Tyler O’Neill was thrown out at home plate while trying to score late in the St. Louis Cardinals’ game against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, and Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was not pleased with the outfielder’s effort. It sounds like O’Neill wishes Marmol handled his dissatisfaction a bit differently.
O’Neill tried to score on a single in the bottom of the seventh when the Cardinals were trailing the Braves 4-1. Ronald Acuna Jr., who has a strong arm, gunned O’Neill out at home.
Don't run on Ronnie!@ronaldacunajr24 | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/MOU5ZvityO
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 5, 2023
Marmol felt O’Neill was not running as hard as he could have. The manager told reporters after the Cardinals’ loss that O’Neill’s lack of hustle was “unacceptable.”
“That’s not our style of play as far as the effort of rounding the bag there,” Marmol said, via Katie Woo of The Athletic.
O’Neill admitted that he could have gotten a better jump, but he was clearly bothered by Marmol’s comments.
Tyler O'Neill discusses being thrown out at the plate and his manager's dissatisfaction with his level of effort #stlcards pic.twitter.com/ixFrkSn82t
— VHS (@VanHicklestein) April 5, 2023
“I’ve gotta be better next time and try to get a better jump. I think he was pretty blunt about it,” O’Neill said. “He didn’t think I gave the best effort. I’m out here every day grinding my a– off and giving it my all and trying to stay on the field for 160 games. Like I said, I just have to get a better jump next time and get around the base a little quicker.
“I’m trying to score that run. I’m not out there to dog it. Those are pretty strong words from him, so that’s good to know.”
O’Neill probably let up a bit when it became clear the throw was going to beat him by a lot. You could make the argument that O’Neill should not have been sent home in a 4-1 game, especially given how strong Acuna’s arm is. Had O’Neill been stopped at third, the Cardinals would have had the bases loaded with the go-ahead run at the plate.
Marmol, 36, is the youngest manager in Major League Baseball. He has shown on multiple occasions that he is not afraid to speak his mind. Apparently that goes for internal issues as well.
