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Mocking the Game Rule and Why the MLB Has It

As year by year rolls past and baseball evolves, we see players doing more and more that is in fact illegal. Why is it illegal? Lets discuss this and why the MLB has the rule that makes it illegal.

The Rule its self is called: “MOCKING THE GAME!” which = an auto ejection! This means if the player mocks the game the umpire has no choice but to eject the player. Same for a manager or coach etc.

This is a umpire judgement call and for the most part umpires are good with not calling it to harsh. They don’t actually call it harsh enough OR NEAR ENOUGH actually. Here’s a few examples:

Fernando Tatis JR mocks the game in every Home Run Trot:

While this stutter step is fun to watch and such, it is actually 100% ILLEGAL! A player may not stop mid home run trot like that or even mid running around the bases, OR BACKWARDS at all! Tatis actually goes backwards which for decades AND IF NOT A CENTURY has been mocking. To go backwards on them at all in fact!

As JIMMY PIERSALL found out the hard way:

EXTREME BAT FLIPS BLATANTLY MOCK THE GAME!

Yes extreme bat flips are in fact ILLEGAL! They mock the game, As an umpire I am fine with a minor to mid emphatic one but the most extreme mock the game and will get the player ejected in a hurry. They violate TWO rules in fact as throwing equipment is also illegal.

Juan Soto’s shuffle is as illegal as it gets!

In the bottom tweet you see him doing something ugly that completely mocks the game. Remember anything the umpires construe as not normal game play IS MOCKING THE GAME! This goes extremely far beyond just mocking the game. I would eject him every time he did this!

These are not the only ones. Remember when FORMER Yankees OFer Brett Gardner protested the umpires call by pummeling the dugout roof? That’s mocking the game as well.

Another one is when Adrian Beltre did this (BOTTOM TWEET):

He was instantly ejected because the umpire had LITERALLY NO CHOICE! He BOTH showed up the umpire and mocked the game. BOTH ARE AUTO EJECTIONS!

Remember, unlike other sports baseball is THE GENTLEMAN’S GAME! Its meant to be played with respect for the game and everyone playing and running it! If due respect is not shown the player, Coach, Manager, ETC must be ejected and is necessary suspended!

BY: ADAM KING

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