Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing had an unfortunate strikeout on Tuesday night after a miscommunication with the umpire.
On Wednesday, he needed another timeout, but this time, he took no chances.
Rushing made deliberate eye contact with the umpire and held his hand out until he was granted the timeout.
In the fifth inning, Rushing was hitting and asked the umpire for a timeout, which the umpire appeared to acknowledge and grant.
Rushing, however, was then called for a pitch-clock violation, resulting in strike three and the end of the inning.
Video posted to social media appears to back up Rushing’s account of the incident, and it also captured his expletive-laden reaction in the dugout.
In a game the Dodgers lost 2-1, that third strike could have provided one more opportunity for one of the Dodgers’ hottest hitters to get on base or even tack on what would’ve ended up being the tying run.
After the game, manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Rushing was in the right, though he alleged no ill will on the part of the umpire.
“Dalton called timeout, and I just saw the replay. He called timeout and he said it twice and I just think the umpire didn’t hear it clearly,” Roberts said. “I know he wasn’t just trying to blatantly do wrong by Dalton, but I just don’t think he heard it. But I did see a head nod, too. So, you assume that he heard it and acknowledged, but clearly he didn’t.”
Roberts added that he “wasn’t surprised” that Rushing was upset after that strikeout.
“He was upset because he called time out,” Roberts said.
Rushing’s play so far this season has won over Roberts and his teammates, but he’s rankled many others around MLB.
He’s intimated that the Colorado Rockies were cheating, and he’s been caught on camera — twice — swearing about opponents.
In the first instance, against the San Francisco Giants, he appeared to say “f— ’em” about Jung Hoo Lee after a play at the plate appeared to leave Lee shaken up.
The next day, he took a fastball to the ribs, though he and Giants pitcher Logan Webb both downplayed the incident.
Then, after Miguel Amaya stole a base on Rushing, the Dodger appeared to call his Cubs counterpart a “fat f—.”