Source: Bradley left the team mid-game
May 5, 2010, 10:28 AM | Updated: Apr 4, 2011, 7:51 pm
By Mike Salk
The Mariners appear to have a serious problem. Milton Bradley left the team last night in the middle of the game. Bradley apparently left after striking out looking in the sixth inning with the bases loaded.
According to a source, Bradley yelled at the umpire from the bench before being told by Don Wakamatsu to cool it. Wakamatsu said that he would handle the umpire himself. Bradley responded that someone had to say something and that if Wak wouldn’t, then he would.
According to the source, a few minutes later Bradley walked back over to the skipper and said, “I’m packing my stuff. I’m out of here.” And then he left.
Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik said Bradley is still a member of the team. “Milton is part of what we’re doing,” he told me this morning. “Anything that happens between a manager and his players should be handled internally. Sometimes tempers flare over the course of a season. Wakamatsu thought it was time for Milton to come out.”
Baseball has a lot of “unwritten rules” and people love to rag on it. But one of the best is that players have to be there for their team and their teammates. If Bradley left his team in the middle of a game (a winnable one no less), then how can his teammates know to trust him going forward?
Mike Salk was on SportsCenter on ESPN this morning to break down the story – you can listen to it here.
