Theo Epstein brushes back Clark the Cub with a wild first pitch

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein didn’t get where he is today by backing down from a challenge. At age-28, Epstein became the youngest general manager in the majors. Just two seasons later, he helped break the Boston Red Sox’s 86-year World Series curse.

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That wasn’t enough. After winning a second championship with Boston, Epstein decided to take on perhaps the biggest challenge in baseball: winning a World Series with the Cubs. Theo Epstein doesn’t back down from anything.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that Epstein doesn’t appreciate people crowding his plate. Epstein threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the South Bend Cubs game Thursday. Team mascot Clark the Cub thought it was a good idea to step in against the team president.

.@Cubs president Theo Epstein brushes back Clark the Cub with tonight’s @SBCubs first pitch: pic.twitter.com/00lw9SgGMB

— Mike Monaco (@MikeMonaco_) April 9, 2015

You don’t crowd the plate against Epstein!

Epstein may not have played in the majors, so maybe this was an honest misfire, but we can’t help but think it was intentional. Clark the Cub clearly doesn’t respect the game, and let’s us know as much with his backward cap and lack of pants. Epstein needed to send a message!

The video ends somewhat ominously. Did Clark charge the mound? Did Epstein administer a Nolan Ryan-style beat down? We may never get the true story.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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