NEWSLETTER
Joe Maddon does not get on teams just for pitching inside, and he does not get on teams just because a guy or two of his has been hit.
But when it’s been YEARS of a particular team, under a particular manager, having a philosophy of pitching up and in without regard for players safety, *AND* having a particular penchant for hitting players on purpose? Yeah, he’s gonna get fed up at some point, like he did today.
Pirates starter Jordan Lyles went up and in one too many times today, with one to Javy Baez setting off Maddon:
Jordan Lyles has thrown a ton of pitches up and in today. The latest hit the knob of Javier Baez's bat, quite possibly what set Joe Maddon off. pic.twitter.com/wTrhjlOHl1
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) July 4, 2019
And Maddon started yelling and got himself ejected. And then he tried to go after Pirates manager Clint Hurdle to give him a whole lot more of an earful:
Maddon offered his comments on the situation after the game, and he was not holding back. Although he praised the Pirates’ players, he was highly critical of the way they choose to pitch:
Maddon postgame: pic.twitter.com/TgXTHPvS9S
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) July 4, 2019
Joe Maddon's postgame message to the Pirates: “They just need to be careful. I love their players. It’s a real good team. And they’re good guys…but if they keep pitching like that, a lot of these guys are not going to like their pitching staff.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 5, 2019
This probably reads more sinister than he meant it, and I highly doubt you see the Cubs openly retaliating, but the seed has been planted:
Joe Maddon – with an empty glass of red wine on his desk – said Pirates tendency to go up and in has gotten out of hand. Said he “can’t wait” to face Pirates in Chicago next week.
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) July 4, 2019
The Pirates were pretty “shrug-y” after the game, as you’d expect when this is what you do:
"I THINK HE DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE UP ANYMORE HOMERS" — Clint Hurdle and Jordan Lyles explain their side of the incident that ultimately got Joe Maddon tossed pic.twitter.com/DGDEca2dP9
— Chase Williams WPXI (@chasepwilliams) July 4, 2019
