Generally, I’m a rules-follower. I don’t cut lines. I use crosswalks. I pay transit fares even when I know no one’s checking. Abiding by agreements is valuable because when fewer people honor just agreements — which is what most rules boil down to — then trust degrades and that way lies disorder, chaos, and misery. Which brings me to Yankees utility player Jose Caballero and MLB’s pitch clock.
I wasn’t there to pass judgment on whether Portland and Seattle are “good,” but my experiences did prompt me to think a lot about San Francisco’s mayor, Daniel Lurie, and the anxieties about my city that apparently motivate a good chunk of its leadership, which in turn get transferred to media members and everyday people who take their cues from those leaders.
The topline takeaway: Teams are starting catchers at DH at higher rates than they have in recent years, and at a higher rate than any other season for which I’ve checked the numbers.