Pitchers still don’t like when hitters admire their yard work.
Tempers flared during Tuesday night’s game between the Giants and Padres after Hector Sanchez hit a grand slam off of Dale Thayer and flipped his bat. Thayer wasn’t amused as he threw his gum at Sanchez while the catcher trotted around the bases.
With Sanchez at bat again in the ninth, Shawn Kelley got him to ground out before confronting him about the bat flip, causing both benches to clear.
“I guess that’s part of the game now. To me, that’s a little disrespectful, especially to Dale (Thayer). I don’t think there’s a place in this game for that, but it’s part of it,” Kelley said per the San Jose Mercury News. “Guys admire what they do, and when you get one, sometimes guys watch it. But that’s between him and his teammates and the Giants. That’s not our business.”
The thing is, it is your business. If you don’t like when the opposing team celebrates, don’t let up grand slams. Apparently, Sanchez was too busy rubbing salt in the Padres’ wound to notice Thayer throwing gum in his direction.
“Oh really? I didn’t notice that,” Sanchez said when asked about the gum toss. “I’m just trying to enjoy the game. It’s a grand slam. You don’t hit them every day. If someone gets mad, I don’t know the reason. I’m just enjoying the game.”
With help from Sanchez’s grand salami, the Giants went on to win 9-3.
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