The Atlanta Braves manager, Brian Snitker, doesn’t lose his cool often. He’s not the kind of manager to go charging out of the dugout just to put on a show. He’s old school, yes, but in the calm, steady-hand kind of way. So when Snit goes public with his frustration about an umpiring decision, you can be pretty sure something ridiculous happened.
And Tuesday night in D.C., something ridiculous did happen.
The Glove Heard ‘Round the League
It started with Rafael Montero, who trotted out from the bullpen with the same glove he’s worn all season long — brown leather, with black accents. Nothing flashy. No white, no grey. No neon flames. Just a glove.
But apparently, that was one color too many for Tuesday night’s umpiring crew, who forced Montero to swap out the glove mid-game due to a sudden ruling that it violated the league’s two-tone glove rule.
Let’s be clear that the rule is in place to prevent gloves that are white or grey or that have stark contrast, which can visually interfere with a hitter’s ability to pick up the ball. Think neon fingertips or flashy, distracting patterns, not brown and black leather.
So why enforce it now? Why this glove? Why this pitcher? That’s exactly what Brian Snitker wanted to know.
Snitker Speaks for the Rest of Us
After the Braves game, Snitker said what everyone watching was already thinking: “Evidently, after two months, they’re going to start cracking down on gloves that nobody pays any attention to.”
It wasn’t just sarcasm — it was frustrated logic. If Montero’s glove was truly a violation, why wasn’t it flagged in April? Or May 1st? Why wait until two months into the season to suddenly act like it’s a major issue?
It’s not just inconsistency — it’s selective enforcement. And when umpires are already under fire for missed calls, shrinking margins of error, and the oncoming storm that is the ABS challenge system, it’s hard not to see this as a weird, misplaced power play.
Umpires Under Pressure
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: umpires are feeling the heat, and Tuesday night’s glove controversy reeks of desperation to assert relevance. With blown calls increasingly exposed by replay and automated strike zone systems looming, there’s a shrinking sandbox for umps to work in. And when that’s the case, it’s not unusual to see them start enforcing rules to the letter, even when those letters don’t make sense.
But when enforcement actively disrupts the flow of the game—in this case, penalizing a pitcher for using a glove he’s worn all season—you’re no longer upholding the integrity of the game. You’re damaging it.
Braves Manager’s Rare Outburst Was Justified
Snitker isn’t perfect. He’s had his share of managerial miscues. But when it comes to this glove nonsense? He’s dead-on. Baseball has always had unwritten rules, weird quirks, and long-running traditions, but this wasn’t about nuance — it was about common sense, and the umpires came up empty.
So kudos to Snit for calling it like it is. If Montero’s brown-and-black glove is an issue now, then every pitcher in the league better be ready for a mid-inning swap. Or maybe the league can dial back the micromanaging and let pitchers pitch, managers manage, and umpires stop making themselves the center of attention.
