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· collected 2026-09-07 · by Ian Miller
Veteran umpire Doug Eddings was criticized by Major League Baseball for intervening in a game and instructing Cardinals rookie reliever Hancel Rincon to straighten his hat, which was tilted to one side. This incident occurred during the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals game on Friday, leading to the ejection of Cardinals manager Oli Marmol. According to Eddings, he intervened after a hitter from the Rockies complained about Rincon's hat, but this claim has been disputed by multiple players involved. The criticism of Eddings' behavior comes from not only Major League Baseball, but also from several players, including Rincon and Hunter Goodman.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
It's not often you see Major League Baseball criticize umpires or an individual umpire, as the league office prefers to downplay any mistakes or poor calls.
asserted
office → see → mistakes
But what veteran umpire Doug Eddings did on Friday during the Colorado Rockies-St. Louis Cardinals game apparently warranted such unusual treatment.
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did → warrant → treatment
Eddings inserted himself into the game, apparently believing that fans buy tickets to see umpires, when Cardinals rookie reliever Hancel Rincon entered the game to make his major league debut.
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Rincon → insert → debut
Rincon had his had tilted to the side, obviously not the traditional way to wear a baseball hat, but hardly anything exception or unusual in the modern game.
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his → tilt → game
Bizarrely, though, Eddings felt it necessary to instruct him to fix it.
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it → feel → it
Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was unsurprisingly furious, rushing out to defend the 24-year-old pitcher.
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Marmol → rush → pitcher
Marmol could be seen telling Edings to "grow the f*** up" before getting tossed from the game, then went off about Eddings behavior afterward.
uncertain
Marmol → see → behavior
"I had an issue with Doug," he said to the media after the game.
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he → have → game
He took it upon himself to tell our rookie pitcher the kid’s ‘not going to wear his hat on my field that way.’
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kid → take → field
You got Dontrelle Willis, CC Sabathia, Pedro Strop -- plenty of guys that have worn it way more tilted.
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that → got → it
I have an issue with that.
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I → have → that
That’s just a power-hungry move, in my opinion.
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That → ’ → opinion
Eddings then defended himself by telling reporters that he'd made the decision to step in after a hitter from the Rockies complained about the hat.
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hitter → defend → hat
"The batter said, ‘Hey, can he wear his hat like that?’" he explained after the game.
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he → say → game
"I really didn't know, but it was really, really crooked.
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it → know → ?
I asked the catcher to tell him to straighten his hat out, and the pitcher did.
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pitcher → ask → hat
Nobody said anything until he gave up a couple runs."
Except only one Colorado player had been up to the plate when the warning was issued, Hunter Goodman, who promptly denied he'd said anything.
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he → say → anything
"I never once mentioned the hat," Goodman told reporters.
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Goodman → mention → reporters
"It doesn’t matter who’s pitching.
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who → matter → ?
I don’t care how they wear the hat.
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they → care → hat
I’m trying to find out where the ball is coming out, and I’m trying to worry about what I’m doing in the box.
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I → try → box
I’m not worried about how his hat looks.
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hat → ’m → ?
"It was one of those situations — it’s kind of a wild, wild thing that happens in the game.
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that → ’ → game
But I didn’t like seeing that my name was a part of it today when I didn’t say anything like that.
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I → see → that
You watch baseball growing up.
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You → watch → baseball
There are a lot of guys who have had their hat crooked or however.
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hat → be → guys
Honestly, before today, when I went back and looked, I didn’t even notice the hat was messed up or looked like that when I was hitting.
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I → go → that
Anyway, I don’t pay attention to that stuff."
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I → pay → stuff
From Rincon's perspective, he addressed it by saying that Eddings had "apologized" to him and that he'd put the incident behind him.
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he → address → him
"I understood a couple words and it looked like he apologized to me for what happened last night, and he also told me good luck the rest of my career as a big leaguer," Rincon said.
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Rincon → understand → leaguer
"I told him don't worry, it's nothing personal, and everything stays here."
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everything → tell → him
Still, in a very obvious gesture, many Cardinals players wore their hats purposefully tilted in the dugout before Saturday's game, and seemingly added a celebratory helmet tilt when reaching base.
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hats → wear → base
On Sunday, the Athletic reported that MLB had formally spoken to Eddings and told the veteran umpire he'd gone too far by telling Rincon to fix his hat.
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he → report → hat
Ken Rosenthal spoke to sources within the league about the incident, writing, "Umpires operate with broad discretion if they believe a player's actions are distracting, but according to two people briefed on the matter who were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly, the league viewed Eddings' admonishment of Rincon as going too far."
Frankly, it did go too far.
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it → speak → Rincon
Wearing a hat tilted a bit one way or another isn't an offense, and as Marmol brought up, it's hardly unprecedented.
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it → wear → hat
Is it every baseball fan's preferred way for a professional to wear a hat?
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professional → prefer → hat
But it isn't the type of infraction that warranted Edding's reaction.
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that → warrant → reaction
Maybe Eddings thought he heard someone from the Rockies complain about the hat and took it upon himself to say something?
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someone → think → something
Or maybe he thought it was some sort of violation then had to backtrack afterward?
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it → think → violation
Regardless, Rincon pitched again Saturday, with his hat tilted to his liking.
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hat → pitch → liking
…and 1 more, not listed.
