KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It wasn’t as memorable as the first time, but it carried more weight because the game counted.
In the spring of 2021, the Indians decided to try newly-acquired shortstop Amed Rosario in center field. He debuted in a Cactus League game against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. In three innings, he made three errors as the Angels scored eight unearned run against ace Shane Bieber.
Rosario eventually moved back to shortstop and turned in a solid season. This spring, however, the newly-named Guardians asked him to play left field while using Andres Gimenez at short. Rosario got through the spring without incident, but in his big-league debut on Thursday, 30 to 40 mph winds, mixed with sleet and rain, awaited him in a season-opening, 3-1, to the Royals.
He handled the first two fly balls to come his way -- a line drive by Michael A. Taylor and a fly ball by Andrew Benintendi -- with no problem. In the fifth inning, however, Hunter Dozier hit a fly ball to left that got caught in the wind. Rosario got under the ball, but the wind pushed it toward the gap and it fell to the ground in front of him for a double.
It turned into a run when Nicky Lopez sent a two-out double once again to the left-center field gap -- there was some miscommunication between Rosario and center fielder Myles Straw -- as Dozier scored to make it a 1-1 game and end Bieber’s start.
Straw said it was so windy in the outfield that it was like “playing in a tornado.”
Rosario said the weather conditions made it difficult to make adjustments, especially since it sas his first regular-season game in left field.
Francona, who asked Rosario to play left field in spring training, took the hit for the loss.
“That’s a tough spot,” he said. “I feel bad. Our job is to put guys in position to succeed. I felt like I missed that with him. He’s a good kid. He’ll be fine.
“I told Biebs, ‘That one is on me.’”
Bieber allowed one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk batter in 72 pitches.
“It’s not fun. It’s not fun for sure,” said Bieber, when asked the conditions his fielders had to cope with. “They made plenty of great plays out there today. One or two just happened to fall. We got a long season ahead of us. We can’t just dwell on one play. We have to keep moving forward.”
Headed into the bottom of the sixth with the score still tied, 1-1, Francona moved Rosario from left to short, Gimenez from short to second, Yu Chang from second to first and brought Oscar Mercado off the bench to play left field.
Next: The Guardians are off Friday and resume this four-game series on Saturday when RHP Zack Plesac faces RHP Brad Keller at 4:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM and WMMS will carry the game.
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