It had been reported Monday night time when the Braves beat the Phillies in Recreation 2 of the NLDS, ending on a vital base-running play involving Bryce Harper, that Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia taunted in regards to the Phillies’ star within the clubhouse after the sport.
That report wound up producing loads of controversy.
Fox Sports activities’ Jake Mintz, one of many two brothers that runs the favored Cespedes Household BBQ account, reported that Arcia had been celebrating after Atlanta’s 5-4 win by saying “Atta boy Harper” within the Braves’ clubhouse, jeering at the truth that Harper was doubled off on the basepaths after an impressive catch by Michael Harris in heart area and a formidable relay to get Harper at first to finish the sport.
The feedback wound up coming again to chunk the Braves two days later, with Harper homering twice — staring down Arcia after every — as he powered the Phillies to the 10-2 Recreation 3 win. When the Phillies beat the Braves in Recreation 4 to remove Atlanta and advance to the NLCS, gamers within the Philadelphia clubhouse celebrated by repeating, “Atta boy Harper.”
Whereas the feedback grew to become a spark for the Phillies, it additionally grew to become a topic of controversy. Gamers, together with the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman, decried the state of affairs as a mistake by Mintz to report the feedback, which had been mentioned out loud within the locker room moderately than mentioned in an interview setting. Others defended the state of affairs, saying that something within the clubhouse is open to be reported on.
MORE: Why Arcia’s feedback motivated Harper after NLDS Recreation 2
However maybe the largest backlash got here from MLB Community’s Alanna Rizzo, who blasted Mintz on “Excessive Warmth” for reporting on the incident. Following a BBWAA assertion, Rizzo each publicly and privately apologized to Mintz for her response.
This is what you want to know in regards to the controversy.
Bryce Harper Atta Boy controversy, defined
All of it begins with the play. In Recreation 2, Harper led off the highest of the ninth in a one-run recreation with a stroll. J.T. Realmuto flew out to heart for the primary out, however on the subsequent play, Nick Castellanos lifted a deep fly into right-center. It appeared it will be further bases, and if Harper took off, he’d have the ability to rating the tying run on the play.
The issue for the Phillies was that Harris made a leaping seize up towards the wall to rob Castellanos of the hit. Harper had effectively since rounded second on his method to third, however the throw from Harris missed each cut-off males by second. Austin Riley, nevertheless, ran in and scooped the ball and made a formidable throw to Matt Olson to nab Harper and finish the sport.
After the sport, Mintz wrote a well-reported story on how the Braves pulled off the unbelievable comeback, getting back from down 4 runs at one level, to win the sport, and deep within the article, wrote the next:
Kevin Pillar’s younger son, sporting a customized “Cash Mike” headband, waddled over to his favourite heart fielder for a fist bump. Third-string catcher Chadwick Tromp strutted by Harris’ locker providing a congratulatory “Mike is him!” All whereas Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia cackled emphatically about Harper’s misfortune, bellowing “ha-ha, atta-boy, Harper!” repeatedly as reporters circled the room.
As Mintz identified, he was not the one one to allude to the celebration from Arcia. The Washington Submit’s Chelsea Janes additionally wrote about it, saying that one in every of Harris’ teammates was yelling, “Atta boy Harper.” The one distinction was that Janes didn’t identify the participant.
— Jake Mintz (@Jake_Mintz) October 10, 2023
The reporting of Arcia’s feedback proved to be divisive throughout the baseball neighborhood. Among the many most distinguished to name out Mintz was Rizzo. The “Excessive Warmth” co-host mentioned she was irritated by “bloggers or podcasters” going into the clubhouse and “ruining it for the remainder of us” when “some jackoff is available in on the finish of the season that will get a credential, God solely is aware of why.” She referred to as the clubhouse “a sacred place” and defended the gamers who had been upset by the reporting of Arcia’s feedback, earlier than she referred to as Mintz out by identify.
MORE: Each time Nick Castellanos has interrupted a somber second with a house run
“To begin with, this man, Jake Mintz, that is not even a reporter,” Rizzo mentioned. “That is taking away from true reporters and true journalists. The place had been you on the random Tuesday in April in Cincinnati when this group was enjoying in Cincinnati? The place had been you on a rain delay, and it’s a must to sit within the press field for all of this time? It is ridiculous.”
“After which some jackoff is available in on the finish of the season that will get a credential, God solely is aware of why. And the clubhouse is a sacred house.” Alanna Rizzo went off on Jake Mintz’s clubhouse reporting on MLBN’s “Excessive Warmth” Thursday. pic.twitter.com/6dooqeLPnh
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) October 12, 2023
Rizzo’s feedback instantly drew warmth from the baseball journalism world, together with from Janes, who posted a thread defending Mintz. Janes reported that cameras and recorders had been recording, and that Arcia yelled the feedback whereas they had been recording and with greater than a dozen reporters round. She mentioned that reporters abstaining from writing on his feedback can be akin to “defending gamers from themselves.”
She additionally went on to say that what Arcia mentioned wasn’t a slur or hateful, and added the one cause anybody was involved about it was as a result of “they know it will encourage Harper to beat [the Braves]. Which suggests the Braves don’t really feel they will deal with a motivated Bryce Harper and are keen to recommend that’s the reason they misplaced the opposite day.”
“I did not say one thing sooner as a result of I assumed this was overblown,” Janes continued. “And albeit, I assumed it would not assist. However I’m genuinely disgusted by the way in which some media members are performing like a reporter was within the unsuitable for this. He wasn’t.
“And if the Braves let this be the story of their collection, that is on them. Win and it goes away. Interval.”
The incident elicited a response from the Baseball Writers Association of American (BBWAA), which defended Mintz, a BBWAA member.
“For the file, Jake is a BBWAA member in good standing and has earned the correct to be credentialed by his exhausting work and high quality baseball protection,” the BBWAA wrote within the assertion. “To say in any other case, in vulgar phrases, is each unprofessional and unacceptable. The BBWAA is deeply troubled that the league’s personal community would allow the disparaging of one in every of our members on this vogue. Scrutinizing our work is a part of the territory however feedback corresponding to these shouldn’t have any place on MLBN.”
Following the backlash to her feedback, Rizzo apologized on “Excessive Warmth” to Mintz and the BBWAA. She mentioned her feedback had been “fully inappropriate, it was inaccurate and it was past unprofessional. I received caught up within the warmth of the second.”
“What I mentioned was fully off base and I’ve had an fascinating 24 hours and I’ve realized much more and I apologize to Jake. I talked to him already, I apologized to him privately and I additionally apologize to him publicly,” Rizzo mentioned. “They do a great job within the clubhouse and I used to be fully inaccurate in my evaluation of what went down there.”
Alanna Rizzo gave “a really heartfelt apology to Jake Mintz and your entire BBWAA” pic.twitter.com/rT9tjSWLY3
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) October 13, 2023
Mintz, although calling her preliminary feedback “extremely hurtful/uncalled for,” wrote on X saying that he was “glad she apologized,” and requested individuals to not toss hate to her.
“Because of all of the reporters, journos, baseball twitter weirdos, acquaintances and mates who had my again over the past 48 hours,” Mintz wrote. “And in addition, after all, the BBWAA. Neighborhood feels good, humbled to be part of this one. Now, let’s take pleasure in some ball.”