CLEVELAND — Many of the unwritten rules of baseball can lead to some different viewpoints on situations depending on which dugout you’re currently in, and from there, some rising tempers.
In the case of the Guardians and the Arizona Diamondbacks, it was an exchange of words following one of those unwritten rules, and the gray area of interpretation, that led to a bizarre, benches-clearing incident just as the game — a 5-0 Cleveland win — Sunday, Aug. 2 was entering a rain delay.
Guardians starter Gavin Williams entered the sixth inning with a perfect game bid in tact. Diamondbacks center fielder Tim Tawa led off the sixth inning, and during that at-bat attempted to lay down a bunt.
That’s where you’ll find some differing opinions on whether that violated an unwritten rule in baseball. Some believe that if a pitcher has a no-hitter or a perfect game going, it should be respected, and you have to earn that first hit. Put it in other words: trying to bunt to break up a perfect game bid is seen by some as cheap.
Others, though, see it as simply a team that’s normally losing the game at the point trying to add base runners and win the game.
What are the unwritten rules of baseball?
Tawa’s bunt attempt was unsuccessful and was fouled off. Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey said something to Tawa, and shortstop Brayan Rocchio threw his hands up. The next pitch was hit by Tawa, on a full swing, for a single into right field.
Play continued for three more batters as the skies opened up and it began to rain. It finally rained hard enough to require a delay.
But as both teams began to exit the field, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt walked toward the Diamondbacks dugout and was clearly heated about something. Third base coach Rouglas Odor was especially irate and had to be held back.
Both managers, Vogt and Arizona’s Torey Lovullo, met near home plate. Both benches cleared and gathered around them, with plenty of yelling and finger-pointing happening. Meanwhile, the grounds crew tried to pull the tarp over the infield and needed them all to move, as the rain fell harder by the second.
You really never know what you’ll see at a baseball game.
Tim Tawa breaks up Gavin Williams’ perfect game, both benches clear
After the game, Vogt did not give a direct answer to a question when asked about how he feels, in general, about this particular unwritten rule (players bunting to break up a perfect game or no hitter). But he did make it clear that the reason he was upset with this particular incident was due to some jawing taking place from the Arizona dugout, and who was participating in it, and not the attempted bunt.
“I mean, when things happen on the baseball field, tempers can flare sometimes,” Vogt said. “And I was upset because there were people talking to our players that shouldn’t be. That was what my [frustration] was about.”
There’s no doubt that some in the Guardians dugout and on the field were a bit irked by the bunt attempt. But it was the talk back-and-forth after the fact that led to tempers boiling over, and why Vogt wanted to speak with Lovullo.
“I think everybody has different baseball opinions and obviously when things like that happen, some people are going to have opinions one way or the other. What I like to do is I can only control how we play,” Vogt said. “And that’s not a knock on how anybody else goes about it. That’s the facts. But obviously we had a perfect game going, some people are going to be very upset at that. But again, that wasn’t the crux of my frustration.”
Stephen Vogt, Torey Lovullo discuss benches-clearing incident
Vogt and Lovullo certainly know each other well. Vogt was a player under Lovullo for two seasons in Arizona. They began to de-escalate things as several members of both teams shouted at one another.
“I thought I needed to say something and then Torey and I talked it out. I thought Torey and I handled it very well,” Vogt said. “Obviously when people get together, there’s going to be some tempers that flare and things that are said that probably shouldn’t be said. And that’s probably from both sides today.”
In terms of the unwritten rule element of it all, Lovullo viewed the timing of the bunt attempt as the key factor, and why didn’t cross the invisible line.
“I’m totally fine with him bunting in the sixth inning of a game,” Lovullo said. “I told Vogter, I’ve had this discussion with Stephen Vogt before when he was in our dugout as a player, I play it clean for six, and you can do basically anything in between the white lines for six innings. Then after that, you got to be careful. It’s either black or white for me.
“Vogter and I got together and talked about it. And he saw it the same way I did. He had no problem with what Tim Tawa did based on the conversation there at home plate.”
Tawa’s point was that bunting is a part of his game in general, and the conditions made it perfect for a bunt, as it had been raining, which can make bunting a bit more advantageous. The game was also still in doubt at that point, with the Guardians leading 5-0 in the sixth inning.
“I think everybody’s competing,” Tawa said. “I understand the unwritten rules of baseball, and that that’s a thing. At the same time, I’m just trying to get on base and help the team and gain some momentum.
“Over the last couple games I’ve been struggling just in general to find a base hit, so I would’ve looked for it in any scenario where they’e not playing on the grass, and they’re giving me that opportunity, especially a wet field, thick grass is good for bunting. … I get that and respect [all that]. At the asme time, I think I’m trying to do the same thing for my team.”
Had the attempted bunt been the play to break up the perfect game, the reason for some anger might have been different. But in this specific case, it was some yelling was taking place, and it wasn’t appreciated.
Gavin Williams joins Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale in exclusive club
In the end, Williams had his day ended by the rain delay. In the process, he became just the third pitcher in MLB history (and the only right-hander) to record five consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts and no more than one walk, joining Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale.
Williams didn’t particularly care about the bunt.
“I don’t really have any reaction,” Williams said. “It is what it is. I don’t really care. My job is to get outs and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
A failed bunt attempt. A full swing and a single to end a perfect game. Some words exchanged. Some tempers flared. Both dugouts cleared. And the grounds crew waiting for it all to fizzle so they can finish laying out the tarp.
There’s always something new to see at the ballpark.
Ryan Lewis covers the Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Why Guardians, D-backs benches cleared in Gavin Williams’ perfect game bid
Reporting by Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
