Fernando Tatis Jr. angered baseball’s “unwritten rules” police when he belted a grand slam last month, but you can count Pedro Martinez among those who had no problem with the feat.
Tatis hit a grand slam on a 3-0 pitch late in a game in which the Padres had a 10-3 lead over the Texas Rangers. Some people felt swinging in that situation was classless, but Martinez emphatically defended Tatis when asked about it on Monday.
Rangers manager Chris Woodward felt Tatis crossed the line by swinging. Others, like Martinez, defended the Padres slugger. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had no problem with it.
Late rallies are not uncommon in baseball, and we doubt the Rangers would have been willing to concede the game when they were trailing 10-3. Tatis swinging at a 3-0 pitch was a lot different from doing something like bunting to break up a no-hitter when trailing 10-0. We’re with Pedro and all the others who have defended Tatis.
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