ICYMI: Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen coach loses his cool after manager forgets rule

Philadelphia Phillies v Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies v Los Angeles Dodgers

Following the debacle regarding pitching rules during the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers game, fans of Major League Baseball eagerly awaited an analysis of the event from one of baseball's foremost authorities on in-game commentary. No, it is not Alex Rodriguez or Tim Kurkijan of ESPN, but none other than James Vincent Michael O'Brien or Jomboy of Jomboy Media.

"Can't wait to see the Jomboy breakdown of this s**tshow lol"- u/undisputedn00b

Jomboy has been a viral sensation who rose to prominence because of his attention to detail and uncanny ability to parse statements by reading lips. He used this ability to go viral when he initially broke down and added subtitles to New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone's meltdown during an argument with an umpire. He gained further credibility by showing viewers how the Houston Astros stole signs in 2017.

While he hasn't posted a full review yet, Jomboy pointed to the rage of Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen coach Josh Bard when umpires summoned Evan Phillips to pitch against the New York Mets

For context, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts either forgot or ignored Major League Baseball's new rule that stipulates that a position player (unless he is a two-way player like reigning American League Most Valuable Player and Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani) is not allowed to enter the game on the mound unless a team is winning by a minimum of six runs. The New York Mets only led by five runs entering the ninth which would mean the Los Angeles Dodgers would need to use a pitcher. This prompted mass confusion, which caused a delay in excess of ten minutes before the ninth inning of a game that would eventually have the New York Mets defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 9-4.

Eventually, after receiving correspondence from their headquarters based out of New York City, the umpires ruled that reliever Evan Phillips (who had barely begun to warm up) should enter the game immediately. This enraged bullpen coach Josh Bard, who sprinted out to argue with the umpire (although it was likely a delay tactic to get his player more pitches to warm up), stating that it was a risk to the player's health to have him come in cold.

"Dodgers bullpen coach Josh Bard was fuming when he realized his reliever wasn't gonna get the right amount of time to warm up" - Jomboy Media

Phillips would go on to throw a scoreless frame and strike out two batters as the Dodgers were defeated by the Mets 9 to 4.

Click here for 2023 MLB Free Agency Tracker Updates. Follow Sportskeeda for latest news and updates on MLB.

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now