Abner Uribe was fired up.
So was Pat Murphy – albeit in a different way.
Uribe capped his inning-ending strikeout of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson with a triple crotch chop celebration directed directly toward the visiting dugout.
The ever-passionate Uribe typically ends his outings with some sort of outward expression of emotion, but this one reached a different height.
As he walked off the field, his manager came up off the top step and stood on the dirt warning track looking like a stern parent. Murphy had some words for Uribe as he walked past him and into the dugout.
“It’s just unacceptable,” Murphy said postgame. “I don’t know what got over him. I mean, he’s been an emotional guy. That’s just not how we do things. I was embarrassed by it. Why are we doing it in a 6-0 ballgame? There must be something deeper that I don’t know about. I love the kid, believe me. I love the kid. There’s so much good in this kid. He’s been great for us in so many ways, but that’s unacceptable. Whatever’s going on, you can’t tolerate that – for his teammates and for everyone else. It’s just not going to be tolerated. That’s all there is to it.”
Previously in the inning, Uribe challenged a pitch outside the strike zone for the first ABS challenge issued by a Brewers pitcher all year. Later, Uribe was seen exchanging words with Ivan Herrera during their at-bat after the Cardinals catcher wasn’t pleased with a fastball up.
“It’s not fun if you throw 2-0 in here up to your head,” Herrera said. “I said, “Keep it down, and he started laughing.’ So, I mean, I didn’t do anything crazy. Also we’re trying to score runs, and maybe we almost did. I feel like it’s just disrespectful to the entire team what he did, so you know, I hope we take care of it, and we move on.
“It’s just part of the game, but I don’t think you can do that to a whole team. If you have an issue with me, you come tell me. You had the chance to do that to me. I was at second, and you didn’t, so, you know, just don’t disrespect our team.”
In 2024, Uribe was suspended for six games, though it was later reduced to four, for getting into a brawl with Tampa Bay’s Jose Siri. Uribe was also suspended prior to that dust-up while with Class AAA Nashville.
Uribe apologized for his gesture to the Cardinals, but it also came with an accusation levied toward St. Louis manager Oli Marmol.
“First and foremost, everyone here knows me and know who I am and knows I have a little bit of a history of being emotional out there,” Uribe said. “I think, first, I owe an apology to the Brewers, I owe an apology to my teammates, my manager, all the bosses of the team. It’s unacceptable to go out there and react in a way like that.
“But at the same time I don’t think it’s professional for their manager to be making signs to the dugout saying he’s going to be hitting guys. There was an event that occurred during practice today. I don’t think that was right.”
Uribe declined to elaborate on what the pregame incident but continued to say the Cardinals were signaling that they were going to throw at William Contreras and Christian Yelich during the game May 25.
“I don’t think it’s very professional to be making gestures like that,” Uribe said. “I don’t think it’s right for any of my guys to be going out there with any sort of fear in their heads that they may be getting thrown at or they can’t play the game the way they want to be able to play. I want to make sure it’s also clear that that my teammates in here know I have their back and I’m on their side.”
The Cardinals, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, strongly denied the accusation.
The teams wrap up a three-game series May 27 at American Family Field.
The Brewers have already discussed the matter with Uribe, and Murphy said he will await to see if the league imposes any punishment.
“There’s no place,” Uribe said. “If you’re trying to be a really good team, if you’re trying to repeat the kind of things we’ve done the last couple of years, if you’re trying to do that and more, that stuff, there’s no part of it in the game.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Abner Uribe caps inning with crotch chop and Pat Murphy wasn’t pleased
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
