Major League Baseball has reportedly told umpire Doug Eddings that he made a mistake in demanding St. Louis Cardinals rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon adjust his hat during his recent major league debut. Eddings' instruction to Rincon to straighten his tilted cap reportedly prompted an argument with Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, who was subsequently ejected from the game.
Rincon, making his debut against the Colorado Rockies on Sept. 4, entered the game with his hat tilted. Eddings, according to reports, instructed the catcher to tell Rincon to fix his hat, which the pitcher then did. Marmol, the Cardinals' manager, emerged from the dugout to confront Eddings, leading to his ejection. Post-game, Marmol expressed his frustration, calling Eddings' action a "power-hungry move" and noting that other pitchers have worn their hats tilted without issue.
Eddings, however, stated after the game that a Rockies batter had inquired about the hat, prompting his intervention. "The batter said, ‘Hey, can he wear his hat like that?’" Eddings explained. "I really didn't know, but it was really, really crooked. I asked the catcher to tell him to straighten his hat out, and the pitcher did."
However, the Rockies player in question, Hunter Goodman, denied making any comment about Rincon's hat. "I never once mentioned the hat," Goodman told reporters. "I don’t care how they wear the hat. I’m not worried about how his hat looks."
Rincon himself indicated that Eddings had apologized to him after the incident, and that he had put the matter behind him. "I told him don't worry, it's nothing personal, and everything stays here," Rincon said.
Despite the initial incident, several Cardinals players were seen wearing their hats tilted in the dugout before the following day's game. On Sunday, The Athletic reported that MLB had officially spoken with Eddings. According to sources briefed on the matter, the league informed the veteran umpire that his admonishment of Rincon was considered going too far, as umpires' discretion for player actions is typically reserved for genuinely distracting behaviors.
Following the league's feedback, Eddings reportedly allowed Rincon to pitch with his hat tilted as he preferred in a subsequent appearance on Saturday.