Anything different in baseball deserves some love. The game is generally played the way it has been for over 100 years, and it often seems resistant to change. Probably because of a fear of failure —failure that could result in lost jobs and public censure — perhaps the craziest thing that has happened to team management in the last thirty years is the fact that we’re taking our starters out a few batters earlier now than we once did. So, kudos to the Rays for trying something actually unconventional.



They started their game with a reliever. An “opener,” it’s been called. Righty Sergio Romo came out for the first inning and struck out the side against the Angels. Then nominal left-handed starter Ryan Yarborough came out and pitched 6 1/3 one-run innings, making this the future of baseball and the Rays geniuses. Good thing it worked!



Snark aside, it’s obviously not the results that make this a good or bad strategy. It’s...