Much like the rest of the sporting world, Marlins boss Skip Schumaker watched on with bated breath as Shohei Ohtani attempted to carve a chunk of history for himself.
The Dodgers supernova's chase for 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season brought an outburst of support from the baseball-watching masses. It ended with a flourish on Thursday afternoon after Ohtani sent three balls into orbit vs. Miami, the highlights of a 6-for-6, three HR, 10 RBI game that also included two doubles, two stolen bases and 17 total bases.
Schumaker might've not wanted such a showing to come against his Marlins side. However, he wasn't going to avoid pitching to him, either. Especially not as history beckoned.
Here's what you need to know.
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What did Skip Schumaker say?
With Ohtani at the plate, runners on second and third and Los Angeles holding a commanding 11-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning, Schumaker very well could've signaled to reliever Mike Baumann to give Ohtani the free pass. After all, he had already wreaked havoc on Miami's pitching by then — at that point, he was 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and two stolen bases.
Schumaker wasn't having it, though. He insisted on having Baumann pitch at Ohtani. It wasn't an act of anger or frustration that led to him making such a move. Rather, it was respect; cameras caught Schumaker using NSFW language to assert that he would have his pitching staff pitch to Ohtani.
MORE:Shohei Ohtani has epic three-HR, two-SB day to join 50/50 club
“F— that," Schumaker appeared to say in the dugout. "Too much respect for this guy for that s— to happen.”
Skip Schumaker
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) September 19, 2024
asked if he's walking Shohei
"F*ck that" pic.twitter.com/FxgofCdrE9
Ohtani responded in kind, connecting with a 1-2 Baumann knuckle curveball which caught too much of the plate and sent it into the cheap seats. With an exit velocity of 109.7 mph and a launch angle of 27 degrees, Ohtani's blast would've cleared the fences in all but one stadium — Camden Yards.
"Triple for the cycle, homer for history. On a 1-2, Ohtani... SENDS ONE IN THE AIR, THE OTHER WAY, BACK IT GOES, GOOOOOONNNEEE! ONE OF A KIND PLAYER! ONE OF A KIND SEASON! SHOHEI OHTANI STARTS THE 50/50 CLUB!" - Joe Davis on the historic call⚾️🎙️🦄 pic.twitter.com/JxDyNUfzTD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 19, 2024
— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2024Shohei Ohtani
One-of-a-kind achievement
One-of-a kind moment
One-of-a-kind player pic.twitter.com/xaMJ1Jivm2
— Home Run Report (@homerunreport) September 19, 2024⚾Shohei Ohtani! HR (50, 2nd of the game)
9/19/24 @ MIA, ⬆️ 7th
vs RHP Mike Baumann109.7 MPH / 27° / 391 ft to LF
Off a 89.1 MPH knuckle curve▶️It's a home run in 29/30 parks.◀️
🏟️(Not in BAL.)
Schumaker offered a little more context on his decision to have Baumann go at Ohtani during Thursday's postgame presser.
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"That's a bad move, baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-gods-wise," Schumaker said when asked if he considered walking Ohtani. "You go after him and see if you can get him out."
"Out of respect for the game, we're gonna go after him. He hit the home run, that's just part of the deal."
— Bally Sports Florida: Marlins (@BallyMarlins) September 20, 2024"That's a bad move, baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball-gods-wise. You go after him and see if you can get him out."
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker explains why they didn't walk Ohtani and what it was like to watch the historic performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/VhmZvLvmnD
Schumaker also made sure to give Ohtani flowers for his performance, both on Thursday and throughout the season. The former big league veteran called Ohtani the "most talented player" he's ever seen, high praise considering he spent most of his career sharing the diamond with former Cardinals Albert Pujols.
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"He is doing things that I've never seen done before in the game," Schumaker added. "If he has a couple more of these peak years, he might be the best ever to play the game."
Miami's loss brings its record to 56-97 with nine games left in its regular season. Understandably, that wasn't the main takeaway from Thursday's contest, however.
"It was a good day for baseball, a bad day for the Marlins," Schumaker said.
