If Major League Baseball is ever truly going to grow the game, it has to find a way to move past the unwritten rules. At this point, it’s just getting exhausting.
The Washington Nationals were upset with the Giants on Friday night after the Giants’ Thairo Estrada stole second base and later tried to score on a ninth-inning single with San Francisco already holding a 7-1 lead. Nationals shortstop Alcides Escobar threw Estrada out at home as he tried to tack on that late run, but he needed to be restrained as he shouted at the Giants dugout for having the nerve to continue to play baseball.
Alcides Escobar and the Nats are very upset after Thairo Estrada tried to steal and score being up 6 runs in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/Rkdo8pXDku
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 23, 2022
This isn’t the first time this season that teams have gotten upset with the Giants for trying to manufacture runs with a lead. The Padres called them out for trying to score up nine in the second (!!!) inning. But as Giants manager Gabe Kapler explained on Friday, the Giants had their own seven-run inning in that game. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility for the Nationals to come back with a big ninth inning of their own. So yeah, he wanted to continue to put pressure on the defense.
"We scored seven runs in an inning tonight. They have Josh Bell and Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz in the middle of their lineup. We know they're capable of scoring seven runs in an inning as well."
Gabe Kapler defended Thairo Estrada's aggressive base running in the top of the ninth pic.twitter.com/qO7KDuBN0H
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 23, 2022
I know that baseball just agreed on a new CBA, but if players are going to throw tantrums when a winning team tries with a big lead, they really have to get a mercy rule in there. It’s totally unfair to expect a team to straight-up stop trying when they have a lead. It’s professional baseball, and players get judged on performance. Players get incentives based on specific statistical thresholds. So, why should Estrada not steal a base? Why should Brandon Crawford not swing away up six? Plus, six runs isn’t that big of a lead.
Alcides Escobar “respectfully declined” a postgame interview request, per a team spokesman. Dave Martinez did say he spoke with the team before coming to address reporters postgame (and before he didn’t divulge what he disagreed with).
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) April 23, 2022
The Nationals had no reason to be upset, and fans rightfully mocked them for the tantrum.