St. Louis Cardinals Oliver Marmol on incident with umpire C.B. Bucknor: "It's not an olive branch. It's just respect"
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol had some harsh words for C.B. Bucknor after the umpire refused to shake hands with him on Saturday. The two clashed late last season when Marmol was ejected from a game for arguing a called strike.
As is customary, the manager approached home plate to shake the umpire's hand prior to the game but received a cold shoulder. Marmole shook hands with the other three umpires and the game eventually started after a brief delay.
Per a report in a recent ESPN article, the second-year manager was critical of Bucknor's conduct after he tried to defuse the situation:
"It's not an olive branch. It's just respect."
Marmol called out the umpire's behavior and even went as far as to question his ability behind the plate:
"I just don't think he's good at his job and it just showed his lack of class as a man."
The Cardinals went on to lose the game 1-0 against the Washington Nationals, but the focus remained on the ugly incident after the game.
No love lost between Oli Marmol and C.B. Bucknor 😳
H/T @katiejwoo https://t.co/h8yXI2B76c
"No love lost between Oli Marmol and C.B. Bucknor H/T @katiejwoo" - The Athletic
Marmol, who has only completed one full season as a manager, is not one to shy away from controversy. He is currently the youngest manager in MLB but is already one of the more vocal ones. The 36-year-old was ejected on three different occasions last season.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was critical of umpire C.B. Bucknor's conduct prior to Saturday's game
The tension between Oliver Marmol and C.B. Bucknor goes back to August 21 last season when the two got into a heated exchange.
CB Bucknor and Oliver Marmol got into a HEATED argument over this strike call https://t.co/uTkYxc8BET
"CB Bucknor and Oliver Marmol got into a HEATED argument over this strike call" - Jomboy Media
The Cardinals were tied 3-3 with the Arizona Diamondbacks when Bucknor called an inside pitch on Nolan Arenado for a strike. The call left both Arenado and Marmol furious with the manager coming out to defend his player. He was ejected almost immediately, but made sure he got his money's worth on the evening.
Bucknor is obviously still upset about the altercation and is not letting it go. The incident took place over six months ago but there is still some bad blood between the umpire and the manager.