Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm finally walked back into his home dugout at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday after going through a long standoff with his former Boston Red Sox teammate Kutter Crawford following the national anthem.
Little did he know he’d have to head to the clubhouse instead because umpires ejected both him and Crawford for their actions.
Standoffs on the field, court or ice have been going on for quite some time in sports when the national anthem comes to a conclusion. It’s simply for bragging rights, as the last man standing on their respective playing surface gets the “win.”
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Pitcher Kutter Crawford of the Boston Red Sox during the Tigers game at Comerica Park on April 9, 2023, in Detroit. (Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
Well, with MLB instituting their new pitch clock rules to speed up the game of baseball, Strahm and Crawford took things a bit too far when umpires warned them to leave the field, and then had no choice but to kick them out.
Speaking with Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, Strahm explained the whole situation that resulted in not just an ejection, but a fine from the league as well.
“Zero of it was planned,” he explained. “The anthem was over, I looked across, and Kutter kind of gave me a grin. And I knew exactly what that grin meant so I just stood there. Zero plan on that. Just locked eyes after the anthem and both still had our hat over our heart and neither of us were moving.
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“I’ve by no means accomplished the rest like that during my moment, but when me, festival’s the entirety to me so I more or less felt like I used to be being known as out proper there. Taking a look again on it, almost certainly now not the wisest determination I’ve made in my big-league occupation, however yeah, shifting on.”
In spite of the ejection, it seemed Strahm did win the bragging rights, regardless that.
Matt Strahm of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Dodgers on May 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“I didn’t even notice I used to be thrown out,” he said. “The primary bottom umpire came visiting to me and stated ‘You got to get going.’ And all I stated used to be ‘OK, well it’s our house garden so he will have to progress first, proper?’ And later he stated ‘OK,’ and once I regarded over Kutter used to be retirement, and I walked unwell the stairs and so they instructed me I used to be thrown out… (Rob Thomson) instructed me I were given thrown out after I were given unwell there. By no means obvious a ultimatum or the rest, however I supposition will have to’ve identified higher with how strict they’re with the sound clock. Lesson discovered. Embarrassing life, be told from it, exit on.”
Being that Crawford is on the 15-day injured list at the moment, his fine for being ejected is much higher than Strahm’s, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’ll be getting help from a certain teammate.
“I do know there’s a man that going to the similar college as him that’s almost certainly moving to deal that,” he stated.
Chris Sale and Crawford each attended Florida Gulf Coast College, in order that’s the place the backup may well be coming.
Matt Strahm of the Philadelphia Phillies during New York Yankees game on April 4, 2023, in the Bronx. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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It is unknown how much Crawford and Strahm were fined.
