The life of an MLB relief pitcher is certainly a tumultuous one.
You can be lights out and on top of the world in one game. Then, in the next game, you can come out of the bullpen and seemingly be unable to do anything right.
New York Mets reliever Jake Diekman is just the latest example of this.
Last Thursday, Diekman recorded the save in the Mets’ 7-6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, overpowering Kyle Schwarber for a game-ending strikeout.
Tuesday night in Cleveland was a different story. Entering the game between the Mets and Guardians with New York trailing 5-4, Diekman surrendered a home run to designated hitter David Fry to extend Cleveland’s lead to 7-4.
Diekman was pulled before the inning ended, and upon getting to the dugout took his anger out on one of the team’s Gatorade coolers, picking it up and tossing it down the hallway.
Diekman is far from the first MLB player to go after the Gatorade cooler or other dugout equipment. Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano attacked the team’s dugout Gatorade machine with a bat after being ejected from a game in 2009, and in 2013, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz took a bat to the team’s dugout phone following an ejection.
The Guardians went on to win the game, 7-6.
About Robert O'Neill