ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Strikeouts are up, again, for the 14th consecutive year, but there are potential signs of a subtle shift beginning to take place, evident at the sport's highest levels.
Monday's Freeway Series opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels wasn't merely a matchup of the game's two best performers this season. It was a reminder of how the best ones -- at the right age, with the right technology -- can continually improve, even when the momentum is so profound in the other direction.
Cody Bellinger and Mike Trout were tied for the major league lead with 4.