Albert Pujols put an end to the drama that Nyjer Morgan had tried to start up earlier in the week. Asked to comment on posts that Morgan had made on Twitter, Pujols stated that, “I don’t want to say anything.”
This might have brought a real end to the situation that Morgan had created with immature behavior on the baseball field earlier in the week, even if it isn’t something that ESPN can sensationalize for the rest of the regular season. According to the Associated Press, Pujols doesn’t want to discuss Morgan or his pending contract extension until the season is over.
During a game in which the St. Louis Cardinals shut out the Milwaukee Brewers, Morgan decided that he wasn’t going to be shown up and caused the benches of both teams to empty. Morgan had just struck out on a Chris Carpenter fast ball with an embarrassingly erratic swing that must have left him frustrated. He then reached into his cheek and flung a mouthful of chew onto the field in Carpenter’s direction. It was at that point that Pujols came from first base and got between the disgusting behavior and his starting pitcher.
After the altercation, the Brewers lost, but Morgan wasn’t done stating his opinion on the incident. The little outfielder then took to his Twitter account to attack Pujols; something he certainly wouldn’t have attempted in person. It was definitely something being used by a role player to bait a superstar into an online argument, but Pujols didn’t take the bait. Instead, he has tried to put the incident in the past, and isn’t giving the schoolyard bully the attention he is seeking.
The rivalry between the Brewers and Cardinals had gotten pretty intense in the National League Central, especially with how well Milwaukee has been playing lately. The division isn’t really up for grabs at this point though, as St. Louis is still seven games out of first place on Saturday, September 10. The Brewers will likely be the only team from this rivalry to make the postseason, and maybe that is why Morgan thinks that he has the “right” to make comments about Pujols.
With Morgan, this behavior isn’t anything new, but he has provided a spark for the Brewers that got him job security, even after his recent incident. He is hitting .307 this season for the Brewers, and has been playing the outfield very well for Milwaukee. It seems that the team needs him to perform like this in the postseason too, but the behavior has got to be brought under control.