Technology is supposed to make baseball faster and clearer, but for the A’s on Wednesday, a broken earpiece did the exact opposite. The malfunction triggered a controversial penalty which made their manager, Mark Kotsay, so angry that he was almost ejected from the game.

“A’s manager Mark Kotsay was incensed after they were charged a mound visit during a PitchCom malfunction,” Jomboy Media shared.

In the 5th inning, A’s starter J.T. Ginn failed to receive a signal via PitchCom from catcher Shea Langeliers. Ginn threw a fastball, but Langeliers’ reaction made it clear he wasn’t expecting that pitch. Since Ginn was gesturing that his earpiece wasn’t working, Langeliers visited the mound to talk to him.

Despite the issue, the umpires charged the A’s for the mound visit. That made Kotsay so furious that he marched onto the field, yelling at the umpire. However, just when we thought that things had boiled over enough for Kotsay to get ejected, fortunately, nothing happened. Kotsay left the field but was clearly frustrated with the umpire’s decision.

 

The game was paused for a few minutes while they argued. Even though everything went smoothly afterwards, the incident showed how confusing the mound visit rules can be.

In 2024, MLB lowered the number of allowed mound visits from five to four per game. A team is charged with a visit when a manager, coach, or player goes to the mound to talk to the pitcher. On Wednesday, Langeliers’ visit to the mound triggered this rule, but Kotsay was upset about not being given an exception.

However, if we go by the rulebook, the umpires made the correct call. The catcher or the pitcher is supposed to step off and signal to the home plate umpire to request an equipment timeout. But Langeliers didn’t call an equipment timeout, which led to an automatic visit.

But this also highlights a major flaw in how MLB handles technology. In this case, Kotsay was in a way justified in getting angry that his team was punished for a tech malfunction. Because non-communication can lead to lost games or even injuries, to the catcher or the umpire.

Fortunately, the umpire’s decision didn’t hinder the A’s momentum as they won the game 6-5. Despite the tech issues, Ginn recorded 3 SOs and allowed 2 ERs.

However, while the game result went in the A’s favor, Kotsay has bigger things to worry about than a PitchCom debate. Especially considering how the team’s offense was hyped before the season, the numbers are telling a very different story.

The A’s offense is yet to show its true colors

The A’s Nick Kurtz was projected to win the 2026 AL MVP over Aaron Judge by USA Today’s Marcus D. Smith. Last year, Kurtz hit 36 home runs with 86 RBIs and a 5.4 bWAR in just 117 games. Brent Rooker also had a strong season last year, batting .262 with 30 home runs. So, the A’s offense was projected to fire all guns blazing this year.

However, the reality is different.

Currently, the A’s are ranked 23rd in terms of team average (.227) and 24th in terms of total runs (72). Kurtz has hit just one home run and scored at .189. Rooker has only managed two home runs while batting .146. So, both of their offense leaders are misfiring.

To put things into perspective, the A’s got swept by the Blue Jays, and in the three games, the A’s scored just 11 runs. On the other hand, their 50 strikeouts over their first three games were the most by any MLB team since 1898 in a three-game span. So, offensive struggle is evident. And now that Rooker was placed on the 10-day IL, we aren’t hoping for things to get any better soon.

Still, by how the A’s won the game against the Rangers on Wednesday, their bullpen deserves credit. Especially the scoreless innings from Joel Kuhnel, Scott Barlow, and Hogan Harris restricted the Rangers’ batting in the ninth. But concerns remain for Kotsay.

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