04/23/24
May 07, 2002
Nixon, Castillo fined & suspended. Rupe sneaks away with a fine. : First Rupe hits an ump and two Red Sox. Nixon throws a bat at the pitcher. Castillo hits a Devil Ray. The ump finally warns both dugouts. Discipline was deserved, but this seems blatantly one-sided.
posted by jerseygirl to baseball at 06:07 PM - 9 comments
Rupe really didn't seem to have control issues besides hitting the ump instead of Garciaparra. He matched a career high of 9 strike-outs and went for 7 1/3 IP. I feel for Tampa Bay because they are struggling and they are a very young team trying to get their act together. However, I believe it was Winn who after the game told reporters that Tampa Bay thought they saw Garciaparra stealing signs the night before. And the speculation is that Rupe went after Hillenbrand because Shea hit the grand slam to win the game the night before.
posted by jerseygirl at 08:59 PM on May 07, 2002
hmm...
posted by moz at 10:52 PM on May 07, 2002
Rupe didn't have any control issues: he missed Nomar the first time, hit the ump, then threw at Nomar and hit him. Two batters later, he plunked Hillenbrand. The teams haven't seen eye-to-eye since Pedro's near no hitter two years ago. Pedro hit Gerald Williams leading off the game leading to the first of two or three bench clearers. That was a one-sided affair: the Rays had eight players ejected to zero Sox. They threw at Daubach three separate times for an imagined offense. It's annoying to me that a team going nowhere could derail the chances of a team with the best record in baseball (thanks to a really weak schedule). While they didn't injure anyone, they will cost the Sox a Castillo start and 3 or 4 games for Nixon (assuming the de facto suspension reduction is still in effect).
posted by yerfatma at 06:59 AM on May 08, 2002
well, i suppose the alternative would be to not retaliate. but who'd think of doing that? (seriously.)
posted by moz at 10:52 AM on May 08, 2002
I appreciate RUpe's honesty... in his interview he said that he didnt think the other guys should have been suspended either... I didnt see it but from what I hear Rupe was having all sorts of problems in the first before settling down, hitting two guys and throwing a wild pitch (that hit the ump), and striking out ramirez on a pitch that was about 3 feet from its intended target.
posted by Bernreuther at 11:00 AM on May 08, 2002
No. I watched the game. Rupe got the first two outs and then threw at Nomar with the bases empty and 2 outs. The catcher set up away and let an inside pitch hit the umpire. The very next pitch hit Nomar (supposedly for stealing signs during Hillenbrand's grand slam the night before). Mysteriously, Rupe was able to pitch around Manny (walking him, not striking him out) and then hit Hillenbrand on the shoulder. Then he got Clark to ground out. And proceeded to pitch well for the rest of the game.
posted by yerfatma at 12:08 PM on May 08, 2002
i suppose the alternative would be to not retaliate. but who'd think of doing that? (seriously.) Maybe a pitcher that had to come to the plate in the next half-inning. No, I don't think it would eliminate the problem, but it would make some of them think twice. Of course, I'm still bitter about the Subway Series - Clemens/Piazza affair.
posted by 86 at 12:08 PM on May 08, 2002
I was watching the game... and if Rupe had control problems, then Nixon really had grip problems with his bat.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:16 PM on May 08, 2002
rupe sounds like he was having some control issues. was this game the one that castillo went 8 IP? doesn't sound like he had any control problems (if so).