Baseball is a game of failure, but some guys handle it worse than others. Take Cincinnati Reds reliever Pierce Johnson. During a miserable 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Johnson served up an eighth-inning home run to Esmerlyn Valdez. He didn’t just walk off the mound with his head down. No, he lost his absolute mind.
The fuse was lit moments earlier. Valdez checked his swing. First-base umpire Louie Krupa ruled he held up. It should have been strike three. Instead, the at-bat lived on, and so did the ball, which eventually landed in the seats.
Johnson snapped. He pointed. He screamed.
Thanks to the internet’s favorite lip-reader, Jomboy, we don’t have to guess what the right-hander said. It was a masterclass in profanity. “You f—ed that up!” Johnson bellowed toward first base, according to the breakdown. “That’s f—ing strike three! No, that’s f—ing strike three! You f—ing know it! F— you!”
Classic.
It is the kind of raw, unhinged frustration that defines a long, grueling season. Speaking of frustration, the Reds have a rich history of players taking their anger out on innocent equipment—just look at decades of Cincinnati batters splintering their lumber in disgust. But Johnson chose verbal violence instead.
Currently, Johnson carries a mediocre 4.50 ERA over 27 appearances this year. Giving up late-inning bombs certainly won’t help that number. Neither will screaming at the men in blue, though it certainly makes for great television.
