Baseball Bar-B-Cast: Framber Valdez's behavior 'embarrassing and it's selfish and it's stupid'
On the latest episode of Yahoo Sports’ “Baseball Bar-B-Cast,” hosts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz delved into the chaos surrounding Framber Valdez’s recent actions on the mound that got him a six-game suspension , a moment that could have significant implications for a Detroit Tigers team already reeling from injuries and setbacks. Here’s a breakdown of what happened, why it matters and what it means for the Tigers moving forward. What happened with Framber Valdez?
During a rough Tuesday night outing against the Boston Red Sox, Valdez let his frustrations spill over . After being roughed up by the Red Sox for 10 runs (seven earned), including surrendering back-to-back home runs to Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, Valdez plunked Trevor Story with a fastball. The intentional nature of the pitch was clear to most watching, and as Shusterman put it, “This is one of the more obvious intentional hit by pitches we've ever seen.
” Despite Valdez’s postgame denial, Tigers manager A. J. Hinch all but confirmed the egregiousness of the act: “We play a really good brand of baseball here,” Hinch said, via the Detroit News.
“That didn't feel like it. I'm not judging intent, but I know when you go out on the field in those confrontations, you usually feel like you are in your right. It didn't feel good being out there.
” This rare admission from Hinch, stopping just short of naming Valdez’s intent outright, underscores how out-of-line the moment was. It should be noted that Tigers broadcaster Andy Dirks, hilariously, didn’t see what the fuss was about: Tigers broadcaster Andy Dirks wasn't a fan of Framber Valdez getting ejected after the Red Sox complained. "Why don't we just complain about everything if that's how it's going to be?