In Cody Bellinger’s return to Los Angeles, he was called for a pitch clock violation during a standing ovation. Bellinger’s agent complained to the league office.
MLB takes its new rules very seriously, and the umpires who uphold those benchmarks are not playing around. Nonetheless, when Cody Bellinger was called for a pitch clock violation in the middle of a standing ovation during his first at-bat back at Dodger Stadium, it caught most of baseball by surprise.
Sure, Bellinger technically wasn’t in the box on time, but certain moments require patience. This was one of them.
Bellinger acknowledged how tough it was to leave the Dodgers in the first place on Friday night, saying at one point he thought he would retire in LA. As one of the newest Cubs, his team defeated the Dodgers last night.
“When I knew I wasn’t coming back here, it hit me just how many amazing memories that I had,” Bellinger said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. “My younger self would be really proud of me.”
Cody Bellinger’s agent complains to MLB
Cody Bellinger’s agency, Scott Boras, reached out to MLB about the violation, which they deemed unfair given the moment. MLB responded, suggesting there is a protocol in place to avoid pitch clock violations for certain moments, but neither team followed said protocol.
As much as fans want to rag on the umpires, it wasn’t even their fault. As it turns out, even organizations themselves are adjusting to the new rules. For example, when a player is nearing a milestone, it would be smart for said team to file with the league in hopes of avoiding an unnecessary violation.
“I wasn’t happy about that. I think Major League Baseball and umpires do a really nice job of keeping the integrity of the game. We’ve got to find those moments where you’re giving some love to players that the fan base wants to appreciate,” David Ross said after the game.
Ross stood up for his player, but this is a learning process for everyone involved.
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