The Astros defeated the visiting Mariners in thrilling fashion Tuesday night, but you wouldn’t know it by Jake Odorizzi’s hostile post-game remarks, taking his own manager Dusty Baker to task by complaining about his light usage. “Honestly, I think it’s bulls---,” said Odorizzi, who was pulled after throwing just 66 pitches Tuesday night. “It’s not like I just made my debut yesterday. I’ve been doing this for a while. It’s extremely frustrating.”
Any pitcher in Odorizzi’s position would be frustrated at getting an early hook, though, as noted by Cody Poage of SB Nation, the right-hander, like most starters, has not been nearly as effective going through the order a third time (.278 opponent average this year). Now that he’s had a couple days to cool off, Odorizzi took to Twitter to address his outburst, apologizing to fans for overshadowing the team’s dramatic come-from-behind victory.
“As an athlete, you want to push limits to continue to get better. That’s what makes us all competitors. My emotions post-game were still running hot. As a starting pitcher, we get one day to do our ‘job’ and contribute to the team, so those days everything is amplified for me,” explained Odorizzi. “Yes, I could have chosen some less salty language, but I’m human and that’s what I went with in the moment.”
The veteran added that he thinks the division-leading Astros have a “special” team and felt he “owed it” to fans to make things right after losing his temper Tuesday night. On the one hand, Odorizzi’s competitive fire is admirable, but at the same time, showing up your coach, especially in a public setting, is never a good look.
Odorizzi, who has not pitched past the sixth inning since July 3rd, will take a 4.28 ERA into his next outing Monday at Texas.
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