PHOENIX — During a home game on May 14 against the Toronto Blue Jays, the San Francisco Giants joined the revolution.
The organization wanted rookie right-hander Tyler Beede to cover four-to-five innings against Toronto, but did not name Beede the starting pitcher. Instead, Beede was tabbed as the “bulk innings” reliever who would pitch behind “opener” Nick Vincent.
Manager Bruce Bochy was a critic of the alternative pitching strategy that became common across the major leagues in 2018, but with a bullpen loaded with solid arms and a young starter who had struggled to that point in his career, even a baseball traditionalist jumped on board.