ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 17: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Texas Rangers in the top of the eighth inning at Globe Life Field on August 17, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Fernando Tatis Jr. broke unwritten rules and the Texas Rangers.
The Texas Rangers had a huge fit in August when rising San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. launched a grand slam on a 3-0 pitch. He was just doing his job as a professional hitter and his bitter opponents were properly ridiculed for getting mad about fake rules.
That series between the two teams began on August 17. The Rangers entered with a 10-10 record and ended up getting swept in the four-game series. Things have not gone much better since.
Rangers among the worst in baseball
The Rangers enter play Tuesday with a 13-27 record and the worst winning percentage in all of baseball. The team is currently riding a six-game losing streak and everyone in the clubhouse may just want to go home at this point.
Meanwhile, Tatis and the Padres are 26-17 and are in a legitimate fight for the National League West crown. The young shortstop is playing like a superstar and already has 15 home runs this season. Joey Gallo leads the Rangers with just eight.
Tatis receiving support from fans, analysts, and fellow players should help everyone in the game move on from outdated and “unwritten” rules. There is no reason why swinging at a 3-0 pitch right down the middle should be frowned upon. Are batters supposed to stop trying when their team is winning?
The easy solution for Texas was to not lose and play better. Instead, the team acted immature and has proven they are just not that good in 2020. The team also decided to keep both Gallo and Lance Lynn at the trade deadline, raising some eyebrows about the true expectations within the organization.
Tatis is doing just fine after the criticism he took from the Rangers and is part of a new wave of players bringing positive and much-needed change to baseball. Those in Texas may want to catch up with the times and also figure out what went wrong the past three weeks.