MLB apologizes to Mets for giving McNeil confusing strike

Major League Baseball apologized to the New York Mets after Jeff McNeil was given a strike by the home plate umpire because Pete Alonso took too long to get back to first base during Thursday's opener, manager Buck Showalter said Friday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Showalter said MLB also clarified that umpire Larry Vanover shouldn't have charged McNeil with a strike in accordance with the new rules aimed at speeding up the pace of play.

The skipper said the league told him that players will be warned in the future if they are too slow returning to the base. He added that what made the play even more confusing was Vanover said to Alonso that he wasn't the reason McNeil received a strike.

"By the time Pete got around third base there was another version out there," Showalter said. "(League officials) wanted to make sure everybody was straight, so I appreciate that."