Trevor Bauer weighs in on La Russa's criticism of Mercedes originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Trevor Bauer weighed in on baseball’s “unwritten rules” after White Sox manager Tony La Russa criticized Yermín Mercedes for homering off a position player on a 3-0 count up by 11 runs against the Minnesota Twins on Monday.
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Bauer’s tweet followed harsh comments made by La Russa at a pregame Zoom conference on Tuesday afternoon, in which he called Mercedes’ decision a “big mistake” and vowed there would be “consequences.”
“I was upset, because that's not a time to swing, 3-0,” La Russa said.
That's just sportsmanship and respect for the game and respect for your opponent.”
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winning vehemently disagreed, and said anyone who is “mad about a hitter hitting” should “get out of the game.”
The unwritten rules of baseball have been huffy point of conversation in recent years, and many players defended Padres’ Fernando Tatís Jr. when he pulled a similar stunt in 2020.
While the “unwritten rules” are up for debate, the actual rules of baseball are not. There are nine innings in a game, and no matter what the scoreboard says, the pitcher must pitch and the batter must bat until the last out is made.
And as White Sox fans this season are well aware, the written rules of baseball are the only ones that might actually affect the outcome of the game.
Related: TA backs Mercedes on Instagram after La Russa's comments
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