PITTSBURGH — The Pirates closed ranks around Ke’Bryan Hayes on Saturday after the third baseman drew criticism for taking a snack break on the field while the Mets were in the process of scoring a run.
On Friday night, in the third inning of a scoreless game, the Mets had Eduardo Escobar at first base with one out. Tomas Nido dropped a hit-and-run single into right field. Third-base coach Joey Cora began to put up a stop sign, but Escobar, 33, a 12-year veteran, kept going.
Escobar scored with a head-first slide, but his belly flop wasn’t even necessary. The throw from right fielder Ben Gamel was about 30 feet up the line and had to be tracked down in foul ground by pitcher Mitch Keller.
Watching the replay, SNY Mets analyst Todd Zeile noticed something shocking. As Escobar rounded third, Hayes was standing with his mitt off and reaching into his back pocket for some seeds — seemingly uninterested in the play.
“That’s September baseball when you’re in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization right now,” Zeile said.
See something new every day @SNYtv ⚾️ #multitasking 😉 https://t.co/TsMjXTO3on
— Todd Zeile (@Todd_Zeile) September 17, 2022
The Mets won the game 4-3, their 91st victory of the season. It was the Pirates’ 90th loss.
Hayes was back in the lineup on Saturday. Before the game, he shrugged off Zeile’s comments.
“I can see how someone would say something, but I don’t really care,” Hayes said, noting that there was no play at third base. “I am ready every pitch. I don’t really have anything to say on it, really.”
Zeile played 1,498 games at third base over 16 seasons in the majors. Manager Derek Shelton took exception with Zeile’s criticism of the Pirates’ effort.
“Our guys play hard every night,” Shelton told reporters before Saturday’s game. “We’ve had three times all year where effort has come into question and we’ve dealt with it. People that don’t watch us play on a nightly basis, I can understand how they may have an opinion on that. The opinion that matters to me is within our clubhouse and within our group.”
Hayes and Shelton discussed the play privately. “There’s no disciplinary action,” Shelton said. “It’s one play in a game. We had a conversation about it and we move on.”
Hayes said he’ll be more careful about when he reaches for some seeds.
“Going forward, I can’t do that in the middle of a play, regardless of where the ball is, or any of that,” Hayes said. “I’ll just be more mindful of that. I guess only go get seeds between plays.”
Zeile’s biting postgame comments marked the third time this year an opposing team’s broadcaster has called out the Pirates.
Last month, Red Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley ridiculed the lack of experience on the Pirates’ roster, calling it a “hodgepodge of nothingness.”
“A Hodgepodge of nothingness” pic.twitter.com/59qmIZRORJ
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) August 17, 2022
A week later, after a Pirates fielding error led to a run, Phillies broadcaster John Kruk said, “This is like an exhibition game between a big-league team and a college team.”
The Pirates lead the majors with 102 errors, well ahead of the second-place White Sox (93 errors).
Nobody keeps stats for mental blunders, but the Pirates might lead the league in that category too. Rodolfo Castro was suspended for one game by MLB last month after his cell phone fell out of his pocket as he was sliding into third base.
If manager Derek Shelton punishes Hayes by benching him for Saturday’s game against the Mets, Castro likely would start at third base.
Hayes, 25, signed an eight-year, $70 million extension in April. It’s the richest contract in franchise history.
(Photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
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