Alex Rodriguez Walks On Mound, Infuriates Pitcher (VIDEO)

Alex Rodriguez drew the ire of Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden Thursday when he violated what some consider one of baseball's unwritten rules.

With one out in the sixth inning, Rodriguez ran from first base to third on a fly ball that ultimately landed foul. Instead of retracing his path back to first base, A-Rod jogged directly from third to first, walking over the pitcher's mound in the process. To some baseball players and observers, such an action is blasphemous.

Jason Turbow, co-author of The Baseball Codes, says that Rodriguez is "profoundly ignorant of much of the Code, or a guy who actively disdains it."

Braden, who exploded in anger at the end of the inning, blasted Rodriguez after the game. "He should probably take a note from his captain over there and realize you don't cross the pitcher's mound in between an inning or during the game. I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his mind -- being someone of such status," he said.

A-Rod, meanwhile, sounded relatively nonplussed. "I've never heard of that in my career. I still don't know. I thought it was pretty funny, actually." Scroll down to watch the incident.

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Who is right?

A-Rod. This is much ado about nothing.

Braden. It was classless of A-Rod to walk on the mound.

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Comments

[Quaoar]

06:27 PM on 05/09/2010

Braden just threw a perfect game against the Rays. Ya think maybe now A-Rod has heard of him?

[bongstradamus]

12:47 PM on 04/27/2010

99% of the game is mental.

[Katie5]

10:40 AM on 04/26/2010

Nice HP

[MacManLB]

09:04 AM on 04/26/2010

F*ck the Boston Red Sox, the LAST team to be integrated nearly thirteen seasons after Jackie Robinson. Roy Campanella, Luke Easter, Monte Irvin and Satchel Paige had come and gone but the Red Sox had struggled to be a white team forever. This is the team that rejected Willie Mays. WILLIE MAYS! Even when I was a kid I could tell that my grandfather's disdain for the Red Sox had to do with more than just a team rivalry. As late as the seventies if Boston was playing he would change the channel. The whitest white people I know are Boston Red Sox fans and when they start raving about how much they love their Sox, a barrier is built up. As basketball season comes to an end, I find myself rarely flipping to ESPN. Every decade or so some old white racist conservative (I'm looking at you George Will) writes a book extolling the greatness of baseball. Their is this insatiable need for white writers to eloquently and vehemently defend the game of baseball. The sappy nostalgic writing turns my stomach. It is the white man's refuge.

[NiteVizn]

11:26 AM on 04/26/2010

Dude, in this day and age that is a bit over the top for not liking a sports team. I can understand your grandfather's reasoning;he was close to the era. But, you, now, no one looks at that team for what it was then. Pick your battles, this isn't one of them. Also, my cousin is a die-hard Redsox fan and he aint one of those "white racist conservatives". He originally picked them because he hated Yankee fans. Now he is a big fan period. I am also baseball fan, been all my life, LOL and I definitely am nowhere close to your description. Lighten up. Even though there are PLENTY of things we can rail about in this society, a GAME isn't one of them. If you want to talk about hiring practices, even some of the fans, etc., that is one thing, but a whole sports team based on 30 years ago? Dude! What are they doing NOW is the question.

[MacManLB]

09:36 PM on 04/26/2010

Dude, has Boston ever confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness? I hate baseball for a lot of reasons.

[Clevelandinwi]

08:36 AM on 04/26/2010

Class and alexrodreeegussss - a great oxymoron!

[nowhere man]

07:01 AM on 04/26/2010

I am convinced that A-Rod is a very arrogant person, but compared to this supposed rule I did not commit anything wrong.
www.stargameforhaiti.com

[yellowdoggie]

04:35 AM on 04/26/2010

Why does anyone expect Rodriguez to act with class?

[Clevelandinwi]

08:38 AM on 04/26/2010

The 'juice' is definitely taking effect, huh?

[ptrgamb]

11:38 PM on 04/25/2010

The pitcher's a baby

[Tee Link]

07:41 PM on 04/25/2010

ARod is gonna keep disrespecting the game and his opponents until he gets earholed real good and hard.

[Nostradamus50]

07:26 PM on 04/25/2010

If that pitcher was Bob Gibson or Don Drysdale A-Rod's ribs would be broken in his next at bat. Guaranteed.

[MuchMadness]

01:52 AM on 04/26/2010

If MLB still had pitchers of the caliber of Gibson and Drysdale, MLB would be far more entertaining than it currently is. I think MLB made some big mistakes when they lowered the pitching mound and later added several expansion teams and made the playoffs too long. Baseball was better when fewer runs were scored and there was more attention to fundamentals.

[LFox6]

07:10 AM on 04/26/2010

Fanned, MM, I so agree!

[Bob Hopage]

07:23 PM on 04/25/2010

http://www.yankeesdaily.com

[beverlyj]

07:19 PM on 04/25/2010

that is. just. awesome. a rod is a moron.

[justknowledge]

07:05 PM on 04/25/2010

In regard to chalk lines,, most fields are turfs and the lines are painted, the chalk is regulated to the hitters and catcher box. Again all this coming from a no name pitcher who most likely won't be around long. As to other sports, such complaints usually come from seasoned vets not wantabees.

[MrGman]

10:36 PM on 04/25/2010

How about respect for the game and respect for other players,

[Clevelandinwi]

08:40 AM on 04/26/2010

Pitchers used to control the game with the high, inside fastball. When they took that away, the great game kinda went with it.

[MuchMadness]

02:27 AM on 04/26/2010

Most MLB fields now have natural grass, not Astroturf. Thirty years ago, many of the NL ballparks had artificial turf, but most of those parks have either been replaced or renovated to have natural grass.

[AvgPlumber]

11:46 AM on 04/26/2010

You're trying to talk sense to someone who reasons from flawed premises then engages in illogical fallacies to refute Braden's taking issue with A-rod's actions. Tradition and unwritten customs of a profession, well known to those who take pride in their craft, are the hallmark of civilized respectful behavior. People who condone bush league behavior belong in the bush leagues.

[MuchMadness]

07:03 PM on 04/25/2010

We have lost respect for order and tradition in sporting culture. I miss the days when Wimbledon required all of the tennis players to wear white outfits. I miss the days when basketball players had to raise their hands to acknowledge committing a foul.

[Gymyd]

06:46 PM on 04/25/2010

And you don't step on the foul chalk going from the dug out to the field andVice versa. You step over it. It's the small things that protect the game. I;m sure you've heard people say about several sports...The game is far more important than any individual or individuals .