Twins Taylor, Tyler Rogers relish chance pitch in same ‘pen
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Minutes after Taylor Rogers insisted that he and identical twin Tyler are way past their days of pulling pranks, his brother did just that.
“We’re not tricksters,” Taylor had declared. Then, just as Taylor began to finish his introductory video call with the Giants, joining the same San Francisco bullpen as Tyler, his brother came on under the screen name of Brennan Huff.
“Is it safe to say the Giants have the best looking bullpen in the National League West?” asked Huff, AKA Tyler.
“Absolutely, absolutely. It just got a whole lot better as of Wednesday when you officially signed Taylor Rogers,” his good-natured twin replied, playing along nicely.
Yep, Tyler failed mightily in pulling a fast one this time.
“You just let anybody on these Zooms, huh?” Taylor cracked to a Giants media relations executive.
Taylor, the lefty, will be pitching alongside Tyler, the righty, after Taylor Rogers signed a $33 million, three-year contract this week. Also Friday, President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said outfielder Michael Conforto's agreement on a $36 million, two-year contract will be finalized “imminently,” and he has gone through a successful physical.
The Rogers brothers didn't plan on this happening, even after both pitching in the same game April 11 at San Francisco's Oracle Park, Taylor then for San Diego. They went out to exchange the lineup cards in a special moment — just the second time in major league history that twins pitched in the same game and the first time on opposing teams.
“This was something we never really wanted to fully think that this could happen,” Taylor said. “It just always felt like it was a too-good-to-be-true type of thing and then going into the offseason this year I had a discussion with Ty and he said, ‘You know what, this is your free agency, you need to do what’s best for you.' And he said, ‘If it happens to be the Giants, great, if not, that's great, too.'”
It is great for the parents and family members of he 32-year-old twins, born Dec. 17 in Littleton, Colorado: one-stop watching and cheering.
“We're going to have family around way more often now, bugging us,” Taylor said. “They are all totally excited and same thing, they never allowed themselves to think that was a possibility either. It always just felt like a movie.”
Taylor Rogers, a 2021 AL All-Star for Minnesota, went 4-8 with a 4.76 ERA and 31 saves over 66 appearances in 2022 with San Diego and Milwaukee. His 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings is a career best over a full season — 84 batters in 64 1/3 innings. Tyler Rogers uses a unique sidearm delivery and went 3-4 with a 3.57 ERA over 68 outings and 75 2/3 innings last season as San Francisco missed the playoffs a year after winning the NL West with a franchise-best 107 victories.