This is one of the stupider stories I’ve seen in awhile, but it irritates me to the point that I feel like I need to have a response to it. The jist of it: Mets COO Jeff Wilpon is pissed off at the Mets and actually *scolded his team* for not retaliating on Thursday after Justin Turner was hit by a pitch in the first inning. Wilpon apparently feels like the HBP was intentional after Turner was grazed on Wednesday night with the bases loaded in the 13th inning to give the Mets a walk-off win.
There are numerous holes in Wilpon’s little theory. Turner was hit on Wednesday. When Brad Ziegler plunked him, the umpire IMMEDIATELY signaled that he had been hit and to take his base. There was no conversation with Turner, no arguing, no pleas from the dugout. It was an immediate reaction. Turner did nothing to warrant being hit. It’s not as if he milked anything during the situation.
The second hole…Turner was hit on the third pitch of the at bat on Thursday. If you’re going to hit someone intentionally, you hit them on the first pitch. You don’t screw around. The first pitch that A’s pitcher Graham Godfrey threw to Turner was a STRIKE. Why would you throw a hitter a strike if you’re trying to hit him intentionally?
The third hole…Graham Godfrey has thrown 17 innings in the majors after Thursday’s game. He’s walked four hitters in the majors this year, and walked 15 in 54 2/3 innings in the minors. It’s not as if this guy is Greg Maddux up there with pinpoint control. He’s in his first major league season, and you think he’s going out there with no nerves in his system? Come on.
The fourth hole…Godfrey hit Turner in the leg. If you’re going to intentionally hit someone, you don’t aim for the leg. You go right for the meaty part of the body, like their ass or back. You don’t throw…at his leg. That’s just stupid, and making things more difficult upon yourself.
So Jeff Wilpon, you should probably not jump to conclusions about things, make your team feel like children and make them hate you even more. I highly doubt that Godfrey’s plunking of Turner was intentional, and by going off on your team about it, you just look like even more of an incompetent boob.
