The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-6 at Coors Field. However, one incident during the game came between home plate umpire Doug Eddings and pitcher Hancel Rincon in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Eddings told Marmol to go fix his bat. That prompted Cardinals manager Oli Marmol to come out of the dugout to prevent any escalation. Marmol spoke about the incident after the game.
“Quite honestly, I thought it was embarrassing on his end,” said Marmol, video courtesy of @BDurhamSports on X. “We have a kid making his debut, and in between an at-bat, he tells him he needs to fix his hat, and the kid’s not going to wear his hat on my field. Last I checked, it was Coors Field.”
Cardinals Manager Oli Marmol Ejected by Doug Eddings in Rockies Game
Later in the inning, Oli Marmol came in to bring left-hander Justin Bruihl. He was arguing with Doug Eddings during the pitching change. Bruihl was assessed a pitch timer violation after warmups, which incensed the Cardinals dugout.
Eventually, Marmol was ejected from the game by Eddings. He then promptly walked back on the field and gave the home plate umpire an earful concerning the pitch timer violation and the hat situation with Hancel Rincon.
“At the end of the day, I thought they handled it poorly, and I would like an explanation at some point.”
“Last I checked this was Coors Field”
#stlcardsCardinals Broadcasters Roast Doug Eddings Over Hat Incident
At the start of the sixth inning, Doug Eddings signaled for Hancel Rincon to fix his hat. Naturally, that drew the attention of Cardinals television broadcasters Chip Caray and Brad Thompson. The pair spoke about it an inning later on the broadcast.
“We see him tilt towards his hat,” said Thompson, video courtesy of Cardinals fan Carter Fogarty. “He’s telling Rincon to put his hat on straight; that’s what he’s telling him to do. That’s what Leo (Bernal) was laughing behind the plate. Are you serious, dude?
If that’s in fact what happened, if Doug Eddings behind the plate was telling Hancel Rincon to fix his hat, that is a flat-out embarrassment. That is not his job to do.
“He’s not wearing his hat backwards; this isn’t a uniform violation. This is a guy wearing his hat the way he’s wearing his hat. If, in fact, that’s what happened.”
Caray then immediately pointed out New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., who slightly wears his hat tilted off-center. Thompson then joked that maybe he hasn’t seen Eddings yet. Caray then described Eddings’ conduct as a joke.
“Sometimes umpires think it’s their game, their field, it’s not,” said Caray. “They’re the officials, they’re in charge, but it’s a player’s game, I thought.”
Thompson accused Eddings of overstepping his authority and suggested the league should investigate this.
After closer Riley O’Brien struck out Cole Carrigg to end the game, Caray snuck in one last jab at Eddings while the Cardinals celebrated a win.
“They were Doug a hole, but it’s a happy Eddings in Colorado!”
Doug Eddings Missed Another Call in Cardinals vs. Rockies
Doug Eddings’ conduct regarding the hat incident with Hancel Rincon probably wasn’t the only thing that irked the Cardinals. There was a play at the plate in the sixth inning that went the Rockies’ way.
Rockies outfielder Zac Veen dropped a safety squeeze. Cardinals left-hander Justin Bruihl shoveled the ball to catcher Leo Bernal. On replay, it appeared Bernal tagged Troy Johnston on the left hand. Eddings ruled Johnston safe on the play.
The Cardinals did not have a challenge after losing it earlier in the game, so the play stood as called. Ultimately, it didn’t matter in terms of the outcome, as St. Louis won outright.
Cardinals Manager Makes Honest Statement About Doug Eddings Hat Incident After Rockies Game