Joe Maddon didn't put anybody on blast after the Cubs-Cardinals game Saturday.
There was no tirade directed at the umpires. Instead, Maddon essentially took an "all's well that ends well" approach after he and Cubs closer Hector Rondon were ejected in the ninth inning of the Cubs' win over the Cardinals.
Rondon hit St. Louis pinch-hitter Greg Garcia to lead off the ninth and was immediately ejected after umpires warned both teams in the eighth inning. It was the third Cardinals batter the Cubs hit on the afternoon.
None of the hit-by-pitches were all that controversial, but after Friday's shenanigans, the umpiring crew at Wrigley Field decided not to mess around.
"The umpire came up to me and said, 'I know it wasn't on purpose, but you have to go out and take it,'" Rondon said after the game.
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Garcia came around to score on Matt Carpenter's home run as the Cardinals plated three in the ninth to mount a comeback.
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"That's just an interpretation by the umpires," Maddon said. "Obviously not trying to do that there. The umpires have the ability to exercise their own baseball acumen and judgement in that moment.
"There was a lot of pressure coming from the other side to do what eventually happened. I'm not going to pass judgement - I'm a very non-judgmental person - partly because it worked out in my favor."
Maddon said he watched the Cubs' near-implosion in the ninth with a full glass of Mollydooker wine in the Cubs clubhouse.
After letting the Cardinals have it Friday evening, Maddon knows it looks bad that Cubs pitchers hit three St. Louis hitters Saturday, but insists it was all just a coincidence.
"Of course it was," Maddon said. "I know nobody wants to believe me. You're not going to believe me - all of Cardinal Nation, God bless you - I know you're not going to believe me and I get it.
"There's no way for me to sit here and even attempt to ameliorate your concerns. None of that was intentional. It just happens; it's part of the game. But again, go ahead and lay it on me, man. I'm OK with it."
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Kris Bryant actually enjoys the heated nature of the last two games against the Cardinals as these teams continue to duke it out for the division.
"It's baseball. It's fun," Bryant said. "It adds excitement of where we're at in the season ... We were all just playing hard and emotions were shown.
"That's OK. It's OK for baseball. It's OK for the rivalry. We want to win.
"Today, we got them and they're going to get us again. It was just a good time."