sport news Pitch clock violation ruins Sergio Romo's retirement game with the Giants trends now

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Sergio Romo's retirement game with the San Francisco Giants took an awkward turn when the three-time World Series champion was called for a pitch clock violation before throwing his first pitch. 

The 40-year-old returned to Oracle Park to pitch in one last exhibition game against the A's on Monday, entering the outfield to a rousing ovation from Giants fans in the seventh inning. 

However, his triumphant entrance swiftly turned sour as his first batter was awarded a ball because Romo took longer than 15 seconds to pitch. A chorus of boos could soon be heard immediately after the umpire's call, as the crowd voiced its displeasure at the game's officiating, with the score in favor of the Athletics (11-2). 

You could hardly blame Romo for forgetting about perhaps the biggest change to professional baseball in recent history. The 2013 All-Star is part of a rare breed of pitchers who played in a time when there was no pitch clock, which MLB began to experiment in league games starting in 2014. 

Ever popular with the home fans, Romo wore a special hat in his last Giants outing. All during spring training, every time a kid asked for an autograph, he'd have them sign his cap.