Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker has been in baseball for quite some time, and in the ultimate form of respect, chose not to pitch around Shohei Ohtani on Thursday night.
In the top of the seventh inning, Ohtani came to the plate needing just one more home run to become the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. With two runners on and first base open, while trailing the Dodgers 11-3, Schumaker was asked if he wanted to walk Ohtani, but he declined the option.
It was easy to read the skipper’s lips on the broadcast and Joe Davis relayed the message over the airwaves.