Chaim Bloom says that Chris Sale threw off the mound briefly for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bloom says there is no timetable yet, but the expectation is still that Sale with return this season
The universal designated hitter is a polarizing topic in baseball, but Martin Perez gave those favor of implementing the DH in both leagues a solid case on Friday.
The Boston Red Sox southpaw stepped up to the plate in the second inning of Friday night's game in Philadelphia, and it wasn't pretty. Phillies starter Aaron Nola fooled Perez with a breaking ball and forced one of the ugliest swings you'll see at the major league level.
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Yikes.
In fairness to Perez, he at least went down swinging. That's more than what many pitchers in the majors can say. It isn't uncommon to see pitchers take strikes one, two, and three and walk back to the dugout.
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Sure, some MLB pitchers like Jacob deGrom, Zack Greinke, and Madison Bumgarner are anomalies. Then there's Shohei Ohtani, who's one of the game's best at the plate and on the mound. But other than a few exceptions, MLB pitchers mostly end up looking like Perez when they swing the bat.
It makes for a funny clip, but it isn't good for the game. The universal DH couldn't come any sooner.