What began as a simple instruction on how to wear a cap ended up becoming one of the most controversial scenes of the weekend in the Major Leagues. Umpire Doug Eddings became the protagonist of the duel between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies after demanding the Dominican rookie Hancel Rincón to straighten his cap during his MLB debut, a decision that provoked the reaction of the St. Louis manager, Oliver Marmol, and later a curious protest from players from both teams.
Rincón, 24, born in the Dominican Republic, came on in relief in the sixth inning of Friday’s game at Coors Field. The right-hander had the visor of his cap tilted slightly to the left, as he had usually done during his career.
Eddings stopped the action and told him to place it correctly. Rincón obeyed, although he later admitted that he did not understand why the umpire had intervened.
Eddings’ explanation was that a Colorado player had drawn his attention to the cap. According to the umpire, the batter asked him if Rincón could carry it that way and he decided to ask the catcher to tell the pitcher to straighten it.
The problem is that Hunter Goodman, the only Rockies hitter who had faced Rincón at the time, later denied making that request.
“I didn’t mention the cap at any point,” said Goodman, who said his only concern was concentrating on the pitch and his at-bat.
Furthermore, Eddings himself acknowledged that wearing his cap askew does not constitute a violation of the regulations. The umpire explained that it is more of a question of “unwritten rule” and possible distraction on the field of play.
Eddings’ intervention did not sit well with Marmol, especially because Rincón was playing at that time in the first game of his career in the Major Leagues.
When the reliever was replaced, the St. Louis Cardinals manager came out of the dugout to argue with Eddings. The conversation escalated and ended with Marmol expelled. Additionally, during the discussion, a shot clock violation occurred against St. Louis.
After the game, Marmol was forceful when explaining his anger.
“He took it upon himself to tell our rookie pitcher that the boy is not going to wear his cap like that in my field,” said the manager, who recalled that other pitchers such as Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia and Pedro Strop had worn their caps much more tilted.
The controversy did not end with the game. On Saturday, before the second game of the series, numerous St. Louis Cardinals players appeared on the field with their caps tilted to one side, in an obvious show of support for Rincón.
The protest even carried over into the game: Some players kept their caps tilted in the dugout and others tilted their batting helmets after reaching the bases.
And the gesture was not limited to San Luis. Some Colorado players also wore their caps sideways, turning the situation into a kind of joint protest against the umpire’s intervention.
“One of the superpowers we’ve had this whole season is our ability to come together, defend all the guys in the clubhouse and support each other,” explained St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore.
Eddings himself took a step back on Saturday. The umpire spoke briefly with Rincón on the field and apologized to the young Dominican. Rincón, who had accepted the previous day’s decision without protest, also accepted the apology.
The relationship between Eddings and Marmol, however, does not seem to have been completely resolved. Both spoke before the second game, although the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals downplayed the conversation and assured that there was “nothing significant.”
The controversy occurred in a series that had already left tension since the first game. On Friday, San Luis came back to win 7-6 thanks to a three-run home run by Iván Herrera in the ninth inning. On Saturday, Colorado got revenge with a 10-7 victory.
But the result ended up being almost secondary to a scene that transcended the field of play: a cap tilted, a Dominican debutant, an expelled manager and an entire locker room determined to support their teammate.
Was Doug Eddings suspended?
In the last few hours, the version that MLB had suspended Eddings for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, also began to circulate on social networks. There is no credible evidence that this occurred.
The alleged suspension comes from a viral publication attributed to an account that presents itself as an MLB source, but is actually a parody account. Neither MLB nor reference media have reported a sanction against Eddings.
For now, the confirmed consequence of the controversy is different: the umpire had to apologize to the pitcher he had stopped during his historic debut and, a day later, he saw how players from both teams turned precisely that tilted cap into the symbol of a protest that he could hardly have imagined when he decided to ask Rincón to straighten it.
Meta description: The controversy over Hancel Rincón’s cap caused a clash between umpire Doug Eddings and Oliver Marmol, as well as a protest from the St. Louis Cardinals and the Rockies.
