By: Manuel Polanco
On Saturday, Sept. 5, St. Louis Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon made his major league debut against the Colorado Rockies. Major League Baseball (MLB) Umpire Doug Eddings told the rookie to fix his tilted hat on the mound, a statement that not only shocked the announcers but also Rincon’s manager, Oli Marmol.
When Marmol went to talk to Eddings about it, he was ejected from the game but got his money’s worth and began arguing with Eddings.
“We have a kid making his debut, and in between an at-bat, he tells him that he needs to fix his hat and, ‘The kid’s not going to wear his hat like that on my field.’ Last I checked, this is Coors Field, so I took issue with it,” Eddings shared with the NY Times.
MLB players have always worn their caps in various ways, most commonly styled sideways, popularized by Dominican closing pitcher Fernando Rodney. Rodney was known for wearing his hat tilted to the side, as homage to his late father.
The controversy that lies within this situation is the verbiage used. An umpire telling a player how to wear their hat on “their field” and trying to make the game about them. Umpires are only allowed to comment on and remove apparel on a player’s attire if it is distracting to the hitter.
Eddings point of view was that Rockies players had brought up Rincon’s hat as a distraction, but according to an article from The Athletic, this wasn’t true.
“ Eddings, the crew chief and plate umpire in that game, told two reporters afterward that he acted after a Rockies hitter asked if Rincon was allowed to wear his cap tilted. A Rockies staffer, who spoke under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, disputed that account, saying none of the team’s hitters mentioned Rincon’s cap.”
To many, this seemed like Eddings avoiding responsibility for his actions. This wasn’t his first involvement in controversy either, as he came under fire in the 2005 American League championship series for a botched call.
MLB subsequently reprimanded Eddings and told him that he went too far in policing the rookie’s hat. Eddings apologized for his remark and spoke to the rookie directly.
The Cardinals optioned Rincons back to their Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Cardinals, after all was said and done. They continue to make their postseason push, hopefully without needless drama.