San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt defends right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. against recent up-and-in pitches, calling the tactic "uncalled for" and "unnecessary."
Fernando Tatis Jr. has become a lightning rod for controversy in his young career, and his manager, Mike Shildt, has had enough.
After the Padres' 7-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, Shildt came to Tatis' defense, condemning the recent trend of pitchers throwing high and inside to the young star.
"It's enough. It really is enough," Shildt said. "If you want to throw in, that's fine. But I don't know what people are trying to accomplish by throwing up and in. All you're doing is p---ing the guy off, and it's uncalled for."
Tatis, who hit a two-run homer Thursday, has often been the target of inside pitches, including one that nearly hit him in the head in the ninth inning.
"It's happening way too frequently, and it's not something that we're going to tolerate much longer," Shildt said.
Throwing inside is a part of the game, Shildt acknowledged, but he believes there's a line that has been crossed.
"I've seen way too many pitchers up and in on Tati," he said. "I mean, listen, if you want to throw up and in on the guy, fine. But get away from the top of his body, and definitely stay away from his head. That's just not appropriate."
Tatis himself said he believes pitchers are using up-and-in pitches as a strategy to get him out.
"Pitchers feel like that's the only way to get me out," he said.
However, he acknowledged that some of the pitches have been dangerous.
"I'm trying to stay in the game, but I feel like there's been so many of those," Tatis said. "You're throwing at my head. So, if you can't go inside, just figure it out and clean it up."
Tatis, who was suspended for 80 games last year for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy, does not believe that incident has anything to do with the recent uptick in up-and-in pitches.
"It's been well over a year at this point," he said.
Nevertheless, Tatis remains one of the most polarizing players in the league, and his flashy style of play has often drawn criticism.
When an opposing fan base mocked his suspension with a chant last season, he danced to it. And his bat flips have been a source of annoyance for some.
Even his own organization has expressed concerns about his maturity. When Tatis was suspended, Padres general manager A.J. Preller insinuated that Tatis was out of the team's circle of trust due to a lack of maturity.
Tatis, who is slashing .246/.333/.455 this season, won a Gold Glove in right field last year, his first year at the position. He finished 14th in the NL MVP vote last year after finishing fourth and third in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Tatis signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with the Padres before the 2021 season after playing just 143 big league games.
