Pirates to send McCutchen ejection video to MLB
The Pittsburgh Pirates are taking Andrew McCutchen's case all the way to the top.
The team will send video of the former MVP's disputed strikeout looking and subsequent ejection in Sunday's game, along with some of their opinions on how the situation was handled, to Major League Baseball this week. Although it might seen abnormal given an ejection cannot be appealed, it seems the Pirates have been sending feedback to the league for some time.
"We've been doing it ever since I’ve been here," manager Clint Hurdle told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Both McCutchen and the Pirates took issue with home-plate umpire Chris Conroy's strike zone on Sunday night, especially during the fateful seventh-inning at-bat. The outfielder was particularly irate, slamming his bat to the ground after taking a called third strike that appeared too low. The action earned the normally mild-mannered McCutchen his first career ejection.
Related: McCutchen compares himself to Jesus following 1st career ejection
The Pirates use their own strike zone charts and stand with McCutchen after examining the pitches in question and comparing their own charts to both Conroy's calls and what other umpires have called against the outfielder this season.
"He has had more than his fair share this year of strikes that have been called that were not strikes, in our eyes," Hurdle said.
Sticking to their normal process, assistant general Kevan Graves will forward the specific video clips and comments that were pulled by the team's video coordinator to league offices. Hurdle, who also claims to have ongoing dialogue with top MLB executives Joe Torre and Joe Garagiola Jr., believes their system of open communication with the league helps all parties, including the umpires.
"I have had situations where, after a phone call, the next time I've had a couple different situations where the umpire's come and spoken to me about what was brought to the table," Hurdle said. "So I know the conversations are being held. Where they go from there, I’m not so sure of."