SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The baseball gospel, according to “Bull Durham,” proclaims: “This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.”
Not anymore.
In yet another embrace of technology, Major League Baseball is permitting pitchers to wear electronic contraptions during spring training that allow them to signal to the catcher what pitch is coming next. Monday, as the Rockies took the field for their first full-squad workout, pitchers tried out the new device during live batting practice. Most of them had the black, nine-button “keypad” strapped to their belt.