Fernando Tatis Jr. is probably the best young player in baseball. The 21-year-old shortstop for the San Diego Padres puts a .305 / .383 / .726 dash on the plate and leads MLB in home games with 11 in the first 23 games of the new season.
Tatis’ greatness was on full display Monday night against the Texas Rangers, and it led to the kind of non-sensual controversy that only baseball can produce at the end of the game.
Yes, we’re talking about unwritten rules.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam with his team at 10-3
The Padres were up by seven runs when Tatis stepped to the plate in the eighth inning. He had already hit one homer that night. Tatis sat on a 3-0 count when Rangers pitcher Juan Nicasio threw a pitch in the middle of the plate.
Tatis did the only sensible thing in that situation: he smashed it out of the park.
When Tatis ran the bases, Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward was visibly overwhelmed. Not on his pitcher for giving up a grand slam – but on Tatis for mashing it over the fence.
The Rangers defeated the following San Diego:
The Rangers were furious at Tatis for ‘raising the score’. His own manager does not even defend him
The Padres would win the game 14-4 to improve to .500 (12-12) on the year. After the game, Woodward Tatis blew out for breaking the game’s unwritten rules.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward over Fernando Tatis Jr. Swinging 3-0 on his grand slam: “I personally don’t like it. You’re up 7 in the 8th inning, it’s typically not a good time 3-0. It’s kind of the way we’re all in it game were raised. But … the standards are being challenged. “
– Sam Blum (@ SamBlum3) August 18, 2020
Tatis’ own manager did not agree. San Diego skipper Jayce Tingler said after the Tatis had a “take” sign in that situation. He described the moment as a ‘learning opportunity’ for Tatis.
Seriously. His own manager wanted to take a strike instead of attacking a thief.
Tingler said he’d rather take his own player on strike than hit a grand slam holy shit what a dumb soft sport baseball can sometimes be. Staying trapped in his feelings. pic.twitter.com/58R1xRZ3m0
– Jomboy (@Jomboy_) August 18, 2020
Tatis did nothing wrong. Both managers act childish and should be embarrassed by their comments.
How many times must baseball have the same stupid controversy? The people in this situation who need to change their behavior are the adult managers, not the 21-year-old superstar.
First of all, the game was not just out of reach. Tatis’ Grand Slam lay there. Imagine that the Rangers would come back in the ninth, because the Padres told their star heater to take a strike instead of hitting a homer. San Diego is in a playoff race. There is zero reason to stop trying to compete.
The odds of Padres winning were 99.6 percent when Fernando Tatis Jr. came on the plate in the 8th.
99.6 is not 100.
– AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 18, 2020
Tatis did not need to apologize after the game, but he did in principle. Here is his explanation.
Tatis said he missed a take-off on his 3-0 grand slam because he was “trapped, just trying to produce for my team.”
– AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 18, 2020
Baseball needs superstars. Tatis is growing. Baseball should try to get people excited for Tatis’ greatness, and not shout at him for greatness.
Tatis did nothing wrong. He did none. The Rangers’ childish manager and opponent was overwhelmed by it, and literally no one defends Tatis. If the Rangers are worse off hitting a dong on a 3-0 pitch, well: throw a better 3-0 pitch.
This is all so stupid and so baseball. Fernando Tatis Jr. reigns. These managers sound like babies and need to change their diapers. Too often baseball managers can be from old school to the point of hurting the longing of growth prospects of the game.
Fans want to see Tatis mash taters, not take strikes on purpose.
We hope Tatis does not listen to her. Just keep mashing.
