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What did the Rays gain with The Opener?

Baseball is really a very simple game. One man throws a ball. Another tries to hit it. If the hitter succeeds, eight new men come into play as they try to catch the ball.

While fielders are important, and a great fielder is fun to watch, the central matchup in baseball is between the pitcher and the hitter. Getting an advantager in this matchup is one of the primary jobs of the manager.

The Angels, especially when Shohei Ohtani is not slated to bat, are a team of right-handed hitters. One of them is great (Mike Trout), one of them was great (Albert Pujols), at least one is very good (Justin Upton), and a few more are maybe good (Andrelton SImmons, Zach Cozart, and Ian Kinsler, and Jefry Marte).