CHICAGO — We’ve seen balls and bats flying out of dugouts in the past, sometimes in bulk.
But Lance Lynn’s belt-tossing episode Wednesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field was a new one even for veteran observers of dugout tantrums, and whether his act of petulance merits a suspension or fine will be in Major League Baseball’s hands.
As the Chicago White Sox prepared for their series finale against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, they awaited word on what kind of discipline Lynn would receive. How Commissioner Rob Manfred handles the belt incident bears watching.
In the real world it would be considered a misdemeanor. But in baseball’s new sticky stuff era, it might be a felony.
Former Cubs great Andre Dawson had a famous dugout episode at Wrigley Field in July 1991 when he tossed 15 bats onto the field after being ejected for arguing a called-third strike by umpire Joe West. Dawson was suspended one game and fined $1,000 by National League president Bill White for his “violent actions, including throwing equipment, incidental contact with the umpire and inciting the crowd, causing a delay in the game and potential injury to on-field personnel.”
Lynn’s belt toss did not incite Sox fans, most of whom couldn’t see what was happening. And there was no contact or potential injury to umpire Nic Lentz, who was in no real danger of being plunked by the flying object.
Still, if baseball is serious about the new rule mandating all pitchers get checked for sticky substances, they can’t allow players to start throwing part of their uniform at umpires.
Whether Lynn felt he was inconvenienced by having to wait five seconds to have his cap, glove and belt checked by Lentz, disrespecting the umpire in such a manner obviously is not something MLB would condone.
Lynn’s defense — that he already was in the dugout by the time Lentz arrived — is immaterial, as Sox manager Tony La Russa surely would know, having received a law degree from Florida State University and being admitted to the Florida bar in 1980.
The rules are the rules, especially the rules that are written down.
Lynn said Lentz ejected him because he “hurt his feelings” by telling him his request was too late because he didn’t get to him fast enough. Lentz was unavailable for comment, but crew chief Ron Kulpa reportedly confirmed the ejection was because of the belt toss.
La Russa admitted Lynn was in the wrong, and that he “took (the belt) off and then threw it” over the dugout.
“You can’t do that,” La Russa said. “It’s that simple.”
La Russa said his conversation with the umpires afterwards was that “if you’re not emotional in this game, you’re not very good. And he was emotional.”
But “being emotional” isn’t an excuse for throwing your belt on the field, and the premise that players who are unemotional are not very good is inaccurate, having been disproven by hundreds of greats, including Harold Baines, one of La Russa’s former Hall of Fame Sox players.
Whether he gets suspended or not, the incident adds another chapter to the growing Lance Lynn legend.
Lynn’s personality meshes perfectly with Sox fans. He spews profanities walking off the mound as if it’s an art form. He called himself a “big (bleep)” during a conference call, and defended Yermín Mercedes in the “unwritten rules” controversy, even while La Russa was the one on the other side of the issue. He signed a two-year, $38 million extension with an option to stay on the South Side, likely costing himself several million on the free-agent market. And he’s got a big belly, which Sox fans have always appreciated in a player.
The Sox have a comfortable double-digit lead in the American League Central, so it might even be in their best interest for Lynn to get suspended to get a forced rest before the playoffs. But he’s also vying for a Cy Young Award with a 10-3 record and an AL-leading 2.26 ERA. Though it’s not nearly as important as being ready to pitch in October, winning the Cy Young would be an accomplishment to treasure when Lynn’s career is over.
On the White Sox postgame show Wednesday on NBC Sports Chicago, analyst Ozzie Guillén praised Lynn for his postgame comments and said he wished every player was like the pitcher. While that certainly would make baseball more interesting, the idea of 26 belt-tossing players in the same clubhouse would lead to utter chaos.
Hopefully Lynn gets off with a warning to keep his belt on and to strap it down, as Ken “Hawk” Harrelson used to say.
It’s a long bleeping season, and the Sox need their horse in the rotation.
