Arizona coach fined for wearing Apple Watch
NEW YORK— Arizona coach Ariel Prieto and the Diamondbacks were fined by Major League Baseball for his wearing an Apple Watch in the dugout during the NL wild-card win over Colorado.
MLB announced the discipline Friday, two days after the game.
The commissioner’s office said in a statement that it interviewed Prieto and examined his watch and cellphone. It said it “found no evidence that Mr. Prieto used the Apple Watch or cellphone for any purpose in the dugout, nor any baseball-related communication on either device, during Wednesday’s game.”
Prieto and the team were fined because he violated a regulation, and MLB will donate the fine money to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
Last month, the Boston Red Sox were fined by MLB for using an Apple Watch to relay signs to hitters.
SCHERZER IN GAME 3: Twotime Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer is scheduled to pitch Game 3 of Washington’s NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs, after Gio Gonzalez starts Game 2.
Nationals manager Dusty Baker finally announced his rotation plans, just a few hours before Game 1 of the series on Friday night.
Scherzer’s playoff debut this year was delayed because he tweaked his right hamstring in his last regular- season appearance. He had been slated to throw a bullpen session off a mound Wednesday, then Thursday, but finally did so on Friday.
For Gonzalez, 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 2017, Saturday’s game will be his fifth career post-season start, but only second at home. His other Nationals Park playoff outing came in 2012, when he was staked to a 6-0 lead in the deciding Game 5 of an NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals but Washington wound up losing 9-7.
BAEZ IN NLDS: Relievers Pedro Baez and Ross Stripling were on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster for their NL Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Outfielder Joc Pederson and utility player Tim Locastro didn’t make the lineup announced by Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts on Friday before Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
Arizona made two changes to its roster from the wild-card game against Colorado, adding Game 1 starter Taijuan Walker and Pacific Coast League MVP Christian Walker, while dropping outfielder Rey Fuentes and catcher Chris Herrmann.
Baez made a team-leading 66 relief appearances this season, but was a target of derision for Dodgers fans while posting a 2.95 ERA.
After two dismal appearances in early September, he didn’t allow a run while striking out seven over four scoreless appearances to end the regular season.