MLB's replay era has brought many annoying developments to the game, perhaps none more so than infielders keeping their glove pinned to every baserunner in their vicinity, knowing there's a chance that an infinitesimal separation between foot/hand and base can lead to an out. It is effective, but the behavior is also vaguely narc-ish. It's how a nerd records an out.
On Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays prevailed over the West Sacramento A's, 8–4, which is good news for the Blue Jays but even better news for George Springer, who in the fifth inning was the victim of some zealous defending by A's third baseman Max Schuemann. With his team trailing 3-0, Springer hit a two-out single that scored Myles Straw and moved Vlad Guerrero Jr. to second. Alejandro Kirk followed that up with a double that scored Guerrero Jr.—the Jays were rallying, baby! Woo!—and advanced Springer to third. Addison Barger must have been licking his damn chops as he prepared to step into the box with two runners in scoring position and the score now 3–2. Unfortunately, Barger was banished back to the dugout because of Springer's decision to do some ill-timed hopping on third base.
After the game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider covered for his player, insisting that Springer was not doing teeny-tiny happy hops on third base because he was celebrating the Blue Jays' burgeoning rally, but because he had felt some discomfort in his ankle and was just trying to shake it off. "Georgie kind of tweaked his left ankle a little bit. I kind of saw the whole thing unfold. He wasn't dancing, he wasn't doing anything crazy, he was just kind of testing his ankle out," Schneider said.
The good news is that the Blue Jays won, and Schuemann went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. Jocks prevail over nerds once again.
