Alex Rodriguez is known for his ability as a dangerous hitter, but it was another matter that got under the skin of Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden. One of the unwritten rules of baseball – a sport where superstition is as important and prevalent as turning a 6-4-3 – is that no one crosses the pitcher’s mound other than the pitcher. Guess what A-Rod did?
A-Rod was on his way from first to third on a Robinson Cano foul, and he decided to save himself a little time getting back to first. Instead of going the long way of back to second and then on to first, he cut across the infield and directly over the mound. Needless to say, Braden was less than thrilled. ESPN has the reaction:
“The long and short of it is it’s pretty much baseball etiquette. He should probably take a note from his captain over there,” Braden said, referring to Yankees leader Derek Jeter, “because you don’t run across the pitcher’s mound in between an inning or during the game. I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his mind.”
“I was just trying to convey to him that I was still out there, that ball’s in my hand and that’s my pitcher’s mound. If he wants to run across the pitcher’s mound, tell him to go do laps in the bullpen,” he said.
The exchange happened after Cano grounded into an inning-ending double-play, and was definitely more heated on Braden’s end. A-Rod didn’t get too engaged, but he did manage to get his message across; either he was stretching his wrist (very possible) or he was giving Braden the symbol of “limp-wristedness.” Braden threw his glove in anger and kicked over a stack of cups in the dugout upon his arrival. A-Rod’s postgame take on the situation:
“He just told me to get off his mound,” Rodriguez said. “I was a little surprised. I’ve never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful of wins in his career. I’ve never even heard of that in my career and I still don’t know. I thought it was pretty funny, actually.”
A-Rod’s snark (bolstered by his turn of a triple-play) won him a seat on the pain train. Braden made comments alluding to potential retaliation down the line:
“I’m not really a speck on that guy’s radar but he’ll know after today that it might not be a good idea to run across the mound when I’m out there,” Braden said. “It’s not like I throw 95 [mph] and I’m going to hurt him. He’ll know I was there, though.”
Pre-meditated retaliation (especially openly discussed in the media) is frowned upon in the MLB, so if Braden makes good he may have to sit a game or two. A-Rod would make a great wrestling heel, wouldn’t he?