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Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro made headlines during his major league return, just not in the way he would have hoped.
As the Pirates went down against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, so did Castro’s cell phone during the 6-4 loss. When Castro slid headfirst into third in the fourth inning, his phone slid out of his back pocket.
MLB rules prohibit carrying electronic devices to the field of play. If the governing body decides to dot their i’s and cross their t’s and set an example for other players, Castro could face sanctions.
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"The Pirates’ Rodolfo Castro, who had a cell phone fall out of his back pocket last night, technically was in violation of MLB’s regulation prohibiting electronic devices on the field or in the dugout (except for MLB-approved iPads). Not known if he will face discipline." - Ken Rosenthal
Castro was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the day after spending the last two months with the Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians. Castro didn’t immediately realize what had happened.
Third base umpire Adam Hamari spotted the phone and pointed it out to Castro. He was shocked, as you would expect him to be, and immediately handed over the phone to third base coach Mike Rabelo.
Speaking after the game, Castro said the following:
“My first day back, if I was to be the center of attention, I would want it to be helping the team win, but never in this form. This is definitely something that was an accident, a mistake, something I’m going to learn from. But definitely something I didn’t mean to happen.”
Now the talking point among MLB fans is whether or not Castro deserves disciplinary action. He claims it was a mistake. Some fans see it that way and are sympathetic toward him.
Others, however, are strict advocates for legislative enforcement. Well, rules exist for a reason after all. Hence, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be under some pressure to maintain the sanctity of the law.
A monetary fine may be justified, but a suspension or demotion could be considered too harsh.
“Just a kid who made a mistake,” says Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton
Out of everyone who can see the human nature of his mistake, Castro would be relieved that Derek Shelton is among them.
The Pittsburgh Pirates manager said the club spoke with Castro about the incident, asserting vehemently that a mistake like this cannot happen again.
At the same time, he understands that mistakes can happen as long as they are not repeated.
“You stay around the game and you see things you haven’t seen before,” Shelton said. “This was just a kid who made a mistake. It’s just one of those things we move fowrard from and tell him, ‘You can’t do that.’”
The Pittsburgh Pirates are likely to sanction Castro in some capacity. If they don’t, the MLB might intervene. A suspension seems unlikely, but a monetary fine to enforce the rule may help other players bear this incident in mind.
