FOR THE MOST PARTSCH: A word to MLB: ‘Unwritten rules’ are a buzzkill

MLB really stands for Major League Buzzkill.

With a 3-0 count, San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. swung at a meat pitch thrown from Juan Nicasio in the eighth inning of the Padres’ 14-4 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday.

Tatis promptly delivered — and did so in spectacular fashion — that ball deep into the empty right field bleachers for his Major League Baseball-leading 11th home run of the season.

It was a tremendous moment by one of the show’s rising phenoms in a shortened season filled with some sloppy play, injuries and multiple teams postponing games due to COVID-19.

Instead of enjoy the moment of greatness by a player that is garnering national attention — and making people tune in to the sport — MLB does what it always does — it opted to clutch its pearls once again because Tatis violated the league’s longstanding idiotic “unwritten rules of baseball.”

For those who are not versed in these so-called “rules” they include but are not limited to the following: admiring your home runs or taking long strolls around the base paths to not bunting to break up no-hitters or swiping a base on a 3-0 count.

It’s all exhaustively moronic, immensely frustrating, erodes the reputation of baseball and cripples the game’s popularity with younger fans.

Those “rules” go against every fiber of a competitor’s being. From an early age, coaches/parents/teammates will push an athlete to give maximum effort (routinely referred to as 110 percent), play to the whistle or horn sounds and always thrive to win at all costs. Losing is not an option, you know.

Yet in baseball, players are expected to shut off that competitive switch in particular moments during specific but ever changing circumstances. Yeah — it as stupid as it sounds.

The belly aching began after the game when Rangers manager Chris Woodward said this about Tatis’ decision to, you know, do his job and swing the bat while in the batter’s box.

“There’s a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today’s game,” Woodward said. “I didn’t like it, personally. You’re up by seven in the eighth inning; it’s typically not a good time to swing 3–0. It’s kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis, so — just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not right.”

If you don’t appreciate seeing Tatis tattoo your mediocre pitcher’s fastball then have him intentionally walk Tatis or be bold and actually have him throw a better pitch.

Tatis’ job is to hit the damn ball. That is why he was drafted, developed by coaches and is starring in the big leagues. To expect him to not only suppress his own God-given ability and competitive nature because it might hurt your pitcher’s precious feelings or your own feelings is fundamentally wrong and makes Woodward a world-class whiner.

What is even worse is that Tatis’ own manager actually agreed with Woodward.

“He’s young, a free spirit and focused and all those things,” Padres skipper Jayce Tingler said. “That’s the last thing that we’ll ever take away. It’s a learning opportunity and that’s it. He’ll grow from it.”

Teaching moment? Maybe for MLB but not for Tatis.

He didn’t flip off the pitcher or call Woodward’s mama the b-word. He stepped in the box and swung the piece of finely crafted ash and drove in runs — like he is paid to do because he is a professional player and not a 10-year-old playing in a travel ball tournament.

MLB uses those “unwritten rules” to excuse the shortcomings of managers and players. Only in baseball would the individual who is actually giving his all is considered a bad thing. Hot garbage.

The so-called rules are also used to say that’s not how it was done in the old days — which by the way is a historical lie — one that has been repeated so much by traditionalists and media members that people believe it as fact.

The history of baseball is filled with rule-breaking bold superstars.

Ty Cobb was a legend at provoking opponents and their fan bases, Frankie Frisch would throw his glove up in the air after bad call, Babe Ruth called his shot during the 1932 World Series, and Satchel Paige mocked batters by naming his pitches and then sat in a rocking chair in between innings.

From Pete Rose to Reggie Jackson to Rickey Henderson to Sammy Sosa, having “swag” — as the kids call it these days — is not a new trend in baseball despite the pleas of those that proclaim that Tatis’ antics are attacking the “tradition of the game.” Utter nonsense.

And you know what? Those rule-breakers made the game great and widely popular back in the day and they still could if MLB would allow it and simply stop clinging to its buzzkill nature.

From Bryce Harper bat flips to Ronald Acuna Jr. home run trots or Tatis’ swinging at 3-0 pitches, let your guys break some rules — especially rules that aren’t officially rules. The game is — and will be — better for it.

Raymond Partsch III is a longtime sportswriter and radio broadcaster.