Herrera’s 3-Run Homer Lifts Cardinals 7-6 as Umpire Row Mars Rincon Debut

Q: Did the umpire truly overstep his authority to enforce a uniform rule, or was this a power play against a rookie?

Doug Eddings appears to have overreached, even if umpires do have broad authority to manage distractions and enforce on-field standards. The key fact is Eddings himself acknowledged Rincon was not violating a written rule. MLB’s uniform rules require caps to be worn forward, but there is no clear rule saying a pitcher’s cap must be perfectly straight. Eddings described it as an “unwritten rule” and said he acted after Rockies batter Hunter Goodman asked whether Rincon could wear it that way. That weakens the case that this was formal rule enforcement. Umpires are empowered to address things they believe are distracting or improper, and Eddings could plausibly argue that a noticeably crooked cap raised a gamesmanship or distraction issue. In that narrow sense, he had some discretion to say something. But the reported wording — “not going to wear his hat on my field that way” — and the fact that play was interrupted during a rookie’s debut make the intervention look less like routine officiating and more like an unnecessary assertion of control. That does not prove malicious intent against Rincon personally. There is no evidence Eddings targeted him because he was a rookie. But the available facts suggest the umpire elevated a minor, non-rule issue into a confrontation, then compounded it with a pitch-clock violation and Marmol’s ejection. On balance, this looks more like an avoidable power play than a necessary enforcement action.

3 articles · Updated · St. Louis Post-Dispatch · Sep 5

Ivan Herrera erased a 6-4 deficit with a three-run ninth-inning homer, giving St. Louis a 7-6 win at Colorado before Riley O’Brien finished for his 36th save.
A 4-1 Cardinals lead unraveled in the sixth after umpire Doug Eddings ordered rookie Hancel Rincon to straighten his tilted cap in his major-league debut, then ejected manager Oli Marmol during the fallout.
Colorado tied the game with a cycle in that inning, then took a 5-4 lead on Zac Veen’s bunt play at the plate after replays showed Leo Bernal appeared to tag Troy Johnston before home.
Marmol called Eddings’ handling “embarrassing” and “poorly handled,” while Eddings said the cap issue was a batter-raised distraction and an “unwritten rule.”
The comeback overshadowed a steady five innings from Andre Pallante and highlighted a Cardinals club that pushed through a blown save the night before and a game-long dispute Friday.