leaves the game. That will be in effect the entire season, which starts May 27, and the goal is to encourage man agers to leave their starting pitchers in games longer. The Atlantic League will continue use of the automat ed ball strike computer umpire system that it started with in 2019. The ABS will be used in some Low A Southeast League games this season. In a change, the strike zone in the Atlantic League this year will be two dimen sional, measuring at the front of home plate, rather than three dimensional. "One we think will better match the human zone peo ple are expecting," Sword said. The Southeast League also will use a two dimensional zone, but it will run on the Hawk Eye system of cameras and the Atlantic League will use TrackMan radar system. MLB's Statcast system switched from TrackMan to Hawk Eye for the 2020 sea son. "We're talking about but we haven't made a firm deci sion yet of whether to modify the geometry of the Atlantic League strike zone a little bit," Sword said. "The zone that's actually called by major league umpires is kind of like an oval. And going to a two dimensional zone that has corners in it is going to be pitcher friendly because you're adding space to the strike zone. "So the thought is you actually might end off with something that feels better to people if you widen the strike zone by an inch or two and compressed it vertically by an inch or two." Other experimental minor league rules this year require infielders at Double A to keep both feet in the infield at the start of every play; the use of 18 by 18 inch bases at Triple A rather than 15 by 15 and a limit of two step off or pickoff attempts per plate appearance at Low A with at least one runner on base. The designated hitter was adopted by the American League in 1973 and was used in all major league games during the 2020 season due to pandemic rules. Its possi ble extension to the National League is expected to be dis cussed during bargaining between MLB and the play ers' association this year. The Atlantic League will use the 18 inch bases, which were part of the 2019 experi ment, but the league decided to do that on its own this sea son. The rule that a pitcher face three batters or end the half inning that was used by the Atlantic League in 2019 was adopted by the major leagues in 2020.
Thursday, April 15, 2021 Warsaw, Indiana
TIMES-UNION
2B
CLEVELAND (AP) - Indians manager Terry Francona called racist social media messages sent to first baseman Yu Chang "stupid and ignorant" and said they have no place in baseball or "anywhere." On Tuesday, Chang shared some anti Asian postings he received on Twitter after he made a costly error in the ninth inning of Monday night's game in Chicago. The throwing error allowed the White Sox to score the win ning run. Chang, who is Taiwanese, posted some of the tweets on his account while asking for tolerance. One of the messages referred to the shape of his eyes and anoth er referred to the coron avirus. "Exercise your freedom of speech in a right way, I accept all comments, posi tive or negative but DEFI NITELY NOT RACIST ONES," Chang wrote. "Thank you all and love you all." He included the hashtag StopAsianHate. Chang's tweet included a screenshot of three of the messages. Two of the accounts seem to have been deleted. Soon after his posting, the 25 year old Chang received an outpouring of positive responses and sup port from Indians fans and others across social media. Francona said he texted with Chang earlier in the day and met with him along with the player's inter preter before Tuesday's game at Guaranteed Rate Field. "First, I wanted to make sure he was OK and that he understands the lunacy or the idiocy that was said is not shared by hopefully very many people, certainly not in the Indians organiza tion," Francona said. "Truth be told, man, it's really sim ple: errors are part of the game. "But ignorance and racism, they shouldn't be anywhere. Those comments that have nothing to do with baseball, it's just an excuse for somebody to be stupid and ignorant. That's really what it is." Francona said Chang was handling the situation well "He's an extremely mature young man and he's fine," Francona said. With the Indians and White Sox tied 3 3 in the ninth inning and Chicago threatening with two run ners on base and one out, Chang fielded a groundball and attempted to get the forceout at second, but hit runner Yasmani Grandal in the helmet. The ball ricocheted toward the left field line, allowing pinch runner Nick Madrigal to score and giv ing the White Sox a 4 3 win. Chang, who came up as a middle infielder in Cleveland's organization, is playing first base for the first time this season. The Indians signed him as a free agent in 2013. Chang was not in the lineup on Tuesday night, but Francona said Jake Bauers playing first had nothing to do with the error. "I can promise you we will never make a lineup out from somebody's tweet the night before," Francona said. Chang flied out as a pinch hitter Tuesday night in the Indians' 2 0 win in 10 innings. There was no noticeable reaction from the socially distanced crowd when he batted. The racist social media postings directed toward Chang are part of an ugly trend of abusive behavior toward Asians, which included the fatal shootings of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta by a white gunman last month. Former NBA player Jeremy Lin has been out spoken about the racist behavior and sports organi zations have offered sup port to quell incidents.
