Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill says Trump should focus on the country, not 'moves made in a World Series game'

Rich Hill.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill did not appreciate President Trump's tweet about Saturday night's World Series game, telling the Los Angeles Times on Sunday that Trump was focusing on the wrong thing.

Trump criticized manager Dave Roberts for removing Hill in the seventh inning, when the Dodgers were leading 4-0; they ended up losing the game 9-6, and the Red Sox now lead the series 3-1. "Managers do it all the time, big mistake!" Trump tweeted. Roberts responded Saturday night, saying he was "happy" the president tuned into the game, but "I don't think he was privy to the conversation. That's one man's opinion."

Hill went further. "I understand you're watching the World Series, but there was a huge tragedy that happened and people will say what they want to say," he said, referring to the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead. "The focus, in my opinion, of the president is to be on the country, and not on moves that are made in a World Series game."

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Regarding the decision to take him out of the game, Hill told the Times he had asked Roberts to "keep an eye on me," meaning, "Hey, if there is a better option coming out of the bullpen, I'm going to be on board with that, because of the gravity of the situation. To have an act of selflessness in this moment is what it's all about. At the end of the day, the move was made, and it didn't fall in our favor."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.