Michael Kopech and catcher Yermin Mercedes had a conversation on the mound before the start of the fourth inning. The pitching prospect received a nice ovation from the fans when his name was announced over the public address system.
Kopech struck out one in one perfect inning, his first Cactus League outing of the spring. The right-hander reached 99 mph, according to the reading on the Camelback Ranch scoreboard.
Kopech made one start last spring, pitching one perfect inning on March 10, 2020, against the Texas Rangers. Baseball shut down two days later because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he opted out of the 2020 season for personal reasons when the game returned.