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Five things we learned from A’s HQ: Breaking down position races, A.J. Puk’s nasty slider to Kris Bryant

MESA, Ariz. — A.J. Puk’s first pitch of the Cactus League: an easy 95 mph fastball.

“Just trying to be nice and easy, first game juice probably helped with that,” Puk said.

Error 0:

His third: a wicked 87 mph slider that Chicago Cubs’ MVP Kris Bryant took a listless jab at for a strikeout.

“First (slider) of the year, was a pretty good one to start out with, so I was real happy with that one,” Puk said.

Puk was succinct in his reflections and brief in his handling of the Cubs in his single inning pitched.