Tigers 3rd Baseman, Zach McKinstry, Blamed Their Game 1 Loss On The Cleveland Grounds Crew Not Watering The Field Right Before The Game
Ok so I'm sure you all saw but the Guardians beat the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS by a score of 100-0 on Saturday. That isn't really even hyperbole, seeing as it was 5-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning before the Tigers even got their first out. Their starting pitcher may not even be in the box score because he quite literally did not record an out. And then the guy they brought in next gave up a 3-run bomb on his first pitch. And on the other side of the plate, the Tigers were never a threat to score. I truly think if we were still playing in the 100th extra inning right now, Detroit would still be looking to get a hit off our bullpen. The fact of the matter is that it was the biggest route in playoff history, so as I'm scrolling Twitter this morning getting pumped for Game 2 later this afternoon, I burst into the biggest belly laugh I've had in decades when I read this tweet:
I had to check, double check, and triple check to make sure this was a real quote from the postgame. You're telling me the Tigers 3rd baseman blamed the game on the grounds crew watering the field before their pregame but not before the bottom of the 1st inning? AND THAT'S WHY THEY LOST? The infield wasn't watered down enough??? Guess they're just the Gritty Tigs until the infield isn't watered to perfection. Candy asses! But in all honesty, that might be the most embarrassing quote I've ever read. Cost them the game??? Zach if Major League Baseball had a Mercy Rule like youth sports, you'd have seen it be used on Saturday. You scored zero runs in the game and your "error" cost you....one? Argue that it led to a 5 run first if you want, but you know what? You can have ALL FIVE runs back in the first inning Zach. My apologies for an unprofessional Grounds Crew! Now let me do the Math.....take away five runs from Cleveland.....carry the one....wait, we still kicked the shit out of you.
For reference, here is the play in question:
The official scorers ruled it an error for approximately 36 hours, until last night they finally called it an RBI double for Jose. But either way you look at it, the idea that the Tigers "lost the game because of it" is such loser mentality. I was looking forward to a long, hard fought series between two blue collar cities, but after hearing McMinstry blame the entire first game on a not watered enough down infield? This one might be over in two!