Pedro Strop gets really fired up after striking out Taylor Saladino
Chicago Cubs reliever Pedro Strop is not shy about letting out his feelings on the field. Whether things are going well or going poorly for Strop, he lets his emotions fly and lets his body language tell the story.
After one particularly rough night in St. Louis in June, Strop managed to rub MLB Network’s Bob Costas the wrong way. In that case, Strop didn’t necessarily go over the top, but Costas felt it was out of place and launched into a bizarre that he would later apologize for.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
The point being, Strop just has a way of commanding attention, good or bad, and we saw another example of that during the Cubs 6-5 over the crosstown rival White Sox on Friday afternoon.
After pitching himself into a jam, Strop was forced to face Adam Eaton and Taylor Saldino — the first two hitters in the White Sox lineup — with runners on first and second and one out. Given the back-and-forth nature, which had already seen four lead changes, the White Sox seemed poised to jump back ahead. However, Strop put his foot down, striking out both batter emphatically, leading to a demonstrative celebration.
There are fist pumps and then there full blown punches thrown into the wind. Strop came away from that pitch heavy haymakers, which were naturally met with a mixed response.
To some, Strop clearly went over the top this time. To others, it’s just a man showing emotions, much the same way everybody does when achieving notable success.
Wherever you stand, your mind won’t be change by anything that Strop says or that’s written in the aftermath. But at least note that the White Sox themselves didn’t come across as offended.
They’d love to be playing for the same prize the Cubs are currently chasing. They understand the emotions involved, and they also know he attempting to show them up. It’s a non-issue in their clubhouse, and really, it should be a non-issue elsewhere.
Let baseball be fun.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
