Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger was assessed an automatic strike while receiving an ovation from Los Angeles Dodgers fans Friday, a call that drew the ire of his agent, Scott Boras.
Boras was so upset that he phoned Major League Baseball to complain about the call taking away from Bellinger's moment. The agent said MLB told him that teams must follow specific protocols by notifying umpires of any special tributes to avoid violating baseball's new rules.
"I called (deputy commissioner Dan Halem) and said, 'Why do we not have provisions for this?' And he goes, 'We do,'" Boras told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times on Saturday. "It's umpire discretion, and normally the clubs notify the umpires beforehand if they have any kind of special things."
Still, that answer didn't appear to satisfy Boras, who noted that Bellinger's opponents also questioned home-plate umpire Jim Wolf's decision.
"(Dodgers manager Dave Roberts) was even screaming from the dugout, 'Hey, give him some time!'" Boras continued. "You have the opposing manager trying to make sure a (visiting) player is appropriately welcomed. I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Why are you not doing that?' Unreal."