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The story
Hanshin Tigers outfielder Shota Morishita clashed with the home plate umpire during the September 2 game against the Yakult Swallows (Jingu Stadium), and the confrontation nearly boiled over. Teammate Teruaki Sato stepped in to mediate. This isn’t the first time Morishita has butted heads with an umpire, and on the 5ch “Geisports Sokuho+” thread, reactions of “here we go again” piled up. The piece also notes that on TBS’s “Sunday Morning,” commentator Hiromitsu Ochiai remarked, “I don’t think this guy’s going to change,” and the discussion touched on both criticism of Morishita’s own conduct and doubts about the umpire’s questionable calls.
[Hanshin] Shota Morishita nearly comes to blows with home plate umpire again — Teruaki Sato steps in
Yakult vs. Hanshin ◇ September 2 ◇ Jingu Stadium
Hanshin outfielder Shota Morishita (26) was involved in a tense, nearly-violent confrontation.
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
but they don't have the authority to fly off the handle and pick fights.
If he's got a complaint, he should just eject the guy on the spot.
Same goes for that screaming self-important umpire everyone talks about — there are way too many incompetent umpires these days who intimidate players to cover up their own lousy judgment skills.
The "screaming guy" might be referring to umpire Shirai.
Something like this happened with Shirai back in 2013.
https://youtu.be/5JIWBcl3gvg
I wonder if players were making insulting protests like that over every borderline call back then too.
It was probably managers browbeating young umpires with protests like this that made Shirai into who he is now.
Can't really blame him, I guess.
You need at least this much, or it's boring.
Everyone's such a well-behaved player these days.
Was it a bad call, or is Morishita 100% in the wrong here?
Can't say for sure since the details aren't clear,
but there's no doubt Morishita's the one in the wrong here.
Looks bizarre from the outside.
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/61b6aef08f63ebbcab8df98d030ac86ddd17857f
When Kiyoshi Nakahata commented, "I want Morishita to change, to grow up," Ochiai gave his honest take: "Nah… I don't think this guy's going to change. It's tough…"
Kids aren't watching this dumb stuff! lol
Wouldn't mind seeing more of it, honestly.
He's the big shot in the sticks on a Hanshin team that got demolished by SoftBank, right?
Every show needs a heel.
Can't feel sorry for him even if he gets hit by a pitch after this.
That's the scary risk with hot-headed guys.
It'd be one thing if he only turned into a different person on the field,
but even so, treating the umpire like he's not even a person, or showing no respect (to someone who's usually older than him), doesn't leave a good impression.
If a hit-by-pitch gets a pass because it's "something that could ruin someone's life, but wasn't done out of deliberate malice," then the same logic should apply to an umpire's call you don't like.
Bringing in ABS sooner would be better for both umpires and players.
He could become the guy who burns his ABS challenge in his very first at-bat.
He probably can't say anything about it.
Background and Key Points of the Discussion
This isn’t the first time Morishita has clashed with a home plate umpire, and the thread was full of “here we go again” reactions. The “nether regions Tigers scandal” mentioned in the piece is an unrelated past off-field scandal and shouldn’t be confused with this incident. Opinion in the thread split between those criticizing Morishita’s own attitude and conduct, and those questioning the skill and handling of umpires who keep making borderline calls, with several posters calling for the early introduction of the automated ball-strike system (ABS). Even at the point of the news report and Hiromitsu Ochiai’s comments, the detailed sequence of who erred first hadn’t been made clear, so it’s worth noting that posts flatly declaring “Morishita is entirely to blame” are ultimately just speculation and impressions from 5ch, nothing more.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Baseball/Hanshin] Shota Morishita nearly comes to blows with home plate umpire again — Teruaki Sato steps in.”
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