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There is nothing that makes Major League Baseball teams more exciting and deranged than a competitive advantage and the unwritten rules meant to keep those advantages out of the game. From the massive Houston Astros backboard stealing controversy there is Years ago to the endless talk about banning ‘sticky stuff’ from pitchers this season, baseball often feels like a never-ending war on one side trying to break the rules and the other making accusations of mischief. It gets especially hot when it happens between division rivals.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays have fought all season in a historically strong AL East. Tampa Bay has led the division for most of the year after winning the AL last season, and on Wednesday they nabbed an MLB playoff berth for the third straight year. Toronto, meanwhile, was very hot to close out the season and is now tied with the Yankees for the final AL wildcard spot. The series between Tampa and Toronto this week had major playoff implications.
Tensions rose Tuesday after a strange incident after a game at home plate. As Tampa outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was sent off at home in the sixth inning on a home plate, a game card that would have been filled with information on the scout report fell from Blue Jays wide receiver Alejandro Kirk’s bracelet. Kiermaier picked up the map and continued on his way.
Here is the video of the incident:
The Blue Jays are not happy.
Last night in the 6th, Kevin Kiermaier slipped into the home plate and grabbed a card (video here). This card, I was told, was from Alejandro Kirk’s bracelet that fell on the tag.
On the program: the Blue Jays game plan on the shots against the Rays hitters. pic.twitter.com/wjjuYd3Bhk
-Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) September 21, 2021
Kiermaier said he believed it was his own card he kept with the tracing information. He said he never really looked at the card and handed it to the Rays clubhouse manager.
Here are Kiermaier’s comments after the game on the incident:
I spoke with Kiermaier. These are his comments.
At around 5:20 p.m., Kevin Cash came out to talk to Charlie Montoyo about it.
The Jays are pissed off. As a team source told me, “if there’s one card we wouldn’t want an opponent to have, this is it.”
More at 6.30 p.m. on @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Rp6iaGNPwM
-Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) September 21, 2021
Tampa manager Kevin Cash apologized to Toronto after the game, and Jays manager Charlie Montoyo called the incident “agua under the bridge.”
Story over, right? It’s baseball, so of course not.
On Wednesday, with the Rays leading Toronto 7-1 late in the 8th inning, Kiermaier received a fastball in the back. The benches quickly cleared and pitcher Ryan Borucki was sent off.
This is all a bit silly and distracts from the fact that the AL have an impressive playoff race underway. Will Borucki be suspended as the Jays play their last 10 games of the season in an attempt to advance to the playoffs?
Some people argue that Kiermaier was wrong to pick up the card. Personally, it seems the Jays are losers in condemning him for it after it seemed like the problem was sorted out. No matter what you think, let’s all agree that the playoffs have to come soon so we have something better to say.
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