Phillies manager Joe Girardi on Fernando Tatis grand-slam controversy: ‘Let them play’

The San Diego Padres were already leading the Texas Rangers by seven runs in the eighth inning on Monday night and holding a 100-percent win probability when Fernando Tatis Jr. hammered a 3-0 fastball for a grand slam.

Not only did Tatis’ homer turn a blowout into a laugher, it brought Tatis some grief with the enforcers of baseball’s unwritten rules. His team was well ahead late in the game, and San Diego manager Jayce Tingler gave Tatis the take sign on the 3-0 count. But one of baseball’s top young stars decided to slug the pitch anyway.

Texas responded by throwing at the next batter, and Rangers manager Chris Woodward, a 12-year major-league veteran, took issue after the game with Tatis’ swing.

“When you’re up by seven in the eight inning, it’s typically not a good time to swing 3-0,” Woodward said after losing, 14-4. “That’s kind of the way we were all raised in the game But norms are being challenged on a daily basis. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean that it’s not right. But I don’t think we liked it as a group.”

The home run bubbled into a controversy on Tuesday, as Tatis’ decision was discussed widely on debate shows and social media. Should he have swung? What was he supposed to do?

Major League Baseball suspended reliever Ian Gibault for three games for intentionally throwing at Manny Machado, but he remained active pending his appeal. Woodward was suspended for one game because of Gibault’s actions and served it Tuesday.

Tatis entered Tuesday as the major-league leader in home runs; the grand slam was his 11th of the season. For a sport that has struggled recently to develop household names, Tatis could be its next breakthrough star. He had a 1.109 OPS through his first 107 plate appearances, was batting .305 through 23 games, and is an elite defender with a gregarious personality.

Maybe all it took was for him to break one of baseball’s old, unwritten rules for more people to take notice.

“I think the focus should be on how good he is more than anything else,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said before Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox in Fenway Park. “I would rather the focus be on his talent. It’s not like he had a really dirty slide where he hurt someone or ran someone over that he didn’t need to run over. He got in a good count and took advantage of it. Should he have swung? That’s for other people to decide. I just think the focus should be on how good of a player he is at such a young age, and how bright of a star he is for this game, and how much we all enjoy watching him. That would be the focus for me.”

A seven-run lead in the eighth inning might seem safe, but the Phillies know that’s not always the case. Earlier this season, entering the last inning with an eight-run lead, they allowed four runs against the Yankees, which forced them to use Hector Neris for the final out. Days later, they allowed seven runs in the ninth inning against the Braves, and Neris had to warm up after the Phillies started the inning ahead by 12.

Girardi said he’s “OK with managers keeping their foot on the pedal.” His team entered both of those final innings with a 100-percent win probability. And the Phillies would have certainly welcomed an extra four runs as they watched those hefty leads shrink, even if it meant breaking an unwritten rule.

“Things happen quickly in this game. There are a lot of runs being scored right now, and I don’t feel that leads are always safe,” Girardi said. “Even though 99 percent of the time it would be. But, God, I sure would hate to miss a playoff spot because you didn’t try to expand a lead because you were up by six runs in the eighth inning.

“Shame on us for doing that. I think with such a short schedule, the way that runs are being scored today, and I don’t think bullpens are able to come back physically and easily right now the way they would have had we played all the way up through August. There is a lot of limitations that managers have to deal with. So, let them play.”

Roman Quinn flew to Boston Tuesday morning to join the Phillies after missing Sunday’s game due to COVID-19 protocols. Quinn did not test positive but stayed home Sunday as a precaution after not feeling well. ... Jay Bruce returned to the lineup after leaving Sunday’s game with a sore quadriceps. ... Jean Segura (sore hamstring) is expected to start on Tuesday. ... Jake Arrieta will start Wednesday against Red Sox left-hander Kyle Hart.