Rockies’ Hunter Goodman Dispels Notion That he Pointed out Crooked Cardinals Cap

The St. Louis Cardinals-Colorado Rockies series has been chippy this weekend and it has nothing to do with animosity between the two teams.

It has to do with umpire Doug Eddings and it sucked in Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman in the process.

During Friday’s game, Eddings told Cardinals pitcher Hancel Rincon to adjust his hat. His manager Oli Marmol, didn’t appreciate it and was eventually tossed. That led to plenty of postgame comments and a trip for a St. Louis-area beat reporter to talk with Eddings for a pool report.

One reporter at each home ballpark is assigned to be the pool reporter in situations where clarification is needed by the umpire. In this case, it wasn’t just the hat. It was a controversial safe call at home plate by Eddings.

So how does Goodman factor into all of this?

Did Hunter Goodman Ask About a Hat?

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman wears his catching gear during a game. — Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a case of mistaken identity or social media conflating what happened. Eddings did tell the pool reporter that a batter asked him about Rincon’s hat and whether he could wear it like that. Eddings didn’t name the hitter. Goodman came up in that inning, but it was Cole Carrigg who was at the plate when Eddings delivered his sartorial advice to Rincon.

Word started getting around, including in news articles, that Goodman was the one that asked the question. After getting a round of not-so-nice comments on social media, Goodman dispelled any notion that he might have said something about the hat, per MLB.com.

“I never once mentioned the hat,” Goodman said on Saturday. “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.”

It created quite the firestorm on social media. Cardinals players wore their hats crooked in solidarity with Rincon. Eddings even conceded there is no rule against how the rookie wore his hat and apologized to him for what happened on Saturday.

As for Goodman, he was pulled into something he wanted no part of and appeared to play no role in. As the Rockies continue what is left of the season, it’s a reminder of how quickly controversy can spin out of control — even when it’s not that big a deal.

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