Catcher Seby Zavala took exception to Oneil Cruz’s slide during Sunday’s White Sox-Pirates game, which prompted a benches-clearing incident.
Oneil Cruz was in immediate pain after his awkward slide into home plate, but that didn’t matter to Seby Zavala, who got into it with the Pirates players and coaching staff. A benches-clearing incident occurred shortly thereafter, though it dissolved in a matter of seconds.
Cruz suffered a fractured ankle, and it’s tough to blame Zavala. He was merely covering home plate. The Pirates felt differently, and they sure won’t like what Zavala had to say after the game.
The Pirates star is expected to be out 10-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery on his ankle. Zavala seems to have little sympathy.
Pirates: Oneil Cruz injury update
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Jason Mackey reported that Cruz underwent surgery on Monday morning. The injury was thankfully only to his ankle, as it initially looked like it could be much worse. A 3-to-4 month timeline can rarely be considered a positive update, but given Cruz’s initial reaction, it’s a step in the right direction.
White Sox: Why was Seby Zavala mad at Oneil Cruz?
MLB rules require catchers to leave a lane for any baserunner, rather than blocking the plate. The rule change occurred after Buster Posey suffered a major injury years ago. In his spat with Cruz and the Pirates, Zavala did just that, even throwing the bat out of the way so Cruz didn’t accidentally roll his ankle on it.
In the heat of the moment, Zavala said something he’d preferably take back.
“(Expletive), what the (expletive) was that?” Zavala was heard yelling at Cruz on the hot mic.
In that moment, it’s hard to know if Zavala knew Cruz was injured. Carlos Santana and Cruz’s Pittsburgh teammates sure did, though, which prompted the benches-clearing incident.