After suffering their first National League loss of the season, one Los Angeles Dodgers star insinuated that the Colorado Rockies cheated thanks to some ‘fishy’ swing decisions.
Down 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the game broke open when Rockies first baseman Troy Johnston socked a double to bring home Hunter Goodman and Ezequiel Tovar to make it a 4-3 game.
That score would eventually hold, with the Rockies securing the key win at home.
After the game, Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing appeared to suggest that something was afoot after the Rockies jumped all over reliever Will Klein to crack three consecutive hits – two on Klein’s sweeper and Johnston’s double off a slider.
‘I think it’s odd that some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there and they’re on the first pitch that was thrown,’ Rushing said.
‘It’s a little fishy but I’ll wear it.’
Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing questioned some ‘fishy’ swing tactics by the Rockies in what became the first National League loss of the season for Los Angeles
Rushing thought it was ‘fishy’ when the Rockies jumped on their first pitches, except when Troy Johnston hit the go-ahead RBI double, it came on the fourth pitch he saw
Johnston’s double drove in two runs and led to Colorado’s eventual 4-3 win
It’s worth noting that the only batter who swung at the first pitch they saw in the sixth inning was Tovar, who ripped a single to move Goodman to third. Goodman took the first pitch for a strike before making contact on a sweeper to log a double.
Johnston, meanwhile, took his first pitch for a ball and didn’t swing until the fourth pitch – where he connected for the go-ahead double.
The remaining Rockies batters in the sixth inning did not swing at their first pitches either.
Rushing, who made his fifth start for the Dodgers this year, admitted there may be some of his own fault for the blowup.
‘I think it could have been a little bit of both sides,’ Rushing said. ‘I think they had a good game plan as an opposing team, and maybe I pitched into their game plan as far as calling pitches. I’m not 100 percent sure.’
For what it’s worth, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe there was anything nefarious going on.
‘I saw some bad breaking balls,’ Roberts said (via The Athletic). ‘So, I don’t think there was anything fishy behind it. I think there were some bad pitches.’
