A pair of significant changes could be implemented in Major League Baseball as early as next season. But after the weekend Josh Donaldson had, he’s more worried about an issue that, in his mind, directly affects his personal safety.
The Toronto Blue Jays third baseman had an eventful series against the Minnesota Twins. On Saturday, the Twins’ bench yelled at him for not running out a ground ball. Donaldson yelled back, but the home plate umpire thought Donaldson was yelling at him and ejected him.
The following day, the reigning American League MVP launched a home run in his first at-bat and, naturally, stared down the Twins’ dugout as he touched home. That prompted the incident that had Donaldson so incensed. In Donaldson’s next at-bat, Twins pitcher Phil Hughes, who’s known for having great control, threw two straight pitches that nearly hit the Jays infielder.
Donaldson protested, and Blue Jays manager John Gibbons was ejected for defending his player. After the game, Donaldson went off.
Donaldson wasn’t done taking aim at MLB’s culture of retaliation.
There’s a lot to digest here, but Donaldson’s main point is a good one: The common practice of throwing at batters to maintain some sort of “integrity of the game” is a dangerous one that can have injurious effects. There are ways to police the game, but throwing a 95-mph fastball at someone’s head shouldn’t be one of them.
Of course, the Blue Jays also presented us with a not-so-great alternative: an all-out brawl with the Texas Rangers that led to Rougned Odor channeling his inner Mike Tyson. There’s nothing wrong with a little competitiveness — baseball could use all the excitement it could get — but as Donaldson points out, there’s a line between spirited competition and putting players’ health in jeopardy.
Thumbnail photo via Jim Cowsert/USA TODAY Sports Images
