Daniel Vogelbach had to apply the maximum amount of power from a batter, against the Cubs in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s game. It is understandable that he was angry in the end.
To begin with, Pirates DH smacked the first triple of his career. Vogelbach really had to hurry, but he finished third. Strong!
The following pirate hitter, Yoshi Sutsugo, had the opportunity to bring Vogelbach home with a sacrificial fly. When Sutsugo hit a fly ball on the right field, here are a few things to consider: Cuban right fielder Seya Suzuki has a decent arm, it wasn’t a particularly deep fly ball, and Vogelbach did just three times the price. Running for the first time in his major-league career. Still, Pirates third base coach Mike Rabello gave the green light to Vogi. It wasn’t even close. Cub catcher Wilson Contraras applied the tag easily because Vogelbach had very few sideways slides from the home plate.
It’s less like playing on a plate and looks like someone providing medical assistance:
Vogelbach failed to score in his first triple, his slide sucked, and the Chicago crowd cheered on his failure. That would make anyone a little foggy. While Contraras was checking to see if he was OK, Vogelbach tore the catcher’s mask off the ground, further away from the plate. Both were teammates in the Cubs’ minor-league system, so the interaction was weird. Then it became even more strange when they stood up and spoke loudly face to face.
Both benches are clean, but none actually fight. Vogelbach went back to his dugout, defeated and angry. He will be released when he hits his second career triple.