Ever since Rob Manfred assumed the role of commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2015, I have agreed with a majority of his decisions and actions.
Manfred has come down strongly against domestic violence, standing in stark contrast with his counterpart over at the NFL. He has taken important steps to improve baseball’s pace of play. He has made necessary changes to the instant replay process.
This week, however, I am ashamed of Manfred and the MLB.
During Game 3 of the World Series, the Houston Astros’ first baseman Yuli Gurriel slugged a homer off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, who is Japanese. Once back in the dugout, after receiving praise and congratulations from his teammates, Gurriel raised his hands to the sides of his eyes, pulled the skin back to make his eyes look slanted, and uttered “chinito,” which is slang for “Chinese boy.”
Gurriel, a 33-year-old Cuban rookie, had just made a clear and reprehensible racial gesture, accompanied by a racial slur, as a form of mockery and arrogance.
This episode shows that even America’s pastime is prone to ignorance and racism. It was an important moment, and all looked to Manfred for the league’s response.
When he addressed the media the following day, however, he offered a weak and unacceptable reaction to an indefensible display of insensitivity.
Manfred began by denouncing Gurriel’s actions. “There is no place in our game for any behavior like the behavior we witnessed last night … There is no excuse or explanation that makes that type of behavior acceptable,” said Manfred. He also said, “There needs to be disciplinary consequences to make clear that Major League Baseball is an institution that will not tolerate behavior of this type.”
So far, so good, right? Baseball will not tolerate Gurriel’s behavior, and discipline will follow… just not yet.
Manfred went on to announce that Gurriel will be suspended five games without pay, at the beginning of the 2018 regular season. He will not face any consequences during the World Series.
“I felt it was unfair to punish the other 24 players on the Astros roster … I wanted the burden of this discipline to fall primarily on the wrongdoer,” said Manfred. “Obviously, World Series games are different than regular season games. I used my best judgment as to where the appropriate disciplinary level fell.”
There are so many issues with this response, I don’t even know where to begin.
First of all, baseball is a team sport. As the cliché goes, there is no “I” in team. As members of a team, everyone is responsible for one another. When one teammate makes a grave mistake, the entire team should face the consequences. What Gurriel did was wrong, and his teammates should not be spared because it was the error of just one person. He let his team down.
Secondly, the “but it’s the World Series” argument is embarrassing. Sure, the games are more important, and there are only a few left. Gurriel should have recognized that when he raised his hands to his eyes after that home run. If anything, suspending Gurriel for even just one game, during the World Series, would have sent a real message to the whole sport.
Actions speak louder than words, and suspending Gurriel during the most important week of the baseball season would have backed up Manfred’s words. Instead, his claim that MLB does not tolerate such behavior remains empty verbiage.
This whole episode becomes even more upsetting when you look at the responses of the players and teams involved.
After the game that night, Darvish tweeted his response: “No one is perfect. That includes both you and I. What he had done today isn’t right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him. If we can take something from this, that is a giant step for mankind. Since we are living in such a wonderful world, let’s stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger. I’m counting on everyone’s big love.”
Bless your soul, Darvish.
Instead of responding with anger, Darvish countered with love. He reflected on the importance of moving forward and learning from our actions. The world needs more people like Darvish.
The Astros released a statement following the incident. There too, excuses abound. After expressing disappointment in Gurriel and reaffirming the team and league’s dedication to diversity, the Astros offered this:
“Yuli has always demonstrated respectful behavior and is extremely remorseful for his actions. Appropriately, Yuli has apologized for his gesture. He had no intention of offending anyone, but now recognizes the perceived offensiveness of his actions.”
The “perceived offensiveness of his actions”? Seriously? Just call it was it is: racism. What Gurriel did was hateful, ignorant and unacceptable. If you want to show a devotion to a celebration of diversity, then you must come down harder on these acts of intolerance.
So Gurriel will continue to play. Manfred did not want to punish an entire team or ruffle any feathers in the MLB Players Association, so he relied on precedent and slapped a weak 2018 five-game suspension on Gurriel. Instead of using this opportunity to send a powerful message, Manfred instead offered a lukewarm response to a clear act of racism.
Manfred, a lawyer at heart, took the safe option. He denounced Gurriel’s actions, and suspended him, which is equivalent to around three percent of a season.
I love baseball, don’t get me wrong. This World Series has been incredible, and each game seems more exciting than the last. But in a world that needs more of Darvish’s optimism and love, I can’t help but hope for, even expect, better from Major League Baseball.
