The Pirates are off to one of their best starts in recent years, sporting a 9-3 record, but manager Clint Hurdle still found the time to complain about the behavior of another team in their division.
Hurdle took issue with the way the Cubs — specifically Javier Baez — celebrated during Wednesday’s 13-5 win, and apparently did not like how the team showed off in front of the home crowd at Wrigley Field.
The Pirates manager spoke to reporters on Thursday, and he informed them that he was not a fan of how Baez tossed his bat in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. Baez popped the ball up with no one out and a man on second, which Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer had no problem handling. In response, the Cubs infielder flung his bat after running out of the box, and Hurdle apparently did not like that.
“Where is the respect for the game?” Hurdle said, via Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. “He’s hit four homers in two days, does that mean you can take your bat and throw it 15-20 feet in the air when you pop up, like you should have hit your fifth home run? I would bet that men went over and talked to him, because I believe they’ve got a group there that speaks truth to power.”
It’s a bit surprising that Hurdle even took notice of the behavior by Baez. The Cubs’ method of celebrating is nothing new, as they’ve been doing it for the past few years. The best way to get revenge is by beating them, and the Pirates did exactly that, winning two of three games in Wrigley.
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