SF Giants vs. Cubs: How new MLB rules came into play, who impressed in loss

MESA, Ariz. — Moments before starter Tristan Beck threw the first pitch of the bottom of the first Saturday afternoon in the Giants’ first game of Cactus League play, shortstop Brandon Crawford heard a voice barking at him from his left.

It was second base umpire Bill Miller.

“Make sure you get on the dirt,” the crew chief reminded Crawford.

His heels were touching the outfield grass.

“That was one thing I didn’t even realize that I did that I just have to be conscious of,” Crawford said after the game, a 10-8 exhibition loss.

Welcome to Major League Baseball in 2023. It’s going to take some getting used to — for the players, too.

Thanks to the reminder, Crawford wasn’t in violation of the new rules restricting defensive shifts, which require two infielders to have their feet on the dirt of each side of second base when the pitch is thrown. And while Crawford and others said the changes would be a spring-long adjustment, the Giants ultimately committed three violations, and six errors, a reminder that the new rules aren’t the only things players must focus on this spring.

“There’s some stuff that we’re definitely going to have to get used to,” Crawford said. “But the pace is definitely faster.”

Manager Gabe Kapler encouraged his players to ask questions, and Crawford said he had an ongoing dialogue with Miller at second base.

At one point, Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer called time, and Crawford turned to Miller. He wanted to confirm how many times a batter could step out during one plate appearance. Just once, he was told.

Hosmer, according to catcher Blake Sabol, turned to home plate umpire Nick Mahrley with a question: Is that not a violation yet?

Giants lefty Sam Long, the second-fastest worker in the majors last season, had already delivered a couple pitches to start the at-bat. Each one left Long’s hand with plenty of time on the clock — 8-10 seconds remaining — but on this one, Long came set and waited. The clock ticked down to 5 seconds, then 4, 3, 2. And Hosmer called time.

“He felt a little uncomfortable,” Sabol said. “We had a long hold.”

The plate umpire’s response to Hosmer’s query, according to Sabol: Uh, no. You called time.

“I think for a lot of guys, it’s on their mind right now, especially the veteran guys,” said Sabol, a verified rules expert after playing with them in the minor leagues last year. “Hosmer, he was literally asking questions during his at-bat trying to figure out the rules.”

There are some differences from how the rules were enforced during their trial period in the minors. And, in a twist, all three of the Giants’ violations came not from their veterans but different young players with plenty of experience under the clock.

“There were definitely things we got away with last year in the minors,” Sabol said. “You could see they really put a big emphasis for the big leagues. In the minors, they weren’t really harsh on the eight-second thing. Even when the clock ticked down to zero, they’d give it an extra second to get the pitch off. It just depends on who’s back there. I thought the (umpires) did a really good job today of officiating the game.”

Beck, their starter, exceeded the 20-second limit once, and Cody Bellinger was awarded a ball. Third baseman Casey Schmitt was penalized a strike against Marcus Stroman because he wasn’t in the box and ready to hit with 8 seconds on the clock.

When violations occur, it’s hard to miss.

“I was surprised at how loud the umpires yelled to stop (play),” said first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr., who launched the Giants’ first home run of the spring in the third inning. “He just yelled real loud, ‘Time!’ I thought maybe something happened, maybe a ball in play or something. They let you know if you get it, for sure. There won’t be no doubt if there’s a violation, for sure.”

The third violation was committed by Long, who learned a lesson along the way.

“We’re going to have to sprint in from the bullpen,” Long said.

Between innings, the clock resets to 2 minutes, 15 seconds. The last warm-up pitch must be thrown by the 40-second mark.

Long, entering in relief to start the third inning, reached the mound with 55 seconds left. He got three warm-up pitches.

“I think the warm-up pitches are a thing,” Kapler said. “I think our guys are just going to have to get used to that pace.”

While the time of game — 3 hours, 6 minutes — may not seem like an increase in speed from last year, it came in a spring training game with 18 combined runs, 25 total hits, six errors (all by the Giants) and 14 different pitchers used.

