Sealed With A Kiss: Tiger Pitcher’s Smooch Inflames A’s

Sometimes the most innocuous gesture can cause an uproar; what doesn’t seem like a big deal to some can mean a lot to others. For instance, take what Al Alburquerque did on Sunday.

Alburquerque, a reliever for the Detroit Tigers, made a play on what became an out in the top of the ninth inning of Game 2 of their American League Division series against the Oakland Athletics. Before he tossed it to first baseman Prince Fielder, though, he did something to the ball no one can ever recall seeing on a diamond, certainly not in a playoff: he kissed the ball.

A’s left fielder Yoenis Cespedes was at the plate with the count at one ball and one strike, and two runners on base. The rookie smacked the next fastball he saw directly back to the mound, where Alburquerque knocked it down, picked it up and kissed it while striding towards first base, then lobbing it to Fielder. The play preserved a 4-4 tie at the time, as it was the last out of the top of the inning.

Detroit would go on to rally in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win and a 2-0 stranglehold on the series; the scene now moves to Oakland County Colisuem, where the Tigers only need one win to sweep the best-of-five while the A’s must win all three games to advance and play for the A.L. championship.

Fielder thought it was funny. “I thought that was the coolest thing I’d ever seen,” the first baseman said, “but I was nervous because I really didn’t know what was going on. When he kissed it, I was like, ‘What? Oh. Oh. All right. Yeah.’ I didn’t know.”

For his part, the reliever said he got caught up in the moment. “The emotion of the game,” Alburquerque explained. “I just tried to make my out. I feel so happy to get the guy out. That’s it. … I don’t know why I do that.”

The Athletics were less than impressed. “That got under my skin,” A’s right fielder Josh Reddick said in an interview. “It was very unprofessional, and I didn’t appreciate it one bit.”

Cespedes said he wants a chance to “hit the ball hard” at some point during however many games will be played in this series… “and I can kiss my bat.”

Oakland has no more losses to give; their backs are against the wall. They need something to stir them up, and in their minds — certainly in the view of both Reddick and Cespedes — the impromptu smooch was a sign of disrespect. Whether this works at rallying the Green and Gold will be revealed in the coming week.