MLB managers bash Fernando Tatís Jr for Grand Slam vs Rangers

Fernando Tatís Jr has been stealing most of the headlines night in and night out since he made his pro debut with the San Diego Padres. This time, however, it seems like the same thing that makes him great rubbed some MLB managers the wrong way.

The Padres were up 10-3 in the 8th inning and ‘El Niño’ swung on a 3-0 pitch with the bases loaded, hitting his 11th home run of the season to add 4 more to the score. Needless to say, Rangers’ manager Chris Woodward didn’t take that lightly.

Woodward claimed that the 21-year-old superstar broke the “unwritten rules” of baseball by swinging on a 3-0 pitch with such a big lead, adding that none of his players or staff members took Tatís’ decision lightly:

“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,” Woodward said.

Tatís Jr Infuriated His Own Manager

The victims do have a point here. They may have a right to be salty after being blown out that way, even if there’s no guarantee that they won’t try to make a comeback, especially considering how poorly some bullpens have fared lately. But what strikes as a surprise is the fact that his own manager Jayce Tingler also criticized Tatísfor his Grand Slam:

“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. Just so you know, a lot of our guys have green light 3-0. But in this game in particular, we had a little bit of a comfortable lead. We’re not trying to run up the score or anything like that,” Tingler said.

TinglerEven Made Him Apologize

Criticism by both MLB managers was so harsh that the Dominican shortstop had to apologize for his actions. ‘His actions’ meaning staying competitive and pursuing greatness even if that means angering the team you beat.

“I’ve been in this game since I was a kid and I know a lot of unwritten rules but this time I was kind of lost on this one (…) but you know, those experiences, you got to learn from it. Probably next time, I take a pitch now that I learned from it,” Tatís Jr said.

Unwritten rules or not, Tatís Jr is having a huge year and keeping the Padres in contention. He’s not known for being a disrespectful player or a troublemaker. C’mon man, just let the kid play. MLB managers should know better and have his star’s back.