Cardinals manager ejected after disputing umpire’s cap directive
Oliver Marmol was removed during St Louis’ 7–6 win over Colorado after rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon was told to straighten his tilted cap.
St Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was ejected after disputing home-plate umpire Doug Eddings’ handling of rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon during a 7–6 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
Rincon was making his Major League Baseball debut when Rockies batter Hunter Goodman questioned the way he was wearing his cap. Eddings asked Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal to tell Rincon to straighten it, and the pitcher complied.
Rincon recorded an out before allowing a triple, an inside-the-park home run and a single. He was then replaced, after which Eddings called a pitch-clock violation and ejected Marmol following the manager’s argument.
Marmol said he objected to what he regarded as an unnecessary intervention, pointing to former players who had worn their caps more tilted. He characterised the decision as a “power-hungry move”.
Eddings said the cap did not breach a formal rule, but defended his authority to issue what he described as a “directive” when an item or appearance is considered a potential distraction. The pitch-clock violation was not fully explained in the supplied account.
