MLB Plus debuts with Yankees-Red Sox

MLB introduced a new way to watch baseball Friday with MLB Plus, a data-driven online broadcast featuring Statcast™ and other advanced analysis.

MLB Plus debuted during Friday’s matchup between the Yankees and Red Sox at Fenway Park, which Boston won, 4-2. It will be available as a companion to each MLB Network Showcase game this season, and you can catch the next installment during Saturday’s Yankees-Red Sox game.

To get a sense of what you can expect, here’s a look some of the highlights from the MLB Plus debut Friday:

A-Rod goes yardAlex Rodriguez got the Yankees on the board first, launching his 691st career home run in the second inning. Henry Owens’ 1-0 pitch rocketed off Rodriguez’s bat at 107.7 mph, traveling 425 feet over the Green Monster in left-center.

“With his waning bat speed, he really, really likes that ball out over the plate, and they pitch him in, in, in,” former Rays outfielder Fernando Perez said. “They did the same thing to Derek Jeter at the end of his career.”

Even with the high exit velocity, Rodriguez’s homer still wasn’t the hardest-hit ball of the evening. Starlin Castro’s triple two at-bats later claimed that honor at just over 109 mph. The difference was the launch angle; A-Rod’s solo shot traveled at a 26.8-degree angle, allowing it to escape into the stands.

Holt throws homeBrock Holt delivered the first defensive highlight of the evening in the second inning, throwing out Castro at the plate. Holt’s throw from left field traveled at 93 mph and was right on target. The 93 mph toss was the second-hardest …

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