PHOENIX (AP) — Kansas City's Freddy Fermin knocked the cover off the ball during Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He really did.
The Royals catcher was facing Zac Gallen in the second inning when he swung early on an offspeed pitch. Fermin's bat just knicked the baseball, sending it bouncing softly into foul ground close to the on-deck circle.
As it came to a stop, it was clear that the cover had been partially torn from the ball.
D-backs broadcaster Bob Brenly said during the game that he's seen similar things happen a few times in his career. Brenly was a big league catcher in the 1980s and was also the D-backs manager from 2001-04.
“You may ask yourself, how does that happen?” Brenly said. “This is what they call a cupped bat. They take some of the weight out of the end of the bat and when the hitter is out in front so far, it catches the back part of the cup and rips the cover off the baseball.”
The Diamondbacks beat the Royals 2-0 on Wednesday. Fermin wasn't the only Royals hitter fooled by one of Gallen's pitches. The Arizona right-hander struck out 12, running his scoreless streak to 28 innings.
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