Taiwanese-Born Chang Got Racist Tweets After Error
CLEVELAND (AP) - As he considered his next stop in the NFL, Jadeveon Clowney said there was something about the Browns that made them very appealing. "They're winning," he said. They are now, and Clowney wants to help them win it all. The dynamic free agent defensive end signed a one year, $10 million contract with Cleveland on Wednesday, joining All Pro end Myles Garrett on the defensive line of a rising team looking to go even deeper in the playoffs in the 2021 season. Clowney turned down a multiyear offer from the Browns last year (he said his former agent didn't want him to visit them), opting instead to sign for one season with Tennessee. Things didn't go as he hoped with the Titans as Clowney was slowed by a knee injury that stopped him after eight games. He's healthy following surgery, motivated and intent on showing he can still affect a game. "I can still dominate this league," the 28 year old Clowney said. "I know that." The Browns will line up Clowney on the opposite side of their line from Garrett, another former No. 1 overall pick who has grown into one of the league's best defensive players and is a threat to get a sack on every snap. And while much has been made of Clowney's addition making Garrett better, the 28 year old said the opposite is also true. "I have been getting dou ble teamed an awful lot in this league and in my career," Clowney said, breaking into a wide smile. "I'm looking for ward to playing with some body who is dominant on the opposite side like a Myles Garrett, who can draw a dou ble team. "Maybe I can go one on one more." The No. 1 overall pick in 2014, Clowney hasn't always played up to his reputation, and his stats haven't been impressive the past few sea sons - three sacks com bined in 2019, 2020 - because of injuries. But Browns general manager Andrew Berry has been intrigued by him for two years, and Clowney appreci ated the team's dogged pur suit. "He was relentless getting after me and trying to get me up here, and I am going to be relentless on that field for him," Clowney said of Berry. "He knows I can play. He told me he likes my style of play. I said I am going to bring that here." To some critics, Clowney has never reached his poten tial. He underwent microfrac ture knee surgery - "proba bly the worst thing you could have in this game" - and although he's been to three Pro Bowls, there are those who want to see more. Clowney's one of them. "If I ever reach my max potential or get back there like I feel now, they say the sky is the limit, but it is prob ably higher than that," he said. "They have footprints on the moon, though. That is where we are trying to reach. I just want to stay healthy. If I play 16 games, I think we will be ready to see. Just let me work on that." Berry spent this offseason upgrading Cleveland's defense, with Clowney, a three time Pro Bowler, his signature move. The addition may impact Berry's plans in the upcoming draft; Cleveland's biggest need had been an edge rusher to com plement Garrett. They took a run at J.J. Watt, who signed with Arizona. The Browns weren't going to let Clowney slip away from them again. "He's one of the more dis ruptive players in the game and we think he's going to add an element of rugged ness along our defensive line and will pair nicely with many of the guys we have on the roster already," Berry said. "The other thing we love about Jadeveon is his versa tility, his ability to play all across the front and impact the game regardless of his alignment." The Browns ended their nearly two decade long play off drought last season by going 11 5 in the tough AFC North. They beat rival Pittsburgh in the wild card round and were minutes from upsetting the then defending champion Kansas City Chiefs before losing 22 17.
