The Tampa Bay Rays have always been a forward thinking organization. Because of their low payroll and limited resources, they have no choice but to try new innovations in order to gain a competitive edge over the rest of the league.
Yet when manager Kevin Cash first introduced the concept of the “opener”, it was met with doubt and even criticism.
On Sunday, Sergio Romo became the fifth pitcher in the last 40 years to start on consecutive days, and the first since 2012.
Angels third baseman Zack Cozart was critical of the back-to-back starts, calling it "weird" and "bad for baseball.