Arizona Diamondbacks News
[Arizona Sports] D-backs and Cubs break attendance record at Salt River Fields - Eclipsing a mark set in 2017, the Arizona Diamondbacks sell out crowd of 14,035 attendees for Saturday’s spring training game against the Chicago Cubs set a single-game record for Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The previous record was 14,002 on March 23, 2017, also against the Cubs Both teams have mostly dominated spring training attendance marks across both the Cactus League in Arizona and the Grapefruit League in Florida.
[D’backs.com] D-backs in no rush to name Opening Day starter - Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray will both start Sunday afternoon as the D-backs have split-squad games against the White Sox and Rangers. Which of them will be on the mound March 28 when the D-backs open the regular season at Dodger Stadium? That’s still to be determined. “We feel like we have a couple of really good candidates, and we just want to hit it right,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “We want to make sure whoever gets that nod is going to give us the best chance to win the game. It’s a tremendous honor, so it’s something that we’re going to pay close attention to.”
[AZ Central] Diamondbacks’ Matt Koch goes five innings in loss to Cubs - Matt Koch gave up four runs in five innings, with all of the damage coming in his final two innings. Koch was working with a fastball that averaged 93.2 mph, a tick up from where he typically has sat in the past. “I think I just got a little bit stronger this offseason,” Koch said. “I did a little bit more long-toss than normal. I don’t know if that’s correlating into it or not, but it could be. … Hopefully we can maintain it for long haul.” Koch has a 3.00 ERA in the Cactus League and is looking like a good bet to make the team in a relief role. The Diamondbacks got scoreless innings of work from RHP Greg Holland, RHP Yoshihisa Hirano and LHP Andrew Chafin. “It was nice to see the back end of the bullpen, with Hirano, Holland and Chafin, throw the ball well,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “Those are things we’re looking for late in spring training.”
[D’backs.com] D-backs’ Evening on the Diamond raises millions - Between the silent auction, which opened the night, and the live auction, which followed a dinner at tables set up on the field, the event raised $2.7 million. Overall, the D-backs’ Evening on the Diamond events have raised more than $20 million for projects, programs and causes in the community. “It’s some of the special things that the D-backs do. We connect with the community any time we can,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said.
Around the League
[MLB.com] Ichiro rocks Tokyo Dome at Mariners’ exhibition - Ichiro Suzuki didn’t make any magic on Saturday night in his first appearance back at the Tokyo Dome since 2012, going hitless in three at-bats in the Mariners’ 6-4 win over the Yomiuri Giants. But the 45-year-old legend made plenty of people happy as a sell-out crowd of 46,315 celebrated his every move on a flashbulb kind of night. Ichiro received a loud ovation when he was introduced in pregame ceremonies, with each Mariner player bowing in respect as he walked down the line shaking hands prior to the first of two exhibitions the teams will play this weekend.
[NBC Sports] Giants’ Jeff Samardzija favors eliminating extra innings in baseball - Jeff Samardzija (pronounced smardjdksdisdijscnniosdni) wants everyone to know that he really enjoys kissing his sister. This isn’t soccer, bro.
[Sports Illustrated] AJ Hinch Calls Angel Hernandez ‘Unprofessional’ and ‘Arrogant’ After First-Inning Ejection - I smell a lawsuit brewing over Angel Hernandez and his hurt feelings.