Plunked Again, Contreras Hits Back With Home Run, Cubs Beat Brewers
MILWAUKEE (AP) - After getting hit time and time again by Milwaukee Brewers pitchers, Willson Contreras finally hit back. Contreras delivered a two run homer in the eighth inning and enjoyed his trip around the bases as the Chicago Cubs rallied past Milwaukee 3 2 Tuesday night, ending a three game skid and snapping the Brewers' three game win ning streak. Contreras' blast came after he was hit by a pitch from a Brewer for the third time this season. "Tonight we sent a mes sage," Contreras said. "They picked the wrong guy to throw at." Contreras hit a towering drive to left center off Brent Suter (0 1). The long drive delighted the large contin gent of Cubs fans at Milwaukee's American Family Field. After leaving the batter's box, Contreras turned him self around and flipped his bat back toward the Cubs dugout before beginning his trot. He acknowledged that getting hit by pitches so often by one team had angered him. He talked about it with Brewers catcher and good friend Omar Narvez. "I told him, 'I know you guys are not trying to hit me, but bro, that's something that would frustrate any player and I'm trying to take care of myself,"' Contreras said. Contreras put his finger to his lips several times as he rounded the bases, as if to hush Milwaukee fans. He walked the last couple of steps to the plate. "That's got to feel so good for him," Cubs manager David Ross said. "He almost ripped my hand off when he high fived me in the dugout." Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff hit Contreras in the fourth inning. Contreras also was hit by pitches from Milwaukee's Devin Williams and Brad Boxberger during the Cubs Brewers series at Wrigley Field. "I think that's the nature of how you have to pitch him and what he covers," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We're trying to go inside there and we're kind of miss ing spots a little bit. He is on the plate, so there's a little less room for error there is what I'd say. But we're going to continue to pitch inside." This latest incident led to a heated moment between these two NL Central rivals, who are facing off nine times this month. When Woodruff was at the plate in the fifth inning, Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera threw behind him. Woodruff and Tepera exchanged words afterward. "I've never been thrown at before," Woodruff said. "So, crazy. That's just part of the rivalry. I get it. Tensions get a little hot, but it is what it is." Milwaukee nearly answered Contreras' shot with a comeback of its own. The Brewers produced a two out threat in the bottom of the eighth when Andrew Chafin walked Keston Hiura and hit Travis Shaw with a pitch, but Craig Kimbrel got Avisal Garca to hit an inning ending bouncer to third. Kimbrel then worked around a two out walk in the ninth to earn his third save. Pedro Strop (1 0) earned the win with one inning of shutout relief. Milwaukee collected just three hits. The Brewers' only runs came on Luis Uras' two run homer in the second off Alec Mills, who was pressed into duty because scheduled starter Kyle Hendricks wasn't feeling well. Cubs officials said they scratched Hendricks out of an abundance of caution and didn't specify the nature of the right hander's health issues. Cubs bullpen coach Chris Young and first base coach Craig Driver have test ed positive for COVID 19. Ross said before Tuesday's game that none of his players have tested positive. "We were trying to get him tested and making sure we did test him, it came back negative," Ross said after the game. "But it just really falls in line with everybody else. ... Anybody with a little some thing right now, we're going to scratch and get him out of here." The Brewers wasted a fine performance from Woodruff, who struck out six and allowed just one run and three hits in six innings. This marked the seventh straight game in which a Brewers starter had worked at least five innings while allowing no more than one run. That matched a fran chise record, as the Brewers also accomplished that feat in seven straight games in August 2011. TRAINERS' ROOM Cubs: INF Matt Duffy went on the coronavirus related injured list. The Cubs already had put relievers Brandon Workman, Jason Adam and Dan Winkler on that list Monday. The Cubs filled Duffy's spot on the roster by adding infielder Ildemaro Vargas from the organiza tion's alternate site in South Bend, Indiana. Brewers: OF Christian Yelich missed a second straight game with a sore back. Counsell said it's "not out of the question" that the 2018 NL MVP could return for Wednesday afternoon's game. "We're taking it day by day," Counsell said. On his 35th birthday, Lorenzo Cain exited the game after two innings due to dis comfort in his left quadri ceps. UP NEXT The Cubs and Brewers fin ish their three game series with a Wednesday matinee in Milwaukee. Scheduled starters are Jake Arrieta (2 0, 2.25 ERA) for the Cubs and Corbin Burnes (0 1, 0.73) for the Brewers.
Clowney Signs With Browns, Wants To 'Dominate' Defense With Garrett
Morry Gash/As ociated Pres
Chicago Cubs' Willson Contreras gestures to the crowd after hitting a two-run home run during their game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, April 13, in Milwaukee.
BY STEVE MEGARGEE
Associated Press Sports Writer
BY TOM WITHERS
Associated Press Sports Writer
BY TOM WITHERS
Associated Press Sports Writer
Continued from 1B
Baseball
YU CHANG
Bret Carlsen/As ociated Pres
Dynamic free agent defensive end Jadeveon Clowney has signed a one-year, $10 million contract with Cleveland on Wednesday, April 14, 2021.
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