Tim Anderson continues to fight against MLB's unwritten rules

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It appears Tim Anderson has a new disciple in his mission to “Change the Game” by throwing out the unwritten rules of baseball, having fun on the field and letting greatness shine.

Padres star shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. was thrust into the spotlight for hitting a grand slam on a 3-0 count to put the Padres up 14-3 over the Rangers. Unfortunately he was thrust into the spotlight for the wrong reasons, as old-school baseball minds-- including Tatís’ own manager Jayce Tingler-- threw him under the bus for running up the score in the 8th inning.

But Anderson came to the young star’s defense on Twitter Tuesday morning.

https://twitter.com/TimAnderson7/status/1295736401720414209

Anderson makes a good point that the game was far from over, even if the game was already in the 8th inning. With teams putting up huge scores in 2020, seven runs feels like it can evaporate in an instant.

Or imagine this was later in the season, in the thick of a playoff race? Would swinging 3-0 be ok then? If your answer is yes, then consider how much more important each game is in a shortened 60-game season, especially for the Padres who now stand one game back of a wild card spot.

Instead the “unwritten rules” allow, and even encourage the following reaction from teams.

When you take a step back it’s crazy to think that for so long, teams, fans and media alike demonized hitters for doing their job, while praising pitchers who purposely try to hit a guy. It’s beyond time to flip that thinking. And to all the pitchers who don’t like it: Do better.

Unfortunately it appears after the game it was Tatís who learned the wrong lesson.

“I’ve been in this game since I was a kid,“ Tatís told reporters after the game. “I know a lot of unwritten rules. I was kind of lost on this. Those experiences, you have to learn. Probably next time, I’ll take a pitch.”

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