From the look of Cardinals reliever Carlos Martinez on Sunday, he definitely does not care for Braves star Ronald Acuna. That was apparent in the Braves' win, which was a blown save and loss for Martinez.
A little background:
In Game 1 of the NLDS, Acuna homered off Martinez and had some fun admiring his shot.
Martinez reacted after recording the final out by starting to scream at the Braves' dugout, though catcher Yadier Molina did a good job of containing it.
After Game 1, Martinez told reporters, "I wanted him to respect the game and respect me as a player."
Sunday, Martinez was surely in a sour mood after already allowing three runs in the ninth when Acuna came to the plate. Martinez's first pitch was 99 miles per hour, up and in on Acuna. Martinez started yelling toward home plate after the pitch. When it became apparent he might walk Acuna, Martinez uncorked this pitch that nearly grazed the Braves outfielder.
Take note of Molina walking Acuna down to first. Cameras didn't catch it, but it seems like though Martinez was yelling toward first base, where Braves first base coach Eric Young was guarding Acuna and holding out one hand as if to say "enough." It appears Acuna did some yelling of his own, too.
When he got to first, he pointed at the bench and was clearly yelling something. They might not have shown it on television.
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) October 6, 2019
This is a highly competitive game and there are egos involved, but man, this is the playoffs. Personal beefs should take a backseat to trying to win the game. Squash it, boys.
