SAN FRANCISCO — Tony Vitello turned down the basket of pastries during his morning coaches’ meeting on opening day, and that became an immediate victory in his book.
“You want as many wins as possible in a day. I avoided one of those pastries, and they all looked pretty deadly, so I’m at least 1-0 today,” Vitello said ahead of his managerial debut Wednesday with the San Francisco Giants against the visiting New York Yankees.
He didn’t win on the field as San Francisco took a 7-0 loss in the opening game of Major League Baseball’s 2026 regular season, with other MLB teams set to open Thursday and Friday.
“On a personal level, but also the whole team, everybody would like a better result,” Vitello said. “But the results are going to fluctuate. I think the biggest thing is a more competitive effort would have been better.”
There was still important work to do even hours before first pitch at Oracle Park, and there will be more after this one. Vitello needed a few refreshers on the MLB rulebook earlier in the day.