Texas Rangers pitcher Mike Minor recorded his 200th strikeout of the season in Thursday’s win over the Boston Red Sox, but the way he got there rubbed some people the wrong way. The left-hander has made it clear he does not care what those people think.
With just three more games remaining in the regular season, Minor is not scheduled to pitch again this year. Texas is also out of playoff contention, so Minor’s teammates decided to intentionally drop a foul ball with one out in the ninth inning on Thursday when he was sitting at 199 strikeouts for the season.
I LOVE the Rangers dropping this pop up to let Mike Minor try to get his 200th strikeout. It’s a meaningless game, so why not?
Are there real people who are mad about this? pic.twitter.com/TwhPSOJefH
— Ben Porter (@Ben13Porter) September 27, 2019
Minor’s next pitch was a borderline strike on the inside part of the plate, giving him 200 K’s on the year.
Some viewed the intentional drop as a kind gesture, with the 31-year-old Minor having never had a 200-strikeout season in his MLB career. Others, like Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, thought it was classless. When Abraham shared his thoughts on Twitter, Minor fired back.
Ask me if I care Pete
— Mike Minor (@MikeMinor36) September 26, 2019
Neither the Rangers or the Red Sox are going anywhere this season, so there’s really no harm in what Minor’s teammates did for him. You could argue that it showed up the opposition, but to feel that strongly about it seems like a waste of energy.
