MESA, Ariz. – Cubs reliever Carl Edwards Jr. sent a message on behalf of teammates when he hit Mariners minor-league catcher Austin Nola with a pitch Tuesday.
And he made that message clear in no uncertain terms the day after getting ejected from the spring training game for the purpose pitch.
“It’s the nature of the game, spring training or not,” Edwards said Wednesday. “You just get to a point where you’re kind of tired of your guys getting hit.”
Edwards, who hasn’t walked a batter this spring and joked Wednesday about how good his command is this spring (“yeah, really good”), hit Nola with one out and nobody on in the sixth – after Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras had been hit by pitchers earlier in the game.
Contreras was hit after being buzzed inside earlier in the at-bat.
Asked if he was defending a teammate, Edwards said, “Two. Two teammates.”
It was the third time in 36 plate appearances this spring Bryant had been hit; third time in 31 for Contreras.
“I’m kind of tired of it,” Edwards said. “Those are guys that are going to help us win games.”
Edwards acknowledged his comments could draw the attention of the league office, but his message seemed more important to him.
“They might [call]. I have no idea,” he said of the league office. “But like I said it’s the nature of the game. When the regular-season starts, if it’s a series and guys get hit, I really expect for us to do the same thing. And I expect the same from other teams.
“I don’t want to hit nobody. I want everybody to be healthy going into the season, regardless of where they’re from. I’m just tired of it.”
The Cubs’ newfound edge heading into 2019? The reckoning has begun after last fall’s quick and bitter exit?
“We want to win. We all know how much we want to win,” said Edwards, who might find a roomful of donations on hand if he gets fined. “In order for us to win we need all our guys.”
