Erik Kratz On Argument With Joey Votto: "We Were Discussing The Canadian Dollar And Flawed Systems In Our Two Governments"

I will say this every time that he is the focal point of a blog here on Barstool Sports — Joey Votto is a gift.

The day prior, Votto was ejected from the game when an 0-2 fastball was literally an inch above the strike zone. The home plate umpire punched him out, and Votto let him know that the pitch was high. It was. Barely, but it was. If there’s one guy in Major League Baseball who you don’t want to question on balls and strikes, it’s that man.

Coming into this season, Votto has led the league in on-base percentage seven times in the ten seasons that he’s played at least 80 games. He’s also led the league in walks five times, and that’s not counting this year where he leads the league with 61 walks. The man knows his strike zone.

The day after getting ejected, Votto once again took exception to a strike call, and once again, it was not a strike. Brewers catcher Erik Kratz was either frustrated with how long Votto was taking to get back in the box after the strike call, or perhaps Votto mentioned something about Kratz framing the pitch to the umpire, which catchers aren’t fond of. Could be both or maybe even neither. Regardless, Kratz stood up from his crouch and the two exchanged words at home plate, leading to both benches clearing and a big unnecessary meeting of 25-man rosters and coaching staffs ensued.

After the game, Kratz was asked about the exchange with Votto and here’s what he had to say.

I mean, sometimes you just have to talk about the Canadian dollar and the flawed systems between two sets of governments. It is what it is. You don’t have to understand the timing of it or the context of the conversation, but I’m glad they talked it out and hopefully the powerful leaders from both countries will listen to their important feedback.