MLB players defend Fernando Tatis Jr. for hitting grand slam on 3-0 count

We’ve already been over this after Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a grand slam on a 3-0 count in which the San Diego Padres were up by seven runs late in a win over the Texas Rangers, but here’s the tl;dr after the Texas Rangers got mad: unwritten MLB rules are dumb, throwing behind the next guy up is dumber, and giving one of the most exciting players in baseball grief for hitting a home run is the dumbest.

We aren’t the only ones who think so. Players including Hall of Famer Johnny Bench and current pitchers like Trevor Bauer and Eduardo Rodriguez came to Tatis Jr.’s defense on Twitter:

3-0 counts rule 😒😒 you just have to pitch better if you don’t want that to happen I never see that rule and I take my self as an example because I’m the king🤴🏽🤴🏽of 3-0 counts 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/TkMDDOCIkX

— Eduardo Rodriguez (@eduardorod5) August 18, 2020

Hey @tatis_jr listen up:

1) Keep swinging 3-0 if you want to, no matter what the game situation is
2) Keep hitting homers, no matter what the situation is
3) Keep bringing energy and flash to baseball and making it fun
4) The only thing you did wrong was apologize. Stop that.

— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) August 18, 2020

This “unwritten rule” conversation happening in baseball latey is absolutely wild.

— Trevor “IamTrevorMay” May (@IamTrevorMay) August 18, 2020

I don’t follow unwritten rules…

— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) August 18, 2020

Swinging in a 3-0 count should not be against any rules, no matter the score.

Before a game I would always look to see what % a guy swings 3-0. If it’s over 20%, it means I can’t just groove one.

The guys who will never “give you a pitch” at the plate are the toughest AB’s.

— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) August 18, 2020

In this data driven baseball age, there’s nowhere to hide. If you have a tendency, it’s gonna be exploited. Swinging 3-0, to me, is the same as swinging first pitch of an AB. If you do it enough times, a pitcher can’t game plan as well against you.

— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) August 18, 2020

FTJ will have a 3-0 count in a leverage situation later this year, and I guarantee you the pitcher will remember this swing.

Advantage: hitter

— Collin McHugh (@Collin_McHugh) August 18, 2020

So you take a pitch…now you're 3-1. Then the pitcher comes back with a great setup pitch…3-2. Now you're ready to groundout into a double play. Everyone should hit 3-0. Grand Slams are a huge stat. @tatis_jr https://t.co/4D3ilsD9Sh

— Johnny Bench (@JohnnyBench_5) August 18, 2020

Padres starter Zach Davies has a solution.

📚 @dennistlin: https://t.co/K4rP08n8JY pic.twitter.com/tD1eX2RRze

— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) August 18, 2020

Ridiculous. Glad other pros agree.