St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he warned the Milwaukee Brewers about relaying signs from the dugout during Tuesday nights game, a situation that came to a head when Milwaukee reliever Abner Uribe gestured toward the St. Louis dugout with three WWE-style crotch chops after an inning-ending strikeout in the eighth.
Uribe, speaking through an interpreter, said after the game that he believed Marmol had been making signs that led him to believe were meant to direct Cardinals pitchers to hit Brewers batters with pitches, in particular outfielder Christian Yelich and catcher William Contreras.
Speaking with reporters before a Wednesday afternoon matchup between the teams, Marmol initially said he didnt have a reaction to Uribes accusations.
“Id rather not blow anything out of proportion,” Marmol said. “I think it already has been, to be quite honest with you.”
When pressed further about the matter, he responded.
“Ive got no issues telling you the full story, but I just think, like anything these days, it gets blown up. This is like an everyday occurrence,” Marmol said. “We felt like [the Brewers] were being pretty demonstrative about relaying signs from the dugout.”
Marmol said thats when he mouthed and gestured to the Brewers’ dugout.
“I looked over, and I said, Hey, you gotta do it, be smart, youre gonna get somebody hurt,” Marmol said, while pointing to his ribs. “Like, What we trying to do here? That was it.”
Marmol said there was also an incident involving an unnamed Brewers coach before the game concerning the sign-relaying issue. That same coach and Marmol spoke after the game, according to Marmol, who said he hadnt had any discussions with Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who condemned Uribes antics, calling it “unacceptable.”
When asked if the matter was settled, Marmol said: “I have no reason to think its not. Usually, you just dont get that type of demonstrative reaction that spurs further questions. Thats just the reality of it. But we have those types of interaction daily across the league.”
Yelich, speaking in the Brewers’ clubhouse on Wednesday, described Uribes gesture as “a little bit over the top.”
“Obviously, I dont think the strikeout celebration is something we need to be doing,” Yelich said. “Hes a guy that always has his teammates’ backs. I appreciate where he was coming from on it, but I think theres a different way to handle that situation, and he knows that.”
Yelich also said there has been “some stuff going on during the series that I dont really know why it was going on,” but declined to elaborate.
Yelich said the Brewers didnt want the matter to distract from their performance on the field. Milwaukee has taken the first two games of the series.
“Weve all addressed it, and well move on and have it not become a big distraction,” he said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
