Giants rookie Mason Black makes MLB debut in Philadelphia against childhood favorite Phillies

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Mason Black and his younger brother woke up the morning of Oct. 7, 2011 and were surprised to find Phillies tickets for a playoff game that night resting on a dresser.

Their dad had said he wanted to take his sons — Mason Black was not only a die-hard Phillies fan, but his favorite pitcher, Roy Halladay, got the ball that night in Game 5 of the NL Division Series.

“They found them and came running downstairs and were like, ‘What are these?'” the boys’ father, George Black, said.

“I said, 'We're going tonight!' They almost came out of their shoes.”

Thirteen years later, George Black and his sons were back at Citizens Bank Park and Mason was very much in his shoes — more like his cleats, as the right-handed starting pitcher made his major league debut for the San Francisco Giants against the Phillies.

“I tried not to look up too much,” Black said. “Just kind of keep the focus on the plate and where I was.”

The Giants rookie had parents George and Tara, younger brother Dixon, and more than five dozen other relatives and friends rooting him on Monday. The Blacks sat in section 126, pretty much right behind the plate — a few sections to the left of their seats seven rows off the field behind first base the night the Phillies lost 1-0 to the Cardinals in the playoffs.

Mason Black received a standing ovation from several sections of the ballpark after he was lifted with one out in the fifth and the Giants trailing 5-0. His line: eight hits, five runs, three walks and four strikeouts in a 6-1 loss to the Phillies.

“It means a lot, being close to home,” said Black, who talked to more a dozen media members outside the clubhouse. “I felt that. Being (a travel day), I wasn't able to see every single person out there. But it was incredible.”

Giants manager Bob Melvin said Black pitched well enough to earn another start.

Mason Black was raised in Archibald, Pennsylvania, and attended Valley View High School in the same town located about 20 miles northeast of Scranton and 140 miles from Citizens Bank Park. The 24-year-old Black — named the seventh-best prospect in baseball, per MLB.com — was the Giants' third-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Lehigh University.

Much like George Black surprised his sons with tickets in 2011, Mason had a surprise for his parents when he texted on the family chain Saturday he was getting called up from Triple-A Sacramento (where he went 2-1 with a 1.01 ERA and 29 strikeouts).

George is usually the first to respond to family texts but he let them go unread because he was driving. Mason decided to just call his dad — who also played college baseball at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Mason told his dad he was packing: “I'm going to Philly.”

“I'm like, what? Let me pull over,” George Black laughed from his seat in row 31.

Scores of fans cheered from section 126 all the way to the cheap seats in section 426 when Black took the ball in the first inning.

How's this for a debut? Black recorded a 1-2-3 first inning that included strikeouts of J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper, the latter caught looking at an 88 mph changeup.

“I know the high level of player Bryce Harper is, so to have that in your resume, regardless of what happens, it's a success,” George said.

Dad spoke, of course, before Harper launched a three-run homer off his kid in the fifth for a 4-0 Phillies lead.

The reality was, win or lose, nothing was going to spoil the day for the family.

“Success to me, yes, it's wins, losses, strikeouts, but success to me was the minute he stepped on that pitcher's mound,” the 61-year-old father said. “That was as successful as a moment I could ask for as a dad. It's a proud moment for my wife and I.”

Mason, called up when the Giants put Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list with a left adductor strain, grew up rooting for players like Halladay and Pat Burrell. Burrell is now the Giants' hitting coach.

Unlike his son, George Black was raised a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

“Until my son got drafted, Roberto Clemente was my favorite player,” he said. “Now, my favorite player is Mason.”

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Mason Black winds up during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

San Francisco Giants' Mason Black pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

San Francisco Giants' Mason Black pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

San Francisco Giants' Mason Black pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

San Francisco Giants' Mason Black pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — In a campaign ad for Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te, incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen was shown driving with Lai in the passenger seat, exchanging reflections on their years governing together. Tsai later turned over the driving to Lai, who was joined by running mate Bi-khim Hsiao.

The message was clear: Lai would steer the island in the direction set by Tsai, who after eight years in power was barred from running again.

Lai, 64, will take office Monday. Continuing Tsai’s legacy means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan’s unofficial alliance with the United States and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary.

Lai is also expected to build on some of Tsai’s domestic reforms, despite political gridlock. Lai and Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party has lost the majority in the legislature, making it hard for Lai to push through legislation, including the approval of crucial national defense budgets.

