Carlos Rodón Bat Kick Sends Giants Teammate To Ground

A frustrated Carlos Rodón spent his Tuesday evening kickin' it with his Giants teammates, just not in the traditional sense.

After a rough fifth inning, Rodón stormed into the San Francisco dugout and introduced his foot to a nearby bat. While doing so, he unintentionally also introduced the bat to the lower leg area of teammate Thairo Estrada, a shortstop, who clearly wasn't expecting any wood to be flying his way.

Estrada immediately hit the ground and rubbed just below his left knee. Teammates and coaches looked on with combined surprise and disgust.

Watch the dugout mishap unfold below.

Fortunately, the 26-year-old Estrada escaped serious injury, was up on his feet a moment later and was able to return to the game.

A remorseful Rodón addressed his tantrum following the game, telling reporters: “Unacceptable action. I hit my teammate, the nicest teammate on the team. Just a selfish action, and it just cannot happen. Stupid.”

Carlos Rodon of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on July 26, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kelsey Grant/Getty Images)

Though Rodón pitched fairly well in San Francisco's 7-3 loss to Arizona (he gave up just three hits and struck out 10), the hurler was frustrated that two of the three hits he allowed were dingers. This caused frustration for the 29-year-old All-Star.

“Angry with myself and made a selfish action and kicked a bat that had no reason to be kicked,” Rodón said. “The bat didn’t do nothing, Thairo didn’t do nothing. If anything, I should be hitting myself. Stupid.”

The left-handed Rodón's actions prompted Giants manager Gabe Kapler to meet with his pitcher following the game. “When teammates and coaches are at risk, it just can’t happen,” Kapler told media members following the loss. “We discussed it, we’re going to work through it and we’re going to support him through it. And as I mentioned, he’s fully accountable and understands that it can’t happen.”

San Francisco concludes their three game series with Arizona this afternoon.

 

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF