KC’s Duvernay-Tardif first to opt out of 2020 NFL season
OAKLAND, Calif. — The first big league game with an automatic runner in extra innings was decided with a blast rather than a bunt.
Marcus Semien began the bottom of the 10th on second base under the new, unpopular rule and scored on Matt Olson’s grand slam, sending the Oakland Athletics over the Los Angeles Angels 7-3 on Friday night.
Olson, whose alert throw from first base nailed Angels free runner Shohei Ohtani in the top of the 10th, connected with one out. The A’s gathered around home plate to greet him on opening night.
“It definitely is interesting. There’s going to be more excitement,” Olson said. “I think it would be a lot tougher to go to 17or 18-inning games with a guy on second. You’d think at some point somebody’s probably going to get a knock.”
Major League Baseball instituted the controversial extra-inning runner rule for this season to keep games from dragging on amid a compressed, 60-game schedule that started following a months-long delay because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Ohtani, who’d struck out to end the Angels ninth, wasn’t quite ready for it: The broadcast showed the Japanese star in the dugout wearing a pullover when the game went to extras. Caught off-guard, someone reminded him he needed to go to second and he quickly got organized.
Ohtani tried to advance on Jared Walsh’s leadoff grounder, but was tagged out in a rundown.
“I feel like we’re just going to see some different stuff with that,” Olson said.
After Semien took second, the A’s loaded the bases against Hansel Robles (0-1) on a hit by pitch, wild pitch and a walk.
“Let’s see what we do,” former A’s pitcher Dave Stewart wrote on Twitter, then cracked, “I guess the bunt is not an option?”
Then: “We don’t need no stinking bunt.”
New Angels manager Joe Maddon brought in reliever Hoby Milner and, with a five-man infield in place, Olson hit the first pitch far over the right-field wall.
According to STATS, Olson became only the third player to hit a walkoff grand slam on opening day. He joined Sixto Lezcano (1980, Brewers) and Jim Presley (1986, Mariners).
Burch Smith (1-0) pitched one inning for the win.
The game went to the 10th tied at 3 after Jason Castro’s tying homer in the ninth against A’s closer Liam Hendriks.
The Angels didn’t deliver a win for Maddon in his Angels managerial debut. Maddon joined the Angels following five seasons guiding the Chicago Cubs.
“We’re basically playing one-third of a season so that’s like losing a three-game series. That’s what it feels like,” Angels starter Andrew Heaney said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif became the first player to opt out of the upcoming NFL season on Friday, choosing to put his medical degree to use on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic rather than helping the Kansas City Chiefs defend their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
Duvernay-Tardif has been working to fulfill his requirements to become a doctor in the offseason, and has spent this summer working at a clinic in his native Canada. He said that experience helped him decide that if he was going to take any risks with his health, it would be to help patients dealing with the virus.
“This is one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make in my life but I must follow my convictions and do what I believe is right for me personally,” Duvernay-Tardif said on Twitter. “That is why I have decided to take the optout option.”
The NFL and its players association agreed earlier Friday to an opt-out clause for the upcoming season. Those who choose to voluntarily opt out will receive a $150,000 stipend and those with medical opt outs will receive $350,00 rather than their contractual salary, two people with knowledge of the decisions told The Associated Press. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the stipend amount was not made public.
The deadline to opt out is Aug. 3. Duvernay-Tardif was due a base salary of $2.75 million this season with a $750,000 roster bonus.
“Being at the front line during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system,” Duvernay-Tardif said. “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love.”
The 29-year-old played every offensive snap in the playoffs last season, helping the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers for the title.
“Given the worldwide sanitary crisis we are currently experiencing, the NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to significant health and safety protocols to protect the players. There is no doubt in my mind the Chiefs’ medical staff have put together a strong plan to minimize the health risks associated with COVID-19 but some risks will remain,” he said. “I want to thank everyone in the Kansas City Chiefs organization for their support and understanding.”