Does baseball need even more technology?
MLB Notes
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BALTIMORE -- Pete Alonso skipped sideways toward first base while his drive sailed toward the foul pole in left field. Then he tossed the bat aside, seemingly convinced he'd hit a home run.
From that distance and that angle, however, it was hard to be too certain.
Alonso's deep fly was ruled foul, and the call stood after a review in Baltimore's 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night. That led to plenty of outcry -- and calls for baseball to use technology to evaluate possible home runs near the foul pole.
It doesn't sound like that is imminent.
If baseball were to start using additional technology on fly balls like these, it would have to be developed, tested and installed by MLB, according to a person with knowledge of the issue. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Unlike with the Automated Ball/Strike system, Hawk-Eye data above the foul pole is unlikely to be accurate that far from the field. It's based on data from the first part of the ball's flight, with the rest of the path estimated -- meaning factors like wind aren't fully accounted for.
Before Thursday's game, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said the front office had communicated with Major League Baseball about the call.
"Just said that there wasn't enough video evidence to overturn the call on the field," Albernaz said.
One angle showed the ball on the right side of the pole and another showed it on the left side. Neither provided much clarity on where the ball was at the moment it passed the pole and the wall in left, which was the key question.
If the ball were lower, the camera angles might've shown it passing in front of or behind the pole, but when a hit sails higher than the top of the pole, it's not easy to find a definitive view.
The difference between a home run and a foul ball is substantial, so it's understandable players would want to feel confident those calls are correct.
"Obviously, this is a big game in division, so obviously this one's going to be a little bit more amplified. But this happens quite a few times throughout the season, more than you would think," Alonso said after the game. "I think having a camera or laser shooting straight up, we have all the technology, analytics and whatever and funds. I don't see why we can't do it."
The ABS system launched in the majors this year, and MLB has been experimenting in the minors with technology allowing challenges to checked swing calls.
deGrom gets 2,000 K's
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jacob deGrom has reached 2,000 career strikeouts in the second-fewest games and innings pitched in major league history.
The Texas Rangers right-hander fanned the first two batters against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. DeGrom struck out Daylen Lile and Abimelec Ortiz, both chasing strike three on sliders below the zone. He received a standing ovation and acknowledged the applause by tapping his cap over his heart. The two-time Cy Young Award winner made his 272nd career start and went into the game having pitched 1,660 1/3 innings.
Holmes goes 6 hitless
CHICAGO -- Grant Holmes' slider was working again, and he knew he was on a roll against the Chicago White Sox. The Atlanta right-hander was getting outs in a hurry Thursday.
The few times White Sox batters made solid contact -- flies to the warning track or infield liners -- his fielders were in position. Holmes didn't allow a hit until Andrew Benintendi lined a single to left with no outs in the seventh. That turned out to be Chicago's only hit in the contest as the Braves won 2-0.
Drop costs Reds
CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati's Dane Myers dropped a fly ball with two outs in the ninth, opening the flood gates in a six-run inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 10-9 win over the Reds.
The Reds held a 5-4 lead going into the ninth before things fell apart in the final inning. Masyn Winn and Jose Fermin scored on Myers' error, giving St. Louis a 6-5 lead. Alec Burleson's single drove in another run and a bases-loaded walk scored another to make it 8-5. Fermin came up for the second time in the inning and singled home two more runs to make it 10-5. The Reds made it close, scoring four runs in a wild ninth inning.
Abrams day-to-day
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Washington's CJ Abrams has a sprained left ankle and manager Blake Butera said Thursday the All-Star shortstop is day to day.
Abrams was hurt in the Nationals' 6-0 win at Texas on Wednesday night when he went into second base awkwardly on a ninth-inning double. At the plate, Abrams, 25, has career highs with a .279 batting average, 29 home runs and 91 RBIs. He leads major league shortstops with 19 errors. Butera recently announced Abrams would be moved from shortstop, the only position that he's played in his five big league seasons, to second base.