The Last Straw for Baseball’s Unwritten Rules

One of the greatest sports has finally lost it. Baseball has been around for over 150 years and has been built up through its incredible history. Throughout that history, baseball has been played with a set of unwritten rules, which have coincided with the rulebook that helped govern the game. From Babe Ruth to Willie Mays to Ken Griffey Jr. to now Fernando Tatis Jr., players have played the game and followed those certain rules. Throughout that the history of baseball, the talent has been nothing short of spectacular. Now, Tatis Jr. is one of the top young players in the league and is a true must watch with his fantastic defense and massive home runs.

Now Tatis Jr. is the latest player to break one of those famed unwritten rules. In a game on Monday night, against the Texas Rangers, the San Diego Padres were leading the Rangers 10-3, in the 8th inning with Tatis Jr. at the plate. Juan Nicasio was on the mound for the Rangers, the bases were loaded and Tatis Jr. had a 3-0 count. On that next pitch, Tatis Jr. swung and properly deposited the ball in the seats in right-center field, giving the Padres a 14-3 lead and sending the Rangers and old school baseball fans into space. There was an uproar from the Rangers who were upset with Tatis Jr. swinging at a 3-0 pitch, up seven runs late in the game. Nicasio was replaced by Ian Gibaut after the home run and on the very next pitch, Gibaut threw a fastball behind Manny Machado.

The time has come where the coveting of the unwritten rules has got to go. The time for getting upset over admiring a massive home run, swinging at a 3-0 pitch or getting jacked about a strikeout is done. Baseball is filled with young stars who exude an excitement and swagger that makes the game fun to watch. Baseball’s unwritten rules are killing that. Baseball’s unwritten rules are making it seem like a player is a scumbag if they admire a home run or celebrate after notching a crucial strikeout late in a game. Since the strike of 1994, which killed the game for many years, baseball has been struggling trying to grow the sport. Now, Major League Baseball has been handed this gift of young players who make the game fun and exciting for fans to watch and yet, these unwritten rules keep holding those players down.

The time has come where players should be allowed to play the game and enjoy it. Hitting a baseball square in the middle of the bat and driving it over the fence is one of the hardest things a person can ever do in sports. There is nothing quite like jogging around the bases after hitting a home run. A player should never be shamed into apologizing after admiring a home run or flipping his bat after crushing a home run. Enjoy the game. Enjoy your accomplishments. You were given an incredible talent to play the game of baseball better than most people and my goodness you should continue to showcase that talent.

The issues stem from the belief that the players are disrespecting the game with those actions. That is just not the case. Baseball has always been slow in adapting to the times and can’t seem to get out of their own way in some situations. While the discussion for speeding up the game can be had at another time, getting upset over the breaking of an unwritten rule can be discussed now.

The solution to this is plain and simple. As a pitcher, if you don’t like seeing the batter admire his home run, make a better pitch. As a batter, if you don’t like the pitcher celebrating after striking you out, hit the ball. If you don’t like seeing the opposing team celebrate after an achievement, simply don’t let them get that opportunity. Throwing at a player for celebrating is flat out reckless. These are the types of things that continue to hold the game back from growing.

So to all the players current and in the future, you can continue to respect the game and have a ton of fun playing it. Continue to be you. That is what makes this game as amazing as it is. Don’t ever feel ashamed to celebrate a home run or a strike out, even if the game isn’t close. Baseball is the greatest sport and it is now up to the players to not let the unwritten rules kill it. The support from current and former players for Tatis Jr. throughout social media today is fantastic to see and something that all baseball fans can get behind. To be successful in life you have to adjust and adapt and that is what baseball has to do a better job of doing but seeing statements of support from Reggie Jackson and Johnny Bench are just what is needed in moving forward. Letting them play is the only solution in this situation. The only outcry in the Tatis Jr. situation was that he missed the 3-0 take sign from the third base coach, otherwise, let them play.

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for Impact Sports Cincinnati and can be followed on Twitter Follow @iamchrisasbrock and Follow @ISCincy