"That" is not This: Archer and Buehrle





This is what the Mark Buehrle-Chris Archer thing is about.

Chris Archer is jumping up on the top step, getting all fired up about Evan Longoria getting plunked in the glut. Buehrle, noticing Archer, chirps at him a little.

Buehrle, who once said, “I don’t know that part of the game” when he talked about how he and Marcus Stroman had miscommunication about throwing at a guy, was called a hypocrite by some on Twitter. And I honestly think people are reading this the wrong way.

"That part of the game...." means ordering a rookie to bean a player. Mark Buehrle has been around a long time. He knows about the politics of plunking, even if he himself doesn't partake or condone it.

There is no way he doesn't know about the "throwing at a batter" part of the game. What he meant was "I don't do that." And "that" is telling a kid to throw at someone.

That is not this.

Per Stoeten:
Jason Collette tweets that the “broadcast showed Archer taking issue with the plunking and Buehrle saying ‘that’s on you’ if I read lips correctly,” which seems about right. Except, y’know, Mark “I don’t know that part of the game” Buehrle — if that’s what he really said, and what really was going on.
Don’t be dumb and unlikable, Jays. We’ve already got a closer being used in the seventh, if it’s called for, and a great hitter in the two spot. The mouth-breather garbage is on its way out! Just beat them on the field.

This isn't mouth breather garbage, or at least not just on one side. I don't even think  Buehrle was condoning Estrada plunking Longoria. He was saying to Archer, "You can't get all huffy after you plunked two guys tonight."

And really, he can't. If Archer plunked Martin and Encarnacion on purpose, he should just accept that his big hitter is going to get one back. And if Archer didn't do it on purpose, he should give Estrada the benefit of the doubt and accept that one got away. Or just in general sit down. DeJesus hard slid on Travis to break up a double play, which might not have been "dirty" but was certainly dickish. And when Geltz threw up and in to Donaldson. A lot of questionable behaviour to go around.

What isn't shown in that GIF by Ian the Blue Jay Hunter is that about ten seconds after Buehrle chirped, he laughed with Hutchison, who was sitting on the top step indicating that this wasn't a "play the game the right way" type policing but more of a "you're ridiculous" type thing.  The dugout and what goes on between the two is part of the game. And to think it isn't all involved is a bit ridiculous.

“I don’t have any hard feelings toward him,” Longoria said, noting that he and Estrada are friends from their college days at Long Bach State. “It escalated and it looked a lot worse than it probably would have been had it hit me in a different spot and not ended up the way it did. Ultimately you got to protect your guys.”