On Saturday, umpire Doug Eddings offered an apology to Hancel Rincon, a rookie pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, for instructing him to adjust his tilted cap during Friday’s 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
The experienced umpire reportedly felt obligated to apologize after Major League Baseball informed him that his admonishment of Rincon was inappropriate, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The instruction from Eddings sparked a major confrontation, which ended with Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol getting thrown out of the game for protesting the incident.
“He expressed regret for Friday night’s events,” Rincon explained through Kleininger Teran, the bullpen catcher and team translator, as reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. “He also wished me the best for my future in the major leagues.”
According to Owen Perkins of MLB.com, the rookie pitcher told Eddings in response, “Don’t fret about it, there are no hard feelings, and what happened on the field stays on the field.”
The confrontation took place in the sixth frame of Friday’s matchup, which marked Rincon’s big-league debut. As the newcomer prepared to throw to Colorado batter Cole Carrigg, Eddings halted play and seemed to direct Rincon (communicating through Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal) to position his cap straight.
Prior to the stoppage, Rincon had surrendered a triple to TJ Rumfield and thrown a wild pitch that allowed the runner to cross the plate. Following Eddings’ intervention, the right-handed rookie served up a 96 mph fastball down the center of the plate, which Carrigg drove off the right-center wall for an inside-the-park home run.
Immediately after, Rincon yielded a single to Connor Norby and was yanked in favor of Justin Bruihl. Rincon ended his debut outing with three runs on three hits in just a third of an inning. While Bruihl was throwing his warm-up pitches, Marmol walked out to debate the cap situation with Eddings, leading to the manager’s ejection.
After the game concluded, Eddings informed journalists that Colorado catcher Hunter Goodman had questioned the legality of how Rincon was wearing his cap. While the umpire admitted Rincon wasn’t violating any Major League Baseball regulations, Goodman subsequently denied making such an inquiry.
“I never made a single comment about his cap,” Goodman clarified, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. “It makes no difference to me who is on the mound or how they choose to wear their headgear. I’m just trying to track the release point of the ball and focus on my own plate appearance. His hat’s appearance is not my concern.”
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, which ended in a 10-7 defeat for St. Louis, Eddings spoke with both Marmol and Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer. He then sought out Rincon as the Cardinals’ pitching staff headed to the bullpen. This interaction reportedly came on the heels of MLB informing Eddings that his demand for Rincon to fix his cap was out of line.
According to Rosenthal, it remains unclear whether the league intends to hand down any additional disciplinary action against Eddings for his behavior.
During pre-game warmups, a majority of Cardinals players adjusted their cap brims to the left as a sign of protest. Several players on both teams kept their caps crooked throughout the game itself. This demonstration of solidarity was mirrored by multiple Cardinals fans seated behind the home plate area, as well as radio announcer John Rooney.
“I felt incredible backing from the guys,” Rincon remarked. “Obviously, when a team stands united like this, it makes us a much stronger group.”
Rincon made another appearance in Saturday’s contest, yielding four runs and a pair of hits across one frame. Beyond starting a brief style trend in his initial MLB stint, the rookie struggled to a 47.25 ERA over his two appearances, resulting in his demotion to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday, as confirmed by the Cardinals.
To take Rincon’s spot on the roster, the team recalled left-handed pitcher Cooper Hjerpe. Hjerpe has posted a 3.00 ERA this season across four different minor league levels, which includes a stellar 1.89 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 19 innings in his five starts with Memphis.
