Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez led off the second inning of Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, and everything was proceeding normally until the pitch where he struck out looking.
Sort of.
Jiménez led off the second inning against Cardinals pitcher Steven Matz, and on the 0-2 count, he came set in the box and looked at Matz, but then tried to back away.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez did not grant time out, and the pitch was right down the middle of the plate, leading to a strikeout for Jimenez:
Needless to say, Jiménez and manager Pedro Grifol were not thrilled with the outcome, but neither were ejected for voicing their displeasure.
Under MLB rules, a pitch can be counted if the umpire determines that the hitter is alert and looking at the pitcher in a normal batting stance.
Chicago White Sox
Umpires also are not required to grant timeout if a player requests it, and in this case, it appeared Jimenez stepped out of the box before being granted timeout.
The game continued from there, with Andrew Vaughn also striking out and Jake Burger lining out to shortstop.