The Washington Nationals are on the brink of clinching one of two National League wild cards, earning a place in the do-or-die playoff game. In fact, Washington can clinch the postseason berth Tuesday, thus the equipment team put down plastic in preparation of the clinch celebration to the chagrin of outfield Adam Eaton.
Eaton is none too pleased about it, calling the preparation a distraction.
“If I had my way, I would do a Chris Sale and rip every single on of them down,” Eaton told reporters per Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “Chris, I love you. But I’m not happy with that. It’s a distraction in my book and shouldn’t have happened.”
Eaton referenced Chris Sale, who while with the Chicago White Sox and a teammate of Eaton at the time, when Sale cut up Chicago’s throwback uniforms so no player could wear them. He felt the jerseys were uncomfortable. While not quite the same situations, Eaton leaned back to that moment.
The Nationals have seven games remaining on the schedule, all at home. With their magic number down to three, preparation is in order. On the flipside, Eaton wants the team to focus on getting the necessary wins that would ensure a clinch and not the celebration any moment sooner.
Given the Nationals failed to reach the playoffs last season and have been eliminated in the NLDS each of their four postseason appearances, no one can argue Eaton’s point of view.
Washington needs any combination of two wins and a Cubs loss or one win and two Cubs’ losses to clinch the playoff berth. The two wins and one Cubs’ loss can happen Tuesday, as the Nationals play a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies while the Cubs play at the Pittsburgh Pirates.
If, there is any delay in the clinching moment, someone in the Nationals clubhouse may want to hide the scissors from Eaton.
