MLB Umpire Apologizes After Ridiculous 'Hat Tilt' Ejection

The umpire reportedly apologized to rookie Hancel Rincon

Sep 4, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Hancel Rincon (66) in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are very few things in this day and age that everybody on the planet can come together and vehemently denounce. 

Major League Baseball gave us one of those fleeting moments on Friday night when umpire Doug Eddings made a scene about the way rookie relief pitcher Hancel Rincon was wearing his hat in his MLB debut. 

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol got himself ejected when he confronted the umpire about his bizarre behavior. 

Two days later, Rincon told reporters that Eddings had made a point to properly apologize to the 24-year-old rookie. 

“He apologized for what happened (Friday) night,” Rincon said. “He also told me good luck for the rest of my career as a big leaguer.”

Rincon continued to say all the right things, including that the umpire's behavior was “nothing personal” and that the incident “stays (on the field).”

The rookie was uplifted by the team’s gesture the following day, when every member of the Cardinals wore their hat off to the side, calling the moment “a big support.”

The umpire defended his actions on the night of the incident, telling Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the batter questioned the pitcher’s fashion before he did.

“The batter said, ‘Hey, can he wear his hat like that?’” Eddings told the Post-Dispatch. “I really didn’t know. It was really, really crooked. So I asked the catcher to tell him to straighten his hat out, and the pitcher did.” 

Hunter Goodman, who was at the plate, denied Eddings recounting. However, the umpire did not specify which batter he could have been talking about.

“I never once mentioned the hat,” Goodman told MLB.com. “It doesn’t matter who’s pitching. I don’t care how they wear the hat. I’m trying to find out where the ball is coming out, and I’m trying to worry about what I’m doing in the box. I’m not worried about how his hat looks.” 

Regardless, Eddings did the right thing by apologizing to Rincon personally. However, the ejection highlights the broader problem of Major League umpires having relatively unchecked power and seemingly an inclination to flex it at every juncture.

More MLB: Cardinals Promote No. 18 Prospect to Back Up Kyle Leahy