"That's something we don't want to put up with as a team" - Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin weighs in on Jurickson Profar's wild walk-off celebration
Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin has opened up on Jurickson Profar's walkoff celebration against them and their reaction to it. San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar hit a 2-run walk-off single in the 10th inning to win his team the first matchup in the three-game series on June 24.
Following the celebrations with his teammates, Profar moved towards the third-base, clapping his hands to the fans behind the visiting team's dugout. Mackenzie Gore struck Jurickson Profar with a pitch in the next game, right after a benches-clearing brawl between the two teams.
Irvin discussed the altercation involving Jurickson Profar with former Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierczynski on the Foul Territory podcast this past Monday.
He said his team was not really intent on throwing at Jurickson Profar and injuring him. However, Irvin felt the celebrations from the San Diego Padres player in the previous match were a bit excessive. Although his team got over the disappointment quickly, Irvin felt that a strong reaction was necessary to maintain the morale of the squad.
"He is a great player. He is having a really good year. But we are like a family, and we took exception to the way he celebrated his walk-off the night before," Irvin said.
"We didn't want to hit him. We didn't want to hurt him ... But we talked as a group, and said that's something we don't want to put up with as a team."
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Manny Machado smashed a 2-run homer off the next pitch from Mackenzie Gore. Later on, Jurickson Profar got his own revenge of sorts by hitting a grand slam in the sixth inning to help the home team to a 9-7 victory.
"He just happened to yank it and hit him on the foot" - Jake Irvin
Meanwhile, Jake Irvin implicitly stated on the podcast that the situation blew up more than it was supposed to. While the Nationals wished to make a statement, it inadvertently turned into a stronger response than the team intended. According to Irvin, Mackenzie Gore did not have any intention of hitting Jurickson Profar.
"It turned into something bigger. We did not mean it to be that way with Mackenzie hitting him on the foot. I can tell you confidently that it was just a guy that was excited and wanted to blow a fastball by him. He just yanked it and it hit him on the foot," Irvin said.
With all the drama that unfolded in the between the two teams in this series, it will be interesting to see what course the rivalry takes when they meet face each other next.