MLB Players Defend Fernando Tatís Jr.'s Grand Slam: 'I Don't Follow Unwritten Rules'

Baseball loves unwritten rules, and Padres star Fernando Tatís Jr. has unfortunately found himself in the middle of a heated debate over the whether or not to follow them.

During the Padres' 14–4 win over the Rangers Monday night, Tatís homered twice, including his first grand slam. While that sounds innocent and fun, some people took exception to what happened in the eighth inning. With San Diego up 10–3, Tatís worked a 3-0 count against pitcher Juan Nicasio. Most hitters wouldn't swing in that situation, but Tatís never misses a chance to remind us why he's one of baseball's most exciting and talented players. Putting those unwritten rules aside, he sent Nicasio's 92-mph fastball to the opposite field for a grand slam.

The incredible grand slam marked Tatís's 11th homer of the season, passing human highlight reel Mike Trout for the MLB lead. At only 21 years old, Tatís should be praised for how much he's crushing it, right?

Both the Padres and Rangers' managers didn't think so.

"There's a lot of unwritten rules that are constantly being challenged in today's game," Rangers manager Chris Woodward told reporters. "I didn't like it, personally. You're up by seven in the eighth inning; it's typically not a good time to swing 3–0. It's kind of the way we were all raised in the game. But, like I said, the norms are being challenged on a daily basis, so—just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not right."

Padres skipper Jayce Tingler, who previously worked as a coach and in the front office for the Rangers, didn't hold back, either.

"He's young, a free spirit and focused and all those things,” Tingler told reporters. "That’s the last thing that we'll ever take away. It's a learning opportunity and that's it. He'll grow from it. Just so you know, a lot of our guys have green light 3–0. But in this game in particular, we had a little bit of a comfortable lead. We're not trying to run up the score or anything like that."

Tatís said he wasn't aware he had done anything people might object to. 

While the managers and old-school baseball lovers were busy shaming him, numerous current and retired MLB players quickly came to Tatís's defense on social media. Josh Donaldson and Tim Anderson, and even all-time greats like Reggie Jackson and Johnny Bench, were among those who encouraged the young sensation to chuck the unwritten rules.