“It’s going to make things faster, more enjoyable for the fans and just a better brand, in my opinion,” Kapler said.

Schmitt debuts at third

By now, Giants fans have heard of Schmitt, the infield prospect. And if they know anything about the 23-year-old San Diego native, it is probably regarding his smooth use of the leather on his left hand and the rocket arm attached to his right shoulder.

Schmitt got a chance to showcase his defensive prowess in front of a live, big-league audience for the first time in the Giants’ spring opener, receiving the start at third base. It took only two batters for him to flash the leather, snagging a high-hopper from Dansby Swanson and throwing to second to start a 5-4-3 double play. Even more impressive was his diving play to end the bottom of the second. The batter, Brennan Davis, appeared so sure he snuck a hit down the left-field line that he was attempting to round first base when Schmitt’s throw beat him there.

“I was wondering why he took a loop,” first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. said. “But Casey got it. It was a good play.”

Crawford called the play down the line, “especially impressive,” and said Schmitt “looks different than a lot of infielders I’ve played with in the past. … Nothing against all the infielders I’ve played with before, it just seems like he’s on another level.”

“It’s fun to see it live and consistent in person, the defender that he is at third base,” Kapler said beforehand, comparing him to the four-time Gold Glover that started to his left. “Crawford has, like, all the tricks. The backhand coming through the baseball, anytime he’s going to his left he can spin, he can maintain his body position and throw from a lot of those positions.

“Casey just does all of those things. There’s a lot of experience playing third base, but it’s also just something he does naturally. He attacks the baseball. He can throw on the run. He knows how to allow the ball to get to him, and he puts his body in really good positions.”

It was a strong first impression on all fronts for Schmitt, who also launched a mammoth home run to the very top of the grass berm in left-field in the fourth inning.

While Schmitt’s primary position is third base, he also moonlighted at shortstop in Double-A last season, and Kapler said he will “certainly” see time there this spring, too. He is expected to start the year at Triple-A but could reach the majors by the end of the season.

Notable

— Batting leadoff, LaMonte Wade Jr. gave the Giants their first home run of the spring in his second at-bat. He swatted a pitch from Adrian Sampson on a line on to the berm in left-center field that gave San Francisco a 2-1 lead in the third. The Giants expect to be a power-hitting team, and a bounce-back season at first base from Wade, who hit 18 homers in 381 plate appearances in 2021, would play no small role in achieving that goal.

— Thairo Estrada took ball four in the top of the first and became the Giants’ first base runner of the spring, and two batters later, he scored their first run, too. Joc Pederson followed the walk with a bloop single to left, and Stephen Piscotty drove in Estrada with an RBI single. Patience at the plate is one area of improvement Kapler identified for Estrada, who he said, “can get significantly better. If he got significantly better, he’s in that superstar category, that perennial All-Star category. We think he has that talent.”

— Sabol, a Rule 5 pick, got off to a strong start in the competition for the two catching spots on the Opening Day roster. Immediately proceeding Schmitt’s fourth-inning homer, Sabol used his powerful left-handed swing to launch a pitch over the wall in dead center, a two-run shot that made it 4-2, and added another RBI single to finish 2-for-3 in his Giants debut.

— Saturday was a unique opportunity for Tristan Beck: Not only did the 26-year-old Stanford product start the Giants’ Cactus League opener, the first batter he faced was his college roommate, fellow Cardinal Nico Hoerner, the Cubs’ shortstop. “I mean, there are how many hundreds of baseball players out here throwing against each other,” Beck said, “and he steps in the box.” Hoerner got the best of Beck, leading off with a single, but he was quickly erased on Schmitt’s double play. The two of them were actually together when they found out about the matchup. “We were getting dinner a couple days ago when he got the word he was leading off, and I already knew I was starting the game. It was like, ‘Oh, hey, looks like I’ll be seeing you.’ “