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Ex-Royals star Mark Gubicza and broadcast partner unload on MLB for scoring change

pete grathoff
·4 min read

First baseman Nolan Schanuel went hitless in five plate appearances Sunday in the Angels’ 12-2 loss to the Red Sox. For some, that’s the first time in Schanuel’s career that he’s failed to reach base.

Schanuel had either a hit or walk in all 29 games last season as a rookie, and he did the same in the first seven games this year. That is, until a scoring change was made Saturday.

A hit by Schanuel in the Angels’ second game of the season at Baltimore was changed to an error six days later.

Former Royals pitcher Mark Gubicza, who was part of the 1985 World Series championship team, crushed MLB for allowing the scoring change. Gubicza, who is now an Angels broadcaster, made the comments before Saturday‘s game.

“I marked it in my book right away as a hit and I’m keeping it as a hit by the way,” Gubicza said. “MLB, you gotta remember when you have something like this, it’s special. It’s all over social media. Everyone’s excited about a young player like Nolan Schanuel. ... He started his career and it’s like a magical moment.

“You look at the NBA, you think they would take away an assist from LeBron James if he had a triple-double that break a record? No. You’re never gonna do that. You’re never gonna see that in the NFL. Why baseball decided on this thing at this moment is still mind-boggling.”

Gubicza’s comments were merely an appetizer for what Angels play-by-play broadcaster Wayne Randazzo had to say during the game. Randazzo dropped the hammer on MLB.

“Negative story after negative story, scandal after scandal,” Randazzo said. “A fiasco in Oakland. You have these ridiculous-looking jerseys. You have the MLBPA challenging the league about the pitch clock today because of constant pitcher injuries. Not to mention your global superstar is embroiled in a betting scandal.

“But on top of all of that, you have a young player, trying to make a name for himself, who has come up and reached base safely in every single game that he has played. And the league allows this scoring change to go on to end his streak, kill this story, a positive story that’s happening in Major League Baseball. It is an absurdity.”

Gubicza then reiterated how other pro leagues would not have allowed a similar decision.

The X account MLB Scoring Changes had a nice breakdown of what happens when there is a scoring change.