Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler Calls Cesar Hernandez's Lack Of Hustle 'Totally Unacceptable'
MIAMI (CBS/AP) -- Phillies manager Gabe Kapler called it "totally unacceptable." Cesar Hernandez acknowledged afterward he should have ran harder.
In the top of the sixth inning of the Phillies' 3-2 loss to the Miami Marlins, Hernandez slugged a two-out shot to right field -- a drive Hernandez thought was bound to exit the ballpark and left the batter's box accordingly. Instead, the ball hit off the wall and Hernandez was stuck with a long single.
Rhys Hoskins bailed Hernandez out with a two-run home run, his 25th of the season that ended a career-long drought of 84 plate appearances without a homer.
Hoskins' blast gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead, which Aaron Nola couldn't hold in the bottom of the sixth -- his only bad inning in a potentially season-defining series loss in Miami. Still, Hernandez's base-running blunder was a talking point on social media and post game.
"It was a mistake," Hernandez said. "You watched the game, you saw what happened. I was thankful to Rhys that he was able to pick me up."
Hernandez's hustle has been an issue before.
This time he heard from several teammates in the dugout about the transgression, but Kapler didn't remove him from the game.
"It was addressed on the bench; I had a conversation with Cesar after the game," Kapler said. "He understands it's unacceptable. There's no excuse for it. We have some strong, veteran leaders in the clubhouse who'll address it as well."
Kapler previously benched Maikel Franco for lack of hustle earlier in the season and Jean Segura had some hustling hiccups too.
The Phillies squandered a chance to gain ground in the Wild Card race, but left a disappointing weekend just 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.
(©Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
