Our very own Texas Rangers found themselves in the middle of controversy with their series against the visiting San Diego Padres.
The Rangers were down 10-3 Monday evening, when Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. swung on a 3-0 pitch with the bases loaded. He hit a Grand Slam.
This is where the controversy arises. It's one of baseball's "unwritten rules" to not swing at a 3-0 pitch, and the fact that Tatis hit a grand slam while the Padres were up by 7 brought about criticism from Rangers manager Chris Woodward. He told reporters after the game, " There's a lot of Unwritten Rules that are constantly being challenged in today's game. I didn't like it, personally. You're up by seven in the eighth inning; it's typically not a good time to swing 3-0. It's kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis. So just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right. I don't think we liked it as a group."
Even Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Tatis may have violated baseball's Unwritten Rules, explaining he may have "missed a sign." Tingler said, "He's young, a free spirit and focused and all those things. That's the last thing that we'll ever take away. It's a learning opportunity and that's it. He'll grow from it."
Since the "controversy," the Rangers have been absolutely creamed for their stance on the Unwritten Rules.
So this begs the question...Should the Rangers be upset about the breaking of baseball's supposed Unwritten Rules?
Via CBS Sports