he’s fine.”
The Guardians took a 1-0 lead in the first as Steven Kwan singled, went to third on a single by Gabriel Arias and scored on a wild pitch by left-hander Bandon Williamson.
Cincinnati tied it on a sacrifice fly by Wil Myers in the first inning. After Fry’s homer in the second, the Reds made it 2-2 in the bottom of the inning when former Guardian Will Benson stole home.
Benson, traded to the Reds in the offseason, opened the second with a hard single off Josh Naylor’s glove at first. He stole second, took third on Luke Maile’s single and came home when catcher Mike Zunino threw to second as Maile advanced after a walk by Stuart Fairchild. Benson scored easily on the play.
Francona said the ball four call from Scheuerwater came late, causing Zunino to throw to second.
The Reds tied the score, 3-3, on a sacrifice fly by Henry Ramos in the eighth off Nick Mikolachak. They won it in the ninth on McClain’s one-out homer off Aaron Pinto.
This looks familiar:
Kwan singled to center on the second pitch of the game. He went first to third on a single by Arias and scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
First steal of the spring:
Second baseman Jonathan India stole third in the first inning for the Reds’ first stolen base under MLB’s new rules (bigger bases, and a limit on pick-off attempts by pitchers).
First caught stealing:
Naylor was thrown out by Maile, his former teammate, on an attempted steal of second in the first.
First home run:
Fry gave the Guardians a 2-1 lead with a two-out homer in the second. Fry hit 17 homers at Class AAA Columbus last year.
One-two punch:
Kwan and Arias, the first two hitters in Cleveland’s lineup, had two hits each.
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“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller