Yankees: Ranking the dumbest unwritten rules in baseball

You either love or hate baseball’s unwritten rules. If you love them, please click the “back” button.

Controversy — if you want to call it that — was sparked on Monday night when San Diego Padres slugger Fernando Tatis Jr. clubbed a grand slam against the Texas Rangers. What’s the problem with that? Well, he swung on a 3-0 pitch when his team was up 10-3 late in the game.

According to the unwritten rules boogeyman, that’s a BIG no-no. Rangers manager Chris Woodward took exception and immediately commented on the actions in dissenting fashion. Tatis’ own skipper Jayce Tingler didn’t approve of it either! And we have to say, this has to be the end of the road for this invisible etiquette that baseballers of yesteryear so dearly cling to. It’s almost dangerously puritanical.

Times change. Nothing has its place or holds its structure forever. That’s just how the world works. If you disagree, then perhaps you’re immortal. I don’t know what else to tell you.

But as we’re here conversing all day about unwritten rules, let’s rank the ones we really hate and get even more people angry. Ah, the beauty of the internet.

4. Pitchers must stay in dugout for rest of inning after being removed

Pitchers being forced to remain in the dugout is silly.

This seems like it was instituted to teach pitchers a lesson, for whatever reason?

When a manager removes a pitcher from the game in the middle of an inning, the unwritten rules say that pitcher must remain in the dugout until the inning ends. More times than not, a pitcher is getting removed mid-inning because he’s performing poorly … so we’re going to make him watch the rest unfold?

There’s quite literally no need for this. What’s the reasoning? To promote continuity? The bullpens are already separate from the dugout. Perhaps a starter coming out and remaining in the dugout makes the most sense, but even then, what if they’re booed off the mound by the home crowd and don’t want to watch any more damage done?

Let them hit the showers and do what they’ve gotta do, especially if they had a bad outing. Don’t make them rip out their hair out as they watch more damage being inflicted.

The unwritten rules are so, so wise, and dictate the game, and we’ve also never once written them down. Gotcha.