Fernando Tatis Jr. did right thing by hitting grand slam on 3-0 pitch
Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Texas Rangers in the top of the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on August 17, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. Credit: Getty Images/Tom Pennington
As far as unwritten rules go, this isn’t a very complicated debate. Just another outdated concept that never really made any sense to begin with.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam Monday night and then was made to feel like he needed to apologize afterward.
Not for showboating, or taunting, or throwing a punch.
One of the game’s brightest young stars, all of 21 years old, committed the heinous crime of swinging at a pitch in the strike zone and driving it over the fence.
Oh, right. Almost forgot. The count was 3-and-0, which apparently meant that Tatis was supposed to diligently watch it sail by, just because the Padres were leading, 10-3, in the eighth inning.
Instead, Tatis crushed Juan Nicasio’s 93-mph, four-seam fastball -- which, for the record, was low to the outside corner -- for his second homer of the game and 11th overall, tops in the majors.
Quite a feat. And yet that set off a puzzling chain reaction, with the next Rangers reliever, Ian Gibaut, throwing behind Manny Machado in retaliation. Later, Tatis’ own manager, Jayce Tingler, essentially scolded him for missing the take sign on that 3-0 pitch.
Let me repeat that. A rookie manager reprimanded the next Mike Trout for hitting a grand slam because he was not supposed to swing. Maybe put that one in your pocket next time, Jayce.
Insanity, truly. The next day, Tatis garnered more support from opposing pitchers than he initially got from Tingler, who also happens to be the buddy of Rangers manager Chris Woodward. Clearly, it was Woodward who ordered the code red on Machado, and for that MLB quickly slapped a one-game suspension on him (Gibaut got three games).
All stemming from a 3-and-0 swing in a seven-run game. “Silly,” is how Yankees manager Aaron Boone described the episode Tuesday. More encouraging is that the league’s pitchers -- the crowd that could be offended -- believed it was ridiculous, too.
“It’s pretty simple for me,” Gerrit Cole said. “I mean, it’s pretty hard to hit a grand slam. So whatever count you want to try to hit one in -- go for it.”
Cardinals’ ace Jack Flaherty tweeted a similar response: “Don’t like it ... don’t fall behind 3-0. Pretty simple.”
And the Reds’ Trevor Bauer, who tends to go next level on every topic, praised Tatis for his “energy and flash” and urged him to keep belting homers, no matter the count or situation.
“The only thing you did wrong was apologize,” Bauer tweeted. “Stop that.”
Fortunately, MLB is coming around on the more brainless unwritten rules, and this one certainly qualifies. Tatis sounded genuinely surprised he didn’t know the 3-and-0 count offense, like maybe he slept through that class during his baseball education. Listening to the chapped Woodward try to explain the rule, as if it was perfectly logical to demand retaliation, only amplified the joke.
“Did it cross the line? In my opinion, yes,” Woodward said. “I expect him to swing 2-0. I expect him to swing 3-1. That 3-0 pitch was always the one that you’d get in trouble for if you swung at it at certain times. That was just common knowledge in the game. And now that it’s a little bit blurred, whatever. I’m willing to move on and kind of adapt to the new norm if that’s the case.”
Please. Let’s pull ourselves out of the 1950s and join the rest of the 21st century sporting world, where the spectacular is celebrated and the next generation is allowed to shine, free of the unwritten rules. We realize there is an etiquette involved with potential blowout situations like Monday night, but a seven-run margin, even for the eighth inning, doesn’t necessarily qualify.
With the baseball jumping again this year, those margins can be trimmed in a blink. And when that does happen, it impacts how bullpens are used, which can have a domino effect beyond that night and into the week. Tatis’ slam saved Tingler from having to worry about all that.
“The biggest thing you're guarding against is, if we're up by five [runs] to try and get to eight really bad,” Boone said. “Because of the bigger role bullpens play in the game today, those runs sometimes go a long way in deciding who you may use late in the game, or maybe being able to stay away from a high leverage guy that you maybe want to avoid that.”
Boone said he was just recently discussing the merits of stealing bases in borderline scenarios, so he appreciates the etiquette part of the game. But the manager also believes “the needle has moved a long way in that regard.”
If it means Tatis -- or anyone else -- swinging the bat with a chance to do something special, let’s keep pushing the the needle in that same direction.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
