The St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies found a unique way to protest an umpire telling rookie pitcher Hancel Rincon to straighten his hat during his MLB debut.
Players from both teams intentionally tilted their caps during Saturday night's game at Coors Field, one day after home plate umpire Doug Eddings took issue with how Rincon wore his.
Many Cardinals players sported sideways caps during warmups and continued wearing them that way in the dugout. Some players even tilted their batting helmets after reaching base. Several Rockies players also joined the demonstration.
The situation began Friday when Rincon, a 24-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic, entered the game in the sixth inning with his cap slightly tilted to the left. Eddings instructed the catcher to tell Rincon to straighten it, and the rookie complied.
Eddings later said a Rockies hitter had raised concerns about the hat, but Colorado first baseman Hunter Goodman denied mentioning it.
"I never once mentioned the hat," Goodman told CBS Sports. "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."
Eddings also acknowledged there isn't an MLB rule prohibiting Rincon from wearing his cap at an angle.
"It's not a rule," Eddings said, per MLB.com. "I guess it's a little unwritten rule. They can't wear their caps backwards like a catcher. If it's a distraction, like anything on the field, and someone makes you aware of it, then you kind of address that."
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol wasn't buying the explanation. He confronted Eddings during Friday's game and was eventually ejected.
"You got Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia, Pedro Strop, plenty of guys that have worn it way more tilted," Marmol said afterward, per ESPN. "I have an issue with that. That's just a power-hungry move, in my opinion."
Before Saturday's game, Eddings approached Rincon and apologized. Rincon, speaking through an interpreter, accepted the apology.
"I've been pitching with my hat like that," Rincon said. "It's not an excuse. But I had no idea why he told me to do it."
Despite the apparent resolution, Rincon's teammates continued showing their support.
"We've had a few rough stretches here, but the one superpower that we've had through this whole season is our ability to unify and really stand up for all the guys we have in the clubhouse and have each other's backs," Cardinals pitcher Matthew Liberatore said.
Colorado ultimately won Saturday's game 10-5, but Marmol appreciated the message his players sent.
"It's a really tight-knit group," he said. "I love the fact that regardless of what's going on, they always have each other's backs."
