There is a set ofunwritten rules of baseball that some players and managers follow. The rules often concerngamesmanship and not disrespecting players on the opposing team. Incidents have occurred when one or more players interpret the actions of another player as violating the unwritten rules, which can result inbeanballs andbench-clearing brawls. As the rules are unwritten, and in many cases vague, the interpretation is left to the players involved.[2]
Since the beginnings of baseball in the 19th century, players have adopted unwritten rules about how to behave during the game. According to sportswriter Ross Bernstein, these rules have evolved over time.[3]Joe Garagiola wrote a book about baseball published in 1960, titledBaseball is a Funny Game, in which he mentioned the unwritten rules of baseball.[4]
Baseball is a game played with bat and ball and governed by rules set forth by a committee under the direction of thecommissioner of baseball. Baseball is a game played by human beings and governed by unwritten laws of survival and self-preservation.
In his book, Garagiola described the "purpose pitch", also known as abrushback pitch, a pitch thrown towards the batter's head.[4] In 1986,Peter Schmuck and Randy Youngman of theOrange County Register wrote a column on the unwritten rules, identifying 30 such rules. The column was later carried byBaseball Digest in their June 1986 issue.[5][6]
The unwritten rules of baseball are meant to establish certain behavioral thresholds forsportsmanship.[7] Though some rules are universal, they are not always enforced in an equal way. Certain players are given more leeway than others, especially veteran home run hitters who take time admiring their home runs.[8]
The unwritten rules include:
Punishments for violating the unwritten rules includebeanball wars.[16] These beanings can result inbench-clearing brawls.[17]
Some unwritten rules are no longer followed. Thebaseball color line, dictating thatblack players could not play inMajor League Baseball (MLB), was an unwritten rule. It was broken in 1947 with the signing ofJackie Robinson.[18]
Stan Williams, apitcher who played during the 1960s, wrote the names of players he felt he had to retaliate against on the inside of hisbaseball cap.[8]
In 1979, pitcherEd Farmer allowed a home run toWayne Gross, and felt that Gross took too long rounding the bases. The next time they faced each other was four years later; they were teammates and Farmer hit Gross during batting practice to retaliate.[8]
In a 1964 game between theCincinnati Reds and thePhiladelphia Phillies, the Reds'Chico Ruiz stole home during a scoreless game, whileFrank Robinson, their best hitter, was at bat. The Phillies felt this violated baseball's unwritten rules, and he was hit in the ribs during an at bat.[19]
PitcherBob Gibson was a known adherent of the unwritten rules.[20] He once beaned an opposing batter for a perceived slight that had occurred 15 years earlier.[21]
Nolan Ryan adhered to the unwritten rules, and was known to retaliate for violations against other teams' players with beanballs.[20] He would also throw beanballs at hitters who bunted to him, making him field his position.[21] TheChicago White Sox took issue with his brushback pitches, leading to a brawl between Ryan andRobin Ventura after Ryan threw at Ventura during a game in 1993.[20][22]
In 1994, while playing inMinor League Baseball,Michael Jordan violated the unwritten rules by stealing third base even though his team had an 11–0 lead. His manager,Terry Francona, explained the unwritten rule to him after the game.[23]
Alex Rodriguez was twice criticized for violating the unwritten rules during his career. In 2007, Rodriguez distractedHowie Clark from catching apop up while he ran the bases.[24][25] During a 2010 game between theOakland Athletics andNew York Yankees, Rodriguez ran from first to third base on afoul ball, and crossed thepitcher's mound while returning to first base. Athletics' pitcherDallas Braden called out Rodriguez for crossing the mound.[11][26]
Players who have bunted to break up a no-hitter have received attention.Ben Davis bunted againstCurt Schilling during a potentialperfect game in 2001, stirring controversy.[27][28] During a 2014 game,Andrew Cashner was in the process of a no-hitter, whenDomonic Brown bunted for a hit.[9]Andrelton Simmons bunted for a hit during a no-hitter in 2018.[29]
In 2015,Manny Machado hit a home run off ofJonathan Papelbon, and Papelbon believed that Machado took too much time admiring the home run. The next time they faced each other, Papelbon threw at Machado's head.Bryce Harper, Papelbon's teammate, took issue with Papelbon's reaction. When Harper failed to hustle on afly out, Papelbon confronted Harper in thedugout, leading to a fight.[30] Harper later called for the end to the unwritten rules.[31] While many fans agreed with Harper, players supported Papelbon.[32]
In the2015 American League Division Series between theToronto Blue Jays and theTexas Rangers, the Blue Jays'José Bautista hit a home run andflipped his bat in an exaggerated manner. PitcherSam Dyson took offense to the bat flip and toldEdwin Encarnación to tell Bautista to "respect the game".[33] The next year, the Rangers retaliated by having pitcherMatt Bush bean Bautista. Bautista later slid into the Rangers'Rougned Odor, leading to a fight.[34]
In a 2019National League game between theCincinnati Reds andPittsburgh Pirates, Reds playerDerek Dietrich stood at home plate and admired a home run off pitcherChris Archer, which bounced out of the stadium and into theAllegheny River. The Pirates felt he admired it for too long of a time, and Archer threw behind him on his next at-bat, sparking a brawl that resulted in the ejections of four players and Reds managerDavid Bell. Dietrich went on to hit another home run that also left the stadium, though the Pirates eventually won 7–5.[35]
In 2020,Fernando Tatís Jr. of theSan Diego Padres was accused of breaking an unwritten rule in a game against theTexas Rangers when he swung at a 3–0 pitch with the bases loaded when his team was leading by seven runs in the eighth inning. The swing resulted in agrand slam that extended the Padres' lead to 11 runs. Rangers managerChris Woodward and Padres managerJayce Tingler were critical of Tatís, and Tatís issued an apology. The following day, in another game against the Rangers, Tatís allegedly broke another unwritten rule by stealing third base when his team was leading by six runs in the fourth inning. A number of current and former players came to Tatís's defense.[36]
In 2021, rookieYermín Mercedes of theChicago White Sox was accused by his own manager of breaking an unwritten rule in a game against theMinnesota Twins. Mercedes swung at a 3–0 pitch when his team was leading 15–4, hitting a home run offWillians Astudillo, a position player pitching. The next game, in the seventh inning, Mercedes was thrown at by Twins pitcherTyler Duffey, resulting in him and managerRocco Baldelli being ejected from the game by home plate umpireJim Reynolds. White Sox managerTony La Russa was publicly critical of Mercedes, calling him "clueless", and said he didn't have a problem with the Twins throwing behind Mercedes in apparent retaliation.[37][38] In contrast, teammates of Mercedes, as well as opponents, including pitcher and future teammateAlex Wood, supported him.[39]
In 2018 MLB launched a marketing campaign called "Let the Kids Play", which explicitly criticized the unwritten rules concerning bat flips and player celebrations.[40] MLB began embracing bat flips, promoting them to fans onsocial media.[41] This became an issue of contention whenTim Anderson did a bat flip after a home run in April 2019. PitcherBrad Keller hit Anderson with a pitch during Anderson's next at bat, causing a bench-clearing brawl.[42]
