Sergio Romo treated an umpire disrespectfully during a foreign substance check on Tuesday night.
Romo pitched the seventh inning of the Oakland A’s 13-6 win over the Texas Rangers. He gave up a home run and struck out one in his inning of work. Afterwards, he faced his mandatory foreign substance check and was a jerk to the umpire.
Romo tossed off his hat and undid his belt buckle, dropping his pants.
There is no reason for all of that. Pitchers no full well that being checked is now part of the game. Least of all, there is no reason to be a jerk to an umpire for having to enforce a rule they did not create.
A’s manager Bob Melvin seemed to recognize that and tried to cover for Romo’s behavior.
Max Scherzer displayed similar behavior on Tuesday. There was a big difference in the situation. Scherzer had to do an additional check at the insistence of an opposing manager. Scherzer’s dismissive actions were directed towards Joe Girardi. Romo’s check was routine, and he was taking it out on the wrong person.
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