Any pitcher in Major League Baseball can relate to what San Francisco Giants reliever Zack Littell must have been feeling last night.
Littell was pulled by manager Gabe Kapler in the top of the eighth inning with San Francisco ahead of the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves, 3-2.
As Littell was walking off the mound, he turned back to Kapler and had some words with him.
Kapler didn’t seem to take much of an issue with it at first, but upon returning to the dugout, he instructed Littell to follow him down into the tunnel for a private conversation about the matter.
Littell, Kapler Exchange Words
We can all probably guess what this was about.
It’s clear that Littell was not happy about being pulled there.
But Kapler also wanted to make sure he set his pitcher straight on the situation.
Kapler was most likely not very pleased with how Littell handled the situation and wanted to address the issue when he had a chance to talk with him.
It’s understandable why Littell was frustrated in that moment.
No pitcher likes to be pulled from a game, especially when they have a chance to finish the inning.
Ultimately though, Kapler wasn’t happy with Littell for what he said to him.
Situations like these arise from time to time.
Sometimes, pitchers let their emotions get the better of them when they’re pulled from a game.
At the same time, it’s a manager’s job to handle these situations when they arise.
The good thing about it is that Kapler made sure his conversation with Littell was behind closed doors and not seen by the media.
Handling the situation internally is the best way to go about it.
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