The 2017 World Baseball Classic has provided plenty of on-field excitement, but not all of the players involved are totally pleased with the event.
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, who is playing for Team Puerto Rico in the tournament, blasted the MLB for inadequate security at the tournament.
Molina took to Instagram on Friday to voice his frustrations.
Molina’s comments stem from an incident that occurred during Puerto Rico’s 9-4 victory over Team Mexico on Saturday. During the game, several players emerged from the Puerto Rican dugout in reaction to an incident in the stands where players’ families were seated.
In response to the incident, an MLB official sent an e-mail to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which read, via ESPN.com, “At last night’s game, an unfortunate incident resulted from the conduct of a fan in the stands at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco. Security staff responded quickly and relocated families to a new area. We will make all efforts to prevent another such situation.”
The Cardinals catcher’s criticisms of the WBC security did not end with a social media post. In an interview with ESPNDeportes’ Marly Rivera, Molina expressed his belief that the MLB failed to take proper precautions.
“Of course, especially in a country that’s not your own, you try to concentrate on the game, but when you see that a brother of a teammate is fighting, literally fighting, throwing punches, you’re obviously going to go defend him, especially when you know there’s no provided security,” Molina told Rivera.
“Security should be provided by MLB. There is no one to help us. It’s a shame that this happened, but we’re going to defend our families even if we have to go up to the stands to do it. I honestly think MLB needs to do a better job.”
Puerto Rico continued to dominate with a 9-3 win over Team Italy on Sunday to win Pool D and advance to the second round.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
