Everyone remember that infamous snow game in Cleveland back in 2008? With two outs in the top of the fifth inning — just one strike away from an official game — former Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove strolled to the plate to argue the game should be stopped. Hargrove, under the guise of player safety, said the Mariners “couldn’t see the ball” and argued the conditions warranted a delay.
The manager arguing for the game to continue? That would be former Indians manager — and now the new Mariners manager — Eric Wedge. At the time, Wedge argued it would be unfair to stop the game one out short of an official game. The managers got into a heated discussion before home-plate umpire Alfonso Marquez suspended the game because of the heavy snow.
Hours later, the umpire waved off the game just short of going into the books as an official game. The timing of Hargrove’s argument irked Wedge and the Indians.
“The snow was coming for five minutes,” Byrd said. “If the count’s 3-0, nobody is saying anything. They tried to get away with something, and it worked. Nobody was saying anything when I wasn’t throwing strikes. I thought it was handled poorly.”
So, there’s your connection to the Seattle Mariners. Between his relationship with Milton Bradley and his part in the snow game incident, Wedge has had his share of unpleasant experiences in the past. Here’s guessing he’s happy today after being chosen to lead the Mariners in 2011.