There are some rules that coaches and managers in sports need to remember. The Toronto Blue Jays learned that lesson the hard way on Saturday afternoon. Blue Jays manager John Schneider made a baffling error that led to Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah departing from the game. That mistake? One too many mound visits.
MLB rules limit teams to one mound visit per inning unless you plan on pulling the pitcher. Once you go out there a second time, there’s no turning back, and you have to change pitchers. There are no exceptions. And yet, Schneider still marched out there twice in the sixth inning. The rules forced Manoah out of the game after just 5.2 innings of work.
Alek Manoah has to come out of the game after the second mound visit of the inning.
Watch Blue Jays vs. Orioles on Sportsnet. pic.twitter.com/cr8yU4RyGC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 20, 2023
After the stunning error, the MLB world had a lot to say.
John Schneider forgets how many times he's visited the mound.
Is forced to pull Alek Manoah as a result.
🤦♂️pic.twitter.com/7pLKDv1d31
— Covers (@Covers) May 20, 2023
Alek Manoah had to be removed from the game because John Schneider didn’t realize he was out of mound visits for the inning. pic.twitter.com/21z2XIMtAW
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 20, 2023
This is an embarrassment for the Jays and John Schneider. You forget the mound visits and have to take out your pitcher? Bad look for the manager https://t.co/VHDWFH5rHH
— Lori Rubinson (@LRubinson) May 20, 2023
What a pathetic team. Spend more time learning the basic rules of baseball/how to count to two and less time worrying about other teams https://t.co/ovU6j9OE4L
— Tommy Smokes (@TomScibelli) May 20, 2023
You can’t talk the way you talk when you don’t even know the rules https://t.co/7t0UdBP2y6
— Dom Renna (@dominick_renna) May 20, 2023
You can't be serious. https://t.co/41hlRZyZpk
— Anthony Weiner (@repweiner) May 20, 2023
Granted, the move appeared to be ineffectual for the Orioles. The Blue Jays lead the O’s 5-2 in the 8th inning, a few innings after the incident. But obviously, this was a brutal error to commit. Probably brutal enough to record on the scoreboard, though no scorekeeper will have room to make that tally.
So while Toronto will likely save his bacon, manager John Schneider is definitely going to want to familiarize himself with the rulebook before Sunday’s clash. There are just some things you can’t do, and actions do have consequences. John Schneider learned perhaps never to do that again with Alek Manoah on the mound.
