MLB: Tony La Russa storms Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast booth

Former MLB manager Tony La Russa didn’t like what he was hearing from the Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast team. So he did the natural thing and barged into their booth.

The game of baseball has its share of strange feuds throughout its long and eventful history. The latest bizarre conflict to grace Major League Baseball comes courtesy of Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa and Pittsburgh Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown.

La Russa, who has served as Chief Baseball Officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2014, didn’t take kindly to comments made by Brown during Tuesday’s game between the D’backs and Pirates in Pittsburgh. When D’backs infielders Jean Segura and Nick Ahmed were forced to leave the game after being hit in the head by pitches from Pirates reliever Arquimedes Caminero, Brown referred to La Russa as a skipper who advocated for retaliation when he felt his players were being targeted.

La Russa evidently disagreed and did not waste time making sure Brown knew about it. He stormed right into the Root Sports broadcast booth to dispute the play-by-play man’s claim. As they were just about to return from a commercial break, Brown took La Russa aside to argue the point, temporarily leaving his broadcast partner Steve Blass to call the game solo.

After the incident, La Russa explained the reasoning for his actions to the Arizona Republic: “I never have stood for inaccuracies, so I corrected the inaccuracies. It’s about taking responsibility. If you’re going to speak untruths then you’re going to get challenged and you should be responsible for what you say.”

During yesterday’s broadcast, Brown countered by defending the veracity of his comments:

“I didn’t speak any untruths,” he said. “I spoke completely accurately, and I’ll stand by every word I said.” He also added that he has been a vocal supporter of La Russa in the past.

La Russa developed somewhat of an ornery reputation throughout his 33 seasons as an MLB manager, and he has a history with the Pirates from his long stint as skipper of the division rival St. Louis Cardinals. However, he really doesn’t come across as anything other than unhinged here. While he certainly reserves the right to defend himself and his record, a live broadcast – for the opposing team, no less – is not the place to do it.

Next: Derek Jeter Wants to Own a Team

The Diamondbacks have endured a disappointing 21-28 start to the season, one that has likely taken its toll on La Russa and the entire organization. The fact that Arizona went on to lose Tuesday’s contest by a 12-1 margin couldn’t have done much to alleviate his frustration. But while losing your cool on occasion is expected of a big league manager, circumstances are a bit different for a team executive.

What’s your take on this odd confrontation? Sound off in the comments below.