MLB umpires lose all credibility when Doug Eddings avoids reprimand for Cardinals debacle

Much like journalists, Major League Baseball umpires should never find themselves as the subject of the story, especially not in the modern social media climate.

Veteran umpire Doug Eddings must not have gotten the memo, as he went viral on Friday night following a bizarre incident in the Cardinals’ 7-6 win over the Rockies. Eddings took issue with Cardinals pitcher Hancel Rincón, a 24-year-old making his MLB debut, wearing his hat crookedly. After retiring the first opposing hitter, Rincón allowed a triple, an inside-the-park home run, and a single before he was pulled for Justin Bruihl.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol argued with Eddings about Rincón’s hat and was ejected. And that was all before a controversial play at home plate game the Rockies a lead in the sixth.

“He took it upon himself to tell our rookie pitcher the kid’s ‘not going to wear his hat on my field that way,’” Marmol told reporters after the game. “You got Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia, Pedro Strop — plenty of guys that have worn it way more tilted. I have an issue with that. That’s just a power-hungry move, in my opinion.”

The Cardinals’ victory brought them within 3.5 games of the NL’s third and final Wild Card spot, though the talk rightfully surrounded Eddings’ conduct.

Doug Eddings should be ashamed after his viral incident with St. Louis Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincón

Not everyone is a fan of bat flips, postgame dances, and the widespread individualism around Major League Baseball. But as Marmol pointed out, a pitcher wearing his hat a certain way is nothing new. Did anyone truly care about how longtime Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney wore his cap? 

What’s especially galling is that Eddings admitted after the game that Rincón hadn’t broken any rules. Although he cited an “unwritten rule,” those traditionally aren’t situations where umpires intervene. Instead, veteran players would likely be the ones who’d pull Rincón aside and tell him to wear his hat differently.

“If it’s a distraction, like anything on the field, like a glove or something, and someone makes you aware of it, then you kind of address that,” Eddings said.

But Rincón didn’t take the field with a multicolored glove. Remember the Giants’ Pride Night debacle in June? You’d think that players taking the field with different hats than their teammates would qualify as a “distraction” in that case. So why was that considered acceptable, but Rincón’s hat proved problematic?

Eddings worked his first MLB game in 1998 and has been a full-time umpire for decades. He should know better, and he’s surely called games where pitchers wore their hats a certain way or had earrings. There’s no excuse for what happened Friday night, and an apology wouldn’t change how absurd the situation is. 

Worse still is the perception, widely expressed on social media, that Eddings missed that home plate call out of spite. The Cardinals were out of challenges and the umpire was well aware of that.

His behavior had bordered on unprofessional throughout the night.

As of publication, it was unclear whether Eddings and Rincón had spoken privately. Speaking with reporters on Friday night, Rincón called the situation “fine” and said it didn’t impact his rough outing.

Given the overall context, it’s difficult to envision Major League Baseball publicly or privately reprimanding Eddings. Because the incident did not adversely affect the final result, Eddings’ handling of the situation likely would not warrant league-issued discipline. He and MLB are lucky the Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer in the top of the night to retake the lead for the Cardinals.

It is also unknown whether Eddings will work any additional Cardinals games this season. Major League Baseball has not yet announced its postseason umpire crews.