Nationals manager Dave Martinez recounted his decision to ask the umpires to check Ellie De La Cruz’s bat in the second inning of Wednesday’s 9-2 loss to the Reds. Martinez also said he “didn’t like De La Cruz’s actions” when he pointed to his bat after hitting a home run following a bat test. Here’s what you need to know:
- Martinez said he was not trying to punish de la Cruz by talking to the referees: “I like the way he plays. I don’t like his antics after he hits a home run. We can do without it. He only has two weeks left in the big leagues. But he will be a good player.
- De La Cruz hit a 455-foot homer in the fifth inning at Nationals Park following a bat test that came after Martinez asked about implanting a sensor on the bottom of De La Cruz’s bat.
- The issue caused a brief delay and De La Cruz asked De La Cruz to remove the cover for an at-bat – in which he struck out – before De La Cruz was allowed to put it back on.
What are they saying?
Martinez said “it’s not a big issue” and he “wanted to know what it was” about the casing for the sensor.
“I know what the device is, but I’ve never seen (anyone) wear it during a game,” Martinez said of the device used to track measurements on bat swings.
“They checked it, and when they came back and told me, ‘Hey, it’s legal,’ it was fine,” Martinez said. “It’s done. made with … I’m not going to make a big deal about it.
Reds manager David Bell explained that the bump in De La Cruz’s bat was recognized by MLB, but the umpires initially had no record of it and “by the second at-bat, it was cleared.”
Bell praised the 21-year-old, saying, “Elli has been playing well, playing well with a lot of emotion and joy, but she’s also good at putting it right. … I thought it was impressive how he did it tonight.
De La Cruz’s performance and celebrations
Nothing seemed to faze De La Cruz in his first month in the big leagues. De La Cruz got agitated and left in his second inning at-bat. But that one at-bat Wednesday saw him be nothing less than being heralded as the most exciting player in the game so far. De la Cruz did what he’s done so far this season: Respond. Not only did he homer, he added a pair of doubles and even stole his 11th base of the season.
De La Cruz had a home run celebration that included playing with a third base coach from the minor leagues. He celebrates everything he does on the field, flipping his hood, and his jersey number on his first career homer. He lights four fingers on each hand to represent 44. Some questioned the show’s emotion, but Bell, his manager, encouraged him to express himself and play loose. This seems to be the right trend so far. — Rosecrans
Required reading
(Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
