Padres' Mike Shildt Had to Remove a Pitcher For the Silliest Reason Ever

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 9, 2024

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It didn't make much sense when San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt turned to left-hander Tanner Scott to face left-handed hitter Oneil Cruz with the bases loaded and two down and the game tied in the ninth inning.

It wasn't his choice. It was home plate umpire Andy Fletcher's.

Fletcher ruled that Shildt had visited Suarez during the wait while umpires discussed an automatic ball call. The visit was Shildt's second, which meant he had to bring in a new pitcher.

“I go out because we have no more position players at that time, and so I want to make sure that nothing happens,” Shildt said. “I’m standing on the grass. I was talking to the team to make sure we were settled down. And also, as typically happens, you stay out there in case you want to say something, because I had something to say. And Andy informed me that he would deem that a trip and that Bae was going to be the last hitter that Suarez could face.

"Ultimately, I don’t like Robert coming out of the game because we trust him, but I was OK with Scott on Cruz. But that’s, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story.”

A pitch clock violation is called on Robert Suarez pic.twitter.com/CJyvjtG6N6

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 8, 2024

The series of events leading to up to the call was a bit controversial.

As Suarez readied to make his first pitch to Ji-Hwan Bae, the Pirates batter wasn't ready by the required eight seconds remaining on the clock. Upon further review, he wasn't ready until four seconds were left.

Fletcher did not call an automatic strike and instead waited until the clock had ticked down to zero to assess a ball to Suarez.

Machado reacted by yelling at Fletcher and Shildt sprinted out of the dugout. The manager wanted an explanation and prevent Machado from taking things too far.

The umpire crew met to discuss the call and Shildt stood on the grass in front of the mound and talked with his players, primarily Machado and Bogaerts. He never met with Suarez.

Shildt was forced to make the call to the bullpen, choosing Scott. The trade deadline acquisition from the Miami Marlins typically needs four or five pitches to warm up and this time around he only had two.

Scott got out of the inning but began the next one with three walks, loading the bases and allowing a run to score before Adrián Morejón replaced him. A wild pitch scored another run before Morejón ended the game by striking out Connor Joe.

“I love Morejón for that,” Scott said. “He did great. I had a lot of traffic. He saved me. His first career save. That’s awesome.”