Game 6 of the World Series didn’t come without a little controversy — something Alex Rodriguez is no stranger to in October.
With the Nationals holding a slim 3-2 lead over the Astros on Tuesday, Trea Turner tapped a swinging bunt to the left side with a runner on first base and no outs in the seventh inning. Houston pitcher Brad Peacock fired the ball to first base, only to have it hit Turner and roll up the first-base line, moving the runners to second and third.
Washington’s momentum was short-lived, however, as home-plate umpire Sam Holbrook tabbed Turner with interference and ordered Yan Gomes to return to first base. Alex Rodriguez, like many others, believes the Nats shortstop should have been safe, and the three-time American League MVP took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter.
The best response to A-Rod’s tweet came courtesy of former New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes, who couldn’t help but troll Rodriguez.
Well played.
For those who don’t remember, Rodriguez was the source of a controversial sequence in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS. With the Boston Red Sox up 4-2 on New York in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium, Rodriguez knocked a dribbler up the first-base line with a runner on first and one out. As Bronson Arroyo went to tag Rodriguez, the former Yankees star slapped the ball out of the pitcher’s glove, allowing Derek Jeter to come all the way around to score. But after a brief conference, the umpires ultimately called Rodriguez out and nullified the run.
As for the Nationals, they ultimately weren’t at all troubled by the controversial play. Anthony Rendon walloped a two-run home run with two outs in the seventh, and the visitors went on to claim a 7-2 win at Minute Maid Park.
It now will all come down to a winner-take-all clash Wednesday night in Houston. Here’s hoping a champion can be crowned without chaos.
