Rising Baseball Star, Fernando Tatis Jr., Breaks One of Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and Receives Major Backlash

Rising Baseball Star, Fernando Tatis Jr., Breaks One of Baseball’s Unwritten Rules and Receives Major Backlash

Fernando Tatis Jr. continued his monster of a season Monday night with a whopping 7 RBIs on 2 home runs in the San Diego Padres’ 14-4 rout over the Texas Rangers. Tatis’ highlight of the night came on a 3-0 pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning when he hit a grand slam into the right-field seats. 

Now, many who follow baseball understand that it is an unwritten rule that you take the next pitch when the count is 3-0. Tatis apparently missed the sign to take Rangers pitcher, Juan Nicasio’s next pitch in the 3-0 count, and he homered any way.

The following at-bat, Rangers relief pitcher, Ian Gibaut threw behind Padres’ third baseman, Manny Machado. Fernando also received some heat from the Rangers’ manager after the game. 

Rangers manager, Chris Woodward said in a post-game press conference, “I didn’t like it personally. You’re up by 7 in the 8th inning, it’s typically not a good time 3-0. It’s kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But … the norms are being challenged.” 

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Fernando Tatis Jr. was also asked about the incident after the game, and he said, “I know a lot of unwritten rules. I was kind of lost on this. … Those experiences, you have to learn. Probably next time, I’ll take a pitch.”

Tatis was by no means in the wrong here. Maybe because they’re up by seven he should have taken the pitch, but Nicasio still has to throw a pitch. Just because you threw three balls in a row does not excuse you to throw a meatball right down the middle of the plate. 

Over the past few years, the MLB has desperately been trying to get the younger generation involved in the game but citing all these “unwritten rules” is doing nothing but hurting their cause. It’s ludicrous that some fans, not including Rangers fans, would rather Tatis take a pitch than hit a grand slam.

Tatis owes nobody any apology for this incident, and if anybody does owe someone an apology for this, it’s those who have admonished Tatis and Gibaut for throwing behind Machado for such a frivolous reason.

Pierson Scheinberg

Pierson Scheinberg is a student who lives in California, and attends the College Preparatory School. Pierson lived in Baltimore, Maryland until August 2017 when he moved to the Bay Area. Pierson is an avid golfer who enjoys watching all sports. He is a writer and sports analyst for At the Buzzer.