For the second year in a row, Chris Sale did something at Comerica Park, and benches cleared. This time it was directly a result of something he did. Last year he did something; 3 innings or so later, Luke Putkonen retaliated and then the benches cleared.
For the second year in a row, the most vexing part of the episode is what is said away from the field of play by non-combatants and by combatants after the game was over and cooler heads had supposedly prevailed.
What we know: in the 3rd inning, Sale struckout Victor Martinez and then waved his cap toward centerfield. In the 6th inning, he hit Martinez, Martinez glared at him all the way to first, Sale said something to him, and dugouts and bullpens emptied on the scene of the crime. The next batter doubled Martinez to 3rd, and Victor then scored on a sac-fly to tie the game at 1.
Here's something else we know, if we're thoughtful enough to contemplate things: whether Sale hit Martinez on purpose, what he was angry about (assuming for the moment it was on purpose), why Martinez was pissed, what was said between them -- all these things WILL NEVER BE KNOWN BY US because it all takes place in the context of baseball's "unwritten code", which basically says, "that's for us to know and you to wonder blindly about."
But claiming to know the unknowable is a staple of baseball fandom, so by all means, White Sox fans (and both sets of White Sox announcers) point indignantly at the scoreboard as clear and convincing evidence that it was absolutely an accident, because -- altogether now -- "the LAST THING he wants to do in this situation, blah, blah, blah..." The announcers and some fans double down by getting pissed at Martinez for glaring at Sale.
Pretend for the moment that it matters whether he did it on purpose. It has always amazed me how intelligent baseball commentators can watch grown men act like children and simultaneously ascribe rational motives to their actions. You mean to tell me no pitcher has ever lost his perspective on the mound to the point where the scoreboard doesn't matter to him anymore?????? REALLY???
It pains me to bring this up again, but I wrote an open letter to Dan Dickerson and Jim Price about this last year when Alexei Ramirez was the one pissed about being thrown at, only to be the target of the Tigers' announcers ire for having the temerity to be pissed about it. So, let me state this again:
IF I'M IN THE BATTER'S BOX AND YOU THROW AT ME, I'M ABSOLUTELY ALLOWED TO BE PISSED ABOUT IT!!!!
Now for Tigers' announcers and fans. With no material evidence to support it, Sale was accused of hitting Martinez because he was convinced someone was perched in the CF bleachers stealing signs (stealing signs by players is often provocation enough, for reasons passing understanding, but employing extralegal means would indeed be ethically questionable). It's one thing for Tigers' fans to jump to this conclusion (Victor himself claims ex-teammate Avi Garcia told him Sale was complaining about it -- and what, we're just supposed to trust Victor???). It's another for Tigers TV crew to assert this (amazingly enough, this time, it's Dickerson and Price who earn my kudos -- they along with Steve Stone, Hawk Harrelson, Ed Farmer, and Darrin Jackson concluded that Sale was pointing at the scoreboard, not CF bleachers). For the record, as long as everybody's slinging manure into the arena for us to swallow, Chris sale is allowed to offer his own contribution: he was pointing at a fan who was razzing him while he warmed up and it had NOTHING to do with stealing signs. Against that, the only thing we have is Scott Merkin's mlb.com report that after the game Sale met with Ventura and coaches for a 7 minute private meeting. The instigation was that the Tigers apparently let it be known what Martinez heard from Avisail Garcia.
And I'm allowed to speculate too. Here goes: ballplayers present and past love to tell us how stuff like this is great motivation. I'm entitled to wonder if Martinez feels much more like an invigorated warrior and much less like an injured party. After all, he struck out earlier, but has owned Chris Sale like almost no one (then again, he's owned MLB this year; right now he leads MLB in Runs Created per 27 outs according to MLB Player Batting Stats - 2014 (Sabermetric Stats)). The next batter doubled and they tied the score. Gee, the Tigers scored a run because of it, but by all means let's go supernova over Sale hitting Martinez LONG AFTER THE DUST HAS SETTLED. Not sure I buy it.
Let me be clear: I've said Martinez is absolutely allowed to be pissed -- when it happened. Obviously after order was restored, Martinez stayed in the game, and no one has said anything about him being injured. After the game is over (this happened in the 6th of a 9-inning game), I'm entitled to scoff at Martinez when he asserts that absolutely Sale hit him on purpose (again with no evidence to back it up other than the hearsay of a former teammate who is now with the White Sox). Just as I'm skeptical of Sale saying it was an accident, I'm skeptical of Martinez claiming it was on purpose.
Neither one of these players is saying any of this without an agenda behind it, to say nothing of the unwritten code which only they get to understand because the rest of us don't have the secret password. WE WILL NEVER KNOW WHY IT HAPPENED.
IF perchance Sale did do it on purpose, the Royals will want to have a pithy word with him because he picked a mighty fine time to do it. But I find his story more believable, especially in this day and age when fans interact so easily with players at the ballpark.
By the same token, Chris Sale, hear this: you plunked an opposing player. Minimally at least, you threatened his livelyhood. The fact that it was an accident is irrelevant. LET HIM GLARE, FOR GOD'S SAKE AND GET THE NEXT GUY OUT! In the heat of the moment, I have no idea what makes a pitcher get so defensive, but the fact remains that Sale served up a run aided largely by an extra base hit right after this episode. Might he have been better served to worry about the next hitter rather than an emotional reaction? I think so.
But most of all, I'm tired of the soap opera. I'm tired of being subjected to all the testosterone laden attitude mixed with belligerent defensiveness. I'm tired of the never-ending finger pointing. I'm tired of players, managers, ex-players condescendingly instructing me how I'm supposed to react to things like this. Mostly, I'm tired of being told that this is the way the game is supposed to be played - mind you, not in a helpful way, but in a "if you don't understand this, you're an idiot" way.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND, some unwritten code that nobody ever talks openly about because, ya know, it's UNWRITTEN. Yes, you played and I didn't, FINE. Just leave me out of it, will you please? Just know that whatever any of you say is going in one ear and out the other.
Keep the melodrama to yourselves, please. I prefer to watch baseball.
Thank you.
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