Tsai, 67, has been Taiwan’s first female president and one of Asia’s few female leaders who didn’t hail from a political dynasty. Her legacy will be tied to defending the island’s sovereignty from China while refashioning it as a credible partner for the U.S. and other democracies. She will also be remembered for overseeing the legalization of same sex-marriage, steering Taiwan through the COVID years and kickstarting the island’s military modernization.

She leaves office with high approval ratings. A recent poll by broadcaster TVBS showed 42% of respondents were satisfied with her eight-year performance. Her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, left office with approval ratings of around 23%.

Tsai’s popularity partly reflects a shift in Taiwan’s identity. A vast majority of residents now identify as Taiwanese as opposed to Chinese and want to be governed separately from Beijing. Taiwan and China have had different governments since a civil war in 1949 saw the Nationalists flee to the island while China’s Communist Party took control of the mainland.

Tsai veered from the more China-friendly policies of the previous ruling party, the Kuomintang. By the end of Ma’s tenure, the frequent exchanges with Beijing were making many Taiwanese nervous, said Shelley Rigger, a Taiwan expert at Davidson College.

Beijing called Tsai a separatist after she refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, an agreement which says Taiwan is part of “One China.” While pulling away from Beijing, however, Tsai left a door open for communication.

“President Tsai has always said that Taiwan, under her leadership, is happy, willing and eager to have dialogue with Beijing, just not on terms unilaterally imposed by Beijing,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow with Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council.

China has not only declined to speak to Tsai but also ramped up military and economic pressure on the island, sending warships and military jets near it daily.

Beijing prevents countries it has diplomatic relations with from having formal ties with Taipei. During Tsai’s tenure, it intensified a campaign to lure away the island’s few diplomatic partners. During Tsai’s years in office, China poached almost half of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, bringing the remaining number to 12.

Tsai pushed back by diversifying trade relationships and increasing military spending including submarine development. She also elevated Taiwan’s standing on the international stage, said outgoing Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

“Her leadership style is very moderate, but at the same time very firm in dealing with any kind of international pressure,” he said.

“She strengthened awareness of Taiwan around the world and its ties with the international community,” said Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Lai, who served as vice president during Tsai's second term, came across as more of a firebrand earlier in his career. In 2017, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan’s independence,” drawing Beijing’s rebuke. He has since softened his stance and now supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and the possibility of talks with Beijing.

“Lai has spent the last two-plus years trying to convince the world that he is Tsai Ing-wen 2.0,” said Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University.

Lai will build on Tsai’s efforts to strengthen ties with the U.S., which doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

By some measures, Lai’s greatest uncertainty on the foreign policy front might come from Washington. A new Donald Trump administration could throw off whatever balance Tsai has achieved in Taipei’s relations with Washington and Beijing, Nachman said.

During Tsai's tenure, Taiwan became the first society in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, though critics say she skirted political responsibility by leaving the decision up to the Supreme Court and a series of referendums.

She oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended the military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernization drive, including a program for building indigenous submarines at more than $16 billion each.

Tsai’s leadership during the COVID pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan’s initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticizing the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.

Tsai’s mixed success on the domestic policy front contributed to historically poor results for the DPP in local elections, said Sung with the Atlantic Council. The party’s poor performance in the 2022 elections led to Tsai resigning as party chairwoman. And while Lai won the presidential election, DPP lost its majority in the legislature.

“Much of President Tsai’s government’s success comes from the foreign policy and related international outreach fronts, and in terms of making inroads on the much more grassroots party machinery level, for example, those still have room for improvement,” Sung said.

A supporter of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) holds a guava, symbolizing dishonored ballot during a march to protest against Lai Ching-te's ruling Democratic Progressive party a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai''s government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) stage a rally to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) gather to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) march to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

FILE - Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during the naming and launching ceremony of domestically-made submarines at CSBC Corp's shipyards in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Sept. 28, 2023. Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te is set to take office on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

FILE - In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, speaks at a luncheon during a visit by a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan, April 8, 2023. Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te is set to take office on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)

Supporters watch an ad showing then Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te in a car driven by incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen during a rally held in New Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. In the campaign ad, Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te and incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen was shown driving steadily on the island's roads with Lai in the passenger seat, exchanging barbs and reflections on their years governing together. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

FILE - Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, who also goes by William, is greeted by supporters during an election canvass of a neighborhood in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Jan. 11, 2024, ahead of the presidential election. Lai Ching-te is set to take office as Taiwan's new president on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)

FILE - Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai celebrates his victory after Taiwan's presidential election, in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. Lai Ching-te is set to take office as Taiwan's new president on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)