The 2012 Major League Baseball season began halfway around the globe in the wee hours of Wednesday morning with a pitch thrown by Glendale's very own Brandon McCarthy.
It was a mixed bag for the right-handed pitcher when it came to firsts, as he was responsible for the first hit, run and homer of the young season, but also the first strikeout.
McCarthy's Oakland Athletics suffered a 3-1 loss in 11 innings to the Seattle Mariners in baseball's season opener in Tokyo, in which McCarthy put forth a solid effort, but didn't factor in the decision.