Fans at Oracle Park watched San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers make his playoff debut in his team's 4-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Many thought the mound wasn't his only destination of the night, however.
Rogers' identical twin brother, Taylor, watched the game with a few other family members from the stands -- perplexing those who could've sworn he was pitching for the Giants. Taylor Rogers, an All-Star pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, was able to attend the game because his team didn't make the playoffs.
"A lot of people mistook him for me," Tyler, a third-year pro who's spent his entire career with the Giants, said of his twin on Saturday. "During the game they were asking him why he's in the stands."
A trip to the mound would quickly differentiate the two, though, as Tyler is a right-handed submarine pitcher while Taylor is a traditional left-hander.
The 30-year-old twins have been supportive of each other throughout their careers. Tyler attended the 2021 MLB All-Star game to see Taylor pitch, and Taylor -- who's notched three playoff appearances over his six years with the Twins -- gave some pointers to Tyler about how to handle the postseason environment and in-game schedule after Friday's game.
"He told me about the commercial breaks being longer and he said, 'If you're warming up in between innings really take your time, because you can be ready and there will still be a minute and a half left until the commercial break is over," said Tyler, who recorded the Giants' final out of the eighth inning on Friday. "That was a good tidbit from him."
The Oracle Park fans who didn't recognize Taylor will have a good tidbit of their own to share: the story of a pitcher who somehow splits time between the mound and the stands.
San Francisco, which posted an MLB best regular-season record of 107-55, played Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday at Oracle Park.
