Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward thrust back into discussion over unwritten rules
Darn that Yermin Mercedes.
The Chicago White Sox rookie’s homer Monday night, off a 47-mph toss from Minnesota Twins infielder Willians Astudillo, is at the center of another spat over baseball’s unwritten rules.
For those who think Mercedes was right to swing at a 3-0 pitch from an infielder pitching in an 11-run game, great. For those who think Mercedes should have taken the pitch to show respect for the game and his opponent, great.
But everyone can agree that he should have listened to his manager before the swing.
A few thoughts:
Mercedes missed sign
The whole mess could have been avoided, just as the Chris Woodward-Fernando Tatis Jr. flap last season could have been, had Mercedes not missed manager Tony La Russa yelling for him to take the pitch.
Tatis missed a 3-0 take sign from manager Jayce Tingler as the San Diego Padres were obliterating the Texas Rangers in a game at Globe Life Field, and Tatis hit a grand slam.
La Russa, for his part, isn’t backing down amid the criticism of his criticism of Mercedes’ swing. Maybe that’s a luxury he has as a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame that wasn’t afforded Woodward.
La Russa was also fine with the Twins throwing a pitch behind Mercedes in retaliation for his 3-0 swing. That’s unwritten, too.
Woodward’s thoughts
Woodward was asked about the Mercedes swing, and, as always, he gave a thoughtful answer. He has changed his mind on swinging 3-0. He said he was taught to never swing 3-0, even in a 2-1 game, but now he encourages Rangers hitters to swing 3-0 because it’s going to be the best pitch of the plate appearance.
Woodward did not comment on the circumstances of the Mercedes swing, with the Twins essentially giving up down 11. Here’s one interpretation: Woodward is fine with a 3-0 swing if the game isn’t a blowout, but doesn’t like it in a blowout.
Here’s what he said Wednesday about his criticism of the Tatis homer.
“I’ve been around this game for 25 years, and there’s things that were brought down and handed to me that I was expected to push forward,” Woodward said. “I felt like, in my eyes, I had to do that for the game. I had to hand some of those things back down, and some of them are silly. Maybe that’s one of them.”
Getting nasty
Having gone straight to the most reliable source in the world on this, Twitter, here’s an opinion: The anti-unwritten rules crowd can be pretty nasty. How dare someone on the other side have an opinion on 3-0 swings or bat flips or showing up an opponent?
The loudest, likes-pandering voices, like Los Angeles Dodgers starter Trevor Bauer, aren’t always right. He tweeted that he wants anyone who stands by the unwritten rules out of the game. For a smart guy who recognizes baseball has popularity problems, it might not be the smartest thing to chase a chunk of a declining fan base.
Question: How would those same people feel about their 8-, 9- or 14-year-old son carrying on after doing something in a ballgame he thought was great?
Just a guess, but the unwritten rules might come up in the car ride home.
