Dodgers: Mookie Betts and Jarlin Garcia Quarrel, and the Internet Loves It
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The Dodgers and Giants have a storied rivalry that has spanned over 100 years and both coasts, so there's always the chance of some bad-blood excitement when these two teams meet. The latest chapter in this rivalry was written on Thursday, with Mookie Betts playing the role of hero against his antagonist, Giants reliever Jarlín García.
In the top of the sixth inning in San Francisco, García struck out the last two batters in a perfect inning. After whiffing James Outman to end the inning, García pointed at Betts while mimicking the "Wolf of Wall Street" head-tap celebration the Dodgers use after big hits.
Betts did some mimicking of his own, giving García a "bring it" motion a la The Rock, but García headed to his dugout (with the help of his manager and the umpires) without any fisticuffs ensuing.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler did not take kindly to umpire Phil Cuzzi scolding García, and Kapler absolutely lost it, giving Cuzzi an earful and then some and leading to his first ejection during his tenure in San Francisco. As Kapler hinted at after the game, at least some of his frustration came from being swept — again — by their arch-rival Dodgers, this time to drop the Giants to 21.5 games back in the National League West.
The next inning, Trea Turner hit a home run to extend the lead, and the entire Dodgers bench seemed to enjoy the Wolf of Wall Street celebration even more than usual.
The Betts-García fracas and Kapler's hissy fit have drawn the attention of baseball fans across the country.
Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation breaks it down for us.
