Marcus Stroman quick pitches Marcus Semien and Semien did not appreciate it, a breakdown.
What Happened
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman is engaged in a tense battle with Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien in the bottom of an MLB game. Stroman is known for his unorthodox, quick-pitch delivery and he utilizes that tactic again here, catching Semien off guard. Stroman fires in the first two pitches quickly, then pauses and delays his motion on the third pitch, catching Semien flatfooted. Semien puts his hand up, signaling for the umpire Laz Diaz to call time, but Diaz does not do so. Stroman then immediately fires in the next pitch and Semien reacts angrily, saying "Ump's gotta put his hand up. Don't talk to me about that shit." The two players exchange heated words, with Semien repeatedly telling Stroman "Nah, bro" in frustration. Diaz steps in, acknowledging that he should have called time and apologizing to Semien. Semien accepts the apology and steps back in the box, telling Diaz "Respect that, Laz." With tensions seemingly diffused, Stroman prepares to deliver another pitch. However, the Rangers catcher then steps out of the box, telling Stroman "I can't do this, man. I can't play your games." Stroman appears baffled, asking "Why does no one like my timing games?" Eventually, Semien manages to get a base hit off Stroman, winning the battle, though he clearly did not enjoy the experience, saying "Damn, that sucks. Hitting against that guy." The sequence highlights the gamesmanship and competitive fire between the two players, with Stroman's unorthodox delivery tactics testing the patience of Semien and the Rangers dugout. Despite the heated exchange, both players ultimately show respect for one another and the umpire's authority, though the tension is palpable throughout the at-bat.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentSimeon and Stroman got into a little timing battle here, which is Marcus Stroman's game.
There's the first pitch, second pitch, one leg drop, on, they go, timing, gets him.
And now he's got him 0 -2, and he just quickly wants to get the
third pitch, since he just did the delayed pitch for a while. Now he wants
to get a quick pitch in. Simeon puts his hand up while he digs in.
Laz Diaz, the umpire, does not put his hand up. So Stroman goes right to
work, and he goes, wasn't fucking ready. And Simeon says, ump's got to put his
hand up. Don't talk to me about that shit. Nah, bro, nah, bro, nah, bro,
nah, bro. And the umpire, Laz Diaz, is like, hey, come on now. Don't put
that shit on me. Then he turns around to Simeon, and he says, all right,
that was my fault. I didn't put my hand up. I apologize about that. I'll
catch you next time. Simeon says, okay, all right, put my hand up. Dig in.
There you go. Respect that, Laz. puts his hand up, says, hold on. Okay, now
we can play. All right, we're all good now. Timing games are over. Should be
able to just throw the pitch. What are we waiting for? What are, oh, umps
out. I mean, catcher bows out. Catcher says, I can't do this, man. I can't
play your games. Stroman says, man, why does no one like my timing games? What
the hell? Eventually, Simeon does get a base hit, so he wins
the battle this time. But he did not enjoy it one bit. He looks at,
he just goes, damn, that sucks. hitting against that guy.