Or, more correctly, a baseball manager angry over a pitcher’s failure to retaliate
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said the next time one of his players is hit intentionally by an opposing pitcher, he wants his pitchers to retaliate.
Texas right-hander Vicente Padilla hit A.J. Pierzynski on the right arm in Pierzynski’s first two at-bats of Wednesday night’s 8-0 Rangers victory, raising a red welt on the arm of the White Sox catcher.
Rookie right-hander Sean Tracey threw inside to Texas’ Hank Blalock in the seventh in an apparent attempt at retaliation, but Tracey failed to plunk Blalock, who ended the at-bat with a groundout.
TV cameras caught Guillen in the dugout throwing a water bottle to the ground in disgust as Tracey faced only the one batter. Later in the inning, Guillen was seen in the dugout yelling at Tracey, who pulled the collar of his jersey over his head.
After Wednesday night’s game, Guillen claimed he was angry because he wanted to get reliever Agustin Montero into the game to face Blalock.
“I told my players, if that thing happens against anybody, we’d better do something about it,” Guillen said prior to Thursday night’s game against the Rangers.
Guillen said when he was a player, getting hit intentionally would mean fisticuffs.
“I tell you one thing, if Padilla hit me twice, right now I’d be in the hospital or I’d be dead. But I will fight. I will fight,” Guillen said.
Did Guillen order Tracey to retaliate against the Rangers’ catcher ? Did Tracey refuse that order ? Hard to say, but given Guillen’s reputation, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if that’s what happend.
