During a Padres-Dodgers game, things got messy with pitch communication and pitch clock rules. Blake Snell was trying to send pitch calls using his PitchCom device, but catcher Gary Sanchez couldn’t hear the signal. Snell broke his hands, hit the device again, and the ump called him for a violation. Snell argued he hadn’t received confirmation from the catcher and didn’t intend to deceive anyone. A coach stepped in to defend Snell and got ejected in the process, even though he wasn’t the manager. The whole dispute centered around miscommunications with the PitchCom setup and how it interacts with the pitch clock.
Later in the game, Manny Machado found himself frustrated at the plate. Facing Brusdar Graterol, Machado called timeout, took a breath, then stepped back in. Graterol began his delivery very quickly, and Machado wasn’t ready. He protested that they hadn’t made eye contact, a requirement before the pitcher can begin motion. The ump disagreed, and Graterol struck out Machado on a cutter. Machado was clearly upset, throwing his helmet toward the dugout and arguing with the ump. Replay showed Graterol may have started his motion a split second too early, possibly backing up Manny’s complaint. Gary Sanchez tried to calm him down, but Machado wasn’t having it.