KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch has a “soft rule” when it comes to a rain delay during a game: If it lasts about an hour, he’ll usually remove his starting pitcher.
Good thing it’s not a hard rule.
Hinch opted to keep Collin McHugh on the mound after a 49-minute stoppage Thursday night, and the soft-spoken righty responded with a resounding performance. He shut down the Kansas City Royals over six innings for a 5-2 victory in the opener of their AL Division Series.
“We checked in with him a couple times, but he was never really coming out of that game,” Hinch said of McHugh, a surprise 19-game winner this season.