The San Diego Padres absolutely demolished the Texas Rangers on Monday night. Unfortunately, they broke an “unwritten rule” along the way.
The San Diego Padres are one of the most exciting teams in baseball led by one of the most exciting players in baseball, Fernando Tatis Jr.
On Monday night, Tatis Jr. launched two home runs en route to a 14-4 win. The second, a grand slam that put the game well out of reach.
Good night, right? Well, it should have been.
However, Tatis Jr.’s grand slam came on a 3-0 pitch with a large lead. Of course, according to the “unwritten rules” of baseball, that kind of behavior is frowned upon by the self-appointed elders of the game. Apparently, they find it “disrespectful” to continue trying to score runs on extremely favorable counts with a large lead.
Well, I don’t care in the slightest.
This is Major League Baseball. The players on the field aren’t there to protect feelings. They’re not there to throw in the towel early because the lead is “big enough”. Fernando Tatis Jr. certainly isn’t there to have a non-competitive at bat while trying to break a losing streak.
They’re playing to win the game and be as productive as possible.
Fans begged Major League Baseball to “let the kids play”. Well, this is what it looks like. There is no such thing as too many runs. There’s no such thing as too many long balls.
And, as hard as you may try, it’s impossible to put a cap on Tatis Jr.’s penchant for the dramatic.
The fact that Manager Jayce Tingler even gave the take sign is outrageous. Tatis Jr. is one of the hottest hitters in the game this year. He’s well on his way to driving the National League MVP conversation. He may even will his Padres into their first playoff appearance since 2006.
So you want to tell that guy to let a 92 mph “get me over” pitch go? No chance in the world.
In the year 2020, we’re beyond the unwritten rules.
Sure, the Texas Rangers may take exception to that. But I guarantee you Rangers fans would want their guys to do the same thing in that situation. It’s not Tatis Jr.’s fault you laid a meatball in down seven runs. But it is your fault if you feel the need to hold him accountable for playing the game “the wrong way”.
At the end of the day, what you’re asking Tatis Jr. to do is walk to the plate and not have the most competitive at bat that he can have. Just to spare the feelings of the Rangers, who have nobody to blame for their current situation but themselves.
Of course, Tatis Jr. has all but guaranteed that a fastball is going to “get away” from Mike Minor or a reliever tomorrow. But hey, throwing at a guy that showed your teammate up is part of those “unwritten rules”.
There’s just no place for them in today’s game.
