With his team up seven in the eighth inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. was facing a 3-0 count. His manager, Jayce Tingler gave him a sign to take the next pitch. Instead, Tatis swung and he ended up belting out his first career grand slam and finished the game with a career-high seven RBIs.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler wasn't exactly pleased with what the 21-year old shortstop pulled off as he was asked about it after the game and said that he would have rather seen Tatis Jr. take a strike.
Of course, the Texas Rangers weren't too thrilled about it either. Manger Chris Woodward said after the game, "I didn't like it, personally," Woodward said. "But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis. So just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right. I don't think we liked it as a group." (Via ESPN)
They then proceeded to throw behind the Padres $300 million man in Manny Machado on the very next pitch.
Tatis Jr. after the game said that next time he'll "probably take a pitch."
This is soft all the way around, from Padres manager Jayce Tingler expressing displeasure, to Rangers manager Chris Woodyard getting upset and having his pitcher throw behind Manny Machado on the very next pitch, to even Tatis Jr. for apologizing.
He had nothing to apologize for. You play to win the game. What if the Rangers made a fierce comeback? You want all the runs you can get regardless of the inning. If you get a 3-0 pitch right down the middle, swing. It's your job.