In a game without Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves at the center of a social media storm over what many consider a very dirty play in baseball, especially involving a player experiencing a special moment in MLB.
During the bottom of the second inning at PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Cam Devanney achieved his first MLB hit, a dream come true that he may not be able to keep as a physical memento.
Sheehan’s dirty play against the rookie
Rookie Devanney hit a single that reached left field, but he won’t get to keep that ball as is customary. Fans were quick to notice on social media and began sharing a video showing Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan pocketing the ball to use it for the next pitch.
This can be seen in a slow-motion video where Sheehan is shown receiving a new ball from the umpire, then pretending to return the ball Devanney had hit. It should be noted that there’s no official information on this yet, but the clip continues to circulate online, with many fans outraged.
Despite the fans’ anger, Devanney clarified after the game that he knew Sheehan from their time in the minor leagues and that he ultimately received the correct ball.
“I’m not entirely sure what happened, I actually found out just moments ago, but I think I did get the right one,” he said.
Sheehan, for his part, wasn’t even scheduled to start the game. Shohei Ohtani was the intended starter, but the Japanese phenom was ruled out at the last minute due to not being in full physical condition. Thus, the second-year right-hander took the mound and had a tough outing: he allowed two solo home runs to Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen before being replaced by Ben Casparius in the fifth inning.
On the field, the Pirates capitalized on the controversy to secure a decisive victory: they shut out the 2024 World Series champions and won the series. With this result, Pittsburgh has now won four of their last five games, including their previous series against the Red Sox in Boston. They will now close out against the Dodgers before facing the National League Central leader and the best team in MLB, the Milwaukee Brewers.
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