No more Mr. Nice Guy.
After notching his first career ejection Sunday, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen said after eight years in the majors, it was about time he showed his emotions.
"I was like, 'I've had it,'" McCutchen told the Tribune-Review's Rob Biertemfel. "I'm sick of being the quiet guy. I'm sick of being the guy who people say, 'Oh, he's a really nice guy.' Jesus was a nice guy, too, but he went into the tabernacle and flipped tables. He could get angry.
"So, it's OK to be frustrated. It's OK to be angry. We have feelings, frustrations, and emotions. We all want to be treated equally and the right way. If you don't feel you've been treated that way, sometimes you need to show it."
McCutchen was tossed after a strike three call that appeared to be well below the knees. But his temper tantrum wasn't about just one game.
The slugger feels as though on numerous occasions this season, he's kept his mouth shut after blown calls, and it's not helping his case. He figured it was about time to say something.
"They're taking the bat out of my hands," McCutchen said. "All I ask is for fairness when I'm out there. I'm not asking for perfection. I'm just asking for fairness.
"No one's going to be perfect; I get that. That's why I snapped. What happened was not fair."
This season, McCutchen has 81 strikeouts in 320 plate appearances. He's been an All-Star in each of the past five seasons and a silver slugger in four of them.
McCutchen feels as though umpires are the common denominator when it comes to every player's strikeout total climbing.
"Why do you think the strikeouts have skyrocketed?" McCutchen said. “Everyone wants to look at the pitcher and the (batter), but there are three in this game. You have to add (the umpire) in there. That's the frustrating part."
